A Virtual File Cabinet for Our Studies of Christian Origins & Hebraic Faith
There are 17 apocryphal gospels, rejected as unworthy of becoming canon, that didn’t make the cut. BAS editors have carefully compiled a special collection of articles from Biblical Archaeology Review and Bible Review that explore the questions posed here. You’ll want to read all of the articles included in this collection: The Gospels that Didn’t Make the Cut—. Why should […]
Continue Reading05/09/2026 – Last month Mark Goodacre gave the keynote lecture at a conference called “Reassessing the Emergence of the Gospels: Genre, Media, Reception.” He described the current state of gospels research, and he mentions a ton of important books that have redefined the field over the last few decades. Below is a summary by Michael […]
Continue ReadingThe claim that Paul explicitly cites only two teachings of Jesus (as direct dominical commands) is a common observation in critical scholarship. The two passages typically identified are: 1) Preachers should receive material support Paul explicitly attributes this teaching to “the Lord”: This is widely understood to reflect a saying of Jesus preserved in the […]
Continue ReadingFrom Claude.ai on 5/2/2026. – Prompt: Where in the bible do critical bible scholars say Jesus teaches there’s forgiveness outside of the temple and you don’t need atonement? Cite all sources inline. Response This is a rich and nuanced topic in critical biblical studies. Here’s a thorough overview of the key passages scholars point to, […]
Continue ReadingBelow is Claude.ai’s summary of the transcript (in Dropbox) of Bart Ehrman’s interview “Did Jesus Actually Believe in Hell?” with Megan Lewis. This was prepared on 4/29/2026. Response – Here is a summary of the key points Dr. Bart Ehrman makes in this transcript, along with their context: Summary of Dr. Ehrman’s Argument: Did Jesus […]
Continue ReadingThe contents of this page were assembled by Claude.ai on 4/29/2026 from the transcript of John J. Collins interview by Bart Ehrman and from a file with my Kindle Highlights from Paula Fredriksen’s book When Christians were Jews. Claude’s paper version of the merger and a widget version are in the 2nd Temple Judaism directory […]
Continue ReadingIn addition to below, see Did Luke & Acts use Josephus? on this site. From Claude.ai in response to the prompt: Cite Critical Bible Scholars’ rationale for Luke-Acts’ literary dependence on Josephus. This is a rich topic with a well-documented critical debate. Here is a comprehensive survey of the major arguments advanced by critical biblical […]
Continue ReadingBelow is a summary by Claude.ai of an interview of John J. Collins by Bart Ehrman titled Surprising Origins of Judaism Before Jesus in advance of Collins’ 20-lecture course at BSA in the summer of 2026. The transcript of the interview sent to Claude.ai is in John Collins’ directory in Dropbox. Prompt: Summarize the attached […]
Continue ReadingBelow is a great post to BSA by Scott Bignell on 4/26/2026. Below that is Michael Waddell’s response with suggestions. Back around 2017/2018, I [Scott Bignell] was discussing with an Evangelical friend of mine the idea that The Gospel According to Luke and/or Acts of the Apostles may have been written in the second century […]
Continue Reading[Nan] Shepherd knew the Bible, including the story of the burning bush, well enough to also know the significance of the words I am. When Moses, as we have already noted, is described in the Book of Exodus encountering a bush that is on fire with divine presence without being consumed, he asks, “What is […]
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