Bart Ehrman has returned to the fold. Praise.

[Pastor Rune Enoe]

Alleluia. For years I have wondered about Bart Ehrman, former born-again, dyed-in-the-wool fundamentalist Christian. Ehrman has claimed to become an Agnostic (which is just another word for "Atheist") and has written a slew of dreadful Atheist books like "Jesus, Interrupted" and "Misquoting Jesus" about alleged contradictions and corruptions in God's word -- all of which has earned him the nickname "Errorman".

But the sheep hath returned to the family fold. PRAISE.

Just like Christ cleansed the temple amongst the den of thieves (Matthew 21:13), Dr. Ehrman has now dispatched a mighty epistle to the brood of Communists and Atheists at the Huffington Post: Did Jesus Exist? Here Dr. Ehrman launches an attack against the so-called "mythicists". Yes, that's right. There are actually cranks in this country who deny that Our Savior has ever existed -- in spite of a ton of evidence to the contrary.

Let me quote some of Dr. Ehrmans' words. Right from the start:

In a society in which people still claim the Holocaust did not happen, and in which there are resounding claims that the American president is, in fact, a Muslim born on foreign soil, is it any surprise to learn that the greatest figure in the history of Western civilization, the man on whom the most powerful and influential social, political, economic, cultural and religious institution in the world -- the Christian church -- was built, the man worshipped, literally, by billions of people today -- is it any surprise to hear that Jesus never even existed?
(Emphasized for truth)

I almost got a tear in my eye when I read that. No Agnostic Atheist could have called Jesus "the greatest figure in the history of Western civilization". That's the Holy Spirit speaking through Ehrman. Once you are a Christian, even though you may lapse, you are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation (1st Peter 1:5).

Actually, I'm not so sure about what Dr. Ehrman says about Obama's birth certificate, but that's of less importance. What matters is that Dr. Ehrman is right on target comparing mythicists with Holocaust-deniers. Well spoken, Dr. Ehrman! Let's round up those Jesus-deniers, take away their citizens' rights (Atheists should not be considered neither citizens nor patriots) and send them off to Guantanomo or some other remote place. That will teach those sickos some decency.

But there is more:

Few of these mythicists are actually scholars trained in ancient history, religion, biblical studies or any cognate field, let alone in the ancient languages generally thought to matter for those who want to say something with any degree of authority about a Jewish teacher who (allegedly) lived in first-century Palestine. There are a couple of exceptions: of the hundreds -- thousands? -- of mythicists, two (to my knowledge) actually have Ph.D. credentials in relevant fields of study. But even taking these into account, there is not a single mythicist who teaches New Testament or Early Christianity or even Classics at any accredited institution of higher learning in the Western world.

That is perfectly true. I can confirm that not a single professor at the Landover Baptist University for the Saved has ever mentioned even the possibility that Jesus didn't exist. How silly can you get?


I can't wait till I receive my copy of Ehrman's newest book to read about the tons of proof he says he has for a historical Jesus.

[Faith_Machine]

Re: Bart Ehrman has returned to the fold. Praise.

Don't rejoice too much just yet! Bart appeared on the radio today...

Did Jesus Exist? An Historian Makes His Case


...and during that interview, he had the nerve to claim that certain Biblical accounts of the events surrounding Jesus were not 100% factual!

At the time of this writing, the interview's transcript is not yet up there. Listen to the audio, though, and I'm sure you will agree with me that brother Bart still needs our prayers!

[Levi Jones]

Re: Bart Ehrman has returned to the fold. Praise.

I can't believe I missed this beautiful and enlightened review, Pastor.

I'm so glad Dr. Ehrman has finally gotten back right with Jesus on this issue.

It has been all the rage in our panel discussions. Should Jesus deniers be imprisoned and fined like holocaust deniers are in Europe?

Just to think, we were calling him Bart a year ago and discrediting his works. I think this book of Dr. Ehrman's will definitely be making it into the Freehold library.

[Jack O'fagan]

Re: Bart Ehrman has returned to the fold. Praise.

It's wonderful news that Dr Ehrman is moving back to seeing Jesus as his savior. Just imagine Dr Ehrman and Bill Craig side by side like batman and robin fighting for Jesus. They will be a powerful force indeed.

These mythologists are so far out in their views that surely they must realise that something is wrong? If the vast majority of Biblical scholars from the best Bible colleges say that Jesus existed then they should just shut up. A mythologist is just a lone voice talking nonsense just like that fool Copernicus, and he should be derided and ridiculed in the same way.

YIC

Jack

[Pastor Rune Enoe]

Re: Bart Ehrman has returned to the fold. Praise.

I received my copy of Brother Bart's new book, and this is good.

You may recall how Bart Ehrman originally promised us that: "With respect to Jesus, we have numerous, independent accounts of his life in the sources lying behind the Gospels [...] that can be dated to within just a year or two of his life [...]. Historical sources like that are is pretty astounding for an ancient figure of any kind". But could he deliver? You bet!

