As I sit in the Pencil Pit, my barn-turned-writing room, the morning light filters through, casting a warm glow over my thoughts. My mind is a blend of past and present, memories and recent experiences weaving together in a curious tapestry.
Yesterday, I embarked on “Project 55” during my Morning Pages routine. It’s a journey back to 1968 when Mrs. Stamps, my 9th-grade English teacher, set us a unique assignment: to describe our Thanksgiving Day 55 years in the future. That future is now, Thanksgiving 2023. As I scribbled down my thoughts, pencil in hand, I couldn’t help but marvel at how time has flown and how the vivid imagination of a 14-year-old now contrasts with the reality of a 69-year-old man’s life.
Later in the day, a different kind of marvel unfolded – the Alabama-Auburn game. The climax of the match was nothing short of what some would call a miracle. Alabama, trailing 20-24, faced a seemingly impossible fourth and goal at the 31-yard line. Yet, in an extraordinary turn of events, quarterback Jalen Milroe connected with Isaiah Bond for a touchdown. It was a moment that defied the odds, a testament to the unpredictability and thrill of sports.
Reflecting on these two disparate moments, I find a peculiar connection. Project 55, spanning over half a century, was an exercise in forecasting the future, in predicting the unpredictable. Similarly, the game’s final play was about defying the odds, about something highly improbable becoming reality. Both instances, in their essence, are about the unforeseen twists of life.
Yet, the touchdown, as miraculous as it seemed, was also a reminder of the natural order of things. In the countless games of football played, moments like these are bound to occur. They are statistical probabilities in the grand scheme of things. This realization grounds the ‘miracle’ in reality, in the realm of possibility where the natural world operates. It’s a reminder that even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, there’s always a chance, however slim, for a different outcome.
Project 55 and the touchdown – both are about the passage of time, the dance of chance and probability, and the human penchant for looking ahead, for imagining and striving. As I write in the Pencil Pit, surrounded by the echoes of my past and the presence of my present, I am reminded of the beauty and uncertainty of life. It’s a journey of expectations and surprises, of predictions and outcomes that sometimes align and often don’t.
In these early hours, I ponder over the intersecting lines of time and chance, of memories and present moments, all converging in the quiet of my writing haven. Life, much like football, is unpredictable, and yet, within its unpredictability lies its most profound beauty and excitement.
The Boaz Scorekeeper, written in 2017, is my second novel. I'll post it, a chapter a day, over the next few weeks.
I drove to the law office and sat at my desk for over an hour reviewing letters and motions received since I left. I had kept up with emails on my phone. I determined that nothing breathtaking had occurred. I made a pot of coffee and sat in the conference room. I took a blank yellow pad and pencil that always sat in the middle of the table and decided to brainstorm what I had learned from over thirty-six years of representing criminal defendants.
I figured the first thing to do was to make two lists. One would be a list of cases where the defendant was formally charged, tried, convicted, and spent time in prison. I labeled this column ‘Thoughtless.’ The other list would be cases where the defendant won his case. These cases would include an assortment of defendants: those who were questioned and released, those who were questioned, charged and released, those who were questioned, charged, tried and found not guilty, and finally, those who were questioned, charged, tried and were ultimately released (and not retried) because of a mistrial. I labeled this column ‘Thoughtful.’
Of course, there was a third list that I wanted and really needed to create but it was impossible. This third list would be my attempt to name criminals who never got caught. I imagined this list could be rather long. These were the guys and gals who were the smartest. But, again, this list would remain a secret.
The main thing I was after from the first list was things not to do, things NEVER to do. These were things that got the defendant in the cross hairs to begin with. I spent nearly two hours creating these two lists. To be thorough, I would have to review my work journals. From the first day, I had started practice at Downs, Gambol & Stevens in Atlanta, I had kept a personal journal listing every case I worked on, and including factual details, and instructive legal nuances and strategies. But I would not pursue this level of detail tonight. That could wait for another day. Tonight, I simply wanted to come up with two or three key principles my ‘successful’ clients had followed in avoiding prison or, in capital cases, the death penalty.
There were only five cases I could think of to include under ‘Thoughtful,’ and twelve for the ‘Thoughtless’ column. On a separate sheet of paper, I jotted down the main facts of each case. After pondering them for quite a while I wrote down related principles.
