Masaccio’s fresco (1424-28), in the Brancacci Chapel, Florence, emphasizes the nakedness and shame of the original sinners. Photo: Bridgeman Images (wiki) 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die, 5 for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw … John MacDonald Internet Infidels/Secular Web Religious Studies Essays

Saint Paul (c. 1611) by Peter Paul Rubens (wiki) [Intro] Bart Ehrman’s “New Insights Into The New Testament” Conference (2024 Apostle Paul) [2: Bart’s Preface] Bart Ehrman’s “New Insights Into The New Testament” Conference (2024 Apostle Paul) [3: Benjamin L White] Bart Ehrman’s “New Insights Into The New Testament” Conference (2024 Apostle Paul) [4: Jason Staples] Bart Ehrman’s … Reporting for NINT Apostle Paul (2024) Index

It’s been really fun following along with the conference presenters. The last presenter, Ehrman, gave an overview of Paul and showed how Paul saw himself as the prophesied one at the end of history who would bring the gentiles to the God of the Jews. Paul sees himself as spreading the gospel to the end … [10: Bart Ehrman] Bart Ehrman’s “New Insights Into The New Testament” Conference (2024 Apostle Paul)

James Tabor has a bit of a different take on Paul’s apocalyptic thinking. In Tabor’s reading, Genesis was the dust prototype of death and decay that would later be replaced by a cosmos of spirit (pneuma). Here are a few gems from the presentation: The salvation is cosmic because all the forms of existence are … [9: James Tabor] Bart Ehrman’s “New Insights Into The New Testament” Conference (2024 Apostle Paul)

I’ve been posting about how Trump is framing himself as the God-chosen candidate, that a vote against Trump is a vote against God. Consider this Truth Social post and picture Trump just shared: Some Christians are not fooled:

Paula Fredriksen is one of the top Pauline scholars in the world and she gave a talk about Jewish henotheism, the idea Paul thought the world was saturated with many gods but that Paul thought his Jewish God was the highest. Here are a couple of ideas from the presentation that I thought were particularly … [8: Paula Fredriksen] Bart Ehrman’s “New Insights Into The New Testament” Conference (2024 Apostle Paul)

Prof Jenny Knust had an interesting presentation on sexual language in Paul. For example, she argues it’s unfair to isolate Paul’s condemnation of homosexual acts, because Paul thinks it would be better not to engage in any sexual acts as all – even heterosexual ones. In ancient times, heterosexuality and homosexuality were acts, not general … [7: Jenny Knust] Bart Ehrman’s “New Insights Into The New Testament” Conference (2024 Apostle Paul)

One tidbit I’d like to share is Walsh argues Paul formed his ideas of the universe out of a stoic milieu, Paul coming from Tarsus, the birthplace of the stoic enlightenment. So, for instance, for Plutarch in “On the Face of the Moon” says when you die Walsh argues Paul thought Jesus is on the … [6: Robyn Faith Walsh] Bart Ehrman’s “New Insights Into The New Testament” Conference (2024 Apostle Paul)

In this talk Marcus discusses how to understand Paul being negative about the Law in some places and positive about it in others. For instance, Paul offers a more positive version of the Law in Romans, which may reflect a significant Jewish-Christian population of the church in Rome (that Paul did not found). Paul says … [5: Joel Marcus] Bart Ehrman’s “New Insights Into The New Testament” Conference (2024 Apostle Paul)

I’d like to highlight how Staples argues against the substitutionary atonement interpretive model of reading Paul and instead argues for a transformation of the heart model which results in good acts and therefore good judgment. The substitutionary atonement reading is well known, and so for example in Romans Staples notes: The idea here is that … [4: Jason Staples] Bart Ehrman’s “New Insights Into The New Testament” Conference (2024 Apostle Paul)