Misquoting Jesus Podcast
The Bible Was Written in a Haunted World
Show notes
Links Mentioned in this Episode:
- https://www.bartehrman.com/committee - a new course from Yale's Dr. Joel Baden, The Bible by Committee: How the Pentateuch Was Really Written. Over ten lectures, Joel will work through famous stories like creation, the flood, the plagues, and the crossing of the sea, and show how scholars figured out what's really going on. The course runs October 30th through November 1st.
*Episode Outline:*
Did Jesus believe in ghosts, demons, and other supernatural beings?
Why the ancient world did not separate the “natural” and “supernatural” realms
What ancient Greeks and Romans believed ghosts actually were
Why ghosts returned: improper burial, violent death, and dying too young
Necromancy in the Bible and the Witch of Endor
What Saul and Samuel’s encounter reveals about ancient beliefs about the dead
Why the disciples thought Jesus walking on water was a ghost
Did Jesus return as a ghost after the resurrection?
Why the “Holy Ghost” is not the same thing as a ghost of a dead person
Angels, cherubim, seraphim, and the hierarchy of heavenly beings
Where demons came from and why Christians saw them as evil spirits
Why Jesus casts out demons in Matthew, Mark, and Luke but not John
How ancient beliefs about evil spiritual powers survive in Christianity today
Listener Q&A: Can you have Christian morality without believing in God?
Does Isaiah 9:6 predict Jesus, or was it originally about Hezekiah?
Why Pontius Pilate appears by name in the Gospel of Mark
If Bart were God, how would he reveal the truth to humanity?
*Episode Description:*
In the ancient world, there was no sharp divide between the natural and supernatural. In this episode, Dr. Bart Ehrman explains that gods, spirits, humans, and animals were understood to exist within one reality, differing mainly in power.
The discussion begins with ghosts. In Greco-Roman culture, spirits of the dead were believed to return for specific reasons, especially after violent deaths or improper burials. They might offer knowledge or torment the living. Dr. Ehrman also examines necromancy, a practice forbidden in the Hebrew Bible but vividly portrayed when the Witch of Endor summons the spirit of Samuel for King Saul.
Ghosts also appear in the New Testament. When the disciples see Jesus walking on water, they initially think he is a ghost. After the resurrection, Luke describes them fearing they are seeing a spirit, prompting Jesus to invite them to touch him and watch him eat. Dr. Ehrman argues that this emphasizes a bodily resurrection rather than a purely spiritual one.
The episode then turns to other spiritual beings. Angels, whose Greek name means “messengers,” serve God and carry out divine commands. They belong to a larger heavenly court that includes beings such as cherubim and seraphim.
Demons occupy the opposing side of the cosmic struggle. In Jewish apocalyptic thought, they were understood as forces of evil capable of possessing people and causing suffering. Jesus’s exorcisms in Matthew, Mark, and Luke therefore represent more than healings: they demonstrate his authority over evil and signal the arrival of God’s kingdom.
This episode explores the Bible’s spiritual world as a central part of ancient Jewish and Christian belief, not simply as folklore.
*3 Key Takeaways:*
1. *The Ancient World Had One Realm, Not Two:* Ancient people did not sharply separate the natural from the supernatural. Humans, ghosts, angels, demons, and gods all belonged to one reality, with miracles understood as displays of greater power.
2. *Ghosts Served Specific Functions and Were Taken Seriously:* Ghosts were believed to return for reasons such as seeking burial or sharing knowledge. Practices like necromancy show how real interaction with the dead was thought to be.
3. *The New Testament Portrays a Cosmic Battle:* The Gospels present Jesus as confronting demonic forces directly. His exorcisms demonstrate his authority and signal the arrival of God’s kingdom.