I came up with several ‘Thoughtful’ principles. It seemed the most common element in these five cases were the absence of a body. I found it nearly funny that all five cases I had listed were murder cases. I asked myself had I already decided to murder John Ericson. I let this thought pass through my mind and not take hold. In three of my five listed cases, the victim’s body was never found. I decided to engage in hypothetical thinking. Principle number one—the dead body disappears. In looking back over my statement of facts for my five ‘Thoughtful’ cases, I saw that in four of the cases there was not even a murder scene to be investigated. From a criminal’s standpoint, that certainly helped. In looking over my ‘Thoughtless’ cases, I easily concluded that murder scenes often led investigators to my client. With modern forensic tests and tools scientists could almost paint a picture of who committed the crime. From one hair, one footprint, one fingerprint, or a thousand other elements, forensic investigators fed law enforcement teams a rich and steady diet of reliable evidence to pursue one and only one suspect.
One other thing that jumped out at me. Eyewitnesses. Obviously, my ‘Thoughtless’ list included case after case where my client was convicted from the testimony of an eyewitness or a witness who possessed testimony that related to my client. Things such as a witness placing my client in a key location, or anchoring a time line that worked its magic against my client. But, from my ‘Thoughtful’ list I noted that eyewitnesses also had enabled several of these clients to avoid conviction and punishment. These cases included testimonies that gave my client an alibi. It never hurt to be able to verify where my client was, considering the prosecution’s uncertainty over the time of death, or the time the victim went missing. District Attorney’s always developed theories, and over the years I had learned the importance of countering their arguments with hard evidence, with some of the best being a witness that places my client in a time and position where it was impossible for him to have committed the subject crime.
By now it was nearly midnight and I was exhausted. I felt I was headed in the right direction. At a minimum, I had avoided the worst possible scenario, one where I acted spontaneously in meting out justice to John Ericson. I now knew I had to have a very detailed plan and this plan had to include the use of proven principles. I was proud that I had uncovered four of these key principles: there is no body discovered, there is no crime scene to investigate, there are no eyewitnesses to the murder, and there are eyewitnesses to testify to the whereabouts of the defendant.
I locked up the office and drove to Hickory Hollow to determine what type sleep a criminal in the making would experience the first night of his new life.
Biking is something I both love and hate. The conflicting emotions arise from the undeniable physical effort it demands. However, this exertion is precisely what makes it an excellent form of exercise. Most days, I dedicate over an hour to my cycling routine, and in doing so, I’ve discovered a unique opportunity to enjoy a good book or podcast. The rhythmic pedaling and the wind against my face create a calming backdrop that allows me to fully immerse myself in the content. In these moments, the time spent on the bike seems worthwhile, as I can’t help but appreciate the mental and physical rewards it offers.
I especially like having ridden. The post-biking feeling is one of pure satisfaction. The endorphin rush, coupled with a sense of accomplishment, makes the initial struggle and fatigue worthwhile. As I dismount and catch my breath, I relish the sensation of having conquered the challenge, both physically and mentally. It’s a reminder that the things we sometimes love to hate can often be the ones that bring us the most fulfillment. In the end, the love-hate relationship with biking only deepens my appreciation for the sport, as it continually pushes me to overcome my own limitations and embrace the rewards that follow the effort.
Why you should ride
To reduce stress levels:
Regular cycling can act as a powerful stress reliever for several reasons:
Physical Exercise: Engaging in physical activity like cycling triggers the release of endorphins, often referred to as the body’s natural painkillers and mood elevators. These biochemical changes in the brain can provide a natural ‘high’, commonly known as the “runner’s high,” which is also attainable through cycling.
Rhythm and Repetition: The rhythmic nature of cycling – the consistent pedaling motion – has a calming effect, much like a meditation practice. This rhythmic repetition can help shift focus away from stressors and channel attention into the physical sensation of movement, which can be therapeutic.
Outdoor Environment: Cycling outdoors exposes individuals to sunlight, which helps regulate the body’s natural circadian rhythms, improves sleep, and can increase the body’s production of vitamin D. Exposure to daylight, especially in the morning, can reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Engagement with Surroundings: When cycling, especially in scenic environments, the sensory experience – seeing the landscape, smelling the air, feeling the breeze – can promote mindfulness and presence in the moment, reducing rumination and worry that often accompany stress.
