Errata for On the Historicity of Jesus • Richard Carrier Blogs (original) (raw)

Originally I updated this page for years since its first publication in 2015, as I and others found typos in On the Historicity of Jesus that slipped through even our excessive editorial process. This page has now evolved into two sections.

The second section lists corrections that have since all been made in the 2023 corrected edition (officially the Revised Edition), which so far is only available in print.

The first section now lists revisions that I would make to a future second edition if ever we bother producing one (we likely won’t). Some are more typos or corrections; but many are just updates (such as adding references or revising citations to meet changes in the literature since 2014, but mostly those are made now in the sequel volume and won’t be here). Those will need to be reformatted to match the book’s citation style.

Please continue to email me any typos you have caught that aren’t already listed in either section. Likewise any citeable factual corrections, of any length or substance, that you think would be due in the second edition. Just be sure to send the citation (original source or scholarship) that would correct an error, and if it checks out, it will go in here.

Although many updates are already available in the sequel, as discussed in the middle section below. And in another article I catalogue An Ongoing List of Updates to the Arguments and Evidence in On the Historicity of Jesus.

-:-

Prospective Changes for a Second Edition:

In General: Add discussion of Obsolete Paradigm in chapter 1 and that it includes updates ten years later while OHJ will preserve the status quaestionis when it was published. Add it to bibliography and author index. Then: After all edits redo all indexes. And all conjunctions in equations (e.g. P(h|e.b), should be updated to unicode (e.g. P(h|e·b); and every instance of ‘Rank–Raglan’ should be ‘Rank-Raglan’.
On p. 9: In note 10, add (and update bibliography, subject, and author index): A similar example of a mythical founder marketed as real is Christian Rosenkreuz, originator of the Rosicrucians: Frances Yates, The Rosicrucian Enlightenment, 2nd Edition (New York: Routledge, 2001).
On p. 64: In note 12 the citation should now be: Richard Carrier, ‘B.C.A.D.C.E.B.C.E’, in Hitler Homer Bible Christ (Richmond, California: Philosophy Press, 2014), 25–27. And the Bibliography emended accordingly.
On p. 39: “Asc, Is.” Should be “Asc. Is.”
On p. 40: “thus fulfilling the predictions of Daniel (see Chapter 4, Element 7), although”. Delete.
On p. 48: “but to explain what this theory is.” Add after that: “Otherwise, owing to its uncertain and compromised state, the Ascension of Isaiah rates too poorly as evidence to move the needle much (I weigh it negligibly in Chapter 8, §6; cf. §13).”
On p. 68: “The early first century ce was in their prediction window” should be “Their texts could eventually be reinterpreted to put the early first century ce in their prediction window”. And Footnote 18 should have the Collins cite second after this: “Roger Beckwith, ‘Daniel 9 and the Date of the Messiah’s Coming in Essene, Hellenistic, Pharisaic, Zealot, and Early Christian Computation’, Revue de Qumrân 10.4 (December 1981), pp. 521-542.” (and this should be added to the bibliography and author index).
On p. 70: in note 25: delete “, most likely in this case Justus of Tiberias, or some lost Jewish apocryphon”
On p. 71: in note 25: “(or Justus of Tiberias?)” replace with “(or his source)”
On p. 77: “pesherim” should be “pesharim” (as also every instance in 82, 83, 87n51, and 207; it is already correctly spelled in the index, p. 692).
On p. 78: “9.26-27”. Three times. All should be 9.25–27 (and adjust the scripture index accordingly). And in note 39, on the likelihood of an early equation of Jesus with Michael add (and adjust bibliography and author index): Darrell Hannah, Michael and Christ: Michael Tradition and Angel Christology in Early Christianity (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1999; Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock, 2011). And where in the note I connect Michael and Melchizedek add (and adjust author index and bibliography): Michael Flowers, “The Two Messiahs and Melchizedek in 11QMelchizedek,” Journal of Ancient Judaism 7 (2016), pp. 194–227; and Rick Van de Water, “Michael or Yhwh? Toward Identifying Melchizedek in 11Q13,” Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha 16.1 (2006), pp. 75–86. And add on linking Michael with Son of Man traditions (and again adjust): Matthew Walsh, Angels Associated with Israel in the Dead Sea Scrolls: Angelology and Sectarian Identity at Qumran (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2019).
