Search found 350 matches

by Roger Pearse
Tue Oct 08, 2013 1:30 pm
Forum: Christian Texts and History
Topic: an example of the kind of thing to avoid
Replies: 15
Views: 33193

Re: an example of the kind of thing to avoid

I suffer from a deep reluctance to spend my time refuting what nobody believes. That some damn fool convinces himself of something silly, and then insists on repeating it endlessly, does not mean that I have any duty to spend any of the little time that we have on this world in giving him an educati...
by Roger Pearse
Tue Oct 08, 2013 10:15 am
Forum: Christian Texts and History
Topic: How do we recognize parallel texts?
Replies: 3
Views: 14315

Re: How do we recognize parallel texts?

The difficulty is never in finding parallels, but in excluding false positives. I have come to believe that no argument based on "parallels" is valid. Arguments based on identical passages are another matter.
by Roger Pearse
Tue Oct 08, 2013 10:14 am
Forum: Christian Texts and History
Topic: Ehrman's latest book: Forgery and Counterforgery
Replies: 23
Views: 53950

Re: Ehrman's latest book: Forgery and Counterforgery

The very Ehrman who has written many books exposing the fraud, forgery and fiction in the NT is now claiming that the Gospels are among the best attested books from the ancient world. Would you mind giving us the exact words? You see, I suspect there is confusion here between (a) how well has the t...
by Roger Pearse
Tue Oct 08, 2013 10:06 am
Forum: Christian Texts and History
Topic: I Found Something Else For Roger Pearse To Translate That...
Replies: 9
Views: 22427

Re: I Found Something Else For Roger Pearse To Translate Tha

Good chasing up these details. The narratives in the 4th c. apocrypha probably borrow freely from one another.
by Roger Pearse
Mon Oct 07, 2013 2:34 pm
Forum: Other Texts and History
Topic: Questions about Emergence of Islam
Replies: 43
Views: 81563

Re: Questions about Emergence of Islam

I thought that I replied to some of this? 1) Why is there no biography among the Arabs at all of Muhammad for some 200 years after he allegedly died? Are we sure this is the case? 2) How could there have been an Islamic caliphate in Damascus under Muawiyya so soon after Muhammed had died? Um ... why...
by Roger Pearse
Mon Oct 07, 2013 4:37 am
Forum: Christian Texts and History
Topic: Were the Gospels Influential on Irenaeus's Martyrdom of ...
Replies: 6
Views: 23024

Re: Were the Gospels Influential on Irenaeus's Martyrdom of

stephan happy huller wrote:I swear I've been to this bar before ...
The bar-staff seem better, tho.
by Roger Pearse
Sun Oct 06, 2013 11:04 pm
Forum: Christian Texts and History
Topic: documents concerning Jesus traveling to India and Kashmir?
Replies: 6
Views: 22548

Re: Historicity of Jesus - the Talking Points

MrMacSon wrote:I have seen vague references/mentions to Jesus having traveled to India & Kashmir. I have not seen anything other than that.
There is the Notovitch hoax...

I think the poster needs to come up with something solid that we can discuss.
by Roger Pearse
Sat Oct 05, 2013 1:49 pm
Forum: Christian Texts and History
Topic: Ehrman's latest book: Forgery and Counterforgery
Replies: 23
Views: 53950

Re: Ehrman's latest book: Forgery and Counterforgery

It reminds me rather too strongly of the kind of biblical studies book that I looked in when I was reading chemistry at university. They were obvious crap, even to my 19-year old eyes. I basically felt that they just decorated the opinions of the authors -- themselves contemptible -- with the produc...
by Roger Pearse
Sat Oct 05, 2013 11:27 am
Forum: Christian Texts and History
Topic: Ehrman's latest book: Forgery and Counterforgery
Replies: 23
Views: 53950

Re: Ehrman's latest book: Forgery and Counterforgery

I ought to say that the book is very hard going. It's terribly badly written and structured, and larded with the results of a literature search carried out by a few of Ehrman's graduate assistants. That's why I haven't managed to get to grips with it much as yet: it's just awful to read in a critica...
by Roger Pearse
Sat Oct 05, 2013 11:19 am
Forum: Christian Texts and History
Topic: I Found Something Else For Roger Pearse To Translate That...
Replies: 9
Views: 22427

Re: I Found Something Else For Roger Pearse To Translate Tha

Thank you, Peter.

I'm not quite sure whether you or I are talking to him, Stephan. Will email him this evening. It's a big PDF.

All the best,

Roger Pearse