Did the Resurrection of Jesus Really Happen? [Easter Debate Sale] Bart Ehrman vs. Mike Licona

FLASH SALE: 30% OFF THROUGH MARCH 31ST:
👉bartehrman.com/debate
Have you ever wondered if the resurrection of Jesus holds up to critical scrutiny as a historical event? Dr. Bart Ehrman recently debated leading Christian apologist, Dr. Mike Licona, on this very topic!
If you've ever asked:
• Is there real evidence for the resurrection?
• Can we trust the gospel accounts of Jesus' death and resurrection?
• What proof do we have of the earliest witnesses to the resurrection?
• Could the story of the resurrection have been a later fabrication?
• What about the early doubt traditions among Jesus' followers?
Then you don't want to miss "Did the Resurrection of Jesus Really Happen? Two Bible Scholars Debate the Evidence."
Bart argues that the resurrection cannot be proven as a historical event while Dr. Licona argues that it can!
Best of all, we've having a 5-Day Flash Sale now through Easter Sunday. Normally priced at $49.95, you can get the debate as an online course, including video of every debate statement and response, for a whopping 30% off!
To learn more or register, visit:
👉 bartehrman.com/debate
WHY THIS TOPIC IS IMPORTANT:
For Christians, the resurrection has always been understood to be the cornerstone of the Christian faith and an event of history. If Jesus did not rise, then he would be a mere man, not a divine savior, and people would still be "dead in their sin." The apostle Paul himself taught that if Jesus was not raised from the dead, the Christian faith was pointless. But if the resurrection of Jesus really happened, there is a very high probability that the Christian faith is true.
For non-Christians, there are numerous reasons to doubt the ancient claims that Jesus was raised from the dead. You should be familiar with these. As Bart always says, "Whether you are a believer, fundamentalist, evangelical, moderate, liberal, or a non-believer, Jesus is the most significant individual in the history of our civilization. Coming to understand who Jesus actually was and what he actually did - and did not do- is one of the most important intellectual endeavors anyone in our society can embark upon."
ABOUT MIKE LICONA:
Dr. Licona is a New Testament scholar, author, and leading evangelical apologist on the resurrection. He has authored or co-authored seven books including The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach, and The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus.
In short, he is a serious scholar who brings evidence to light that demands an answer.
DEBATE DETAILS:
The debate was an all-day event with over 7 hours of content if you can believe that! Bart and Mike agreed that they didn't want to feel the constraints of time that they had felt in other debates, and wanted to allow sufficient time for each of them to present their evidence.
The debate outline is as follows:
• Position Statements + Q&A
• First responses + Q&A
• Second responses
• Moderated session - by our very own host of the Misquoting Jesus podcast, Megan Lewis!
• Closing statements
WHAT'S INCLUDED? (EXCLUSIVE NEW BONUSES FOR 2024!)
The materials are packed with all the usual goodies such as:
• Video content of every statement and response
• Audio downloads
• Textual overviews for every statement
• and Questions for reflection
But to freshen up the course for 2024, we're adding two exclusive new bonuses that you'll really love. The first is a live Q&A with Bart in early April where you can ask him your burning questions about the resurrection (or about the debate).
The second is a 40-minute talk Bart will be having with Paul Ens from Paulogia about the latest developments in resurrection research over the past year. With Gary Habermas' magnum opus just coming out, a 1,000+ page book called "On the Resurrection, Volume 1: Evidences," there's sure to be a lot to updates to discuss.
And as always, registration includes lifetime access to the recordings and all materials.
LIMITED-TIME EASTER PRICING!
An all-day event with Bart Ehrman alone would cost a minimum of $90. And the typical retail price for the debate is $49.95. However, for a limited time, you can the entire debate, all the bonuses, and lifetime access to the recordings for just $34.95! That's $15 off (or 30%) the cost of registration! The sale begins today and goes through Easter Sunday at 9 pm EDT.
If you decide to purchase it and decide you don't like it, you have 30 days to reach out to [e-mail] for a refund. No questions asked.
To learn more or register, visit:
👉 bartehrman.com/debate

[@lazykbys]

Honestly, every debate I've seen with Bart vs [insert apologist] ends up with History and Theology talking at cross -purposes, which I find extremely frustrating. It doesn't help that as someone with a Buddhist/Shintoist/agnostic upbringing, I don't find Christian apologetics convincing at all.

[@frankxu4795]

You are not the audience. It's a political movement. The apologists act in a way to please their base. They do not care how ridiculous they sound to the rest of the world,

[@lunchmind]

I take issue with the entrenched claim that if Jesus did not rise from he dead that his teachings are in vain and that Christianity is a lost cause. Not at all. Jesus taught us to love and forgive one another. He taught us that the" Kingdom of Heaven" is within our selves. How can that die with him?

[@TruthIsABitterPillToSwallow]

Are you a Christian?

[@christiner6000]

If only christians today did follow the teachings of jesus. Instead they only seem to want to hate everyone who is not the same as them, or they're obsessed with "getting to heaven" and don't care who they have to crush to get there.

[@anthonycraig274]

Words are ideas, ideas are passed on if it captures the imagination. BTW: The intro was Paul words.

[@dansommer2646]

I totally agree with you, this hard stand by Paul has done more harm to the core message of Jesus than any opposition could. This fundamentalist belief of Paul served well two millenia ago but is harmful in today's enlightened world. I don't think that belief in the resurrection is necessary for belief in Jesus or his message anymore than belief in Isaiah or David etc would require a resurrection.

