Early Christianity Was NOTHING Like You Were Taught!

Was Jesus physically resurrected? Dr. James Tabor, renowned Bible scholar, challenges traditional views in this eye-opening interview. Discover how early Christian beliefs about Jesus' resurrection evolved over time, from spiritual visions to physical reanimation.

Dr. Tabor explores the earliest Christian accounts, analyzing Paul's writings and the Gospels to trace the development of resurrection beliefs. He discusses the possibility of Jesus' tomb being found, the significance of spiritual vs. physical resurrection, and how apologetics shaped the narrative. This fascinating conversation delves into historical evidence, cultural context, and the complexities of early Christian theology, offering fresh insights into one of Christianity's central tenets.

--
Check out the upcoming NINT conference:
(Use code: "20OFF" at checkout to save $20)

Dr. Tabor's Links:

If you enjoyed this video, please consider supporting my work:

Or join my channel here on YouTube to get access to special members-only perks:

--

SUBSCRIBE

Thank you so much for your ongoing support. Science is greater than Dogma. Dare to be curious, but don't Drink the Koolaid!

[HolyKoolaid]

Check out the upcoming NINT conference. Use code: "20OFF" at checkout to save $20.

[samuelschick]

I asked Christians to prove the Resurrection actually happened. What did I get as "proof" in a thread 500 comments long? a variation of " The Disciples said so and they would not lie." and " The Disciples would not have died for something they knew was not true."

[davidglenn]

My entire family (23 people) rejected me because I said my son could
not heal the sick, and cast out demons. It is lonely not being a believer.
I just could not go down that stupid road. I have a family of idiots.
It's awful having few to talk to. I wish my healer son actually did heal something.
He could prove it so quickly if he did. Nope never.

[maswinkels]

How any sane person could conclude from the minimal facts that a dead person has miraculously come back to life, is beyond me.

[Dan_C]

As an Atheist, I don’t really care what the bible says. I was expecting more critical historical facts than theology. However, Dr. Tabor’s knowledge and presentations are fascinating. I appreciate his expertise.

[petercfraedrich]

The more I learn about religion, regardless of sect, the more it just looks like fanfic that some people took way too seriously

[janusatthegate]

How many scientists or atheists said, "Because a great number of people believe something does not make it true."

[joshuadunford]

I’m a Christian and I appreciate the critical work you give. It’s refreshing to get an understanding of the Bible form people not pushing a fundamentalist viewpoint

[Sensei-tsuki]

Just because Paul said something doesn't mean he was either telling the truth or being genuine, in Acts Paul gives three different versions of his conversion hardly a credible source of anything.

[fepeerreview]

Something we need to keep in mind with regard to the earliest Christians is that there was no Bible as we know it now, no canon. That came 200 years later. There were loads more texts floating around among the various groups and the 4 gospels we know today were just 4 among the many texts and oral histories.

[josephschambach]

I am impressed with Dr. Tabor’s steady, consistent, logical flow of thought. Some of this feels so obvious, and yet it is constantly overlooked or under-appreciated in the Christian community. Constructing an outline starting with earliest source and only operating in the scope of what is said in that source was very interesting, especially coming from a background where all of the sources “agree” and are “eyewitness written”. Really changes the understanding. I think all of this makes so much more sense when you approach it from a scholarly, archeological perspective instead of assuming the words are all “literal” in their meaning.

Thanks for your work as always Thomas!

[joelthomas]

I owe so much of my intellectual honesty and pursuit for objective truth to Dr. Tabor. Growing up in an evangelical, Southern Baptist environment in rural North Carolina, I took Dr. Tabor's New Testament course my first semester in college in Fall 1999 at UNC-Charlotte for a religion credit. I distinctly remember Dr. Tabor saying this course would be taught from a rigorous academic perspective, not a devotional one. LOL, at the time, I didn't even know that such a difference could exist... I was an engineering major, so I didn't take anymore religion classes, but I did continue studying the history of Judaism & Christianity, and eventually other religions. Opening my mind to challenge the beliefs I was taught growing up, I also learned how to critically think about all subjects, which has helped me immensely personally & professionally. I have also followed Dr. Tabor's website and on YouTube for years. I am happy he has such an audience to share his wealth of knowledge. I was sorry to hear about the tragic loss of Dr. Tabor's son several years back. I enjoy seeing the tributes to him to keep his memory alive.

[Kalense]

Paul wasn't a witness. He saw a vision. He didn't ever claim to see Jesus in flesh and blood.

[alchemest]

The bible has been erroneously copied, misinterpreted, changed, and added to many times. The original story was that the women went to the tomb and found some guy there who told them Jesus went to the afterlife. That's it, no further story, much later the story was changed and added to. How can you believe in a religion that we know was cobbled together from older religions and reinterpreted and changed over the years.

[snehashispanda]

I am an atheist.😊
I don't believe in the existence of God. There is insufficient evidence or rational justification to support the belief in any gods or supernatural entities. I rely on reason, logic, and empirical evidence to form my worldview and do not find compelling evidence or arguments to support the existence of god.The universe is governed by natural laws and forces, rather than moral, spiritual, or supernatural ones. As an atheist, I reject the idea of God. I emphasize the social and empirical nature of inquiry and prioritize scientific solutions to intellectual problems. There is an intrinsic intellectual conflict between faith and science, and that it inevitably leads to hostility.

[karenmiller]

How could anyone believe Saul/Paul? Every single story of his conversion experience is contridicting!

[AdventureswithJack]

What you have to realize is that Paul was a priest that was thrown out due to him being a drunk. He went out to persecute Christians as a way of getting his position back. He soon realizes that this new religion is ripe for the taking. Paul becomes the first false prophet. He is no better than the likes of Kenneth Copeland, Crflo Dollar, and all of the rest. Paul's Christianity was so off base that the disciples would not have anything to do with him. I would love to hear James explain this and why we should believe anything that Paul wrote.

[jontpt]

The older I get, the less I give a rat's ass about these stupid fairy tales...

[marcmeinzer]

To all accounts NOT found in the gospels, the early Christians weren’t even that but rather gnostic mystery cult initiates who believed that everyone was the son of God. The best explanation of this viewpoint is probably THE JESUS MYSTERIES by Freke & Gandy who describe the process of retooling pagan mythology into something more appealing to Jews. An alternative viewpoint which admits of an historical Christ as opposed to a mythological Christ was laid out in a BBC documentary which claimed that Jesus spent suspiciously little time on the cross, was drugged to simulate death, and then taken down to be revived soon thereafter, and that moreover his grave has been discovered in Central Asia, since he was in reality a misunderstood Buddhist monk. So there you have it. Take your pick. In other words, nothing can really be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt.

[RYANPENNELL]

*I'm glad you made this video, * it reminds me of my transformation from a nobody to good home, $89k biweekly and a good daughter full of love..