On p. 78: “and celestial firstborn son, also named Jesus”. Should be “who might even have been named Jesus”.
On p. 78: At the end of note 38 add: “the piercing of God’s hero is also attested in Zechariah 12:10 (as just discussed) and Psalms 22:16, on which see Shon Hopkin, “The Psalm 22:16 Controversy: New Evidence from the Dead Sea Scrolls,” BYU Studies Quarterly 44.3 (2005), article 9. And adjust bibliography and author and scripture index accordingly.
On p. 81: “that this Jesus is”. Should be “that (in the received text) this Jesus is”. Add a footnote here to my new journal article on this point and/or the relevant section of OPHJ and the list of scholars concurring (and adjust bibliography and author index). And: “We know Zechariah meant this in some way to be Jesus ben Jehozadak.” Should be “We know Zechariah meant this Jesus to be Jesus ben Jehozadak”. And: “where ‘Jesus’ is also implied to be the one called ‘Rising’”. Should be “where ‘Jesus’ could also be understood as the one called ‘Rising’”. And “there he is also called God’s ‘servant’”. Should be “in Zech. 3 he is also connected with God’s ‘servant’”.
On p. 82: “Jehovah the Righteous”. Should be “Jehovah [Yahweh] the Righteous”. And “supreme supernatural power over the universe” should be “some sort of supreme power, possibly cosmic, given that it includes control of “God’s house and courts” and membership and attendance among his angels”.
On p. 86: After the sentence ending “rule an eternal kingdom” add a new footnote: “There are disputes over this, but for this interpretation, see Collins, Daniel, 77–79. For its possible influence on Christianity, see George Brooke, ‘Aramaic Traditions from the Qumran Caves, and the Palestinian Sources for Part of Luke’s Special Material’, in Mette Bundvad and Kasper Siegesmund (eds.), Vision, Narrative, and Wisdom in the Aramaic Texts from Qumran (Leiden: Brill, 2017), pp. 203–20 (206–09).” Then add the latter to the bibliography and the author index.
On p. 92: Add to note 63 (and update the bibliography and author index accordingly): James VanderKam, The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012).
On p. 96: In note 70, wherever appropriate, add all the new and old early high christology studies as listed in OPHJ.
On p. 107: “Explicitly stated in the Qumran text ‘Hymns of the Just’”. Add: (1QHᵃ, also known as the Thanksgiving Psalms)
On p. 108: “Rom. 8.15-29”. Should be 8.14–29 (and adjust the Scripture Index accordingly).
On p. 110: Add a footnote after “specific to mystery cult” that says “For scholarship on the vocabulary see element 11.”
On p. 111: In footnote 113, insert after “from the mystery cults” the parenthesis “(see scholarship cited in element 11)”.
On p. 142: At the end of note 192: On Psalms 22:16 explicitly saying the hero is “pierced,” see Hopkin, “The Psalm 22:16 Controversy.” Adjust bibliography and author index.
On p. 143: Change “(as well as Zechariah 3 and 6)” to “(as well as Zechariah 3, 6, and 12)” and add a sentence next that reads: Indeed, there is evidence these texts were already understood as commenting on Isaiah 53. (Then a footnote that reads:) See Michael Lyons, “Psalm 22 and the ‘Servants’ of Isaiah 54; 56-66,” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 77.4 (October 2015), pp. 640–56; Michael Stone and George Nickelsburg (eds.), Early Judaism: Texts and Documents on Faith and Piety (rev. ed.; Minneapolis: Fortress, 2009), 133–37; Daniel Bailey, “Suffering Servant,” in The Eerdmans Dictionary of Early Judaism (ed. John J. Collins and Daniel C. Harlow; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010), 1257; Marc Brettler and Amy-Jill Levine, “Isaiah’s Suffering Servant: Before and After Christianity,” Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology 73.2 (2019): pp. 158–73; Matthias Henze, “The Use of Scripture in the Book of Daniel,” in A Companion to Biblical Interpretation in Early Judaism (ed. Matthias Henze; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012), 298; and John J. Collins, The Apocalyptic Imagination: An Introduction to Jewish Apocalyptic Literature (2nd ed.; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 186, who cites many scholars concurring. (Adjust author and scripture index and bibliography accordingly.)