What Brother Bart does is simply astounding. He takes the Gospels of Saints Matthew and Luke and cuts them into little pieces. All the pericopes that are shared by Luke and Matthew he then labels "Q", all the material that's unique to Matthew is called "M", and Luke's material is called "L".

I know this sounds a bit odd, and even sacrilegious, but there's method in the madness: Instead of two gospels, Bart Ehrman now has three gospels, and since these are sources of the gospels, they are one generation older and closer to Jesus.

This process is reiterated and each time Brother Bart scientifically extracts the text, we get more and more gospels, each of which has multiple sources, and each time we get closer and closer to the original words that dripped from Sweet Baby Jesus' lips.

I'll let Brother Bart explain about all these wonderful gospels that we now have:

Within a couple of decades of the traditional date of his death, we have numerous accounts of his life found in a broad geographical span. In addition to Mark, we have Q, M (which is possibly made of multiple sources), L (also possibly multiple sources), two or more passion narratives, a signs source, two discourse sources, the kernel (or original) Gospel behind the Gospel of Thomas, and possibly others. And these are just the ones we know about, that we can reasonably infer from the scant literary remains that survive from the early years of the Christian church. No one knows how many there actually were. Luke says there were “many” of them, and he may well have been right.
(Did Jesus Exist?)

Isn't that fantastic? Thanks to Bart Ehrman's scientific approach we now have ancient gospels that we don't even know about and they all point straight back to a historical Jesus Christ.

I'd like to see the Jesus-deniers answer that one.

[Rev. M. Rodimer]

Re: Bart Ehrman has returned to the fold. Praise.

While I surely appreciate Bart Erhman's work in establishing the historical Jesus, he also says he thinks Jesus isn't the Son of God.

[Pastor Rune Enoe]

Re: Bart Ehrman has returned to the fold. Praise.

While I surely appreciate Bart Erhman's work in establishing the historical Jesus, he also says he thinks Jesus isn't the Son of God.

I can live with that. After all, Brother Bart has called Jesus "the most important figure in the history of Western civilisation".

Once Dr. Ehrman has silenced all those cranks who claim Jesus never existed, it will be a small task for us to prove Jesus is the Son of God. Dr. Ehrman simply has the good sense to leave the preaching to the pastors.

[Rev. M. Rodimer]

Re: Bart Ehrman has returned to the fold. Praise.

I can live with that. After all, Brother Bart has called Jesus "the most important figure in the history of Western civilisation".

Once Dr. Ehrman has silenced all those cranks who claim Jesus never existed, it will be a small task for us to prove Jesus is the Son of God. Dr. Ehrman simply has the good sense to leave the preaching to the pastors.

A good point.

[Jack O'fagan]

Re: Bart Ehrman has returned to the fold. Praise.

Wow! if the ones that we don't know about also point directly to Jesus that is wonderful news. I'm sure it won't be long before biblical historians dig up a book dated to within a year or two of the resurrection with a big 'Q' on the cover. That will shut a few people up, especially if it has illustrations.


YIC

Jack

[Pastor Rune Enoe]

Re: Bart Ehrman has returned to the fold. Praise.

Few of these mythicists are actually scholars trained in ancient history, religion, biblical studies or any cognate field, let alone in the ancient languages generally thought to matter for those who want to say something with any degree of authority about a Jewish teacher who (allegedly) lived in first-century Palestine. There are a couple of exceptions: of the hundreds -- thousands? -- of mythicists, two (to my knowledge) actually have Ph.D. credentials in relevant fields of study. But even taking these into account, there is not a single mythicist who teaches New Testament or Early Christianity or even Classics at any accredited institution of higher learning in the Western world.[/COLOR][/indent]

That is perfectly true. I can confirm that not a single professor at the Landover Baptist University for the Saved has ever mentioned even the possibility that Jesus didn't exist. How silly can you get?

Let me quote my old post and point out that I (and Bart Ehrman) was right: There's not a single professor in a teaching position at any accredited institution, who would presume to suggest that Jesus never lived in the flesh.

A TOP priest has been forced to quit a Bible-teaching job after writing a book claiming Jesus did not exist (Irish Sun)

Fr Tom Brodie makes the claim in Beyond the Quest for the Historical Jesus.

The publication sparked fury in his order and he was removed from his post at the Dominican Biblical Institute in Limerick, which he helped set up.

According to documents seen by the Irish Sun, the veteran scholar was also banned from any lecturing, teaching or writing while a probe is under way.

It is understood Fr Brodie has questioned the existence of Jesus since the Seventies but had until now been unable to make his views public.

He spent 12 years working on the project — the subject of which came as a shock to his superiors when published in October.

In the book, Fr Brodie insists many of Jesus’s acts were a rip-off of the Hebrew Bible or, in some cases, of earlier texts.