Escape from Stressors: A bike ride provides an opportunity to take a break from stressful environments or situations. It offers a temporary escape that allows for mental recovery and perspective-gaining, which is essential in managing chronic stress.
Cardiovascular Health: Stress can have direct effects on cardiovascular health, and cycling, being an excellent cardiovascular exercise, helps lower blood pressure and heart rate in the long term, which are often elevated due to stress.
Social Interaction: For those who cycle in groups, the social interaction that accompanies it can further reduce stress. Social support is a well-known buffer against stress, and group rides or community cycling events can foster a sense of belonging and collective enjoyment.
Achievement and Confidence: Completing a challenging ride or achieving a personal milestone in cycling can enhance one’s confidence and self-esteem. Setting and reaching goals through cycling can give a sense of accomplishment that can combat feelings of stress and anxiety.
Improved Sleep: Regular cycling, by virtue of physical exertion and stress reduction, can contribute to better sleep patterns. Quality sleep is one of the most effective stress management tools, as it allows the body and mind to recover and regenerate.
Distraction: Cycling demands a level of concentration – navigating the terrain, maintaining balance, and sometimes, strategizing in traffic. This required focus can serve as a distraction, allowing a person to take a mental break from stress-inducing thoughts or tasks.
By incorporating cycling into one’s routine, it becomes a sustainable stress management practice. The benefits are not just immediate in terms of the post-exercise feeling of relaxation, but also cumulative, as regular cycling can contribute to a more balanced and less stress-reactive nervous system over time.
Here’s a couple of links to groups I like. Hopefully, they’ll encourage you to start riding a bike, no matter your age.
A Rockhopper by Specialized. I purchased it November 2021 from Venture Out in Guntersville; Mike is top notch! So is the bike. The ‘old’ man seat was salvaged from an old Walmart bike (update: seat replaced, new photo to follow, someday).
What I’m listening to
Novel:
Amazon abstract:
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series continues: Lisbeth Salander must face the most important battle of her life, and will finally put her past to rest in this thriller that will “leave Salander’s legion of followers clamoring for more” (The Wall Street Journal). • Also known as the Millennium series
Mikael Blomkvist is trying to reach Lisbeth Salander—the fierce, unstoppable girl with the dragon tattoo. He needs her help unraveling the identity of a man who died with Blomkvist’s phone number in his pocket—a man who does not exist in any official records and whose garbled last words hinted at knowledge that would be dangerous to important people. But Lisbeth has disappeared. She’s sold her apartment in Stockholm. She’s gone dark. She’s told no one where she is. And no one is aware that at long last she’s got her primal enemy, her twin sister, Camilla, squarely in her sights.
Look for the latest book in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons, coming soon!
In the stillness of the Pencil Pit, my sanctuary nestled within the barn, I find myself reflecting on the curious blend of dreams and realities that have filled my recent nights and days. The quiet here is a stark contrast to the vibrant, sometimes puzzling narratives that my mind weaves in sleep, and the tangible, earthy tasks of the waking hours.
Last night, the world of dreams took an unexpected turn. I found myself wandering the aisles of Walmart, a mundane setting transformed by the appearance of an old friend who passed away from Covid. There he was, as real as the memories we shared, yet distant, a part of a world I could no longer reach. I awoke before I could ask him about his experience, left only with the echo of his presence and a lingering sense of unfinished conversation. It’s curious how dreams can resurrect the past, blurring the lines between what was and what could have been.
This encounter with a ghost of sorts was in stark contrast to yesterday’s activities. Jon and I tackled the old pine tree that had been lying in the backyard for months. It was the same one that fell mid-summer across our gravel road, which we had to pull with the tractor for half a mile. Cutting it up, piece by piece, felt like dismantling a monument to nature’s unexpected turns. Each slice of the chainsaw through the wood was a reminder of the resilience and impermanence of life.
The day’s work didn’t end there. With our trusty 1975 John Deere tractor, Jon and I reclaimed a 16-foot hog panel, once entangled in vines, from the woods. This panel–with a 4×4 attached lengthwise–which we used to drag behind the disc harrow for garden prep in spring, was a relic of past labors and seasons. Wrestling it from the grasp of nature, which had claimed it as its own, was a testament to the ongoing dance between human endeavor and the wildness of the land.
