Bart Ehrman

[bec_87rb]

Went to an all-day at the Smithsonian over the weekend, as taught by Bart Ehrman: The New Testament Forgeries. Carmichael Auditorium, because he drew a bigger audience.

Here is Professor Ehrman signing a book for my sweetie:

Comments

[suegypt]

I haven't read him, but he sounds interesting. What do you think of him/his writing?

[bec_87rb]

He definitely knows his Bible, and can quote it from memory on demand, knows what is in each part, etc. This lecture is from his current book, which I confess I haven't read, in fact, I have read none of his books, although I did listen to parts of one as a book-on-tape.

Just my opinion as an audience-member - he tells too much about how historians do their work for me to invest too much in anything he says. In fact, he's eroded my faith in the entire field of history, which I'm sure was not his intent! It's like archeology; better you don't know too much about the assumptions. He also over-generalizes sometimes which causes him to say things which we know aren't true, and it harms his credibility later - if he got that wrong, what else has he gotten wrong that I, as a layman, wouldn't catch?

But he's entertaining. And apparently not thought of as a quack in his field, for what that's worth. A good day's entertainment.

[suegypt]

He also over-generalizes sometimes which causes him to say things which we know aren't true, and it harms his credibility later

Ah. So he suffers from Michael Moore Syndrome. Too bad. We need someone who can be a Stephen Jay Gould on this stuff, we really do.

But he's entertaining.

Ah. So he suffers from Michael Moore Syndrome...

[bec_87rb]

hee.

[bec_87rb]

It's a fun place - you know, I didn't even think of photos? I was intent on the lecture, and we decided sput-of-the-moment to take in the museum because we had time before it closed. Sorry for that!

[chhinnamasta]

So, did Ehrman convince you of anything?

p.s. who's getting their book signed in the photo?

p.p.s. I, too, am jealous of your access to the Smithsonian. By all reports, it sounds amazing.

[bec_87rb]

The lady standing by is his handler, I think an employee of the Smithsonian. She introduced him and opened the books to signable pages for him

[suegypt]

Is the lecture taken from his latest book? I remember a few years back, my priest telling me about the Pauline letters and the theory that it wasn't all Paul. I'm like you, I'd like to think the parts I like were written by one person, and the parts I don't like were written by another.

from the latest book

[bec_87rb]

My understanding is that this is a book tour, and the lecture is from his latest