Romans crucified thousands of people. For them, it was a “normal” thing to do. They were known for this ruthless model of punishment (If you know what the victims actually died of on the cross, I’m buying a Read more
Did Jesus rise from the dead? A Recent Debate
A couple of days ago Justin Brierley hosted two New Testament scholars on his podcast to debate the biggest question in the history of mankind: Did Jesus really rise from the dead? New Testament historian Bart Ehrman Read more
A Virgin Birth? Did Matthew Misread the Old Prophecy?
Jesus’ birth stories are by far the most popular segments of his life. In our country, the whole of December is, in a way, a preparation for Christmas – an annual festival commemorating his birth. Despite the fact that Read more
Words that Jesus Never Said? A Historical Inquiry into the Early Christian Imagination
The famous conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus
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As the center of the Christian faith, early Christians didn’t hesitate to bring all sorts of stories about Jesus and his life. These stories were floating around during the first several centuries Read more
A Personal Note: My Academic Journey
Somewhere in Italy. A student trip at the begining of our post-graduate programme.
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It is interesting to look back at your life and reflect on everything you went through to get to the place you are now. In my Read more
Did Jesus have brothers? A Historical Inquiry
Historical investigation of any religion comes with certain challenges and controversies. It is almost impossible to avoid it. I remember reading about the life of Muhamed and discovering several important aspects of his life that were not accepted as Read more
Clarity Within the Background Noise: Can We Get to the Historical Jesus?
This is the last post in a series about the Historical Jesus. The basic idea is to suggest a way forward. How do historians today deal with sources about Jesus? For the last several decades scholars have applied something Read more
Did the Medieval Church believe in the Flat Earth?
“Beware of false knowledge”, George Bernard Shaw wrote, “it is more dangerous than ignorance”. Every year I would walk into the classroom of one of my courses and write with capital letters on the board the following statement: “ Read more
In the Quest for the Historical Jesus: Introduction
A few years ago Steven Skiena and Charles B. Ward developed an algorithmic method of ranking historical figures, just as Google ranks web pages. They defined the “historical significance” as “the result of social and cultural forces acting on Read more