[@TruthIsABitterPillToSwallow]

@@dansommer2646 You're correct. 👍 Would you like to delve deeper? There is already evidence of ANOTHER GOSPEL AND ANOTHER JESUS which is contrary to Paul's "MY Gospel" and people are QUICKLY aba-nd-oning the Paul's ab_o-mi-nat-ion from the DE_V-I-L 👉 "My Gospel". Galatians 1:6 I am astonished that you are SO QUICKLY DESERTING the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ AND ARE TURNING TO A DIFFERENT GOSPEL-- "....... ANOTHER GOSPEL -" ******** Paul was the f3r0c10us w0lf in she-ep's clo-thi-ng whom Jesus wa-rn-ed about. Saul aka Paul the d3c31v3r achieved what he set out to do and his work continues to date. Paul made sure that the J3-w nation does not accept Jesus as Messiah. Paul preached a literally c-r-u-c-i-f-i-e-d Messiah which according to the Hebrew scriptures is a FA_LSE messiah exp0sed by God. Someone under God's C U R S E. There is already evidence of ANOTHER GOSPEL AND ANOTHER JESUS which is contrary to Paul's "MY Gospel" and people are QUICKLY aba-nd-oning the Paul's ab_o-mi-nat-ion from the DE_V-I-L 👉 "My Gospel". Galatians 1:6 I am astonished that you are SO QUICKLY DESERTING the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ AND ARE TURNING TO A DIFFERENT GOSPEL-- "....... ANOTHER GOSPEL -"

[@JamesRichardWiley]

There are two answers to this: 1. Jesus was an immortal godman that could not die. He could only have a bad weekend. 2. Jesus was a man who died and his followers saw him afterwards in their dreams and visions, believing that he was still with them in spirit. After the dreams and visions came the stories written by different authors at different times followed by organizing, translating, editing and copying different narratives into a single anthology.

[@shaduck06]

Jesus was an immortal godman that could not die. the divine doesn't die

[@mrmorpheus9707]

​@@shaduck06 YOU BUMPED YOUR HEAD

[@littlebitofhope1489]

@@mrmorpheus9707 😆

[@littlebitofhope1489]

@@shaduck06 You have no evidence for that.

[@sigmata0]

No, there are others. The way crucifixion works is dependant on a large number of factors. It was not simply a process to kill people it was intended as a warning against behaving in illegal ways. So, as far as I know, those who were crucified were usually left to rot on the cross. They weren't cut down after a couple of days. The whole point was to make the death a long and drawn out process where they were suffering a lack of oxygen, due to their position, but could alleviate that by standing albeit in a very uncomfortable manner. What killed people was exposure and a lack of water with the breathing problems getting progressively more difficult as they ran out of resources. Then their body was allowed to be desecrated by animals and alike, eventually to rot. To cut a person down that early was really to defeat the primary purpose of such an execution. So, it's very possible for a person in that situation to be thought of as being dead, cut down early and actually revive later on. In other words, Jesus might not have actually died at all. People who survive earthquakes under rubble and or in snow drifts, suffer exposure and may have injuries and may even pass out but not be dead can "wake up" once rescued i.e. no longer in a desperate situation. People, particularly uneducated peasants, knew next to nothing about how the body works, so someone who appeared dead and woke up again would seem miraculous to them. On top of this, the idea of cutting someone down was unusual. So why would a Roman solder do that exactly? What's in it for him? The obvious answer would be money. It would not be unreasonable to assume that the solders were bribed. They may even explicitly claim the prisoner was dead to their superiors to ensure it wasn't seen as an oversight by the guards in their duty. As long as the person involved "disappeared" i.e. stopped making a nuisance and made sure to keep out of the public eye, the guard made a profit and the friends got their buddy back. Those who wrote accounts of this well afterwards did not have any incentive to accurately report what happened. It's very similar to situations we have today where the message is seen as more important than facts. So if they were wholeheartedly in favour of Jesus' spiritual interpretations of Judaism they may well use any leverage they could cling onto to suggest those teachings were correct. It's very common in a cult for the leader to be seen as inerrant, and the result of any behaviour is then interpreted as having some deeper meaning that confirms the authenticity and authority of the leader's position and worldview. Amplify this by multiple people interpreting word of mouth accounts of extravagant claims, and it's easier to gospel writers to realise how powerful the idea of a resurrection is and use it. Whether it was deliberate, person delusion or a simple misinterpretation of events, it's easy to see how mundane occurrences could be spun into stories with massive supernatural elements. This would only get worse over time.

[@troyfreedom]

I can state unequivocally there is no method known by man to verify this claim. In addition, the biblical record shows many such resurrections. So, It doesn’t appear to be such a unique claim.

[@TruthIsABitterPillToSwallow]

Exactly. Miracles can't be verified. Also, if Jesus Christ or the actual disciples or the angel used a certain language, it's clear that it's all referenced in the J_ew_ish context as someone coming close to d_yin_g, a d_e-adly trap or de_adly situation but then sur_viv-ing by a miracle so it's a metaphorical d-e-ath and res-urre-cti-on (just like Isaac considered sac-rifice even though he was saved by a miracle) so that people may believe and repent.