On p. 165: “Richard Carrier, Science Education in the Early Roman Empire (in review).” Should now be “Richard Carrier, Science Education in the Early Roman Empire (Durham, North Carolina: Pitchstone, 2016)”. And added to the Bibliography accordingly.
On p. 167: “my forthcoming _Science Education in the Early Roman Empire_” should be “Carrier, _Science Education_“.
On p. 173: Add to the citation of Richard Miller’s article now also his book: “Richard C. Miller, Resurrection and Reception in Early Christianity (New York: Routledge, 2015).” And update the Bibliography accordingly.
On p. 178: “my future books”. Should now be “my books”, with publication information: (Durham, North Carolina: Pitchstone, 2016) for Education and (Durham, North Carolina: Pitchstone, 2017) for Scientist. Both then need to go into the Bibliography.
On p. 189: In note 86, add to the end of the first sentence (and update the author index and bibliography accordingly): ; and G.B. Caird, Principalities and Powers: A Study in Pauline Theology (Oxford: Clarendon, 1956).
On p. 200: “In the same book, Philo says” should be preceded by the sentence “He then describes this figure as the creator of all the things in the universe.”
On p. 209: After the sentence ending with “pagan worldviews of the time” add the following footnote (adjusting the bibliography and author index accordingly): Joel Watts, Jesus as Divine Suicide: The Death of the Messiah in Galatians (Eugene: Pickwick, 2019).
On p. 215: Add as makes sense to note 156 (and adjust author index and bibliography accordingly): Lawrence Wills, “The Jewish and Hellenistic Novel,” in Katharine Dell (ed.), The Biblical World, 2nd Edied. (New York: Routledge, 2021), 189–205.
On p. 221: “plus over half a dozen different Acts”. Should be “plus almost two dozen different Acts”.
On p. 226: Add to the citation of Richard Miller’s article now also his book: “Richard C. Miller, Resurrection and Reception in Early Christianity (New York: Routledge, 2015).” And update the Bibliography accordingly.
On p. 229: Expand “An attempt is made to kill him when he is a baby.” to “An attempt is made to kill him when young (usually an infant).”
On pp. 230–32: Replace n. 193 with a reference to the changed counts and inclusions (of Alexander, Apollonius, and Mithradates) discussed in OPHJ, noting the OHJ text is thus partially obsolete. In Chs. 6 and 12 include footnotes that mention the revised prior probability margins in OPHJ and their effects, noting the OHJ text is thus partially obsolete.
On p. 240: After the sentence ending with “the whole shebang” add a footnote as follows (and add to the bibliography and author index accordingly): On this tendency to invent names and backstories for even incidental mythical characters see: Bruce Metzger, ‘Names for the Nameless in the New Testament: A Study in the Growth of Christian Tradition’, New Testament Studies: Philological, Versional, and Patristic (Leiden: Brill, 1980), pp. 23–45. Also cite OPHJ section citing this as well.
On p. 245: “What if we decided instead to use the ‘Jesus Christs’ surveyed by Josephus as a reference class?” Add: (Surveyed in Element 4, Chapter 4, §5.)
On p. 247: “Jewish pre-Christian belief in a celestial Son of God named Jesus”. Should be “possibly named”.
On p. 258: In note 8 add after “45,” in “45, and the debate” (and add to the bibliography and author index): Ken Dark, Archaeology of Jesus’ Nazareth (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023),”.
On p. 260: In note 9 replace citation with Richard Carrier, Hitler Homer Bible Christ (Richmond, California: Philosophy Press, 2014), 193–202
On p. 261: At the end of note 14 add (and adjust bibliography and author index accordingly): William Walker, Interpolations in the Pauline Letters (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2001); and Brent Nongbri, God’s Library: The Archaeology of the Earliest Christian Manuscripts (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2018).
On p. 263: Immediately after “more merit than is supposed.” add a footnote (and adjust bibliography and author index accordingly): I am not alone. See Karen Jobes, 1 Peter, 2nd ed. (Ada, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2022) and (more importantly) Elizabeth Myers, Intertextual Borrowing between 1 Peter and Hebrews: Probability of Literary Dependence and the Most Likely Direction of Borrowing (Cody, Wyoming: Pistos Ktistes, 2020).
