The Bible For Normal People [Bible] Episode 263: Bart Ehrman - The Gospels & Historical Reliability
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Feb 12, 2024 Bart Ehrman, New Testament scholar, joins Pete and Jared to discuss the historical reliability of the Gospels, highlighting the roles of oral tradition, authorial bias, and contradictions within the texts. They explore the criteria historians use to evaluate ancient written accounts and the impact of ancient historical consciousness on accuracy. They also discuss how the gospels were shaped by community beliefs and interpretations, as well as explore birth narratives, contradictions, and arguments against the mythicist belief.
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Historical Study of Antiquity
- Historians rely on available sources, especially written ones, when studying antiquity.
- These sources must be critically evaluated for reliability and compared for consistency and potential borrowing.
Eyewitness Testimony
- Eyewitness accounts, even if contemporary, don't guarantee historical accuracy.
- The judicial system exists because eyewitness testimony can be unreliable.
External Evidence on Jesus
- No non-Christian or Jewish sources from the first century mention Jesus.
- The only external mention is from Josephus, 63 years after Jesus's death, offering limited information.