I wrote my Ph.D. dissertation at the University of Chicago, directed by Jonathan Z. Smith, on Paul’s Ascent to Paradise. This singular experience is reported by Paul in the 3rd person initially, but the “boasting” style is well known to us in Greek literature–in which the writer is “modestly” talking about…
One of the enduring questions historians of early Christianity struggle with is the issue of when we can properly speak of the “new religion” of Christianity, as contrasted with a variety of forms of Judaism in the decades following the death of Jesus the Jew. The title of Paula Fredriksen’s book, When…
This extended two hour interview with David LeBlanc focuses on my book, Paul and Jesus–and in particular what I call “Paul’s Greatest Idea.” Many would find two hours a bit much, but for those who really want to understand Paul–who I would argue was the most influential human being in…
A two hour interview would be considered a bit much for most viewers, unless the host is the ever-skilled Paul Williams of Blogging Theology. In my view this is a model of how interviews of authors should ideally be conducted. I predict that viewers who are interested in the deeper…
Please visit my Youtube Channel and Subscribe, for much more to come. I have written a lot about the idea of “resurrection of the dead” as a central component of early Christian faith–both that of Jesus himself, as well as the future hope and expectations for all his followers–and for…
Please visit my Youtube Channel and Subscribe, for much more to come. In my new book, Paul’s Ascent to Paradise–dealing with Paul’s mystical experience and his understanding of his “secret” message he calls “My Gospel,” as well as his message to the nations who had become “not my people.” I argue…
Please visit my Youtube Channel and Subscribe, for much more to come. In Galatians Paul refers to “James and Cephas and John” as the “reputed pillars” of the Jesus movement–and assuming Cephas is Peter–which I think highly likely–it is clear that “James,” the brother of Jesus is listed first and…
Please visit my Youtube Channel and Subscribe, for much more to come. I regularly teach a course called “The End of the World as We Know It,” with thanks to REM and Leonard Cohen’s, “The Future.” I did this thirty-minute overview with Derek Lambert, the dynamic host of MythVision Podcasts–which…
Yesterday I did a two hour interview (originally scheduled for September 1st) with Night Light Radio radio host Barbara DeLong on my two books on Paul, namely: Paul and Jesus (2012) and my latest, Paul’s Ascent to Paradise (2020). It was a wide-ranging time covering everything from the possibility that Paul was born…
Yesterday I did a a two-hour interview with David LeBlanc, who hosts a Youtube channel that covers all sorts of Biblically related topics. Yep, you read that right TWO HOURS. We mainly talked about my 2012 book Paul and Jesus which continues to draw a strong readership after nearly a decade. My goal…