On p. 271: In note 38, immediately before White add (and adjust bibliography and author index): Thomas Herron, “The Most Probable Date of the First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians,” Studia Patristica 21 (1989), pp. 106–21, and Clement and the Early Church of Rome: On the Dating of Clement’s First Epistle to the Corinthians (Steubenville, Ohio: Saint Paul Center for Biblical Theology, 1989; Emmaus Road, 2010); Clayton Jefford, Apostolic Fathers and the New Testament (Ada, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2006), pp. 15–19; cf. Andrew Gregory, “Disturbing Trajectories: 1 Clement, the Shepherd of Hermas and the Development of Early Roman Christianity” in Rome, The Bible and the Early Church (ed. P. Oakes; London: Paternoster, 2002), pp. 142–66 and “I Clement: An Introduction,” The Expository Times 117.6 (2006), pp. 223–30, who is sympathetic; and White, [then the rest of the note as is].
On p. 275: In note 42, convert “See Earl Doherty” into “See Margaret Williams, Early Classical Authors on Jesus (London: T&T Clark, 2022), p. 4; Catherine Chin, “Rhetorical Practice in the Chreia Elaboration of Mara bar Serapion,” Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies 9.2 (2006), pp. 145–71; Kathleen McVey, “A Fresh Look at the Letter of Mara bar Serapion to His Son,” Orientalia Christiana Analecta 236 (1990), pp. 257–72, and “Mara bar Serapion,” in The Reception of Jesus in the First Three Centuries, Volume 3: From Celsus to the Catacombs (ed. Chris Keith; London: T&T Clark, 2019), pp. 71–88; and Earl Doherty”.
On p. 281: “Epiphanius then says a curious thing: these Christians say Jesus had lived and died in the time of Alexander Jannaeus. This is what he says they preach:” should be “Epiphanius then implies a curious thing: these Christians say Jesus had lived and died in the time of Alexander Jannaeus. This is what he suggests they preach:”
On p. 293: Delete “. He was a primary source for Josephus’s own account of that war (and thus is the most likely source for his accounts of messiahs in this period: Element 4)”. Replace “who used them as sources” with “who would have used them or their same sources”.
On p. 299: Add as makes sense to note 27 (and adjust author index and bibliography accordingly): Lawrence Wills, “The Jewish and Hellenistic Novel,” in Katharine Dell (ed.), The Biblical World, 2nd Edied. (New York: Routledge, 2021), 189–205.
On p. 300: “Richard Carrier, Science Education in the Early Roman Empire [in review]”. Should now be “Richard Carrier, Science Education in the Early Roman Empire (Durham, North Carolina: Pitchstone, 2016)”.
On p. 305: “(as surveyed previously).” Add a footnote here that reads: In the preface to The Jewish War Josephus says there were several such histories; none survive. And we know many authors had access to detailed treatises on Jewish sectarianism, also lost: see Carrier, ‘The Spiritual Body of Christ’ (2005), e.g., pp. 200–01, nn. 23 and 27. And after the last sentence of note 37 add (and adjust author index and bibliography accordingly): For more examples of curious Christian deletions see Margaret Williams, Early Classical Authors on Jesus (London: T&T Clark, 2022), 142.
On p. 325: In n. 68, in the clause “often poor or confused,” replace “often” with “sometimes.”
On p. 342: At the end of note 98 add (and adjust author index and bibliography accordingly): Pliny and Suetonius were similarly close: Chris Hansen, “The Problem of Annals 15.44: On the Plinian Origin of Tacitus’s Information on Christians,” Journal of Early Christian History 13.1 (February 2023), 62–80, and “The Number of the Myth: A Defence of the Ahistoricity of the Neronian Persecution,” Journal of Early Christian History 13.2 (July 2023), 1–21 (8).
On p. 346: “would not strongly confirm historicity. And even” should be “would confirm historicity, if not strongly. But”
On p. 361 in n. 4: “or first century BCE So the” should be “or first century BCE. So the”.
On p. 362: “in their vision (Acts 10.13; Ezek. 2.9)”. Should be 2.8. And add: cf. 4:9-13. And adjust the Scripture Index accordingly.
On p. 362: Add to end of n. 14 (and update bibliog. and author index): David Trobisch, ‘The Book of Acts as a Narrative Commentary on the Letters of the New Testament: A Programmatic Essay’, in Rethinking the Unity and Reception of Luke and Acts (ed. Andrew Gregory and C. Kavin Rowe; Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2010), 119–27.
On p. 362: “both twice respond to God, ‘By no means, Lord! (using the exact same Greek phrase, mēdamōs Kurie: Acts 10.14 and 11.8; Ezek. 4.14 and 20.49)”. Complete the quote (‘By no means, Lord!’). After 20.49 add: “, in the Greek)”.
