Biblical Criticism & History Forum - earlywritings.com

I can accept that the Letter to Theodore is spurious (though I don't think it is, I can accept it is possible), but I cannot accept that Smith forged it and have not been convinced by any of the arguments put forward thus far as they rely on circumstantial evidence (comparing its discovery to the pl...

Originally I wanted to title this thread something like "Ignatius as a competitor to Paul", and I may still do that, but while trying to formulate my thoughts I had a quick aside. Letters, epistles, ἐπιστολή, and letter writing was an especial genre in Greek and Roman literature. Seneca's...

But above all why did letter writing become so extant that they rival even the four Gospels in authority ? BeDuhn has a suggestion, posted here: https://earlywritings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=11822 That's really interesting. Thank you for this Peter! If that's the case then it makes the ar...

Originally I wanted to title this thread something like "Ignatius as a competitor to Paul", and I may still do that, but while trying to formulate my thoughts I had a quick aside. Letters, epistles, ἐπιστολή, and letter writing was an especial genre in Greek and Roman literature. Seneca's ...

If I may self indulge a little bit, Pontius Pilate serves a functionary role in the Christian cycle. Is he historical? Yes, without question; but then what else would his purpose be if he was only used as a means of pinning Jesus's own historicity (which may or may not have been in question when the...

I can fully appreciate that Pontus Pilate was used for more allegorical symbolism for the Gospel(s) writer(s). His historicity is simply a convenient utility as well.

Hey Joseph, Glad to see you back! Cheers DCHindley! It's good to be back. Overall I will say I have reluctance in trying to determine how people two thousand years ago thought. I'm not saying Giuseppe's reading is wrong in and of itself per say, but that from my narrow perspective he does seem to a...

Giuseppe, are you saying that Ignatius is a witness to people who denied the historicity of Jesus? For one thing, if he is I don't see how that is an argument in favour of mythicism because the two, historicity and mythicism, are relatably different and demand two different categories of evidence to...

I'm not sure I'm following you. Paul thought that Torah observance was no longer necessary for Jews and calls himself Jewish, which makes his letters Jewish writings, and Marcion used them. And the Ebionite Matthew was a Jewish writing that was anti-sacrifice and largely unobservant, and I'm sugges...