Bart Ehrman debates Peter J Williams, are the Gospels Historically Reliable?

During the Summer of 2018, Bart D. Ehrman and Peter J. Williams joined as guests with moderator Justin Brierley on the "Unbelievable" show called "The Big Conversation," Season 2-Episode 3. The story of Jesus: Can we trust the historical reliability of the Gospels?

Arguably, no individual has influenced the course of history more than Jesus of Nazareth. Today, over 2000 years since he lived, his story still influences the lives of millions of people. Yet, in recent decades many have questioned whether the Gospel stories are a true reflection of the central figure of Christianity. So can we trust the accounts of his life, death and alleged resurrection? Leading New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman is well known for his critique of the historicity of the Gospels. He engages with leading Cambridge University Bible scholar Peter J. Williams who defends the reliability of the accounts.

Bart D. Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He came to UNC in 1988, after four years of teaching at Rutgers University. At UNC he has served as both the Director of Graduate Studies and the Chair of the Department of Religious Studies. A graduate of Wheaton College (Illinois), Professor Ehrman received both his Masters of Divinity and Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary, where his 1985 doctoral dissertation was awarded magna cum laude.

Peter J. Williams is the Warden (CEO) of Tyndale House and a member of the Faculty of Divinity in the University of Cambridge. He received his MA, MPhil and PhD, in the study of ancient languages related to the Bible from Cambridge University. Staffed in the Faculty of Divinity, Cambridge University (1997–1998). Affiliated Lecturer in Hebrew and Aramaic and as Research Fellow in Old Testament at Tyndale House, Cambridge (1998–2003). Faculty of the University of Aberdeen, Scotland and later Warden in the history of Tyndale House.

Copyright © Bart D. Ehrman, Peter J. Williams and Justin Brierley show "Unbelievable". All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use, re-posting and/or duplication of this media without express and written permission from Bart D. Ehrman, Peter J. Williams or Justin Brierley show "Unbelievable" is strictly prohibited.

[SIDI]

The internet is trully a game changer..that I can access this somewhere in a remote part of Kenya just makes me feel thankful!!

[randyg]

This style of debate having a back and forth conversation without a timer is much better.

[maxnullifidian]

"Christianity started out in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came to America and became an enterprise."  Sam Pascoe

[jjstrumr]

Bart: I don't believe god makes mistakes of any kind.
Justin Brierley: You don't believe in god.
Bart: Exactly.

[dalefehr]

I appreciate Bart's sincerity, and honesty. Always enjoy his debates

[okieokiedokie]

Mr. Ehrman's analysis of Mr. William's argument starting at 29:35 is absolutely correct. Having some provable details in a story does not necessarily constitute confirmation that every aspect of the story is accurate or reliable. For an argument of such enormous implications relying on fallacious reasoning is not helpful.

[italoborges]

Justin performed the best job as a moderator I have ever seen in a debate.

[brentverc]

I love this exchange. Always held Ehrman in high regard but he takes it another level here. Williams I can't help but feeling a bit sorry for. He is obviously an intelligent man but it's hard not to get a feeling that his belief just holds him back from allowing his mind to think freely

[thenowchurch]

It is a beautiful thing to hear a scholar with integrity.
Kudos Mr. Ehrman.

[kimbye]

About 14 minutes in and I can allready tell that Williams is desperately trying to make the evidence fit his narative. Or in other words: Not a serious scholar...

[garygrinvalds]

Bart corrected this poor guy on his own book. That's just about the most rhetorically violent thing someone can do.

[JohnComeOnMan]

Peter is obviously much more inclined to skew his interpretation of data to fit his predetermined conclusion.

[kristinwright]

Well darn. That is unfortunate. I had high hopes to hear a Christian scholar who could intelligently argue for the accuracy of the gospels. Peter just said he had to start with his world view that the gospels could not be wrong. So he is just another apologist. He stated clearly that he did not intend to come at the subject as a historian but as a theologian.

[john]

"I'm deliberately non-committal on the dating of the gospels."
Oh I bet! Because if you actually took a stand on the dating of the gospels you would have to defend it, and you know you can't defend a set of dating that doesn't undermine your theological position. This is a perfect example of dishonest scholarship.

[penarolyelmago]

In such a touchy subject to find 2 people that can at least SPEAK AND LISTEN to each other is very commendable. I wish we could all have a discussion at this level of respect for many subjects that affect us today.

[mugdays]

"I just wonder what it would take, if you're already committed to the idea that there can't be any mistakes [in the Bible], then how would you be open to the idea that there might be a mistake." GAME. SET. MATCH.

[toffeetop]

I have watched close on 100 online debates and this has been the best yet. The three conducted themselves with the utmost professionalism.

[michaelsommers]

I find it interesting that Williams was so reluctant to give a straight answer to the question of biblical inerrancy.

[vejeke]

Thank you D. Ehrman for the tremendous work you do in helping people have a more informed opinion about their beliefs.

Thank you Bart for making people think about what they believe.

[levi]

That was the biggest spanking I've seen since Sean Carol obliterated William Lane Craig. The guy even admits he's not doing history. Amazing. Well done Bart Erhman.