How Archaeology killed Biblical History...

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

Hector Avalos (Ph.D. 1991, Harvard University, 1991, M.T.S. 1985, Harvard Divinity School, B.A. in Anthropology, 1982 University of Arizona) 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.

"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."

Watch the entire 2 Part video on googlevideo:
http://tinyurl.com/5g5ge4

Video produced by Minnesota Atheists http://www.mnatheists.org/

Category:

Education

Tags:

• bible
• biblical
• history
• christianity
• jesus
• christ
• mythology
• scholar
• archaeology
• hector
• avalos

[rianpop]

Jesus of Nazareth is the most historiclly documented person in all of ancient human history. FACT!

[spaceagebachelor]

@rianpop

"...there are very few sources for knowledge of the historical Jesus beyond the four canonical Gospels. Paul and Josephus offer little more than tidbits. Claims that later apocryphal Gospels and the Nag Hammadi material supply independent and reliable historical information about Jesus are largely fantasy. In the end, the historian is left with the difficult task of sifting through the Four Gospels for historical tradition."

- John P. Meier - theist scholar

[spaceagebachelor]

@rianpop

"Apart from the New Testament writings and later writings dependent upon these, our sources of information about the life and teaching of Jesus are scanty and problematic"

- F.F. Bruce, "New Testament History" founder of the modern evangelical movement

[spaceagebachelor]

@rianpop

"The only definite account of his life and teachings is contained in the four Gospels of the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. All other historical records of the time are silent about him. The brief mentions of Jesus in the writings of Josephus, Tacitus and Suetonius have been generally regarded as not genuine and as Christian interpolations; Some scholars have even gone so far as to hold that the entire Jesus story is a myth…"

- The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia

[JordanRossMackenzie]

@spaceagebachelor Not the best video. I mean interesting topic, but I was hoping he would actually go into the points he makes. A pastor could just as easily say in a church, "There is no indisputable proof that validates the theory of evolution". Without discussion and supporting evidence the points people make are practically useless. I don't doubt that Avalos does that, but just was hoping for more of the video.

Do you know where I can find better videos of him, not much on youtube?

[spaceagebachelor]

@JordanRossMackenzie

Full video is on Google Video - link in description...

[spaceagebachelor]

@rianpop

"...As a matter of fact, the amount of information concerning him is comparatively meager. Aside from the four Gospels, and a few scattered allusions in the epistles, contemporary history is almost silent concerning him."

- Merrill C. Tenney - theist scholar

[earlysda]

@bander87 Your point about the copying being accurate is well taken.

It is true tho, that the oldest large body of manuscripts is in the Dead Sea Scrolls, and my point was that the history contained in those scrolls has been found time after time to be correct, with not even one "proven without a doubt" error.

[bander87]

@earlysda Do the dead scrolls really prove that the bible is correct, or rather does it help confirm that certain books of the bible were copied correctly? It's still possible to have something copied correctly but the information in those copies to be false.

Also, it's good that people change their minds when new evidence is presented. Could you imagine where we would be right now if we still believed things and never changed our mind about them?

[SocialDissimulation]

@MistyMarie1970 To not have -any- writings from the time in his life is rather stunning. No accounts from the Jewish or Roman authority during his execution. No bust carved in his image. No paintings in his image. No witnesses. No accounts. No coins. There really is nothing until about two decades later with some poorly written epistles and very, very shady sources otherwise.

[MistyMarie1970]

How is it that there is no evidence of jesus, he was a person who lived by the laws of not making idols and the deciples would have also known this law, Archaeologists seem to only want to look for statues, and that type of thing to confirm someone lived. there are claim that the tomb of Jesus in Kashmir India, and he also spent time there. Archaeologist look for what is beneath the ground, not following his steps as a detective would looking for a lost person

[fdasherv]

@earlysda The ark of the covenant? What museum is that in?

[earlysda]

This talk only shows that most "biblical scholars" are compromised with the world. Of course the Bible is correct in history, the Dead Sea Scrolls attest pretty well to that, and the Ark of the Covenant even better. Which will you believe, some guys who change their minds as the wind blows to keep their salaries coming, or the unchanging Word of God?

[acr08807]

@Surfxeo And now you're citing "fictional novels." Cheers.

[Surfxeo]

@acr08807 The New Testament, for one!!! This reply should be good :P

[acr08807]

@Surfxeo Which first and second century history books have you read that discuss Jesus? This should be good.

[kram83au]

@Surfxeo he did not exist. [jesus], and the NT is plagerised in some parts. if you cant see that then you cant see shit..  stop perpetuating such childish nonsense. let go of the security blanket of religion and grow some balls man.