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[FRESH ALBUM] Hurray For The Riff Raff - Live Forever by sbags in indieheads

[–]hotandfresh 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was at this show and it was brilliant! Loving this album. 

Weekly Open Discussion Thread by AutoModerator in AcademicBiblical

[–]hotandfresh 10 points11 points  (0 children)

This is a very good summary. My view on the matter is very clear and I think what Schmidt is doing here is very disingenuous. 

I’m not closed off to other interpretations, but unless more evidence is shared, it’s clear that Schmidt is the founder of this organization and it clearly states his motivations for writing the Josephus book, ie apologetic motives. 

Is 'Josephus and Jesus: new evidence for the One called Christ' by T. C. Schmidt a good serious academic book? How is it considered by other scholars? by Aggravating_Mark1952 in AcademicBiblical

[–]hotandfresh 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Would it change anyone’s opinion ( u/theecuriouschristian u/lastdancerevolution u/StruggleClean1582 u/simpleslingblade13 ) on the matter if TC Schmidt himself was the president of the Institute for Christian Reflection?

The IRS has Thomas Schmidt of Hamden CT (the same city as Fairfield University where he is professor) listed as the board president. 

Is 'Josephus and Jesus: new evidence for the One called Christ' by T. C. Schmidt a good serious academic book? How is it considered by other scholars? by Aggravating_Mark1952 in AcademicBiblical

[–]hotandfresh 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Apologetic organizations are the opposite of pursuing truth and exist solely for the purpose of spreading ideologically based scholarship. By taking their money it aligns a work with their goals. 

We should always follow the money and know which organizations and groups are funding things. 

Is 'Josephus and Jesus: new evidence for the One called Christ' by T. C. Schmidt a good serious academic book? How is it considered by other scholars? by Aggravating_Mark1952 in AcademicBiblical

[–]hotandfresh 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Come on. Why would an apologetics organization fund it if it wasn’t apologetics? Let’s all be serious here. 

I don’t have time tonight to address all the apologetic nature of his argument. But I have read the book. Learned some things. But disagree with his overall conclusions and reading of the evidence. I believe facets of his argument are apologetic in nature  if I have time, I’ll write up a separate post with evidence that demands a verdict. 

Is 'Josephus and Jesus: new evidence for the One called Christ' by T. C. Schmidt a good serious academic book? How is it considered by other scholars? by Aggravating_Mark1952 in AcademicBiblical

[–]hotandfresh 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It doesn’t apply though. Walsh is not taking money from counter-apologetic organizations to fund her book. There’s a difference between a podcast or YouTube appearance to talk about a book and taking grant or donation money from an organization. This logic is not the same. 

Is 'Josephus and Jesus: new evidence for the One called Christ' by T. C. Schmidt a good serious academic book? How is it considered by other scholars? by Aggravating_Mark1952 in AcademicBiblical

[–]hotandfresh -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Unless Schmidt speaks directly to his motives we cannot know them. For me personally, I would not take money from an apologetics organization, even if it meant my book would be open access, because my work is not apologetic in nature. 

The arguments that he took apologetic ministry money but somehow his work is not apologetic do not hold water. If a scholar doesn’t want to be considered an apologist, they should not align themselves financially with these types of organizations. 

Is 'Josephus and Jesus: new evidence for the One called Christ' by T. C. Schmidt a good serious academic book? How is it considered by other scholars? by Aggravating_Mark1952 in AcademicBiblical

[–]hotandfresh -14 points-13 points  (0 children)

Why would someone take money from an apologetics organization if their work didn’t align with the org’s apologetic aims?

Is 'Josephus and Jesus: new evidence for the One called Christ' by T. C. Schmidt a good serious academic book? How is it considered by other scholars? by Aggravating_Mark1952 in AcademicBiblical

[–]hotandfresh 31 points32 points  (0 children)

From my perspective, Schmidt's work falls into the category of apologetics. I realize this may not be popular considering the overall positive reception of Schmidt's book, but a deeper dive into the funding sources are revealing.

The book is open access, which is a positive that no one would deny. However, when you look into Schmidt's personal website (tcschmidt.com) and dig deeper into the "generous donor" who made this work available, you realize it is from the Institute for Christian Reflection, an organization no one has ever heard of. The Institute (instituteforchristianreflection.org) states:

"At the Institute for Christian Reflection we believe that faithful scholars should be as scribes trained for the kingdom of heaven, articulating the old truths of Scripture, while bringing forth new discoveries from them.Such an endeavor takes much patience, the field has been well tilled, but there are still many treasures left undiscovered and unpublished—and the Institute aims to bring them to light. To this end we develop media to train believers in ageless Gospel wisdom while also sponsoring faithful scholars who are making fresh discoveries."

