Interesting stuff by Birger Pearson, link originally seen via r/AcademicBiblical, in one of the occasional truly good things there.
First, per why the link was posted there? I'd never closely read 1 Thessalonians 2 before, but yeah, 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16 is CLEARLY an interpolation. Most likely, referencing the Jewish Revolt and its defeat. Was it inserted by the author of 2 Thessalonians, or someone different? (The preview has it as the last section of pages. Within that chapter from his book, a page here and there is dropped, as are the last few pages, but there's plenty still to look at. Sadly, I don't know if he offers any more specific thoughts on just how long after the Revolt it was inserted, or why.
Second, early on? Pearson's just wrong on claiming Baptism and the Eucharist have Jewish roots. I haven't thought a lot about Baptism, but it could be influenced by both Qumran, and non-Qumran, Judaism alike, but also the Greek mysteries. The Eucharist, though? Nope. Greek guild dinners honoring their patron gods, the one and only good thing I learned from a Jesus Seminar book. Beyond that, Pearson ignores the apparent Gnosticizing background of Paul's creation (sic) of the Eucharist, something he also likely wouldn't have gotten from Judaism at this time.
Next page after that? Claiming Zoroaster is the "historical founder" of Zoroastrianism? The man no more actually existed, in all likelihood, than did Moses, given a 500-year range in his florovit for those who claim he was historical. The date of writing of the Avestas and other things is HUGELY debated.
After that? Pearson has a fairly high view of the historicity of Acts in general, and on the origins of "Christian" and "Christianity," way too high on the last one-quarter of Acts.
His claims about Mark 7 wrongly mix Jesus' response to the Pharisees (about hand-washing) and his later response to the disciples, which transitions to clean and unclean foods, or so it seems.
He is totally right, though, about a callout of the Jesus Seminar's Scholars Press translation of the four canonical Gospels plus Thomas. In addition to what he says, I said at the time that it was wooden as hell.
Anyway, because the preview drops enough pages within chapters, and because of the amount of stuff Pearson gets wrong, I didn't bookmark it in my browser.
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