In these morning hours, as I write, the threads of dreams and the day’s work intertwine. They speak of loss and recovery, of the past re-emerging in unexpected ways, and of the relentless cycle of nature and time. The fallen tree, the reclaimed hog panel, and the dream of my departed friend – each tells a story of change, resilience, and the enduring connections that shape our lives.
Here, in the Pencil Pit, surrounded by the tools of my craft and the quiet of the early day, I find a space to ponder these experiences. It’s a place where dreams can be unraveled, and the day’s work can be understood as part of a larger, ever-unfolding story. As the light filters through the barn windows, casting shadows that dance across the floor, I’m reminded that our lives are a tapestry of the tangible and the ethereal, the physical and the remembered, each strand woven by the hands of time.
The Boaz Scorekeeper, written in 2017, is my second novel. I'll post it, a chapter a day, over the next few weeks.
We returned from our Kentucky fantasy land field trip late Wednesday after spending most of the day in Nashville touring the Cheekwood Estate and Gardens with its Georgian mansion, 55 acres of cultivated gardens, and art museum. I figured this event was an add-on since it had been on last year’s schedule but had to be canceled due to an outbreak of the flu across Nashville.
I dropped Karla and Kaden off at Hickory Hollow and drove to the office. On the way, I decided to detour past John Ericson’s home. When I turned on Capstone Drive I remembered that John and his wife no longer lived in the white colonial nestled in the far back corner of Dogwood Lane. Several years ago, they had purchased a 100-acre tract that bordered the south side of Boaz Country Club and accessed it via the extra lot that was south of their home on Dogwood Lane. I had heard they built a sprawling plantation style home with Olympic size swimming pool and tennis courts. The only way to see their current home was to travel down the long, paved driveway that started on Dogwood Lane. I finally realized that if I was going to mete out justice to John Ericson I could not afford to act spontaneously. Every move I made had to be carefully considered. I had to have a plan.
Biking is something I both love and hate. The conflicting emotions arise from the undeniable physical effort it demands. However, this exertion is precisely what makes it an excellent form of exercise. Most days, I dedicate over an hour to my cycling routine, and in doing so, I’ve discovered a unique opportunity to enjoy a good book or podcast. The rhythmic pedaling and the wind against my face create a calming backdrop that allows me to fully immerse myself in the content. In these moments, the time spent on the bike seems worthwhile, as I can’t help but appreciate the mental and physical rewards it offers.
I especially like having ridden. The post-biking feeling is one of pure satisfaction. The endorphin rush, coupled with a sense of accomplishment, makes the initial struggle and fatigue worthwhile. As I dismount and catch my breath, I relish the sensation of having conquered the challenge, both physically and mentally. It’s a reminder that the things we sometimes love to hate can often be the ones that bring us the most fulfillment. In the end, the love-hate relationship with biking only deepens my appreciation for the sport, as it continually pushes me to overcome my own limitations and embrace the rewards that follow the effort.
My bike
A Rockhopper by Specialized. I purchased it November 2021 from Venture Out in Guntersville; Mike is top notch! So is the bike. The ‘old’ man seat was salvaged from an old Walmart bike (update: seat replaced, new photo to follow, someday).
Something to consider if you’re not already cycling.
I encourage you to start riding a bike, no matter your age. Check out these groups:
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series continues: Lisbeth Salander must face the most important battle of her life, and will finally put her past to rest in this thriller that will “leave Salander’s legion of followers clamoring for more” (The Wall Street Journal). • Also known as the Millennium series
Mikael Blomkvist is trying to reach Lisbeth Salander—the fierce, unstoppable girl with the dragon tattoo. He needs her help unraveling the identity of a man who died with Blomkvist’s phone number in his pocket—a man who does not exist in any official records and whose garbled last words hinted at knowledge that would be dangerous to important people. But Lisbeth has disappeared. She’s sold her apartment in Stockholm. She’s gone dark. She’s told no one where she is. And no one is aware that at long last she’s got her primal enemy, her twin sister, Camilla, squarely in her sights.
Look for the latest book in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons, coming soon!
"Cognitive Clarity" blog posts are about cultivating a culture of thoughtful and informed discourse. They encourage readers to think deeply, question boldly, and approach the world with an open yet discerning mind.
