Classic Replay: Bart Ehrman vs Richard Bauckham : Can we trust eyewitness testimony in the biblical accounts?
Nov 17, 2023
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Bart Ehrman and Richard Bauckham debate the reliability of eyewitness testimony in biblical accounts. Ehrman argues that human memory is fallible and that stories about Jesus in the Gospels would have changed over time. Bauckham, on the other hand, defends the trustworthiness of eyewitness testimony and explains how Jesus' teachings would have been memorized and passed on. They discuss the challenges of relying on vivid memories and psychological research on eyewitness testimony.
Eyewitness testimony is fallible and memories can change over time, even in ancient oral cultures.
The arrangement of events and teachings in the Gospels may not adhere to strict historical accuracy but follow literary and pedagogical conventions.
Evaluating the historical accuracy of the Gospels requires considering their cultural and literary context, understanding them as ancient biographical works.
Deep dives
The challenge of relying on memory for accurate accounts
Memories, even in ancient oral cultures, are not infallible and can be influenced by various factors. Psychological research has shown that eyewitness testimony is not necessarily accurate, with memories being prone to changing and distorting over time. The idea that oral cultures had better memories is not entirely supported, as studies have shown that people in oral cultures also experienced memory changes and distortions. Therefore, relying solely on the memories of eyewitnesses does not guarantee historical accuracy.
The compilation and arrangement of Jesus' teachings
The Sermon on the Mount, found in the Gospel of Matthew, is likely a compilation and arrangement of Jesus' teachings by the author. It is unlikely that Jesus delivered the sermon verbatim as presented. Rather, it is a literary device to collect and present Jesus' teachings for instructional purposes. The arrangement of events and teachings in the Gospels may not adhere to strict historical accuracy, but rather follows specific literary and pedagogical conventions.
Differences in evaluating historical reliability
There is a difference in evaluating the general reliability of the Gospels as a whole versus the individual authenticity of specific sayings or events. While the Gospel writers may have collected stories and sayings based on eyewitness accounts, this does not automatically validate the historical accuracy of each individual component. Scholars need to critically examine each story or saying to determine its likely historicity.
The importance of context in evaluating historical accuracy
Evaluating the historical accuracy of the Gospels requires considering the cultural and literary context of their composition. The Gospel writers utilized various literary devices and conventions to convey the teachings and events of Jesus, which may not align with modern expectations of historical accuracy. Understanding these contextual factors helps in interpreting the Gospels as ancient biographical works rather than strict historical records.
Evaluating the reliability of Mark's gospel
The speaker discusses the criteria for determining the reliability of Mark's gospel. While evaluating each story or saying individually may not be feasible, there are certain stories, like the crucifixion of Jesus under Pontius Pilate, that are considered historically certain. However, stories like Jesus walking on water have less probability. The importance of understanding how judgments are made in assessing reliability is emphasized.
Variations in gospel accounts
The podcast explores the variations in stories and sayings across the gospels. It is noted that the sayings of Jesus generally have less variation compared to the narratives. Matthew and Luke, while reproducing Mark's stories, exercise more freedom to vary them. These storytelling variations were considered acceptable in ancient historical accounts. The importance of comparing the gospels and observing the degree of variation is highlighted, showing that differences in the narratives do not necessarily indicate inaccuracy.
Unbelievable shows often benefit from a second listen and some even become classics. Today we are dipping into the concluding part of a conversation between noted Bible scholar Bart Ehrman and Richard Bauckham who debate each other with Justin Brierley in the hosting seat. This show was recorded following the publication of Ehrman's 2016 book "Jesus Before the Gospels". Bart Erhman recently debated Justin Bass on The Big Conversation which you can watch here. But in this show Bart Erhman makes the case that eyewitness testimony is very fallible and that the stories about Jesus that were written down in the Gospels would have changed shape over time. Noted scholar Richard Bauckham, author of "Jesus and the Eyewitnesses", disagrees and defends the trustworthiness of eyewitness testimony and addresses the question of how Jesus' sayings and stories would have been memorised and passed along. Coming soon the latest course from Premier Unbelievable Did it happen? The Birth of Jesus will explore Bauckman's work further on the veracity of the details of Jesus's birth in the Gospel accounts.
For Richard Bauckham: http://richardbauckham.co.uk
For Bart Ehrman: http://www.bartdehrman.com
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