Gary Greenberg was kind enough to send me a copy of his fascinating new book, Proving Jesus’ Authority in Mark and John: Overlooked Evidence of a Synoptic Relationship (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2018). I am just beginning to read it, so I will not attempt any kind of overview or review at this…
I am teaching an advanced undergraduate/graduate course this semester on the “Archaeology of Earliest Christianity,” probing the question of what archaeology provides as a context for understanding Jesus and his movement. Those of us who work on “Christian origins” understandably focus primarily on texts, particularly the texts of the New Testament,…
James F. Strange died on March 23rd. I got the sad news via a text message while traveling in the deserts of Jordan. I loved him dearly, considered him my “archaeological” mentor, excavated with him for three seasons at Sepphoris in the 1990s. We differed sharply in our views of…
Why Even Some Jews Once Believed Moses Had Horns It is often said that this is a simple matter of mistranslation, but Vulgate author Saint Jerome would not have made such a crude mistake HaAretz, Elon Gilad, March 27, 2018 https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/why-even-some-jews-once-believed-moses-had-horns-1.5949749 Famously, Michelangelo’s Moses has two horns protruding from his head.…
I met Billy Graham two times. The first was on his first London Crusade in March, 1954. It was his first crusade abroad and he went on to Holland, France, and Germany. I had just turned eight years old but I remember it well. In addition to preaching at Wembley…
I consider the following to be the top twenty “fictions” related to the discussion of the Talpiot tomb separated into six basic categories. Since the Talpiot “Jesus” family tomb came into public attention in 2006 there has been an avalanche of media coverage and Internet discussion. A simple Google search…
So much has been in the media over the past two decades on the 1993 Waco tragedy with a plethora of new TV specials marking the 25th anniversary in 2018. Sorting through the mass of information is a daunting task. In terms of the older productions I recommend in particular…
In terms of perspectives on the 1993 Waco disaster I would particularly recommend the following in order for anyone who wants to get up to speed on what went on, right and wrong. The first chapter of Why Waco is available on-line: https://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520208995 but the rest of the book gives the whole story.…
I have been invited to join Mike Collins “Charlotte Talks,” on WFAE our local NPR station, this Monday, Feb 12th, at 9am, for a Waco Redeux, with the “real” characters, namely survivor David Thibodeau and FBI chief negotiator Gary Noesner—both of whom have published books on the subject. The show is…
What can we reliably know about Paul and how can we know it? As is the case with Jesus this is not an easy question. Historians have been involved in what has been called the “Quest for the Historical Jesus” for the past one hundred and seventy-five years, evaluating and…
