ApostateAbe

Did the publisher send you a review copy of the book? If so, then give it more than a quick skim and write about it in more detail. Not all of us are blessed with the privilege of having such a book in our hands before publication.

Steven Carr

Now is your last chance to put your money on how many of Doherty's Top 20 silences are addressed in the book.

Or whether Ehrman lets his readers know that he himself questioned the identification of Cephas and Peter.

Or whether it is worth paying out good money to read somebody say that Galatians 1 is a 'key text' which throws a 'monkey wrench' in mythicism, while simultaneously lamenting that the Epistle of James lacks certain details (like Jesus having a brother!)

ApostateAbe

Oh, I see, you have only a sampling of the book on the publisher's website. Never mind.

Steven Carr

You are wise not to commit yourself to a view that Bart has written a scholarly book, or that any of my prophecies will not come to pass.

EarlDoherty

At this stage, one can only comment on the material that has been made available. And it isn't looking good. The two weakest and most disreputable apologetic rejoinders seem to be offered front and center by Ehrman: the appeal to authority and the demonization of mythicists as horned antagonists with an agenda against Christianity, supported by that pivotal argument that "brother of the Lord" has to mean sibling, case closed. Those of us who tentatively anticipate from this that the book as a whole will not offer much better, and even be something of a joke and a nail in the coffin of historicism, are perhaps to be forgiven.

What actually gives me pause to be that dismissive is my natural reluctance to think that a reputable scholar like Ehrman *would* give us nothing better than that, and that all the investment by historicists in claims that mythicism has nothing to stand on and that the case for historicism is overwhelming should result in a long-awaited annihilation of mythicism which shows every sign of being a head-shaking disappointment.

I guess time will shortly tell.

Earl Doherty

Diogenes the Cynic

It should be remembered that the authors don't typically write the promotional copy or book descriptions. The publishers consciously try to use provocative language and descriptions to promote the material. Ehrman has complained that he sometimes isn't even allowed to choose his own titles. For example, Jesus Interrupted was chosen by his publisher, not himself. He wanted to call the book Lost in Translation (in keeping with his other "Lost" titles), but the publisher felt like it wasn't provocative enough.

You can't necessarily rely on the promotional material to accurately reflect the tone or substance of the author's actual work.

Steven Carr

Lots of the book's preview seems to be Ehrman claiming that lots and lots of scholars agree there was a Jesus of Nazareth, and hey look, conservatives don't like my views either, and Paul says Jesus had a brother, and was born of a woman.

The book doesn't even seem to have an index. Surely a work of scholarship has an index?

ApostateAbe

Y'all gonna love this, I just know it.



"...supported by that pivotal argument that 'brother of the Lord' has to mean sibling, case closed."

This actually makes me laugh, because it is in the style of the arguments from silence featured in your literature. Ehrman only just introduced that argument before the preview cut out the rest of the chapter and went on to the next chapter. Therefore, you conclude, Ehrman mentions Galatians 1:19 and "case closed."
:funny:

maryhelena

igsfly:igsfly:igsfly:igsfly:igsfly:igs fly:igsfly:igsfly:igsfly:igsfly:igsfly:: pigsfly:igsfly:

Toto

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB6EZzJ7m1c

See comments on Harper Collins' video promotion at the link