It can be asserted with little fear of contradiction that every literate
adult the world over has a mental image of Jesus of Nazareth. After all, Christianity is the largest religion — an estimated 2.4 billion adherents — and has existed for 2000 years. For centuries, laymen and scholars alike assumed the gospel stories were history and that Jesus and his apostles were verifiably historical characters like Caesar Augustus (Luke 2:1), Herod the Great (Matthew 2:1), or Tiberius Caesar and Pontius Pilate (Luke 3:1-2). However, in the early twentieth century, when German scholars began to question the reliability of the New Testament texts, that assumption came under challenge, particularly after 1909 when the philosopher Christian Heinrich Arthur Drews published Die Christusmythe, The Christ Myth, that claimed there was no reliable independent evidence for the Jesus of the gospels — Jesus, Drews asserted, was a product of the imagination. Could Drews have been right all along?
Whatever one may think of Drew’s claims, one is certainly true: there is no independent evidence for Jesus outside the text of the New Testament. As always, scholars are divided about specifics, including about when Jesus died — assuming Jesus was a real person to begin with. The majority opinion, based on the gospels, favors a date between April, CE 30, and April, CE 33, but as Helen Bond has argued convincingly, the gospel accounts were meant to establish early Christian theology, not to record Jesus’ history.[1] There is little evidence to suggest the gospel accounts contain any eyewitness testimony: the gospel writers never name themselves within their texts, speak in the first person, suggest that they were either observers or participants in the events they relate, or cite their sources. Matthew and Luke clearly depended on the gospel of Mark — Matthew quotes or paraphrases 600 of the 661 verses in Mark and follows Mark’s timeline. Luke followed suit, using about 65% of Mark as his source.
At this point the Christian apologist will typically cite the historian Josephus, particularly the crown jewel of Historical Jesus texts, the endlessly debated Testimonium Flavianum of Antiquities, Book 18, Chapter 3, 3:
“About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who performed surprising deeds and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many of the Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Christ. And when, upon the accusation of the principal men among us, Pilate had condemned him to the cross, those who had first come to love him did not cease. He appeared to them spending a third day restored to life, for the prophets of God had foretold these things and a thousand other marvels about him. And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared.”
Two recently published analyses of the Testimonium come to radically different conclusions. Based on a comparison of the Testimonium and the writings of the church official Eusebius, Ken Olson concluded,
“Both the language and the content [of the Testimonium] have close parallels in the work of Eusebius of Caesarea, who is the first author to show any knowledge of the text…The most likely hypothesis is that Eusebius either composed the entire text or rewrote it so thoroughly that it is now impossible to recover a Josephan original.”
Olson concludes that the Testimonium “has its most plausible Sitz-im-Leben in the pagan-Christian controversies of the fourth century.”[2]
On the other hand, Gary Goldberg performed a meticulous comparison of the Testimonium and Luke 24:18-24, documenting “thirty-one ordered content parallels” between the two texts. Goldberg concluded, “…by the simplest estimate (a normal distribution), the probability that the Emmaus-TF correspondences are due to chance is about one in ten thousand…The study shows Josephus closely following a Christian source…”[3]
In short, two close examinations of the text of the Testimonium have concluded that (1) it is a Eusebian forgery invented to bolster the early Christian claim of Jesus’ divine status, or (2) it is a word-for-word paraphrase of the Road to Emmaus story in the gospel of Luke. Quite clearly, the Testimonium is not an independent historical confirmation of the Jesus of the gospels. Additionally, as I have noted elsewhere, “…competent scholars arguing in good faith often reach radically different conclusions based on the available evidence…The evidence, such as it is, is textual; later historians who reported that Jesus had been crucified were repeating what they’d read or been told, not what they’d seen.”[4] The problem of flimsy evidence within the New Testament text, including outright forgery, is now so well documented as to need no further comment.[5] The evidence for Jesus is the New Testament. Full stop.
New Testament scholars are in wide agreement that Mark was the earliest gospel, written around the year 70 CE, decades after Jesus’ death. As if a lapse of 40 years between the life of Jesus and the composition of the first known gospel wasn’t problem enough, according to the church historian Eusebius, “[Mark] had not heard the Lord, nor had he followed him.”[6] On the best evidence, the gospels were not even composed in Palestine where the events they purport to relate took place. It is conjectured that Mark was written in Rome, Matthew in Syria, and John was perhaps composed in Asia Minor.