*Also watch these episodes:*
Did Jesus Really Go to Hell?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMlSovHYlSY
Am I Going to Hell? What the New Testament Says About Death and the Afterlife
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLfATpg1rBw
Do We Have a Soul?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8UmAQq6n7A
#GhostsInTheBible
#Demons
#Angels
#Necromancy
#WitchOfEndor
#Resurrection
#Afterlife
Find your path New to biblical scholarship? - https://www.bartehrman.com/committee - a new course from Yale's Dr. Joel Baden, The Bible by Committee: How the Pentateuch Was Really Written. Over ten lectures, Joel will work through famous stories like creation, the flood, the plagues, and the crossing of the sea, and show how scholars figured out what's really going on. The course runs October 30th through November 1st.
*Episode Outline:*
Did Jesus believe in ghosts, demons, and other supernatural beings?
Why the ancient world did not separate the “natural” and “supernatural” realms
What ancient Greeks and Romans believed ghosts actually were
Why ghosts returned: improper burial, violent death, and dying too young
Necromancy in the Bible and the Witch of Endor
What Saul and Samuel’s encounter reveals about ancient beliefs about the dead
Why the disciples thought Jesus walking on water was a ghost
Did Jesus return as a ghost after the resurrection?
Why the “Holy Ghost” is not the same thing as a ghost of a dead person
Angels, cherubim, seraphim, and the hierarchy of heavenly beings
Where demons came from and why Christians saw them as evil spirits
Why Jesus casts out demons in Matthew, Mark, and Luke but not John
How ancient beliefs about evil spiritual powers survive in Christianity today
Listener Q&A: Can you have Christian morality without believing in God?
Does Isaiah 9:6 predict Jesus, or was it originally about Hezekiah?
Why Pontius Pilate appears by name in the Gospel of Mark
If Bart were God, how would he reveal the truth to humanity?
*Episode Description:*
In the ancient world, there was no sharp divide between the natural and supernatural. In this episode, Dr. Bart Ehrman explains that gods, spirits, humans, and animals were understood to exist within one reality, differing mainly in power.
The discussion begins with ghosts. In Greco-Roman culture, spirits of the dead were believed to return for specific reasons, especially after violent deaths or improper burials. They might offer knowledge or torment the living. Dr. Ehrman also examines necromancy, a practice forbidden in the Hebrew Bible but vividly portrayed when the Witch of Endor summons the spirit of Samuel for King Saul.
Ghosts also appear in the New Testament. When the disciples see Jesus walking on water, they initially think he is a ghost. After the resurrection, Luke describes them fearing they are seeing a spirit, prompting Jesus to invite them to touch him and watch him eat. Dr. Ehrman argues that this emphasizes a bodily resurrection rather than a purely spiritual one.
The episode then turns to other spiritual beings. Angels, whose Greek name means “messengers,” serve God and carry out divine commands. They belong to a larger heavenly court that includes beings such as cherubim and seraphim.
Demons occupy the opposing side of the cosmic struggle. In Jewish apocalyptic thought, they were understood as forces of evil capable of possessing people and causing suffering. Jesus’s exorcisms in Matthew, Mark, and Luke therefore represent more than healings: they demonstrate his authority over evil and signal the arrival of God’s kingdom.
This episode explores the Bible’s spiritual world as a central part of ancient Jewish and Christian belief, not simply as folklore.
*3 Key Takeaways:*
1. *The Ancient World Had One Realm, Not Two:* Ancient people did not sharply separate the natural from the supernatural. Humans, ghosts, angels, demons, and gods all belonged to one reality, with miracles understood as displays of greater power.
2. *Ghosts Served Specific Functions and Were Taken Seriously:* Ghosts were believed to return for reasons such as seeking burial or sharing knowledge. Practices like necromancy show how real interaction with the dead was thought to be.
3. *The New Testament Portrays a Cosmic Battle:* The Gospels present Jesus as confronting demonic forces directly. His exorcisms demonstrate his authority and signal the arrival of God’s kingdom.
*Also watch these episodes:*
Did Jesus Really Go to Hell?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMlSovHYlSY
Am I Going to Hell? What the New Testament Says About Death and the Afterlife
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLfATpg1rBw
Do We Have a Soul?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8UmAQq6n7A
#GhostsInTheBible
#Demons
#Angels
#Necromancy
#WitchOfEndor
#Resurrection
#Afterlife
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