UU Christian Fellowship: Love Thy Stranger
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This episode centers around Dr. Bart Ehrman’s forthcoming book, Love Thy Stranger (releasing March 24th). Megan Lewis and Bart Ehrman begin by examining what it meant to be a “good person” in the ancient world—across Greek, Roman, and Israelite societies. Was charity present in pre-Christian cultures? Did ancient religions demand ethical behavior? How did Jesus’ words about loving strangers ignite a moral revolution?
You'll hear Bart Ehrman challenge common assumptions about morality in ancient “pagan” contexts, revealing that codes of ethics existed long before Jesus, but were not typically tied to religious imperatives. The episode then compares these to the distinct kind of ethical vision found within ancient Israelite religion: a code with “divine imperatives,” most famously embodied in the Ten Commandments but deeply embedded in the core laws and prophetic teachings of the Hebrew Bible.
The conversation pivots to the innovations Jesus made in ethical thought, especially his radical extension of love and charity beyond tribal or national boundaries. Bart Ehrman dives into Jesus' apocalyptic worldview and explains how this worldview made Jesus' ethical demands more urgent and uncompromising.
They also reflect on the evolution of this ethic into the modern world and how concepts like disaster relief and universal charity have roots in these early Christian innovations.
We will watch together and discuss but feel free to have a look beforehand or if you can't make it.
You'll hear Bart Ehrman challenge common assumptions about morality in ancient “pagan” contexts, revealing that codes of ethics existed long before Jesus, but were not typically tied to religious imperatives. The episode then compares these to the distinct kind of ethical vision found within ancient Israelite religion: a code with “divine imperatives,” most famously embodied in the Ten Commandments but deeply embedded in the core laws and prophetic teachings of the Hebrew Bible.
The conversation pivots to the innovations Jesus made in ethical thought, especially his radical extension of love and charity beyond tribal or national boundaries. Bart Ehrman dives into Jesus' apocalyptic worldview and explains how this worldview made Jesus' ethical demands more urgent and uncompromising.
They also reflect on the evolution of this ethic into the modern world and how concepts like disaster relief and universal charity have roots in these early Christian innovations.
We will watch together and discuss but feel free to have a look beforehand or if you can't make it.
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Where is it happening?
Buckman Bridge Unitarian Universalist Church, 8447 Manresa Ave, Jacksonville, FL 32244-9641, United States
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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