On p. 364: “(8.18–23;” should be “(8.9–11, 18–23;”.
On p. 368: “use them at all, surely even then” should be “use them at all; surely even then”.
On p. 369: “Lk. 23.51–56” should be “Lk. 23.50–56”.
On p. 375: after “rather than his sermons elsewhere or the speeches of others” add “, which Luke simply adapts from his and prior Gospels”.
On p. 382: “Both have their garments taken and given away (Acts 7.58; Lk. 23.24)”. Should be 23.34 (and adjust the Scripture Index accordingly).
On p. 400: Add to the end of note 32 (and adjust author index and bibliography accordingly): Christophe Lemardelé, “The Hebrew word נָזִיר in Greek: From the Septuagint to the Christian Authors,” Semitica et Classica 8 (2015), 1–6.
On p. 405: Adjust “It was already” in note 41 to the following (and update author index and bibliography accordingly): “Besides now Hans Moscicke’s two studies making the same point, Goat for Yahweh, Goat for Azazel: The Impact of Yom Kippur on the Gospels (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2023) and The New Day of Atonement: A Matthean Typology (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2020), it was already”.
On p. 418: “Mk 5.26” should be “Mk. 5.25-26”.
Across pp. 437–38: Revise the paragraph to include a discussion of Mark also using the Epistles of Paul as a base text, and footnote of citations thereto, and update author index and bibliography as needed (and/or just cite OPHJ).
On p. 451: At the end of note 130 add the following (and add to author index accordingly): On the tendency to assign names even to incidental mythical persons, see Metzger, “Names for the Nameless.”
On p. 464: Insert in the sentence as follows: “Matthew adds the otherwise pointless and inexplicable detail at the beginning” = “Matthew adds the incidental detail (reifying Isaiah 7.14) at the beginning” (and adjust scripture index).
On p. 471: “For example, Mk 14.65a reads” should be “A possible example is when Mk 14.65a reads”. Then in n. 166, add at its front the sentence: “Though this example could be a result of the matching material having originally been in Mark and dropped by scribes later, there are other examples of Lukan lifts from Matthew that are not as easy to explain away.”
On p. 488: Add to n. 211: James Barker, Writing and Rewriting the Gospels: John and the Synoptics (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 2025). Then adjust bibliography and author index.
On p. 511: In note 4, replace “, and that some letters are redactions of others” with “: Frank Hughes and Robert Jewett, The Corinthian Correspondence: Redaction, Rhetoric, and History (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2021); Richard Ascough, 1 & 2 Thessalonians: Encountering the Christ Group at Thessalonike (London: T&T Clark, 2017), 25–26; Paul Duff, Moses in Corinth: The Apologetic Context of 2 Corinthians 3 (Leiden: Brill, 2015); J. Albert Harrill, Paul the Apostle: His Life and Legacy in Their Roman Context (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012). And some letters are redactions of others”. Adjust the author index and bibliography accordingly.
On p. 515: Completely replace the content of note 9 with the following (and update the author index and bibliography as needed): For lists of alleged instances of Paul referencing a historical Jesus, see: Christine Jacobi, “Pauline Epistles,” in The Reception of Jesus in the First Three Centuries, Volume 1: From Paul to Josephus (ed. Helen Bond; London: T&T Clark, 2019), 3–38; and Craig Blomberg, ‘Quotations, Allusions, and Echoes of Jesus in Paul’, in Studies in the Pauline Epistles: Festschrift for Douglas J. Moo (ed. Matt Harmon and Jay Smith; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014), 129–43. Other helpful lists include: Stephen Thompson, ‘What Did Paul Know about the Life and Teachings of Jesus?’ StephenBlogs (May 17, 2013) at tinyurl.com/y2vncf4y; Barrie Wilson, ‘If We Only Had Paul, What Would We Know of Jesus?’, presentation for the International Conference on the Arts & Humanities at Honolulu in January, 2008 (available at tinyurl.com/mvb9vp8b); and Gregory Jenks, ‘What did Paul know about Jesus?’, The Fourth R 12.1 (2000), pp. 1–8. Others I will cite in coming notes. I address them all in this chapter.
On p. 522: Append to the last sentence of note 23 (and adjust the author index): ; and Blomberg, “Quotations, Allusions, and Echoes.”