[@TruthIsABitterPillToSwallow]

@@@@@ David used the same language for himself in Psalm 86:13 Young's Literal Translation For Thy kindness is great toward me, And Thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest Sheol. ******* Now the Christians need to come forward and tell when David died and wrote this after his resurrection????? @@@@@ What is SHEOL and Where is it? Bible Meaning and Definition The Hebrew word seol [l/a.v], "SHEOL, " refers to *the gr-ave* or the abode of 👉 *THE DE-AD* 👈

[@TruthIsABitterPillToSwallow]

It's the language of the J-e-ws, the message of which was co-rr-up-ted and distorted by Paul the f3r0c10us w0lf in she-ep's clo-thi-ng whom Jesus wa-rn-ed about, to go hand in hand with hu-m-an sacrifices of the p_ag-ans (Gentiles who were NEVER EVER the intended recipients of the Je-w-ish Messiah as well as his message). So coming to Paul, what was metaphorical and figurative to the J_ew, he presented it as literal to the gentiles. For example, 2000 years ago, in the Je-w-ish context, the term "Son of God" meant a righteous person. The same expression in the Greek and Roman context would have meant Hercules or some literal "Son of God". Those Greeks and Romans bought that. Same with the "dy-in-g" and "ris-ing" in Je_wis_h idioms and metaphors. To the J_e-w it meant someone coming close to a de-ad-ly encounter but then being saved by the skin of the teeth at the last moment when every one expects the person to be de-ad but the person is protected by a miracle. The same expressions in the Greek and Roman context meant dyi-ng and ris-ing char-ac-ters / de-it-ies / saviors / entities with their mythology and all and the sac-rifice practices of the p_aga-ns.

[@TruthIsABitterPillToSwallow]

According to the Hebrew scriptures, the true Messiah could NEVER EVER be put through such shame like c-u-r-s-e of the c-r-u-c-i-f-i-x-i-o-n. A-s per prophecy from the OT. ✅ Mark 14:36: 👉 Jesus PRAYS to God, IN TRUST, that *the Cup is TAKEN AWAY from him* Psalm 20:6 Now know I that the Lord *SA-VE-TH* his *ME:SS:IAH* ; He 👉 *ANS-WE-RE-TH* 👈 him from the 👉 HE-AVE-NS 👈 of His holiness, with the ✅ *SA:VI:NG ST-RE-NG-TH* of His right hand.

[@Peanut888..]

@@TruthIsABitterPillToSwallowJust out of curiosity , are you Jewish ? AND what message did Paul distort ?

[@ji8044]

You can BELIEVE theologically that the Resurrection happened, but you can't really debate the matter. There is nothing which can be presented as evidence in favor of the idea.

[@powerfulaura5166]

Spoken from a place of true ignorance on the subject, thanks for outing yourself as never having considered or researched it.

[@frankxu4795]

@@powerfulaura5166 You are a living example of Dunning-kruger effect.

[@chadkndr]

Does anyone know if this will be uploaded here after the fact?

[@user-mn6pm2bs3q]

Every era of humanity has created a hero figure that has served to inspire the population. By the time the scribes began writing about him he was annointed the hero's credentials of virgin birth, heavenly father, power over death, and magical powers. He was the first marvel hero in a sense.

[@bratislavprokic4618]

Can you make episode about Holly Spirit and how that idea evoleved

[@anastasiahopkinson5676]

What is the date and time of the debate?

[@montagdp]

It already happened. This clip is advertising a sale on the video of the full debate.

[@anastasiahopkinson5676]

@@montagdp Thank you.

[@gor764]

I thought this debate already happened. I even attended it a couple years back.

[@Wong-Jack-Man]

No I’m with Dominic Crossan that it was a symbolic metaphor influenced by Roman imperial theology ascension/resurrection. Gospels came decades later and along with it the resurrection tale.

[@achromat666]

Bible scholars don't suddenly create evidence of an impossible event, just because they know a book really well. What is the point of this, exactly?

[@TruthIsABitterPillToSwallow]

Do you go by the scriptures or do you go by the scholars and preachers and the Church?

[@achromat666]

@@jeancarroll7957 If the question is whether or not you believe it happened as opposed as to whether or not it actually could have ever happened, what is the actual point? If you're a Christian, the questions can waver on how literal you take the text, but there's no way to demonstrate proof of an impossible event by a reading of the text that makes the claim without evidence. So anyone on the outside looking in (like myself) sees the debate as pointless outside of an academic exercise or thought experiment.

[@russellmiles2861]

Of course they do ... Just read newspapers to see how well fables go with us. We love stories of good and bad with a rescuer

[@chrisd6287]

Because the resurrection is the entire basis of Christianity. Just like the video said. No resurrection, no Christianity. It's a house of cards. Edit: I read your other responses here and I get what you're saying and agree. It's basically a senseless debate in the fact that neither side can truly prove their position.

[@russellmiles2861]

@@chrisd6287 not really. There has been various research on the topic. About 1/5 Christians don't believe in God. For clergy it is better atv1:10. With only 1:4 believing in a personal god. The issue of resurrection seem quite indifferent to most practicing Christians.

[@anthonycraig274]

Hey guys don’t argue, just show me the evidence and I’ll take it from there.

[@Bob94390]

If there is evidence, what is the point of religion?

[@Truth-Is-a-Hard-Pill]

​@@Bob94390 It's quite interesting that the ath31sts are the biggest examples of FAITH. I mean how many atheists on the planet have taken a D N A T E S T to see and observed the evidence that the guy they BELIEVE to be their b10l0g1cal f@th3r is actually their b10l0g1cal f@th3r.

[@Truth-a_hard_pill]

Do ath31sts take the D N A T3ST so that they have the evidence that the guy they BELIEVE to be their b10l0g1cal ___________ is actually their b10l0g1cal _____________?

[@AntiCitizenX]

No. The answer is no. There. I just saved you a couple of hours.

