The question of who killed Jesus has been the subject of countless academic books and articles over the past 100 years. Scholars are largely agreed that despite several passages in the New Testament that appear to collectively blame “the Jews,” the historical fact is that Jesus died by Roman crucifixion,…
What a way to start off my Blog for 2021–I am honored, humbled, and flattered… Popular Archaeology Magazine is pleased to announce the publication of the 10-year Anniversary Issue, featuring the top 10 stories of the magazine’s first 10 years. These stories exemplify the excitement and adventure of archaeological exploration…
First a bit of personal background. I began my study of New Testament (Koiné) Greek at the tender age of 17 as a young college freshman at what was then called Abilene Christian College (today Abilene Christian University), one of the flagship schools of the Churches of Christ. My family,…
So once again Holy Week has arrived–the “final days of Jesus” with the Last Supper, Passover, and Easter falling in a back-to-back cluster this weekend, just like they did in the time of Jesus. Just about everything about this week is controversial. Did Jesus eat his last Supper on a…
Most of us who work in what we academics call “Christian Origins” hold to the “Two Source” theory of Synoptic Gospel origins. That is, Mark was the earliest narrative gospels, Matthew and Luke both used Mark as their core source, but they had access to another source that we call…
In my 2006 New York Times bestselling book, The Jesus Dynasty, which was subsequently translated into twenty-six languages, I included the following dedication: Ad Memoriam Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) Missionary, philosopher, historian extraordinaire. In whose shadow we all stand. My book appeared on the 100th anniversary of the publication of Schweitzer’s most influential 1906…
If you want to travel with me to Israel in 2020 we have just opened registrations for a specialized tour like no other. I am just back from our Mt Zion excavation which marks my 70th trip to the Holy Land since my first visit with my family in the…
Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus centers around a quotation from Isaiah 7:14. Let’s look at the verse as Matthew presents it: Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found…
I am sure many of my older readers will remember Hugh J. Schonfield’s , 1965 blockbuster international best seller, The Passover Plot, now re-released in a special 40th anniversary edition. Schonfield was somewhat of a “maverick” independent scholar, well trained but never pursing an academic university career, but publishing dozens of…
Of the hundreds of books that are written in biblical scholarship every year, few make a long term impact and have an extended shelf life. Very few indeed deserve to be read and reread thirty-five years after their original appearance. Morton Smith’s Jesus the Magician is one of them, a…