Hector Avalos: How Archaeology Killed Biblical History - Part 1 of 2

Atheist Talk cable program by Minnesota Atheists.

"Hector Avalos: How Archaeology Killed Biblical History" recorded 10/23/2007

Part 1 of 2

Hector Avalos is professor of religious studies at Iowa State University and the author or editor of six books on Biblical studies and religion, including his recently published work, The End of Biblical Studies. Join us for a fascinating presentation detailing how the more we discover about the ancient world, the less reliable we find the Bible.

From the dust jacket of The End of Biblical Studies: Hector Avalos calls for an end to biblical studies as we know them. He outlines two main arguments for this surprising conclusion.

First, academic biblical scholarship has clearly succeeded in showing that the ancient civilization that produced the Bible held beliefs about the origin, nature, and purpose of the world and humanity that are fundamentally opposed to the views of modern society. The Bible is thus largely irrelevant to the needs and concerns of contemporary human beings.

Second, Avalos criticizes his colleagues for applying a variety of flawed and specious techniques aimed at maintaining the illusion that the Bible is still relevant in today's world. In effect, he accuses his profession of being more concerned about its self-preservation than about giving an honest account of its own findings to the general public and faith communities.

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[restoredrob]

@4trahasis way to misstate the case. In the NT case it is 99.9% accurate to the originals according to texual critics. And the .1% is mostly spelling variations or other 'nonsense' variations that affect nothing. Basically there are three known additions, the end of Mark, the John 8 adultery pericope and the 1 John trinity addition. The fact is later copyists were afraid to leave anything out and would occasionally include margin notes. So we have lost nothing, we have too much.

[4trahasis]

@MRGV7373 "The NT writing are the best attested writing over 1,000 years old in all history."

That's why there are over 5,500 NT manuscripts with variations? Some with completely missing or added passages.

All are free to believe whatever they wish: that's fantastic! But it is another thing entirely to conflate belief with truth - particularly when evidence is lacking, or even to the contrary. There _may_ be NT evidence of Jesus as G-d, but the majority does not support this, the rest is belief.

[MRGV7373]

@VanDammesCokeDealer Yes, if an accient text is valid, it should be read and reviewed and then the individual can make up their mind on what they want to do with the readings. What I object is the lack of taking the NT writings as real and genuine. They are. If someone takes them as being valid and decides not to follow what they say, that is a person right. But to dismiss the NT writing as false is beyond me. The NT writing are the best attested writing over 1,000 years old in all history.

[VanDammesCokeDealer]

@MRGV7373 Then every other piece of ancient writing that includes historically accurate events is just as relevant as the Bible. Try honestly and critically reading the Bible as you would another religion's text and see how well it holds up without the apologetics. Also carefully examine the methods and techniques that cults and conspiracy theorists use to insulate themselves and their followers from evidence and truth, and then compare them to the christianity.

[ytbabbler]

@MRGV7373 The beautiful part of NOT living in USA is that we have no religious peoples trying to control the life for others. Superstition has no place in politics and education , and in USA it has gone to far, religions should be a private thing.

When religious cults get control of education, the whole country will go under, just like Iraq that once was the leading region in science before the religion came in conflict with knowledge. Keep it secular and nobody cares what you believe.

[MRGV7373]

@ytbabbler The beautiful part of living in the USA is that we can have our opinions and express them and even debate them I respect your opinion and I am glad that you have voiced them.

[ytbabbler]

@MRGV7373 Yes, I know you wrote IF, and that you are religious, and that means that you will never accept anything that contradict your faith, knowing the truth is not an option for you.

I think this is the biggest hoax in history, and sorry, there are many historians and scholars that say so. The sad thing is that when you examine any of the "overwhelming evidences" of Jesus as an historic living person you only find very dishonest claims where there is another Jesus or "Christ".

[MRGV7373]

@ytbabbler I said If IF IF, I believe that it is true with no IF. Faith that the history was written correctly. IF Jesus never existed then a large historical hoax has happened and no critical Historians believe that is what happened. To many writings and historical facts exist.

[ytbabbler]

@MRGV7373 "If the history of Jesus is not true and accurate as shown in the bible, then Christians belief are full of errors and Christians are just hopeless fools. "

Yes, that is a good conclusion, so now you can start to find out what the history of Jesus really is, what is proven for him and against him. I'm sure he never even existed, but you maybe can find something that at least make him to a fool that actually existed.

[MRGV7373]

@saitamme In most divinity schools these days in the public colleges, the staff are agnostic at best and some are even atheists. James White has commented on this a lot. I ran into this at U of Minnesota. Same with the philosophy departments. It is quite strange that atheist would teach in a divinity department is it not.