[@MrMortal_Ra]

Keep backed and crouched down in your dark shallow corner on Reddit, while others actually care about this debate.

[@badpimp9000]

The fact u cant take a joke or tell that this is sarcasm is funny pull the stick out of ur ass ​@@MrMortal_Ra

[@DGT416]

​@MrMortal_Ra For you to even think it's a debate is laughable.

[@MrMortal_Ra]

@@DGT416 A debate is: an argument, or discussion, usually in an ordered or formal setting, often with more than two people, generally ending with a vote or other decision. That’s precisely what Bart and Micheal are attending. Unless of course your going to say that every single person involved in ordering, hosting and structuring this debate was just all of a sudden mistaken on the type of discussion this was going to be.

[@Evolution.1859]

@@MrMortal_RaI’m fairly certain, and I think you are as well, that his point was that the subject is not worth debating. While most Bible scholars believe that Jesus existed, very few, except for those whose approach is not historical, believe that the Romans would place the body of a rabble-rousing Jew in a hewn rock tomb with a door rather than leaving him to rot on a wooden X and throw him in a burial pit like most other victims. The resurrection is not an historical event; it is a contentious and contradictory claim in a book of magic and monsters that cannot be shown to have happened without evidence we don’t have. In this situation, believers have nothing to say except “I believe this” for no reason except that I prefer it to be true and will therefore put all rationale aside and accept it as the case based on imagined probabilities, assumed conclusions and… faith. If we ever discover any evidence pointing to the possibility of this occurrence, then the situation might warrant a debate. Until then, it’s a claim no different than those made about Elvis.

[@thewb8329]

If Jesus was a Cylon and a resurrection ship was in range then yes!😂

[@mrmorpheus9707]

Goes against everything we know about logic ,physics, rational, reasoning and Nature...i dont appeal to MAGIC

[@user-ug2hk3go6i]

A miracle by definition happens outside physics, nature and such.

[@TruthIsABitterPillToSwallow]

@@user-ug2hk3go6i Exactly. Miracles can't be verified. However, Christians talk about in miracles up to the point where it suits them. Also, if Jesus Christ or the actual disciples or the angel used a certain language, it's clear that it's all referenced in the J_ew_ish context as someone coming close to d_yin_g, a d_e-adly trap or de_adly situation but then sur_viv-ing by a miracle so it's a metaphorical d-e-ath and res-urre-cti-on (just like Isaac considered sac-rifice even though he was saved by a miracle) so that people may believe and repent.

[@TruthIsABitterPillToSwallow]

@@user-ug2hk3go6i Exactly. Miracles can't be verified. Also, if Jesus Christ or the actual disciples or the angel used a certain language, it's clear that it's all referenced in the J_ew_ish context as someone coming close to d_yin_g, a d_e-adly trap or de_adly situation but then sur_viv-ing by a miracle so it's a metaphorical d-e-ath and res-urre-cti-on (just like Isaac considered sac-rifice even though he was saved by a miracle) so that people may believe and repent.

[@venenareligioest410]

“It’s called FAITH because it’s not KNOWLEDGE!” Christopher Hitchens.

[@user-ug2hk3go6i]

To make the discussion serious, one would have to define the terms "faith" and "knowledge."

[@venenareligioest410]

@@user-ug2hk3go6i Nonsense! FAITH: strong belief in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual conviction rather than proof! KNOWLEDGE: facts, information, and skills acquired through experience or education; the practical understanding of a subject.

[@user-ug2hk3go6i]

@@venenareligioest410 What is called knowledge changes. At one time people knew the solar system was geocentric and geostatic. That witches can cause harm to others and leprosy was a divine punishment. Faith is an unescapable part of one's life. Every day when one leave home to go to work one assumes on faith that he will return home safe and well and the end of the day. For many people their faith is not the case.

[@venenareligioest410]

@@user-ug2hk3go6i One would assume that those ‘inspired’ by god would have knowledge above that of their contemporaries . But we can plainly see that they knew nothing more than was commonly known at the time, except for journeys to heaven and hell of course!?!? These ‘prophets’, ‘messengers’ and ‘holy’ books reflect only the very limited intelligence and claustrophobic, violent views of the vile, ignorant, desert dwelling peasants who wrote them! How is it that if the God of Abraham, who is supposedly Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence (all-powerful, all-knowing, and present everywhere) sent three books down to the naive and gullible which are full of errors, contradictions and failed prophesies (in the case of the Quran 20% is totally incomprehensible even to so called Islamic ‘scholars’)?! How is it that these novels were only revealed to ignorant, illiterate, semi stupefied desert dwellers incapable of reading or understanding them instead of to contemporary advanced civilisations? How is it that missing from these wonderful god given ‘books of knowledge’ is, for instance, ICE, SNOW, TORNADOES, HURRICANES, WATER SPOUTS AND ATHEISTS (‘god’ was obsessed by people believing in OTHER gods, but in his arrogance and stupidity did not think it conceivable that some people refused to worship ANY god). These things are missing simply because the people who cobbled together these obscene old books (in the case of the a Quran, Mohammed), had no experience of these things!

[@chidaluaustin-dum2452]

@@venenareligioest410faith literally means trust or confidence. Faith doesn’t mean believing without evidence, that is blind faith. The Christian faith is the trust in the reliability of the evidence, the confidence that the apostles really wrote what the saw and died for it. Blind faith is what makes people crash into tall buildings, the evidence is the apostles really believed what they saw and died horribly without recanting.

