Anders Petersen (University of Aarhus) bridges evolutionary biology and New Testament studies to argue that religion functions as emotional investment in shared symbolic systems rather than abstract belief. We discuss why humans aren't naturally social (unlike bees or ants), how pistis means "faithfulness" not "faith," why the Gospel texts are myths rather than historical records, and what it means to embrace Christianity as a 21st-century tradition rather than returning to Jesus's original religion.

Links

- Prof. Petersen's Academia page

- The Emergence and Evolution of Religion (Edited Volume - Affiliate Link)

Anders Klostergaard Petersen is professor and chair of research at the Department for the Study of Religion at Aarhus University, Denmark. He has published extensively in the fields of Late Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity, as well as on methodological and theoretical questions pertaining to the overall study of religion and culture. He is currently involved in a grand project on cultural evolution with a special focus on the history of religion.

What can 2,000-year-old letters tell us about how Paul actually lived? I sat down with papyrologist Peter Arzt-Grabner to find out what ancient papyri reveal about Paul's real life - and the answers shocked me.

Peter's Academia Page Peter's book, "Letters and Letter Writing" - (Sponsored Link)

Markus Vinzent reveals how the New Testament was actually compiled - and why the Paul's letters we're reading are "third-hand" at best.

Want to watch the video instead? - https://youtu.be/dj4_lfRghZo

📚 RESOURCES:- Vinzent's book: "Resetting the Origins of Christianity" (Affiliate Link)

- Reconstructed Marcionite Paul - - based on Vinzent's initial reconstructions (2023) - OPEN ACCESS

- English Translation based on the team's data-driven refinements (2025) Apostolos English translation: (Affiliate Link)

Follow Markus and his team on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Patristica/

Prof. Mark Goodacre argues that John knew the synoptics... and it's the key to reading it! Mark Goodacre is Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at Duke University and author of "The Case Against Q." His research focuses on the synoptic problem, Gospel of Thomas, and Gospel of John.

Want to watch this instead? - https://youtu.be/pzm5C1nAM04

🔗 Mark's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@podacre

🔗 The NT Podcast: https://podacre.blogspot.com/ Mark's Books - The Fourth Synoptic Gospel, https://amzn.to/3IjwpAY(Affiliate Link)-

The Case Against Q, https://amzn.to/4mEAk9N (Affiliate Link)-

"Synoptic Problem, A Way Through the Maze (FREE) - https://markgoodacre.org/maze/

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📱 FOLLOW FOR MORE

- YouTube: @cjcornthwaite

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- Website: cjcornthwaite.com

- Email: cjcornthwaite@proton.me

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Conversations with the world’s top scholars of the Bible and Christian origins.

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I interview Prof. James McGrath, the Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University.

Watch this episode on YouTube instead

James' Books (sponsored links)

• "John of History, Baptist of Faith" - https://amzn.to/41O9WCA
• "Christmaker" - https://amzn.to/4gkAuRW

Link to the Protoevangeliun of James - https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0847.htm

James McGrath's Reconstruction of John's infancy gospel - https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionprof/2022/04/a-hypothetical-infancy-narrative-of-john-the-baptist.html 📱 FOLLOW FOR MORE - YouTube: @cjcornthwaite - Instagram: @cjcornthwaite- Website: cjcornthwaite.com- Email: cjcornthwaite@proton.me🎙️ FOOTNOTE FAMOUS (MY PODCAST)Conversations with the world’s top scholars of the Bible and Christian origins. 🔗https://www.footnotefamous.com/SUPPORT THE CHANNEL

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YouTube Memberships - ⁠C. J. Cornthwaite - YouTube

In this episode, I talked with Dr. Robyn Faith Walsh about her book, The Origins of Early Christian Literature.

Watch This Episode on YouTube Instead

Get the book on Amazon Sponsored Link

Dr. Walsh's Academia.edu page

SUPPORT THE CHANNEL

Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/FootnoteFamous

YouTube Memberships - C. J. Cornthwaite - YouTube

About: Robyn Faith Walsh is an Associate Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity and Gabelli Senior Scholar at the University of Miami (UM).

She earned her Ph.D. at Brown University in Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean, with a focus on early Christianity, ancient Judaism, and Roman archaeology.

📚 The First Biography of Jesus: What Mark's Gospel Really Is (with Prof. Helen Bond)Prof. Bond's Links 👇👇👇

👉 Biblical Time Machine (Helen's Podcast) - https://www.biblicaltimemachine.com/

👉 The First Biography of Jesus (Book) https://amzn.to/4m4phqh (Sponsored Link)

Professor Helen Bond from Edinburgh University reveals groundbreaking insights about the Gospel of Mark that challenge traditional interpretations.

-How Mark created the foundational portrait of Jesus that shapes both historical and faith-based understanding

- How characters function as literary devices rather than developed personalities

- How Mark's writing style reflects sophisticated ancient biographical conventions

Footnote Famous - Conversations with the world's top scholars of the Bible and Christian origins.