Review of Jesus and Brian

Last updated on: September 12, 2015 at 8:52 am By James F. McGrath

I’m grateful to Bloomsbury to have been given the opportunity to review the book Jesus and Brian: Exploring the Historical Jesus and his Times via Monty Python’s Life of Brian, which was just released. Not everyone is aware that the famous Monty Python film reflects not just sharp British wit, but also profound understanding of the ancient context in which Jesus lived. A recent conference focused in on this, and this volume publishes the papers from that conference, which took place at... Read more

When God Closes a Door

Last updated on: September 12, 2015 at 6:54 am By James F. McGrath

When I saw this quip that Phillip shared on Facebook, I immediately thought that it deserved to become a meme, on the sort of demotivational poster I’ve made above. If you like it, please share it! Read more

Richard Carrier’s Dishonesty

Last updated on: September 11, 2015 at 3:13 pm By James F. McGrath

It is ironic that Richard Carrier’s blog post which accuses me of lying about his work blatantly misrepresents what I wrote. No one who has read things I’ve written – or listened to things I’ve said – would ever believe that I claimed that the Gospels have no symbolic stories in them, when I have so often said the opposite. The infancy stories (which I’ve discussed before) in the Gospels are just that – and are much like the infancy stories told about other historical... Read more

Prologue to Series 9 of Doctor Who

Last updated on: September 11, 2015 at 1:22 pm By James F. McGrath

IO9 drew attention to the release of a video featuring the Doctor returning to Karn and having an intriguing conversation there. Watch the above to whet your appetite for the new season, which premiers in just over a week! Once you’ve watched it, feel free to come back here and discuss who the “he” is that wants to see the Doctor. Read more

A Certain James F. McGrath

Last updated on: September 11, 2015 at 1:06 pm By James F. McGrath

A recent article by Robert Gagnon is the only occurrence on the internet of the phrase “a certain James F. McGrath.” In the article, Gagnon makes the unsubstantiated accusation that “liberal” institutions penalize conservative scholars for doing genuine research (the scare quotes are also his and also unjustified). Ironically, Gagnon teaches at a seminary which embraces his stance as well as that of others who disagree with him. In the Spring 2011 issue of the seminary’s magazine Panorama, one of his... Read more

Sources and Silliness

Last updated on: September 11, 2015 at 9:16 am By James F. McGrath

Matt Emerson wrote a blog post about source criticism, much of which he finds problematic. The post concludes with the following questions: First, if the 1) methods, 2) assumptions, 3) conclusions, and 4)philosophical underpinnings of the seminal works for both of these theories are questioned by virtually all contemporary biblical scholarship, why do we still refer to them as if they represent scholarly consensus or as if they are the only way to understand the composition of the Pentateuch and Former Prophets? Second, how can any non-confessional scholar look... Read more

Reading is like Making Music

Last updated on: September 11, 2015 at 6:10 am By James F. McGrath

“Reading is not like listening to music, but rather like making music. The reader himself is the instrument.” — Martin Walser The quote in the original German is “Lesen ist nicht etwas wie Musikhören, sondern wie Musizieren. Das Instrument ist man selbst.” It comes from his book Des Lesers Selbstverständnis, p.12, and I found it quoted in translation in the essay by Manfred Oeming in Between Text and Text: International Symposium on Intertextuality in Ancient Near Eastern, Ancient Mediterranean, and Early Medieval... Read more

The Good Samaritan (Stay On Your Toes)

Last updated on: September 10, 2015 at 2:30 pm By James F. McGrath

Via Daily Kos. Sometimes satire makes a point better than any other approach could. Read more

Review of Ronald Charles, Paul and the Politics of Diaspora

Last updated on: September 10, 2015 at 6:00 am By James F. McGrath

I am grateful to Fortress Press for having sent me a gratis review copy of Ronald Charles’ book Paul and the Politics of Diaspora. Charles’ book is a revised version of his doctoral dissertation, and as surprising as it may sound, it is the first full-length monograph which approaches Paul of Tarsus, his life, thought, and activity, from the perspective of diaspora studies. Scholars of the New Testament have been becoming increasingly aware of the need to situate Paul within the... Read more

The Bible is Clear: You Must Not Distort Justice

Last updated on: September 9, 2015 at 9:38 am By James F. McGrath

Loren Rosson has an absolutely fantastic guest post by his friend Ray Vaillancourt, offering a truly Biblical approach to a contemporary issue. Here is an excerpt: Conservatives remind us that the Bible is clear: homosexual behavior is a sin. We have a moral duty to stop it. God wants us to teach homosexuals some Bible values. Some folks protest, though. It’s discrimination. We’re not supposed to judge. We’re supposed to love and accept people. Who are we to believe? Well,... Read more