[@MrMortal_Ra]

Letttttsssss goooooo. There is no way that Bart and Michael are going to have a 7 plus debate on the resurrection again, that’s inane. This is just completely hot me by surprise.

[@davidfolts5893]

If universes can come in and go out of existence, why can't we?

[@johnjohnson1657]

I find no debate in this whatsoever. I'm an ex-Christian.

[@cfhklhog]

What is the difference?

[@user-ug2hk3go6i]

Between what?

[@albionicamerican8806]

The crucifixion story doesn't make sense in the first place. The Romans faced no urgency to wrap up Jesus' crucifixion by dark on a Friday night. One, Jewish superstitions about the Sabbath didn't bind the Romans, and they ran that part of the world. And two, even if the Romans had to go along with this Jewish nonsense for political reasons, they could simply have held Jesus over the Sabbath, then nailed him up bright & early Sunday morning, when they had a block of non-taboo days to do it properly.

[@KarlsKronicles]

Check out the many books and videos from Gary Habermas.

[@brotherbarton1148]

Who knows totality? Each of us believes but truth lies beyond belief. Truth can only be known. So who here can claim their limited understanding of limited interpretations of limited perceptions filtered through limited senses can claim their perception is truth, when truth lies beyond perception?

[@tedgrant2]

When I am dead, will I still be able to have tennis lessons ?

[@Bob94390]

Where do you expect to go for those lessons? In 1999, the Pope stated that neither "Heaven" nor "Hell" are places.

[@tedgrant2]

@@Bob94390 And you think he knows ?

[@brianb4877]

FAITH is a synonym for FEELINGS.

[@chidaluaustin-dum2452]

No it’s not. It’s a synonym of Trust, Confidence. You have faith you’ll wake up tomorrow, you have faith your mother or wife loves you, that your car will start, can you prove it? No but you have faith in the evidence that show it could be true.

[@brianb4877]

Nope. Probability, investment, and the incentives of others. It’s not trust or even confidence. Nor is reality shaken when encountered with the unexpected.

[@chidaluaustin-dum2452]

@@brianb4877 argue with the definition not me.

[@shaduck06]

some church in Saratoga sunday school taught us that the empty tomb was what established Satan's defeat

[@littlebitofhope1489]

They made that up.

[@laurasilverstone9735]

The Resurrection is REAL

[@sigmata0]

@@laurasilverstone9735 Oh you used capitals so it must be true, right? How do you specifically know this? That is to say, this is not about just the interpretation of disparate writings which were collected and bound into a book. Show us how you get from your personal experience of life and the universe in which you live and come to the conclusion that something that is inconsistent with everything we can test and examine happened to a person you've never met, in a time well before you existed? As an exercise write down how you experience the world, and your sense of being within it, and then list all the assumptions you have to make to get to the point where you claim a person died and became alive once more. I don't know any theists who have ever been able to do that, and continue to be theists.

[@sigmata0]

Did they demonstrate the existence of Satan first?

[@farzadsafarwandi7700]

Bart Ehrman is a honest man and speaking the truth.

[@alishalileh]

Jesus Christ died on the Cross and was resurrected. He is The Way, The Truth and The Life. He is The Resurrection and The Life.

[@elizabethsmith5076]

Why study evidence and hold debates? Jesus is alive in spirit, and he will answer questions - with the help of a channel.

[@mattr.1887]

0:20 would this mean that Paul would have to give up everything? I suspect he would just revert back to being a regular Jew.

[@verywest23]

‘READ’: “The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviours: Christianity Before Christ” -- audiobook, paperback-by Kersey Graves (Author)” -- If you want to escape the ‘religion mind trap.’. In short, history records “16 SAVIORS” scattered all over the ancient world and, not surprisingly, they all shared the same story. Guess what, priest and rabbis were always on the look for their next ‘SAVIOR’ to save them from starvation. Right, they borrowed successful religious figures from over there and reintroduce here-as “Gods One And Only” - blah, blah, blah

[@MarkVeltzer]

No

[@stechriswillgil3686]

Has Bart written any books on the nature of Power ? That is to say human power or the power of one over the many ? Just how powerful was Julius Caesar or an Englsh Tudor king or a Mongolian war lord ? Is it not the case that what we call Gods power is just really Mans power in this context, moreover that a lowly peasant is completely subjugated to a medieval King ? If religion is manmade, then who are the men who stand to gain most ? I feel Bart should chanel anger into a book that urges people to ' awaken' to how they are supressed in the world by religion and superstion and fight against it.

[@user-pd5qz2vt2c]

Will somebody please search deeper into the caves of Qumran and find the Resurrection video tapes so that we can put this 2000 year old argument to bed? Please, someone.

[@Bob94390]

Good question. If somebody lost the tapes or video files, I can accept a remake instead, but without Mel Gibson.

[@gsr4535]

But most human beings do not believe in the Judeo-Christian Bible. Why would the Creator of the universe devise a plan for salvation that excludes most (generally Asians) human beings? 🤔

[@Jesus_is_otw]

Huh??? How do you believe such a thing?

[@VulcanLogic]

@@Jesus_is_otw Were you not aware that almost 70% of the planet is not Christian? There's 2.6 billion Christians on earth, out of 8.1 billion. You're outnumbered more than 2:1. Why does salvation plan exclude the other 5.5 billion people?

[@SurenEnfiajyan]

Yep, this is somewhat underrated but very solid argument against most versions of Christianity. Of course this will not work against "work" based salvation version of Christianity.

[@littlebitofhope1489]

The Mormons have that covered. They make you Xtian whether you want to be or not.

