Paul the Ambassador: The Halakhic Debate about Gentiles

If you enjoy this post, consider like and sharing it on social media! Follow me on Facebook. Follow me on Twitter. Follow me on Youtube. After Paul’s message was rejected in Damascus, several scholars propose that this was what led to his turn to the Gentiles. This would place Paul’s mission to the Nations beginning around 36 CE,

Christmas Special: Jesus, son of Pantera

Jesus’ alleged illegitimacy is one of the oldest polemical attacks against Christianity. Many later texts mention it, but, despite their late date, many scholars read these as referring to much older traditions. Additionally, the claim that Jesus’ true father was a pagan is an ancient one as well, which some read as a means of

Paul the Ambassador to the Synagogues

If you enjoy this post, consider like and sharing it on social media! Follow me on Facebook Follow me on Twitter Follow me on Youtube Paul’s mission as the Messiah’s ambassador was a defined role that Jews understood as accompanying the Messiah, meaning he was not unique in any sense. This is not meant as a negative comment

Thoughts on Oral Tradition and the Synoptic Problem

If you enjoy this post, consider like and sharing it on social media! Check out my book, Jesus the Nazarene: The Talmud and the Founder of Christianity, on Amazon, purchase it here. Follow me on Facebook. Follow me on Twitter. Follow me on Youtube. I have explored the possibility of Jesus speaking Greek by analyzing a small portion of Q

Jesus the Radical

If you enjoy this post, consider like and sharing it on social media! Check out my book, Jesus the Nazarene: The Talmud and the Founder of Christianity, on Amazon, purchase it here. Follow me on Facebook. Follow me on Twitter. Follow me on Youtube. My views on the historical Jesus have shifted over time, most notably in the sense that

The Gospel of Q and the Synoptic Problem

If you enjoy this post, consider like and sharing it on social media! Check out my book, Jesus the Nazarene: The Talmud and the Founder of Christianity, on Amazon, purchase it here. Follow me on Facebook. Follow me on Twitter. Follow me on Youtube. The baptism of Jesus is a tradition that begins in our attested literature in the Gospel

Revisiting the Jesus Seminar

If you enjoy this post, consider like and sharing it on social media! Check out my book, Jesus the Nazarene: The Talmud and the Founder of Christianity, on Amazon, purchase it here. Follow me on Facebook. Follow me on Twitter. Follow me on Youtube. The Jesus Seminar was a meeting of scholars and laypeople to understand the nature of the

Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew, The Torah Teacher: Part One, the Beatitudes

Check out my book, Jesus the Nazarene: The Talmud and the Founder of Christianity, on AmazonFollow me on FacebookFollow me on TwitterLike and subscribe to my YouTube channel. Scholars of the historical Jesus typically create a portrait of the man, based on their methodology of ascertaining the historicity of the available sources. Being ex-Christians, most

Egerton Gospel, The Healing of the Leper (I. 35-47)

If you enjoy this post, consider like and sharing it on social media! Check out my book, Jesus the Nazarene: The Talmud and the Founder of Christianity, on Amazon, purchase it here. Follow me on Facebook. Follow me on Twitter. Follow me on Youtube. Following Jesus’ escape from the crowds, the Egerton fragment proceeds to tell the story of Jesus’

Jesus and Early Christians’ Status as Cultural Elite

If you enjoy this post, consider like and sharing it on social media! Check out my book, Jesus the Nazarene: The Talmud and the Founder of Christianity, on Amazon, purchase it here. Follow me on Facebook. Follow me on Twitter. Follow me on Youtube. I’m reading Rodney Shark’s book, The Triumph of Christianity, and while I disagree with many of