On p. 525: In n. 29 replace “scribal insertion” with “scribal emendation”; then delete “I suspect Paul did write this and meant a different person” but keep the comma so “someone well known…” continues the sentence; then delete “, but it’s impossible to know for sure” leaving the period to end the sentence. Then add the sentence “I now suspect Paul wrote ‘Cephas’ in those adjacent verses and later scribes changed it to Peter, possibly confusing a marginal gloss for a correction (later manuscripts then show this process expanding to other verses in Galatians).”
On p. 527: Add a footnote to the sentence ending with “less impressive in person.” as following (and add cited source to the bibliography and author index): See Ryan Schellenberg, ‘τὸ ἐν λόγῳ ἰδιωτικὸν τοῦ Ἀποστόλου: Revisiting Patristic Testimony on Paul’s Rhetorical Education’, Novum Testamentum 54.4 (2012): 354–68.
On p. 531: “This is all in agreement with minimal mythicism, and in fact sounds a lot like the Ascension of Isaiah and the Ignatian mini-gospel (see Chapter 8, §7)”. Should be §6.
On p. 538: “In Heb. 13.13 the author claims to be a companion of Timothy”. Should be 13.23 (and adjust the Scripture Index accordingly).
On p. 539: After “before all the canonical Gospels.” add a footnote (and adjust bibliography and author index accordingly): I am not alone. See, e.g., Philip Church, Hebrews and the Temple: Attitudes to the Temple in Second Temple Judaism and in Hebrews (Leiden: Brill, 2017), pp. 16–17.
On p. 558: “with words also being spoken by the celestial being conducting it.” Add: , which is again ‘the Lord’
On p. 567: “the future judgment (e.g. Rom. 2.5; 3.5-6; 4.15)”. Should be “the future judgment (e.g. Rom. 2.5–11, 3.5-6, 4.15; 1 Thess. 1.10; 1 Cor. 5.5; Gal. 6.8; Phil. 3.18–20)”.
On p. 568: “persecuting the church (1:13-14, 23)”. Should be: “persecuting the church (Gal. 1.13–14, 23)”
On p. 569: “repeatedly clear (e.g. Rom. 11.25-28; likewise Rom. 2.5; 3.5-6; 4.15; even 1 Thess. 1.10)” Should be: “repeatedly clear (e.g. Rom. 2, 4.14–16, 9.24, 11.25–28, 15.1–13; cf. 1 Cor 10.32 and 2 Cor. 11:21–23)”.
On p. 575: “from the tribe Judah, and” should be “from the tribe Judah, Rom. 11.26 says scripture foretold that the Christ would come ‘from Zion’ (meaning genealogically, not geographically, hence supporting Paul’s conclusion from it that “all Israel’ would be saved, in the sense of the people, not the land), and”. And update the scripture index accordingly.
On p. 576: replace the sentence “Later Jewish legend imagined … doing the same” with “In medieval Jewish legend, the demoness Igrath collected semen from sleeping men, even from David himself, to beget rival kings, so surely God could do one better.” Then simplify n. 85 to just contain the citation, and update that to the latest edition of the source: Geoffrey Dennis, Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism, 2nd ed. (Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn, 2016), p. 208. And update bibliography accordingly.
On p. 590: “(compare Rom. 7.23; 13.9; etc.)” should be “(compare Rom. 13.9, which better reflects the kind of construction Paul would have plugged those words into)” and “(as Paul usually does:” with “(the kind of construction Paul usually uses for saying similar things:”; and “as anticipated in 1.17” should be “as anticipated in 1 Gal. 1.17”.
On p. 598: Near bottom-left of the first table should switch “P(e/h) / P(e|¬h)” for “P(e|¬h) / P(e/h) “.
On p. 625: Delete ‘The Date of the Nativity’ … as superfluous (that was already replaced). Delete ‘Herod the Procurator’ … as superfluous (that was already replaced). Delete ‘On the Dual Office of Procurator and Prefect’ … as superfluous (that was already replaced).
On p. 683: Add to the index after “Christ” the following: Christs (Josephan), 68–72, 245–46
On p. 684: Add to the index after “demons” the following: Didache, 266–70n25, 271, 316n45, 326n70, 607
On p. 685: Add to the index after “Epistles (canonical)” the following: Epistles (editing of), 262, 280n50, 510-11
On p. 685: For “Eucharist” in the index add page 99. And under “Epistles (canonical)” add to the list of cross-referenced entries ending with “Revelation, Romans, Thessalonians” a reference as well to “, pastiche theory”.
On p. 690: Add to the index after “miracles and signs” the following: Miriam’s well, 456
On p. 691: Add to the index after “Mithraism” the following: monotheism. See henotheism
On p. 691: Add to the index after “Passover” the following: pastiche theory, 280n50, 262, 511. See also Epistles (canonical)