[@fabioconti6353]

Ovviamente chi dice di avere fede (non sapere) sulla resurrezione (e non solo) non è la sua ma quella di qualcun altro che gliela ripete da 2000 anni

[@niwlecram4566]

BIGGEST NO! 😂

[@JamshidRowshan]

No.

[@keneorakwute2521]

We can go on and on arguing, debating whether or not Jesus existed and resurrected. One thing is clear- it does not have any significance in who Jesus is... .

[@AldousHuxleysCat]

It's a shame that the Christian guy doesn't see the point in living his life the way he's lived it if Jesus didn't rise from the grave. Most of the teachings attributed to Jesus are pretty good. How to treat others and how to think about yourself and your place in life. Even if all you did was practice those teachings in order to make life better for yourself and others I think that would be pretty worthwhile. Do you really need to get the golden ticket, is eternal Disney world the only thing that motivates you?

[@wellingtonsboots4074]

Perhaps it's a faith thing

[@russellmiles2861]

Bishop Barron who we might observe is a tad conservative apologist even states such ...

[@pasqualegalante3349]

Has anyone heard of the Rainbow Body Phenomena and Father Tiso and Padmasambhava. There is resurrection , There are actually miracles beyond being raised from the dead. Salvation should. Be based on More that a miracle according to Buddha. He couches for the the transformative power of Dharma teaching very similar to the Gospel and the Torah Teachings.

[@antiker5875]

All the ancient Pharaos wanted to be resurrected. Another indication that Jesus was a failed wanna-be king of Judah. Of course Jesus was not resurrected.

[@MrMortal_Ra]

“All the ancient Pharaohs wanted to be resurrected” bodily? Spiritually? Metaphorically? Citation and further elaboration needed.

[@antiker5875]

@@MrMortal_Ra Why do you think their bodies were mummified? Just for fun?

[@MrMortal_Ra]

@@antiker5875Why are you rhetorically asking a question relevant to burial, preservation and afterlife in Egyptian thought? Instead of actually providing citations?

[@russellmiles2861]

​@@MrMortal_Rabecause this is conversation in a bar ... Besides the dude is correct.

[@Mr.Ut21]

​@@russellmiles2861 bar room convo, is that why homie IMMEDIATELY went ad hominem on Jesus? Maybe OP is a wannabe intellectual who thinks he sounds edgy and cool when he really is just an idiot

[@georgekataftos]

We have many 1st century manuscripts!!! Constantine called them all heretic........... Constantine was a Pagan.......... with that said check out the 1st century original manuscripts Gospel of the Holy 12, The Gospel the the Nazarenes, the Gosple of the Ebionites & the Gospel of the Hebrew, confirmed in the clementine homilies and other early church followers we are the church.

[@Bob94390]

Nice series on "Jesus". Can you also do a similar series on Harry Potter?

[@thelastshadowpigz]

Are you saying Jesus historically didn't exist? If so...oh boy...

[@richarddemuth7077]

NANNO NANNO!!

[@GentleReader01]

Spoiler alert: debate will continue after this event. :) If something deprives of all of speech, as in the wonderful movie La Dernier Combat, it will continue via artwork and charades.

[@larschristianalm]

No, it didn't. Did the resurrection of Baal, Melqart, Eshmun, Dumuzi, Adonis, Attis Asklepios, Zalmoxis, Orfeus, Dionysos, Ra, Osiris, Krishna, Odin, Inanna and Persefone really happen? Why not have a resurrection debate for any of those other gods for a change? Yeshua gets too much attention. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dying-and-rising_deity

[@raycaster4398]

Paul was a conflicted Pharisee Jewish man finally affected by his dastardly work as a bounty hunter of Christians and accomplice to murder. Perhaps his conversion and follow on Christian proselytization was secondary to a markedly guilty conscience and consequent grief reaction. This is a good example of the "sudden" type conversion into faith often proceeding from some major life stressor event (loss of job, bad breakup, death in family, significant illness, medical emergency, etc.). Who knows how much of Paul's extraordinary claims resulted from a good imagination and dire need, blended with vivid dreams, "visions," hallucinations, or postictal state. The clincher is Paul also had to deal with the fact that Jesus was an epic failure! Jesus had promised three times in scripture that his original apostles would experience the coming of God's kingdom during their lifetimes. Sadly each died gruesome violent and/or ignoble deaths and never saw any kingdom whatsoever. But what really got to Paul was he was stultified by reports from his new churches that the faithful and believers were dying and disappearing, never to be seen again. No resurrection, no nuthin'! So Paul had to warm up his quill and inkwell and trash his first idea of a spiritual (only) revival of Jesus. Instead he turned it into a physical resurrection. He then went about again preaching God's kingdom - that it's only around the next corner. "Just you wait and see!" Hundreds of years went by, no kingdom! So it was Church fathers, Eusebius and Augustine, that realized the error, Christ's broken promise. So they concocted and laid down the claim that God's kingdom began here and now, with faith in Christ and membership in the Church! Or worse yet: An invisible celestial or supernatural kingdom AFTER earthly life. Talk about bait-and-switch! And so here we are 2,000 years later. Still yet nothing! Today, neurocognitive scientists and critical care physicians know resurrection or revivification is scientifically impossible. Dead is dead. Death is final. There is life before death, not after death.