Even worse for the study of Christian origins, in 66 CE the First Jewish-Roman War resulted in the destruction of Jewish towns in Galilee and Judea which culminated in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple in 70 CE. By the time the war ended with the fall of Masada in 73 CE, the Jewish population of Palestine, obviously including potential eyewitnesses to the career of Jesus, had been decimated, scattered, and enslaved. Even assuming Jesus of Nazareth was a historical person, time and circumstances were working overtime to eradicate any evidence of his life and career. What would his soi-disant biographers do to fill this memory hole? A close reading of the gospels suggests they invented their stories.
Unlike history, the gospels are written from the standpoint of an omniscient narrator — like a novelist, the gospel writer knows not only the actions of his characters, but their inner thoughts and emotional state, as well as the content of their private conversations. Matthew, writing an estimated 85 years after Jesus’ birth, ostensibly knows the circumstances of Jesus’ conception, including the contents of a dream. (Matthew 1:20) Not to be outdone, Luke claims that, “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19) Matthew claims to know the precise event that led the Pharisees to withdraw and begin to plot Jesus’ death, (Matthew 12:14) and John — writing 70 years after the fact — is mysteriously informed that the Pharisees “…said to one another, ‘See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!’” (John 12:19)
So where did Mark — his true identity is unknown, but following convention we’ll call him Mark — get his information? Decades ago, when I was studying the New Testament at university, the standard answer to “where they got it” was still “oral tradition,” but given the proven unreliability both of memory and oral transmission, scholars have questioned that explanation and suggested a different source: the theology of Paul of Tarsus.
The number of scholars who have proposed this connection is quite impressive and appears to be growing: Pérez I. Díaz,[7] Hollander,[8] Eurell,[9] Smith,[10] Nelligan,[11] and particularly Richard Carrier[12] to name but a few. However, using Paul to get to Jesus presents a problem very nicely summarized by David Madison:
“In the earliest of the New Testament documents, penned long before the Gospels, Jesus of Nazareth isn’t there. That is, the epistles of Paul and others don’t speak at all about Jesus of Nazareth. Their focus is a divine Christ. There seems to be no awareness of Jesus’s preaching and parables, his miracles, his disputes with religious authorities, or even the Passion narratives. It’s almost as if the real Jesus hadn’t been invented yet, which would not happen until the Gospels had been created. The focus of the epistles — with Paul being the giant presence — is salvation through believing in a resurrected Jesus. Inexplicably, they skip over everything else.”[13]
The first person known to have mentioned Jesus is Paul of Tarsus. And regarding the source of his information, Paul is perfectly clear: “visions and revelations from the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 12:1) After his conversion — which he never describes — Paul did not hie himself to Jerusalem to confer with Jesus’ family or followers. His ego on full display, Paul claims,
“…when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.” (Galatians 1:15-17)
Paul didn’t need no stinking history: “I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 1:11-12) Unlike generations of New Testament scholars assiduously questing after the “historical Jesus,” Paul declares, “Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.” (2 Corinthians 5:16) This is hardly the sort of attitude that would favor the loving preservation of Jesus’ every word and deed.
Paul believed that Jesus had previously existed “in the form of God…but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being made in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:6-7) According to Paul, God “…promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures regarding his son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and through the spirit of holiness was appointed the son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead.” (Romans 1:2-4) When he rose from the dead, Jesus “became a life-giving spirit” and returned to whence he had come: “the second [Adam] is from heaven.” (1 Corinthians 15:45, 47) The earliest Christians believed Jesus had descended from heaven: “He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than the heavens.” (Ephesians 4:10) The man known as Jesus had a previous existence in heaven: “The Son is the image of the invisible God…He is before all things…” (Colossians 1:15, 17)
Paul is certain he and his fellow believers will soon be joined with their Lord, “for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-53) In short, Paul has precisely nothing to tell us about “historical Jesus.” Paul was convinced that the time remaining until Jesus’ return was so short that married Christians should live as if celibate: “the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not…” (1 Corinthians 7:29) Given the urgency of the moment, what possible reason could there be to preserve the details of Jesus’ career, assuming that anyone clearly remembered them?
