Let's see how Randy reacts to this passage from Ehrman's "Lost Christianities." Here he discusses the many fuck-ups in the gospels...which, sadly for Randy, are indeed fuck-ups.
My guess? Not well.
My guess? Not well.
Quote:Discrepancies like these (many of which seem minor, but which often end up being significant when examined closely) permeate the Gospel traditions. Some of the differences are much larger, involving the purpose of Jesus’ mission and the understanding of his character. What all the differences show, great and small, is that each Gospel writer has an agenda—a point of view he wants to get across, an understanding of Jesus he wants his readers to share. And he has told his stories in such a way as to convey that agenda.
But once we begin to suspect the historical accuracy of our Gospel sources,and find evidence that corroborates our suspicions, where does that lead us? With regard to our questions about the nature of orthodoxy and heresy in early Christianity, it leads us away from the classical notion that orthodoxy is rooted in the apostles’ teaching as accurately preserved in the New Testament Gospels and to the realization that the doctrines of orthodox Christianity must have developed at a time later than the historical Jesus and his apostles, later even
than our earliest Christian writings. These views are generally held by scholars today, based on in-depth analyses of the Gospel traditions since the days of Reimarus.
Pg. 170