[@TruthIsABitterPillToSwallow]

Paul was the f3r0c10us w0lf in she-ep's clo-thi-ng whom Jesus wa-rn-ed about. Saul aka Paul achieved what he set out to do and his work continues to date. He k1ll3d the movement of the b3l13v3rs in the Messiah SENT by God. Paul c0rrupt3d the message and made sure that the J3-w nation never accepts Jesus as Messiah even after Paul's inevitable d3ath. Paul preached a literally c-r-u-c-i-f-i-e-d Messiah which according to the Hebrew scriptures is a FA_LSE messiah exp0sed by God. Someone under God's C U R S E

[@TruthIsABitterPillToSwallow]

There is already evidence of ANOTHER GOSPEL AND ANOTHER JESUS which was contrary to Paul's "MY Gospel" and people were QUICKLY aba-nd-oning the Paul's ab_o-mi-nat-ion from the DE_V-I-L 👉 "My Gospel". Galatians 1:6 I am astonished that you are SO QUICKLY DESERTING the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ AND ARE TURNING TO A DIFFERENT GOSPEL-- "....... ANOTHER GOSPEL -"

[@Truth.is.Bitter]

Paul was the f3r0c10us w0lf in she-ep's clo-thi-ng whom Jesus wa-rn-ed about. Paul achieved what he set out to do and his work continues to date even after the in3v1tabl3 d3ath of Paul. The J3w nation continues to re-je-ct Jesus as Messiah. Paul preached a literally c-r-u-c-i-f-i-e-d Messiah which according to the Hebrew scriptures is a FA_LSE messiah exp0sed by God. Someone under God's C U R S E. Paul k1ll3d the movement of the b3l13v3rs in the Messiah SENT by God.

[@TruthIsABitterPillToSwallow]

Galatians 3:1 O foolish Galatians, WHO hath be-wit-che-d you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? [You foolish Galatians! WHO has b-e-wit-che-d you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.] It's Paul who is upset and desperately wants to PORTRAY that Jesus Christ was crucified. It was Paul who had PORTRAYED that Jesus Christ was actually crucified. It's Paul who invented and promoted the false Gospel - the d3c3pt10n called Jesus' Crucifixion. It's Paul who TRIC-KED people into believing that Jesus literally got c-r-u-c-i-f-i-e-d.

[@Truth.is.Bitter]

What Saul aka Paul could never have achieved by physically k1ll1ng the followers of Jesus, he ach1v3d it by c0rrupt1ng the message. What a masterstroke by Paul with the DE_V-I-L'S Gospel aka Paul's "My Gospel". The Christian FAITH, professing to love and honor Jesus actually h-e-a-p-s the gr-ea-te-st I-N-S-U-L-T-S on Jesus of the Bible. At the very core, it's the Christian FAITH which established Jesus as a FA_LSE messiah exp0sed by God according to the Hebrew scriptures.

[@jeffshirkey3085]

Cashing in on this "debate"? What is this, a religious studies vs theology pay-per-view? Come on, man.

[@mcake1234]

Long story short, no.

[@jg90049]

The real question is "Did Jesus actually die on the cross as we understand physical death today?"

[@TruthIsABitterPillToSwallow]

Did Jesus actually get c-r-u-c-i-f-i-e-d? No. He was protected by God. Miracles can't be verified. Also, if Jesus Christ or the actual disciples or the angel used a certain language, it's clear that it's all referenced in the J_ew_ish context as someone coming close to d_yin_g, a d_e-adly trap or de_adly situation but then sur_viv-ing by a miracle so it's a metaphorical d-e-ath and res-urre-cti-on (just like Isaac considered sac-rifice even though he was saved by a miracle) so that people may believe and repent.

[@niblick616]

It's obvious that Burke and Hare stole the body of the god thing. They liked to do that sort of thing, apparently, so it must be them.

[@troyfreedom]

What we have here is two men who have studied for years on this resurrection narrative and still disagree on its historical accuracy; what does that tell you? If they aren’t able to find harmony; how can this data been known in any real sense and I’m not even talking about why you would even care about what may or may not have occurred 2000 years ago.

[@ballasog]

One is a scholar and one is a professional grifter. If you listen to Licona talk, what he says is nonsense.

[@albionicamerican8806]

It's more likely that the Romans botched one of their executions.

[@TruthIsABitterPillToSwallow]

Jesus was protected by a miracle. Jesus had escaped their w1cked plot to cru-cify him and Jesus doesn't want to take any chances. So much so that throughout his journey to Emauus, his disciples can't even recognize him. Jesus doesn't want any co-mm-otion / excitement / hustle bustle as that would be det-rim-ental to his escape. Jesus has just dod-ged his enem1es plans by the sk-in of his teeth. Jesus knows that if they ca-ug-ht him again, they'd make double sure this time that they cru_cify him. The reason is that Jesus was *ALIVE* (NOT RESURRECTED). Resurrected body does NOT look like GARDNER, and resurrected body does NOT need disguise, and resurrected body does NOT need to be sca-red of getting caught, resurrected body does NOT need broiled fish and honeycomb to relieve its hunger, resurrected body is NOT flesh and bones. 🚩 ALIVE (NOT RESURRECTED) Mark 16:11 Mary Magdalene Testifies that Jesus is *ALIVE* (NOT "RESURRECTED") ". . . they heard that he was *ALIVE* , and had been seen by her, THEY BELIEVED NOT." - (Mark 16:11): Mary did not vouch for a spook, or ghost or spirit of Jesus but a LIVE Jesus. What they could not believe was that the Master was ALIVE! "And they went and told it unto the residue (of the disciples), NEITHER BELEIVED they them."(Mark 16:13). ". . . angels who had said that he was *ALIVE* !" - Did not say, "resurrected" but the actual word uttered by the angels was "ALIVE!" In all the verse references above where this word "Alive" occurs, it has been faithfully reproduced from the Christian Scriptures, and it is not any interpretation of mine. ************************* 🚩 IN DISGUISE In describing this incident John, referring to Mary Magdalene, says: " *She, supposing him to be the GARDERNER, saith unto him* ". Now why should she suppose that he is a gardener? Do resurrected people look like "gardeners"? No!! Then why does she suppose him to be a gardener? Because he is disguised as a GARDENER! Why is he disguised as a gardener? Because he is afraid of the Jews! Why is he afraid of the Jews? Because he did not die and did not conquer death! If he had died, and if he had conquered death, then he would not be afraid anymore LUKE 24:13 13 Now that same day two of them (the disciples) were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 👉 🚩 *but they were kept from recognizing him* . ********************* 🚩 FLESH & BONES LUKE 24:37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have *flesh and bones, as you see I have* .” *********************** 🚩 HUNGRY: 40 When he (Jesus) had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, *he (Jesus) asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him (Jesus) a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he (Jesus) took it and ate it in their presence*

