Gospel of Mark - A Tippling Philosopher

The Empty Tomb: The claim that the Bible refutes

The Empty Tomb has, for years, been a mainstay for Christian apologists, who claim Jesus rose from the dead in a glorious Resurrection. The Empty Tomb was used as one of the “minimal facts” to “prove” the resurrection of Jesus. So, what exactly is the Empty Tomb apologetic? According to

biblical contradictions

You say 'Gerasa' and I say 'Gadara'

This is a guest post by Lex Lata (prompted by Jonathan MS Pearce’s video, Biblical Contradictions: Demons and Gadara vs Gerasa). In the matter of proper names, the Greek copies are often incorrect, and in the Gospels one might be misled by their authority. The transaction about the swine,

Empty tomb

Why Matthew's guards at Jesus' tomb are so important

I've written before on why the guards at the tomb of Jesus, included only in the Gospel of Matthew, are almost certainly invented by the author of that Gospel. Today I will tell you how they fit into a larger narrative construction of the Jesus story, and that

Gospel of Mark

Matthew & John's Threes: Fact or Literary Device?

The Gospels are littered with literary devices and mechanisms that serve narrative purposes but leave the reader doubting the veracity of the claims. These may include deus ex machina plot devices, allusions, mimesis and other hallmarks intertextual links, numerology, and other such things. Numerology is certainly important, whether it be

Empty tomb

The “Empty Tomb” & The “Minimal Facts” argument

Here is another guest piece by the inimitable David Austin, this time on the topic of the Empty Tomb. The “Empty Tomb” & The “Minimal Facts” argument The “Empty Tomb” claim has been the mainstay of Christian apologists’ arguments for a long time. The apologists love to say, whenever the

atonement

Problems with Mark's Crucifixion Death and Atonement

This question was given to me as a "Superchat" on my most recent YouTube appearance by SCHOLARvid, and was then refined and sent to me personally. it's worth looking at: My understanding is that in Mark 15:34 God abandons Jesus before he dies on the

Biblical Exegesis

No, the Gospel Writers Weren't Eyewitnesses

A recent comment from the resident Catholic troll commenter seemed to show incredulity at the idea that we might believe that the Gospel authors were not eyewitnesses of Jesus and his ministry. Now, obviously, literalists and conservative Christians maintain they are, but this is hardly surprising. The United States Conference

Biblical Exegesis

On The Gospel of Mark

In the closing stages of writing my latest book, The Resurrection: A Critical Examination of the Easter Story [UK] (please grab yourself a copy!), I had a few test readers. One was David Austin, down in Australia, who has provided a few guest articles for your delectation. Here is another

Biblical Exegesis

Is the Betrayal of Jesus by Judas Historical?

In the closing stages of writing my latest book, The Resurrection: A Critical Examination of the Easter Story [UK] (please grab yourself a copy!), I had a few test readers. One was David Austin, down in Australia, who has provided a few guest articles for your delectation. Here is another

Biblical Exegesis

Anointing of Jesus: Fact or Fiction?

In the closing stages of writing my latest book, The Resurrection: A Critical Examination of the Easter Story [UK], I had a few test readers. One was David Austin, down in Australia, who has provided a few guest articles for your delectation. Here is another one - thanks muchly to

Biblical Exegesis

Goodacre on Markan Priority and the Gospel Datings

I listened to some Mark Goodacre some years ago and have referred to him in my own texts, and it was great to watch him here. I loved this talk. I got a lot out of this especially the talk of the destruction of the Temple and the so-called prophecies,

biblical contradictions

Gospel of Mark's Poor Jewish Knowledge

Here is a pretty extensive list of issues in the Gospel of Mark that show the authors lack of knowledge about Jewish customs in Jesus' time. This casts some doubt on the hisstorical reliability of the Gospel and how he treated his sources. The author of the Gospel of

Biblical Exegesis

The Resurrection Debunked: The Empty Tomb

As mentioned in my two previous posts, it is that time of year again where the Resurrection of Jesus requires a thorough going over. Here it continues. There are three aspects to the debunking of the Resurrection: 1) The Gospels are not reliable sources of information; they are poor quality

Easter

The Resurrection Debunked: Extraordinary Claims

As mentioned in my previous post, someone in Malawi is about to have a debate on national TV with a Christian about the Resurrection accounts and I have been asked to help provide some ideas for the debate, so here goes. There are three aspects to the debunking of the

Biblical Exegesis

When Your Everyday Catholic Doesn't Get It

See Noevo is no doubt a committed Catholic, but what he said recently really illustrated much of the problem in debating laymen. I don't mean this to be a personal attack on him and to use "laymen" pejoratively, but my point is important. My piece in

Biblical Exegesis

Easter Doubt: On the Skepticism of the Resurrection (part 3)

As mentioned in my two previous posts, it is that time of year again where the Resurrection of Jesus requires a thorough going over. Here is continues. There are three aspects to the debunking of the Resurrection: 1) The Gospels are not reliable sources of information; they are poor quality

Biblical Exegesis

Easter Doubt: On the Skepticism of the Resurrection (part 2)

As mentioned in my previous post, someone in Malawi is about to have a debate on national TV with a Christian about the Resurrection accounts and I have been asked to help provide some ideas for the debate, so here goes. There are three aspects to the debunking of the

Biblical Exegesis

On the Skepticism of the Resurrection (part 3)

As mentioned in my two previous posts, it is that time of year again where the Resurrection of Jesus requires a thorough going over. Here is continues. There are three aspects to the debunking of the Resurrection: 1) The Gospels are not reliable sources of information; they are poor quality

Biblical Exegesis

On the Skepticism of the Resurrection (part 2)

As mentioned in my previous post, someone in Malawi is about to have a debate on national TV with a Christian about the Resurrection accounts and I have been asked to help provide some ideas for the debate, so here goes. There are three aspects to the debunking of the

Biblical Exegesis

On the Skepticism of the Resurrection (part 3)

Having looked at points 1) and 2) it is time to see if there is a more plausible explanation for the data from a naturalistic perspective than the Christian claims. Before setting out the positive case, I want to spend a little time going over some of the data from the Gospels and how they are probl

Biblical Exegesis

On the Skepticism of the Resurrection (part 2)

As mentioned in my previous post, someone in Malawi is about to have a debate on national TV with a Christian about the Resurrection accounts and I have been asked to help provide some ideas for the debate, so here goes.

Biblical Exegesis

Biblical scholar James G. Crossley interviewed - fascinating!

James G. Crossley is a biblical scholar who has written a good few books. He stands out in the biblical studies community as being secular - a rarity in a field which spends so much time analysing the Bible. Crossley rose to a little more fame than the standard when he debated William Lane Craig. Cr