⌘

The Sequel:

2024 marked the 10th anniversary of OHJ’s publication. A Revised Edition of OHJ was released in 2023, and that has now replaced the original in print. It has the same pagination and merely corrects a plethora of typos and minor errors (as listed below). My publisher expressed interest in a new volume, originally imagined as just a more substantively updated edition of OHJ (not a mere Revised Edition but a full Second Edition, including the changes listed above). But after consulting with them and others I decided it needs to be a second volume rather than a second edition, which would address the top controversies and developments launched over the past decade since On the Historicity of Jesus.

This makes sense, as I am finding that the sorts of things I would change in a second edition are not very substantive: updating the references to cover publications since 2014 (none of which change any conclusions but only reinforce them); updating the wording in some passages to head off the kinds of disingenuous misreadings of the original that critics have undertaken (none of which is necessary for a sincere reader); and adding responses to, at least, those critics who attempted anything like a proper academic review (as in, published in a real academic journal). But that last can be accomplished in more fitting ways: with dedicated chapters on those points in a new volume (rather than adding pages to the already overlong OHJ, which would be necessary even if I could find material safe to subtract).

That second volume was published in 2025 as The Obsolete Paradigm of a Historical Jesus.

⌘

Changes Already Made in the 2023 Revised Edition:

p. v (line 2):

The page number for the Preface should be xi, not ix.

p. v (line 10):

The page number for section 7 should be 15, not 14.

p. 4 (line 30):

The “conclude most are” should be “conclude most aren’t” (italicization the same).

p. 6 (n. 9, lines 6, 7-8, and 16):

The URLs should be replaced, switching out “freethoughtblogs.com/carrier/archives/1794” for “richardcarrier.info/archives/1794” and “freethoughtblogs.com/ carrier/archives/category/bart-ehrman” for “richardcarrier.info/?s=Bart+Ehrman” and “http://freethoughtblogs.com/carrier/archives/4282” for “richardcarrier.info/archives/4282”

p. 12 (line 8):

“or relies of facts” should be “or relies on facts”

p. 19 (line 4):

“this point elegantly:” should be “this point elegantly…” [i.e. replacing “:” with “…” for added clarity].

p. 21 (line 18):

“romances” should be “romantics”.

p. 28 (line 10):

“maybe 25%” should be “close to 25%”.

p. 31 (line 19):

“Johanine” should be “Johannine”.

p. 36 n. 1:

“Corpus christianorum: series apocryphorum” should be in italics.
And afterward should be “(CCSA)” with CCSA in italics.