Praise Jesus! My words (and Ehrman's words) are as true in the U.S. of A. as they are in Ireland. The Jesus-deniers can run, but they can't hide.

[Mary Etheldreda]

Re: Bart Ehrman has returned to the fold. Praise.

In the book, Fr Brodie insists many of Jesus’s acts were a rip-off of the Hebrew Bible or, in some cases, of earlier texts.

How can anyone honestly think Jesus didn't exist? All those stories that pertain to Jesus that are miraculously found hundreds of years before He was born in cultures completely removed from the Israelites just proves God's intervention before the fact. It was like God was presenting a foreshadowing of who was to come. How is this so hard to comprehend?

For example:

Buddha went to his religious temple at the age of twelve, where it was said he astonished all with his wisdom. This foreshadows the Christ's visit to the Synagogue at age twelve.

Both were tempted by the “devil” at the beginning of their ministry: To Buddha, he said: “Go not forth to adopt a religious life but return to your kingdom, and in seven days you shall become emperor of the world, riding over the four continents.” To Jesus, he said: “ And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” (Matthew 4:9). Buddha answered the “devil”: “Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” (Matthew 4:10).





Christ and Krishna were called both God and the Son of God. Both were sent from heaven to earth in the form of a man. Both were called Savior, and the second person of the Trinity. Krishna’s adoptive human father was also a carpenter. A spirit or ghost was their actual father. Krishna and Jesus were of royal descent. Both were visited at birth by wise men and shepherds, guided by a star. Angels in both cases issued a warning that the local dictator planned to kill the baby and had issued a decree for his assassination. The parents fled. Mary and Joseph stayed in Muturea; Krishna’s parents stayed in Mathura.





Dionysus was born of a virgin on December 25 and, as the Holy Child, was placed in a manger. He was a traveling teacher who performed miracles. He “rode in a triumphal procession on an ass.” He was a sacred king killed and eaten in an eucharistic ritual for fecundity and purification. Dionysus rose from the dead on March 25. He was the God of the Vine, and turned water into wine. He was called “King of Kings” and “God of Gods.” He was considered the “Only Begotten Son,” Savior,” “Redeemer,” “Sin Bearer,” Anointed One,” and the “Alpha and Omega.” He was identified with the Ram or Lamb.





Zoroaster was born of a virgin and “immaculate conception by a ray of divine reason.” He was baptized in a river. In his youth he astounded wise men with his wisdom. He was tempted in the wilderness by the devil. He began his ministry at age 30. Zoroaster baptized with water, fire and “holy wind.” He cast out demons and restored the sight to a blind man. He taught about heaven and hell, and revealed mysteries, including resurrection, judgment, salvation and the apocalypse. He had a sacred cup or grail. He was slain. His religion had a eucharist. He was the “Word made flesh.”





Attis was born on December 25 of the Virgin Nana. He was considered the savior who was slain for the salvation of mankind. His body as bread was eaten by his worshippers. He was both the Divine Son and the Father. On “Black Friday,” he was crucified on a tree, from which his holy blood ran down to redeem the earth. He descended into the underworld. After three days, Attis was resurrected.





Born of a virgin, Isis. Only begotten son of the God Osiris. Birth heralded by the star Sirius, the morning star. Ancient Egyptians paraded a manger and child representing Horus through the streets at the time of the winter solstice (about DEC-21). Herut tried to have Horus murdered in his infancy. Horus’ mother is told, “Come, thou goddess Isis, hide thyself with thy child.” An angel tells Jesus’ father to: “Arise and take the young child and his mother and flee into Egypt.” There is no word of his life after the age of twelve, until he is baptized at age 30. His followers believed he walked on water, cast out demons, healed the sick, restored sight to the blind, was crucifed, descended into Hell, and was resurrected after three days.

The LORD was clearly preparing the world for His Son. I mean, this is so obvious. Why else would all these deity mythology prequels foreshadow the Christ Story so perfectly? If there was no connection, you'd expect the god-stories to be completely unrelated, but they weren't because there was One Divine Author preparing the world for the Son of God!!!

[Johny Joe Hold]

Re: Bart Ehrman has returned to the fold. Praise.

How many religions have copied and forged Christianity? I mean the Hindus, or example, read the Bible and made up their own phony substitute for Jesus.

I'm proud we at LBC worship the only one authentic human spirit, Jesus Christ.

[Pastor Ezekiel]

Re: Bart Ehrman has returned to the fold. Praise.

These are all clear examples of satan going back in time at various moments in history and starting religions that seem remarkably similar to Christianity.

[Pastor Rune Enoe]

Re: Bart Ehrman has returned to the fold. Praise.

These are all clear examples of satan going back in time at various moments in history and starting religions that seem remarkably similar to Christianity.

Preach it Pastor! The Devil's greatest accomplishment was convincing the world time travel didn't exist.