I wonder if any of the bibliobloggers who read this blog are also members of the American Oriental Society (or other comparable organizations). I’m wondering whether, given my interest in the Mandaeans (and increasingly in Syriac Christian literature as well), it is an organization I ought to look into joining. Or would my interest in the Mandaeans basically be as much on the fringe there as it is in the context of the Society of Biblical Literature? Just wondering –... Read more

I liked the point Doug Chaplin made recently (even though he called it “a cheap shot”): “the Bible alone” doesn’t tell us which books should be in it. He has now followed up by asking whether “the Bible alone” is an oxymoron. It should be an interesting discussion. Read more

We all look at evidence through the lens of theories and other frames of reference. Sometimes sufficient evidence accumulates that does not fit with a theory, with the result that it is abandoned and a different theory is adopted, one that better accounts for the evidence (or for more of the evidence). In the mean time, when there are only a few such pieces of problematic evidence, there is nothing inappropriate about seeing whether it is possible to reinterpret the evidence so as... Read more

Discussion of mythicism continues around the blogosphere. Eric Reitan has posted on the topic of mythicism. Neil Godfrey also has posted two rejoinders. I was rather disheartened to read a comment there from someone who said he reads my blog regularly and was disappointed at what he perceived as my closed-mindedness about the existence of Jesus. That is of course a response (yes, I know, here we go again) which one will often hear from creationists, expressing their dismay that a scientist... Read more

From the British Center for Science Education via The Dispersal of Darwin. On a related note, Mike Beidler continues searching for truth in “The Truth Project”. Read more

A student shared this great new Star Wars action figure on the religion and sci-fi course blog, and I thought it deserved to be shared with a wider audience: Read more

Joseph Kelly has suggested there might be some usefulness to a Wiki-Bible translation maintained by bibliobloggers, or scholars and students of the Bible more generally. What do you think? Read more

Recent discussions of mythicism here and elsewhere have shown a lack of understanding of the basic principles of historical study, including the so-called “criteria of authenticity” that scholars have developed as tools for sifting through the evidence. The criteria in question are not “rules” which, when applied to texts, guarantee that material is historical with absolute certainty. They are guides indicating usual tendencies and trajectories in developing traditions. They are statements about what is normally the case, all other things... Read more

DocArtz has an extensive exploration of the game that LOST seems to be playing (in more ways than one) and in the process touches on many religious ideas and traditions. Read more

I’m struck that most of the mythicists I’ve spoken with accept the existence of John the Baptist. It is not at all clear why this should be the case. If the Gospels, which are the first texts to mention him, are mythical, possibly intended as allegories and nothing more, then why should we treat John the Baptist as historical? Or perhaps Christians invented him to be the Elijah expected to come before the Messiah. Even Doherty could make a case... Read more