bock's blog

The last post here by Dan Wallace introduced the piece by Tony Burke on heresy hunting. 

The SBL forum graciously allowed me to respond
to the article entitled Heresy Hunting.
My response, Vetting Heresy Hunting, can be found at:

 http://www.sbl-site.org/publications/article.aspx?articleId=791

This entry is an interview in mp3 format. It was done for Moody Broadcasting's Prime Time and discusses the digitizing of the Dead Sea Scrolls. It aired last week. Enjoy.

Click here to play digitizing of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Just finished the SNTS meetings in Lund, Sweden, a beautiful city in Southern Sweden, near Malmö, the country's third largest city. The university has been here since 1666. The meetings were a great time to catch up on all things New Testament.

I am writing from Taiwan, but I am not immune to the news about the new Stone "Dead Sea Scroll".

The CNN news release on the web that Paul Verhoeven, the Hollywood director and Jesus Seminar participant, has written a biography of Jesus that attributes Jesus' birth to a rape of Mary by a Roman soldier is old news. In dealing with the theories of Jim Tabor in Dethroning Jesus (pp. 178-79) I wrote the following about this claim that goes back to Celsus and the late second century.

The Israeli paper, Haaretz, has an updated report on the trial of the alleged founder of the James Ossuary. Those who wish to keep up with the progress of the trial over its authenticity can read about it at:

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/974483.html

In sum, it looks like a case has been made against the authenticity of this find. The defense is getting its turn now.

Those of you familiar with my work known that I have discussed an alternative expression of Christianity I have called "Jesusanity." (See Dethroning Jesus) It is a view that says Jesus' teaching is an important religious guide, but his person and work are not centrial to Christian teaching.

Bruce Chilton, Professor at Bard College in New York, has presented a piece assessing The Gnostic Gospels of Elaine Pagels for the New York Sun. It is a serious, crisp assessment of her work, which he says is full of anachronisms. It is worth reading. Check out this link:

http://www2.nysun.com/pf.php?id=74033&v=0530547021 

 The core anachronism he describes as follows: