Critics of Christianity

Are There Colossal Contradictions in the Gospels? A Reply to Rabbi Tovia Singer

1 Comment / Bible Contradictions, Biblical Reliability, Critics of Christianity, Tovia Singer, Undesigned Coincidences /

Though the alleged discrepancies offered by Rabbi Singer require some investigation to untangle, closer inspection — and more careful reading of the relevant texts — reveals the arguments to be unfounded. The solutions that I have offered to these challenges are not strained or forced harmonizations, but rather are suggested from within the texts themselves.

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Does Isaiah 9:6 Affirm the Deity of Israel’s Messiah?

2 Comments / Deity of Christ, Messianic Prophecy, Predictive Prophecy, Theology, Tovia Singer, Trinity /

In this essay, I intend to flesh out the case that Isaiah 9:6 indeed affirms the divine status of Israel’s Messiah. I will be defending two basic contentions: (1) Isaiah 9:6 is best understood as a text concerning the Messiah, and (2) Isaiah 9:6 identifies the Messiah as a divine person.

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A Reply to Bart Ehrman’s Defense of Jesus, Interrupted on the MythVision Podcast

3 Comments / Bart Ehrman, Bible Contradictions, Biblical Reliability, Critics of Christianity /

Multiple times throughout the podcast, Ehrman points out that it is possible to make nearly any two contradictory texts harmonize if you try hard enough. This is true, but it is likewise possible to make nearly any two complementary texts contradict if you try hard enough.

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Yes, Bart Ehrman, Jesus is Yahweh

11 Comments / Bart Ehrman, Critics of Christianity, Deity of Christ, Theology, Trinity /

Ehrman published two blog posts, claiming that the idea that Jesus is Himself Yahweh is a recent doctrinal innovation, completely foreign to the New Testament and the ancient church. Ehrman even goes so far as to say that this is the view of only “some conservative evangelical Christians” and that “I’ve never even heard the claim (let alone a discussion of it) until very recently.”

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Who Wrote the Pastoral Epistles? The Case for Traditional Authorship

2 Comments / Bart Ehrman, Canonicity, Critics of Christianity, Pastoral Epistles, Pseudepigrapha /

Among the epistles traditionally attributed to the apostle Paul, none has been subjected to as much controversy concerning their authorship as the Pastoral epistles. There is a near-consensus among critical scholars that the Pastoral letters are pseudepigraphal.

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A Commentary on Romans — The Prologue (1:1-7)

Adoptionism, Bart Ehrman, Biblical Commentary, Critics of Christianity, Deity of Christ, Theology /

Paul had, at the time of his writing, never visited the Roman church in person (Rom 1:13; 15:22-29). He thus expands his salutation so as to include a creedal summary of the gospel and his apostolic calling. Presumably Paul’s intent here was to establish credibility with the recipients of his letter, whom he had not yet met with in person.

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Should Christians Use the Argument from Martyrdom? A Reply to Bart Ehrman

3 Comments / Bart Ehrman, Biblical Reliability, Critics of Christianity, Evidence for the Resurrection /

It is a common misstep made by many atheists to think that if a particular piece of evidence fails to logically entail a conclusion, then that same piece of evidence also fails to support the said conclusion. However, this is poor epistemology. A piece of evidence may be confirmatory of a conclusion without establishing it.

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Did Jesus Exist? A Critical Appraisal of Richard Carrier’s Interpretation of the Pauline Corpus

4 Comments / Bible Contradictions, Biblical Reliability, Book Reviews, Critics of Christianity, Extrabiblical Corroboration, Jesus Mythicism, Richard Carrier, Undesigned Coincidences /

Richard Carrier is an ancient historian who has risen to prominence as the lead advocate of Jesus Mythicism, a school of thought that entertains the idea that Jesus of Nazareth may never have existed at all.

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