As noted by Madison, “Proving the Bible’s authenticity by quoting from the Bible is closed-loop reasoning…no matter how high the level of confidence in the Bible in a particular part of the world, no document on the planet can be self-authenticating.”[14] In all likelihood, the Judean church and its members were swept away in the maelstrom of the Roman invasion; like the epistle ascribed to James, Paul’s letters are addressed to believers “scattered among the nations.” (James 1:1) The earliest Christians for whom we have evidence lived in expectation of imminent deliverance[15] and evince no interest in “authenticating” the life and career of Jesus of Nazareth. The stories of the gospels cannot be verified by any contemporaneous sources. Insofar as anyone can confirm, they are pious confections written for the edification of credulous believers. We are left with a stark conclusion: the entire evidence for the life of Jesus is the magic self-authenticating New Testament.Robert Conner is the author of The Death of Christian Belief; The Jesus Cult: 2000 Years of the Last Days; Apparitions of Jesus: The Resurrection as Ghost Story; The Secret Gospel of Mark; and Magic in Christianity: From Jesus to the Gnostics.
[1] Helen K. Bond, “Dating the Death of Jesus: Memory and the Religious Imagination,” New Testament Studies, 59/4 (2013), 461-475.
[2] Ken Olson, “A Eusebian Reading of the Testimonium Flavianum,” in Eusebius of Caesarea: Traditions and Innovations, Helenic Studies Series 60 (2013) 97-114.
[3] Gary J. Goldberg, “Josephus’s Paraphrase Style and the Testimonium Flavianum,” Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus, 20/1 (2021) 1-32.
[4] Robert Conner, The Death of Christian Belief (2023), 48, 56.
[5] Bart D. Ehrman, Forged: Writing in the Name of God — Why the Bible’s Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are, 2010.
[6] Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, III, 39, 15.
[7] Mar Pérez I. Díaz, Jesus in the Light of Paul’s Theology, Mohr Siebeck, 2020.
[8] Harm W. Hollander, “The Words of Jesus: From Oral Traditions to Written Records in Paul and Q,” Novum Testamentum 42/4 (2000), 340-357.
[9] John-Christian Eurell, “Paul and the Jesus Tradition: Reconsidering the Relationship Between Paul and the Synoptics,” Journal of Early Christian History, 12/2 (2022), 1-16.
[10] David Oliver Smith, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Paul: The Influence of the Epistles on the Synoptic Gospels, Resource, 2011.
[11] Thomas Nelligan, The Quest for Mark’s Sources: An Exploration of the Case for Mark’s Use of First Corinthians, Pickwick, 2015
[12] Richard Carrier, Jesus from Outer Spance: What the Earliest Christians Really Believed about Christ, Pitchstone, 2020.
[13] David Madison, Guessing About God, 144-145, Insighting Growth Publications, 2023.
I sat in the Pencil Pit, staring at the blank page. The early morning light filtered in through the barn window, illuminating specks of dust floating gently in the air. It was quiet except for the scratching of chickens outside.
Writer’s block had firmly planted itself between me and the page again. I knew I needed to write my regular Morning Mental Meanderings blog post, but no words came. I reread the quote by Charles Bukowski that I had scribbled down last night – “writing about a writer’s block is better than not writing at all.”
With a sigh, I picked up my favorite #2 pencil and began:
I gazed at the empty page, willing words to flow but finding none. Bukowski’s advice rattled around in my head…maybe writing about the block itself would help dislodge it. My mind felt stuffed with cotton, mute and tangled. I longed for the relief that came with a free flowing stretch of typing on my old typewriter, when the words tumble out almost faster than my arthritic fingers can catch them.
But for now, there was only the oppressive blankness glaring back at me. The vast whiteness seemed to mock me. You call yourself a writer? After decades as a small town lawyer, you thought retirement would make you an author overnight? What a joke. I shook my graying head and shifted in the creaky wooden chair. The morning sunlight felt harsh now instead of comforting. The chickens’ cackling sounded more smug by the minute.
With a deep breath, I lowered my eyes to the hateful blank page again. Bukowski was right – just acknowledging the block was better than ignoring it and giving up completely. The words would come again, eventually. I just had to sit with the discomfort and not lose hope.
Dipping my #2 pencil once more, I began drafting a description of the fickle muse’s abandonment. Might as well make use of the empty time by writing ABOUT not writing…
Richard L. Fricks 