Dr. Andreas Kostenberger just posted his review of Ehrman’s most recent work, How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee
The review is more of an overview of problems he sees with Ehrman’s thinking. He leaves analysis of those problems to the content of the recently-published book-length response to Ehrman: How God Became Jesus: The Real Origins of Belief in Jesus’ Divine Nature—A Response to Bart D. Ehrman
No doubt the book will be better!
Hey Michael, my mate sent me a stone carving of an early harp/chang/cheng/ , 3400 bc is the supposed date could you look at it,and give me your opinion? i will email you the picture now.
I read Jesus, Interrupted a few years ago, and while as a believer I don’t agree with most of his conclusions, found it a refreshing intellectual exercise. How do you respond to his charge that if God had meant the Bible to be his Word to humankind, he would have done a better job of preserving the text?
I found an old post of yours that references Ehrman as having an “all-or-nothing illogic concerning the transmission of the text (and so the concepts),” but I can’t find anywhere where you flesh that out. In what way is his objection illogical?
Thanks
When God decides to use people to do something, he knows what he’s getting. God uses people for evangelism, too (why not another method – like programming who will believe). My point is that it’s a misguided notion (why would God do anything with lesser beings involved?).
The biblical pattern is that God makes imagers (humans, and other divine beings – cf. divine council) who are lesser than he is; he wants to share rule with them; he knows they aren’t him (aren’t perfect), but that’s what he enjoys doing.
At least that’s the biblical theological outlook. Participatory rule / activity is how God enjoys his imagers, knowing the risks.
Been reading reviews on this book and I’m actually shocked that Ehrman agrees that Christ’s divinity was sussed out very early on by the Church due to the resurrection, but he still maintains Christ did not believe Himself to be God since the Synoptic Gospels do not have him make any claims to divinity (only the much later John gospel). If it follows that Paul had a divine view of Christ early on, and the early church did as well (Christ Hymn in Phillippians 2)then how does one explain gospels written (much later after this understanding has developed in disciples) without any mention of his divinity? How would your respond to Ehrman about this from a biblical studies point of view?
Other than John, the writing of the gospels and Paul’s material overlap chronologically. I wouldn’t say the gospels make no mention of Jesus’ divinity either. That’s really not sustainable. The son of man reference at Jesus’ trial may not be held as evidence of deity by many modern scholars, but Caiaphas’ reaction tells us what he was thinking. Matthew and Luke also tie Jesus to Wisdom, who shared God’s throne. That isn’t all, but it’s sufficient for here.
Thanks Dr. Heiser, those are all great points.
I just have to share this consideration, I know its long, but it is important.
When Jesus tells us to endure, there are many similar instructions in both the NT and OT reinforcing it as good advice.
Psalm 27:14
Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord
or
Psalm 33:20
Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our shield.
The words like shield and courage generally gave me the impression that such an order was designed for those facing blatant persecution, like crusaders and their horrific torture but after considering the depth of outrage I have at these academic efforts, I think the more precise target audience served, might just be the church, today.
I write this consideration in this post because it is inseparable from my conclusion that you play such a critical role in your work Dr. H.
The objectives of God’s adversary are the antithesis of Jesus’ revelation that God wants us to worship Him in Spirit and Truth. We receive the promise of the Spirit through faith and faith „cometh“ by hearing, not lies, but truth, therefore, the best attack must be waged on faith against truth in an atmosphere tolerant of hostility toward both. So as far as endurance in what counts to Jesus, it means the crusader’s weapons were actually kinda wimpy: they were limited by the mortality of flesh, they could only achieve capitulation not conviction, and they fostered an atmosphere of resentment against tyranny that was not reserved for believers alone. Most significantly, however, the tools of the crusade missed the target. Though the believer had to endure the physical stress, suffering and even death, the attack never actually touched their faith directly. Even if the faithful succumbed to pain and uttered words to appease the catholics, God is mercifully judges the heart for He told us He knows words are far from it…
So I’m thinking, between the courage to endure torture of the flesh or deception undermining faith, deception is the more powerful weapon. Further, since deception can only succeed in the silencing of truth, it is those who wage the battle in and for truth who must endure.
But don’t the ones armed with TRUTH stand in faith already, so what is there to endure?
The hardship and iniquity that coincides with doing what is just and suffering whatever cost or loss is associated with it…Do you guys think Dr. H gets just rewards commensurate with his efforts? Hell no, not on Earth, not yet. Guys like Ehrman are the ones getting rich with their origami and it is this kind of inequity, where discouragement and deprivation of justice are going to prosper. that we are all going to need to stand and endure and combat with TRUTH, while falsehood gets elevated to normative; this is the fulcrum upon which the attack on faith pivots.
As a newbie Christian who read the bible and said “wow.. that’s not what the pope says or what I learned in catechism”… I can tell you exactly how this misinfo campaign of guys like Ehrman works:
I started to take notes of discrepancies reading my first chapter, Jeremiah, hoping to bring them to resolution consulting with a long-trusted high ranking jesuit scholar friend of the family.. I kept reading a bit further to see if maybe the whole queen of heaven gets explained, but 65 books later my notes were a 37 page spread sheet of small font citations linking catechism references to their conflicting verse and number- a spread sheet that will keep me from consulting men on matters of my faith ever ever ever again.
Obviously, I was super blessed to be infuriated into looking exclusively to the text for my all my answers, to see if my faith in anything was warranted, but not everyone gets so angry… most people look to others for answers and here evil awaits.
A hunger for expedient comfort in uncertainty is that human weakness through which we are tempted to pour out every ounce of power we give unto men and consequently misdirect the glory due exclusively to God. It is at this point where the adversary intercepts power and glory and misdirected unto men of his chosing, thus denying the good guys the stuff we have to wait on the Lord for. (Luke 4:6) …”All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it..”
By God’s Grace, His Spirit has been leading me through a process of both life experience and deposited understandings, just me and Him. So far, I’ve escaped falling into the snares of deferring to authority during critical challenges in my understanding that pose huge risk to my faith. But because it is in these moments of intellectual confusion where faith hangs most vulnerable and the accolades bestowed on scholars create shepherds of wolves, your work Dr. H is super duper important. Eventually, all of us will encounter an intersection where the wisdom of God exceeds our understanding. The smarter we are, the fewer people there will be waiting with truthful answers, so it is almost understandable how someone as educated as Ehrman could encounter a personal challenge to which he must seek God’s help alone, but many miles prior to that intersection stand the church along their path of basic education in factual matters and here is where we, the ones further ahead on the path really need to be willing to share what we have, battling the Ehrmans who intentionally overthrow the faith of some we could help.
These works of academia are not the recognized and despicable weapons of the crusades with punctiliar impact, brutally targeting the mortal flesh. No, academia’s weapons are far worse and will claim huge numbers in this accelerating end of the war. Ehrman’s work is durative, esteemed, and effectively attacks the very substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Here is our battle ground brethren, where the elements of truth combat this esteemed deception and where the ‘girded’ and selfless become the Sons of God.
You wage a good fight DR. H. Thanks for sharing the wealth of ammo we need.
Thanks for that – it was long, but worth the read; I always like hearing “testimonies” of someone’s experience like this.