pinkvoy

MJ vs HJ at a Freeratio sponsored event. If Doherty and Price and Ehrman are uninterested/unable
who would you like to see representing MJ and HJ? Obviously a committed Christian believer would not have much credibility. What HJ scholar would you respect?

Doug Shaver

There must be some out there, but I haven't seen one yet.

On this particular issue, I cannot respect any scholar, HJ or MJ, who thinks that the evidence is conclusive for his side. I can respect a historicist who can admit that there is a case to be made against historicity, or a mythicist who can admit that it's still possible for reasonable people to think there was a real Jesus.

Steven Carr

I believe Earl Doherty tried to arrange a magazine to look seriously at the HJ issue, and was told that the readers would never be interested.Presumably, readers of historical Jesus journals have no interest in seeing the arguments for a mythical Jesus wiped out by evidence.

EarlDoherty

No, someone tried it unbeknownst to me, offering $5000 to Fourth R magazine, who turned it down. I would have been willing to take part, of course.

But as far as the "event" being suggested here, I don't do live debates. Partly because, lacking any background in lecturing in pulpit or classroom, I would be at a decided disadvantage. And it's a complex subject, not really suited for that kind of venue (though I admire Richard Carrier for being willing and able to take that sort of thing on). I have done a couple of written debates, though they weren't very productive because the other side were simply amateur apologists, which wouldn't satisfy anyone, including myself. However, I doubt you'd find a mainstream scholar who would agree to take part, either because they would feel it beneath them, or because they might recognize how little there is to draw on to defend an HJ.

Also, these days/years I'm not that disposed to travelling to the U.S.

P.S. Is there something wrong with the wording of Steven Carr's last sentence, above?

Earl Doherty

pinkvoy

What about emailing Bart Ehrman, asking him to post on a forum, or share his emails, or make the emails or correspondence public, and discussing the issue?

Doesn't have to be Ehrman. Dominic Crossan or Elaine Pagels or Karen King. But he's quite famous.

Doug Shaver

From what I've heard, Ehrman probably thinks that him debating a mythicist would be like Neil deGrasse Tyson debating an astrologer. He and Tyson both have far better things to do with their time, you understand.

Doug Shaver

Crossan's attitude seems to be similar to Ehrman's.

I'm not familiar with King other than having heard the name a time or two. Pagels . . . I get the impression she just isn't the debating type. If she is, though, I'd love to see her in action.