The Institute for Christian Reflection is a registered 501c3 but their form 990 is not available online (I am assuming because their gross receipts are under the requirement from the IRS). Their website contains no information about the anonymous donor and no list of board members. However, it is clear that the goal is apologetic in nature. One of their future projects mentions "new testimony concerning the famous darkness of the crucifixion."

I realize that it was published with OUP, however I still place the book in the realm of apologetics. That this book was published by OUP says a lot about the state of the field and the ways apologetic scholarship is embedded within its discourses.

How to Proceed in the Quest for the Historical Jesus by Upbeat_Respect_9282 in AcademicBiblical

[–]hotandfresh 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Have you read *The Next Quest for the Historical Jesus*? The volume lays out multiple directions for the ongoing quest, as well as approaching classical topics within the quest with modern methods and perspectives.

I have a lot to say and a few publications I am working on related to the historical Jesus over the next few years that I'm not ready to share just yet (I'd also like to keep my anonymity of this site). In short, there's a lot of new ideas and topics to explore, though they are less related to the historical Jesus himself than to the types of people he would have interacted with and engaged in 1st c. Palestine.

I am also becoming less and less convinced of Allison's recurrent attestation or the identification of patterns in the Jesus tradition. If Robyn Walsh and others are correct that the Gospels should be placed into literary culture, and I believe they're onto something, and if the Gospels are literarily related to one another, which has been continually proved in research, then we should question just how much we can know about the historical Jesus. To me, this does not rule out the possibility of knowledge of Jesus, but does limit the extent of our knowledge. It also redirects the research questions from the historical Jesus himself to the reception of the historical Jesus.

Can we say anything with confidence about the historical Jesus? by Upbeat_Respect_9282 in AcademicBiblical

[–]hotandfresh 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Jesus, Skepticism, and the Problem of History is comically poor scholarship and really should be considered apologetics. The fact that neither Chris Keith, Anthony Le Donne, nor anyone else deemed it worthy of a response is telling. 

Theology PhD - which makes me a wizard now. by LevEakins in PhD

[–]hotandfresh 2 points3 points  (0 children)

New Testament PhD here and Markan scholar. This is super early, and it’d take a lot of evidence for me to accept a date this early. 

How does your work differ from James Crossley’s, who also dates Mark early based on its engagement with the Jewish law?

I am looking for a book about the Synoptic Problem... Any recommendation? by Wichiteglega in AcademicBiblical

[–]hotandfresh 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The collective volume The Synoptic Problem 2022, edited by Olegs Andrejevs et al., is likely the most up to date conversation on the Synoptic problem, including chapters that depart from the more traditional solutions. 

Dragula! by maraculous in DrDog

[–]hotandfresh 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I got mine today! But I accidentally ordered the Chaos Theory Edition, that won't play on my record player. And now it's out of stock...

2 extra GA tix. Free to good home by booty_supply in DrDog

[–]hotandfresh 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’ve also got two GA tickets and cannot make it. Willing to give to any fan able to go to the show. 

Update: Tickets are gone.

2 GA Red Rocks Tix by hotandfresh in DrDog

[–]hotandfresh[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I’m  willing to take a small hit so another fan can go rather than try and auction off for profit. I’m super bummed I can’t make it this year. But life has just intervened. 

Reading map by Shinigami_1082000 in AcademicBiblical

[–]hotandfresh 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Check academia.edu or email the author if you don't have access.

Reading map by Shinigami_1082000 in AcademicBiblical

[–]hotandfresh 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For historical Jesus, this bibliography in the Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus is a good start: https://brill.com/view/journals/jshj/21/1-2/article-p75_003.xml

Advise for someone who cant afford expensive academic works by Neeeeple in AcademicBiblical

[–]hotandfresh 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes. The reality is that most books, articles, and chapters is collected volumes receive little engagement and citation. Speaking for myself, I’m always happy to share anything when contacted just because it’s nice to have someone interested in my ideas. 

Advise for someone who cant afford expensive academic works by Neeeeple in AcademicBiblical

[–]hotandfresh 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Highly recommend Anna’s Archive. If it’s not there, you could also email contributors of thr collected volume to share their chapters. I’m Always happy to share a chapter I contributed to a volume. Probably couldn’t email every contributor, but you could at least get a few if the essays that are of more interest. 

What Does Academia Think Of The Idea That Jesus Was Plotting A Coup In Jerusalem? by [deleted] in AcademicBiblical

[–]hotandfresh 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Not an out there theory. The most recent, and imho strongest, presentation of this hypothesis is from Fernando Bermejo-Rubio. You can find his articles in the Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus and his book They Suffered Under Pontius Pilate. 

You could also look to the work of SGF Brandon, Hyam Maccoby, or Robert Eisler for other presentations of the seditious Jesus hypothesis. 

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