Surely now they’re your…Wegmen

Just a fun little pre-Passover reminder that not everyone in ancient Israel thought that Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. Enjoy!

Can’t say (it’s one of those secrets, iykyk), but shouldn’t be too long…

I have a piece coming out where I make the point (somewhat in passing) that ancient and modern scholars take the episode (or less) as the interpretive unit, looking for its moral/legal or historical output rather than thinking about it as part of a larger story. It’s a real thing.

Restaurant: La Bourse et La Vie.

I emailed them and they confirmed that I had signed up successfully despite all of the emails and snail mails we all keep getting.

I teach a course on how to engage with scholarship - how to read, how to do panels and book reviews - and one of the first things I tell the students is they can’t say that they liked or didn’t like something. They have to say what it’s trying to do, and what they can profitably take from it.

I teach a course on how to engage with scholarship - how to read, how to do panels and book reviews - and one of the first things I tell the students is they can’t say that they liked or didn’t like something. They have to say what it’s trying to do, and what they can profitably take from it.

But Nick Christopher’s Anthem… Jesus Christ I almost cried.

Announcement for a lecture called “When Abraham Negotiated Against God…Or Not”

Quick plug: I’ll be presenting at the "New Insights into the Hebrew Bible" conference March 20–22. Join me and 12 other scholars for a deep dive into Genesis. Register by Feb 28 to save up to 25%.

bartehrman.com/nihb

Hi, friends. An FYI for those interested: I've published an article in JSP about Esther as "American scripture." Includes analysis of the Heritage Foundation's "Project Esther" (2024) and its strategies for regulating free speech, higher education, immigration, and foreign policy.

And that’s like the easiest lyric they’ve got!

Solid first post in (checks timeline) ELEVEN MONTHS

My favorite band is New Pornographers and I have no idea what 80% of the lyrics even are.

@joelbaden.bsky.social Just wanted to tell you that I am ADORING your Great Courses series!!!! Bravo!!!!

The goal of the class was to create a productive space for conversation. So that was the main evaluative measure: did you come into that space prepared and willing to participate productively and generously in meaningful conversation?

The class was on the Hebrew Bible and race/racism, fwiw.

I did this last semester: only “assessments” were two 3-5 page written pieces (one of which was a personal reflection) and a final project that was really just a gesture to a project: show me what sort of stuff this class led you to - don’t even have to do the stuff.

No cheating, etc.

Good thing we’re not so picky!

Opinion | The Kingdom of God Is Ruled by the Humblest of Men

What - and I’m not sure how else to put this - the living fuck is this shit doing in the New York Times?

The Kingdom of God Is Ruled by the Humblest of Men www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/o...

And universalist religions, granted immense power, become, let’s say, oppressive to those religions that would like to just be left alone to do their thing in peace please.

Goddamn envious I love that place so much

Poking through some recipe reviews on the NYT just now and saw multiple people commenting on the irony of using *kosher salt* in a *pork dish* and the fundamental lack of the most basic understanding of what kosher salt is just kills me every so often.

Favorite Courses
1. What Wrote the Bible? (@joelbaden.bsky.social)
2. Understanding Western Art (Dr. Noah Charney)
3. How Science Shapes Science Fiction (Dr. Charles Adler)
4. Archaeological Mysteries of Europe/Mediterranean (Dr. Karen Bellinger)
5. Forgotten America (@phdrachel.bsky.social)
2/3

You’re not supposed to go further down the rabbit hole

I promise I carefully sealed the whole thing in a plastic bag placed in a styrofoam box encased in concrete and dropped to the bottom of the Long Island Sound. After I took the picture.

Ah well - if you really care to look that closely, it’s a little Easter egg for you

Yeah, but so do the ancient aliens people…

Just a completely batshit insane letter from someone who claims their ancient ancestor helped Moses cross the desert.

Like many scholars, especially in the religion space, I get a lot of crazy mail. The one that came today is particularly impressive:

Lost in Translation: Recovering the Origins of Familiar Biblical Words Two millennia of time, translation, and interpretation mean that what we read and understand in English today is often very different from what the Hebrew would have meant to the Bible's authors and e...

Oh but you know what *is* a decent stocking stuffer? This here interesting and super accessible book:

www.fortresspress.com/store/produc....