[@TruthIsABitterPillToSwallow]

There is more if you really want to go the distance on the subject.

[@powerfulaura5166]

I respect Dr. Ehrman, but this is a very Reddit-tier comments section.

[@bartdehrman]

Thanks for hanging with us, we try to clean up the comments a bit! - Social Media Team

[@Agent47316]

Why anyone believes a man floated into the sky is hilarious ive always believed the body was burned in that time the smell could have been easily masked because of all the animals being cooked outside

[@albionicamerican8806]

I'm looking forward to the time when passion plays have hostile audiences. People will shout to the actors playing the Roman soldiers who are rough-handling the Jesus actor, *_"Finish him!"_*

[@munbruk]

Christians made a big deal with the resurrection instead of focusing on the religion itself. Paul was wrong in the statement mentioned. Jesus died and lifted up, this happened not in the realm, so you don't need to see him flying in the sky like a bird.

[@user-mn6pm2bs3q]

Jesus was only on the cross about six hours. Most crucifictions took over a day. Even with the spear it was not a fatal blow.

[@user-ug2hk3go6i]

Do you have medical expertise to assert this?

[@thelastshadowpigz]

Respectfully, you do not have the slightest idea what Roman crucifixion entailed. Many died before even making it to the cross.

[@user-mn6pm2bs3q]

@@thelastshadowpigz I'm sure Mel went way overboard in his depiction. This is just a mythological story with lots of additions to enhance the story.

[@thelastshadowpigz]

@@user-mn6pm2bs3q He didn't actually go far enough. Look up information on Roman crucifixion. It was brutal and the absolute worst way to die.

[@nolarobert]

Spoiler Alert: No, it didn't happen.

[@richardredmond1463]

He sure did. Bart doesn't believe that God exists, so 50% of the contents of the gospels has to be fabricated, including of course, the resurrection of Jesus. That's pretty much his only rationale.

[@TartempionLampion]

In fact 100% of the gospels have been fabricated obviously. It's a literary creation.

[@richardredmond1463]

@@TartempionLampion Even Bart disagrees with you 🙂

[@JamshidRowshan]

Licona? No thank you.

[@Aye-Aye136]

Christianity ✝️ has been based on bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ since its inception. Without it Christianity is doomed to death ☠️ 💀. What else can we envision for the future Christianity? A system of ethical teachings of Jesus like Socrates or Aristotle is no option at all. What matters in Christianity ✝️ is the belief of resurrection. This is my take on it 🫡.

[@littlebitofhope1489]

Wow, that is a flimsy basis for anything.

[@TartempionLampion]

Fine, but a belief is not and can not be a historical reality. otherwise it's not a belief. And christianity is grounded into faith, not science (which it fought as much as it could).

[@John.Flower.Productions]

@@TartempionLampion _"And christianity is grounded into faith, not science (which it fought as much as it could)."_ Christianity and Catholicism are two separate things. European Protestants (Christianity) created science.

[@John.Flower.Productions]

_Did the Resurrection of Jesus Really Happen?_ By definition, a miracle and/or magic is impossible. _Did the Big Bang Really Happen?_ By definition, a miracle and/or magic is impossible.

[@Bob94390]

There is a difference between what some people think they can see in old folk tales and what anybody can see in a telescope.

[@John.Flower.Productions]

@@Bob94390 _…what anybody can see in a telescope._ You might want to research that comment a little bit.

[@laurasilverstone9735]

Yes it Did because JESUS CHRIST HAMASHIACH ALMIGHTY GOD HAD POWER TO LAY DOWN HIS LIFE A F THE SAME POWER TO TAKE IT BACK AND IN Going TO heaven and coming back to get us, to be our guide and comforter, He left His Spirit so as His children, we cry ABBA FATHER Gal. 4:4

[@rellyrelly619]

Yeshua is the true reconciliation between man and the Lord God. He is the true redemption. I never doubt that the tomb was not empty because this is the truth and there is nothing to prove against this truth. There is no proof. You have Dr. Bart Ehrman, just confusion and ideas that are not realistic, sir.

[@littlebitofhope1489]

So you have nothing. Zero, Zip, Nada. Good to know.

[@Bob94390]

So your reason to believe in "the Lord God" is just as strong as the reason too believe in Thor, Allah, Ganesha the Elephant God, Harry Potter, and The Flying Spaghetti Monster?

[@abedonwona8576]

He never resurrected, if infact he existed.

[@Lightman741]

First

[@motiveismotivation730]

Second

[@chrisd6287]

No