A Christian Response by Stephen J. Bedard
Many biblical scholars claim that the Gospels are anonymous. What does that mean? Is this a problem for Christians or for defending the idea of the historical Jesus? Support me through Patreon. Visit my History of Christianity Podcast.
This is my continuation of my series looking at the article “Raphael Lataster and Questioning the Plausibility of Jesus Ahistoricity Theories” by Raphael Lataster. In this post, I look at his criticism of the canonical Gospels. My first observation is that I am shocked that a person with a PhD who teaches at a university … Read More “Raphael Lataster and Questioning the Plausibility of Jesus Ahistoricity Theories – Part Three” »
There is an ongoing debate between Christian apologists and skeptics about the value of the Gospels as historical sources, specifically whether they are eyewitness accounts. Some apologists argue strongly that the Gospels were written by Matthew and John (both of the twelve apostles) and by Mark (who received his content from Peter) and Luke (who … Read More “Do the Gospels Need to Have Been Written By Eyewitnesses?” »
Many Jesus Mythicists point out differences between the canonical Gospels as evidence for why they can’t be treated as history. This could be differences among the Synoptic Gospels or differences between the Synoptics and John. This is a weak argument. The ironic thing is that some Mythicists and Christian Apologists are looking at the data … Read More “Are Differences Between the Gospels a Problem For the Historical Jesus?” »
This is a continuation of a response to R.G. Price’s Case Against Historical Jesus. Now we get into comparisons with other historical sources. Sort of. The Gospels make many claims that are contradicted by the historical record According to R.G. Price, one of the reasons that we should not take the Gospels seriously as historical … Read More “Do the Gospels Contradict the Historical Record?” »
This post is not meant to be a comprehensive response to the Jesus Myth Theory (that’s what the entire website is for). All this is, is why I personally believe that Jesus existed. First, I will tell you what doesn’t cause my belief. It is not based on a conviction that the Bible is inerrant … Read More “Why Do I Believe in a Historical Jesus?” »
Is there any evidence for the historical Jesus? What about the Gospels? Can they be used as historical sources? This episode looks at these questions. Books Mentioned in This Episode: What Are the Gospels? Quest of the Historical Jesus Relevant Posts: The Dirty Little Secret About Dating the Gospels
One of the disagreements between most scholars and Mythicists is about how appropriate it is to use the Gospels as evidence for the historical Jesus. The problem, according to Mythicists, is that the Gospels are obviously biased. They are not unbiased historians or biographers. John 20:31 makes it clear: “But these are written that you … Read More “Aren’t the Gospels Too Biased?” »
