One of my great experiences in life was to be interviewed…
“One of my great experiences in life was to be interviewed on a late-night talk show by a guy named Tom Snyder. He was interviewing me on a book I had written on the New Testament of the Bible called Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, and we talked about the dating of the books of the New Testament, and I said, "Well, the consensus is that the gospels were written some forty to seventy years after the crucifixion." And he stopped me and said, "Wait a minute, Bishop, that means they couldn't have been written by eyewitnesses."”
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The speaker explains that scholarly consensus dates the gospels decades after the events, challenging the claim of eyewitness authorship.
In simple terms: Gospels were likely written years after Jesus, not by direct witnesses.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the gap between historical events and their written accounts.
Themes
historyology
faith
critical thinking
Mood
thoughtful
analytical
Type
explanatory
reflective
When to use this quote
- Bible study groups
- seminar discussions
- academic lectures
- personal faith reflection
Key Concepts
Textual criticism
historical methodology
Questions to Reflect On
- How does this dating affect your view of biblical authority?
- What implications does scholarly consensus have for personal belief?
A Different Perspective
The quote reflects a specific interview context and may not represent the speaker’s full argument.