p. 39 n. 3:

Ditto

p. 44 (last par., line 2):

“see Chapter 4, Element 44” should be “see Chapter 5, Element 44”.

p. 44 (last par., line 4):

The word “authentic” is supposed to be “inauthentic”.

p. 45 (second par., line 12):

“Chapter 11” should be “chap. 11”.

p. 46 (n. 9, line 2):

“Patrologiae cursus completus: series graeca” should be in italics.

p. 48 n. 11:

“Corpus christianorum: series apocryphorum” should be in italics.

p. 60 (second para., line 13):

“see Chapter 6, §2)” should be “see Chapter 6, §3)”.

p. 61 (second full par., line 2):

The “as any hanging up” should be “any hanging up”.

p. 61 (second from last line on page):

The “and 8.7,” should be “and 8.7),”.

pp. 64-65 (n. 12):

Should replace the URL, switching out “http://freethoughtblogs.com/carrier/archives/166” for “richardcarrier.info/archives/166”

p. 83 (element 7, paragraph 1):

“ferver” should be “fervor”.

p. 91 (n. 62, line 4):

Should read “it pleased Jehovah to nail him up”

p. 96 n. 71:

Author “Alvarez” should be “Alvar”.

p. 98 (line 12):

Author “Alvarez” should be “Alvar”.

p. 98 n. 76:

Author “Alvarez” should be “Alvar”.

p. 98 n. 77:

Author “Alvarez” should be “Alvar”.

p. 103 n. 86 (line 6):

Author “Alvarez” should be “Alvar”.

p. 109 (second para., line 4):

“(see Element 12)” should be “(see Element 11)”.

p. 113 (line 23):

“As does Origen, Ignatius” should be “As do Origen, Ignatius”.

p. 138 (line 25):

“In Rom. 8.2, Paul says” should be “Even Ignatius said (in Rom. 8.2),”.

p. 156 (line 18):

“Element 28.” should be “Element 28:”

p. 165 (line 20):

“(Gal. 2.17; 2 Cor. 11.26)” should be “(Gal. 1.17; 2 Cor. 11.32)”.

p. 165 (n. 27, line 1):

“see Element 10” should be “see Element 11”.

p. 169 (line 15):

“and the cult of Marduk” should be “and possibly the cult of Marduk”

p. 169 (n. 34, line 11):

“For Marduk specifically, see” should be “For Marduk specifically, see the debate summarized in Mettinger, Riddle, pp. 21-25, and”

p. 171 (n. 39, line 11):

“Justin Martyr, Apology 1.69″ should be “Justin Martyr, Apology 1.21 and Dialogue 69″.

p. 200 (line 6):

“a supernatural son of God named Jesus” should be “a supernatural son of God possibly even named Jesus”.

p. 200 (line 7):

“Philo interprets the” should be “Philo seems to interpret the”.

p. 203 (top of second paragraph):

“I have heard doubts whether Philo (or his source) was aware of the whole sentence he quotes from Zechariah and thus of the name ‘Jesus’ being in it.” should be “Some doubt whether Philo knew he was quoting Zechariah or was speaking of the figure there named ‘Jesus’.”
“Nearly the whole sentence in Zechariah, in the Greek translation quoted by Philo” should be “The sentence in Zechariah in the Greek quoted by Philo”.

p. 203 (line 27-30):

The “in bold thus” should be “in bold) thus”.
The “and in the very same sentence names him Jesus” should be “and Philo evidently thought this sentence names him Jesus (even if its original author didn’t intend that)”.
The “far too improbable” should be “too improbable”.

p. 204 (line 11):

“was aware of the fact that” should be “also thought that”

p. 229 (n. 188):

“Alan Segal” should be “Alan Dundes”.
After the citation ending “(1990)” should be added a clause to close the sentence as follows: “, whose interpretations I employ, updating the criteria to match.”

p. 230 (n. 191, line 1):

“Segal” should be “Dundes”.

pp. 231-32 (n. 193):

For scoring Alexander the Great it should read “1-4 and 10,” not “2-4 and 9-10”; and it should read “for only 9 points” instead of “for only 10 points”.

p. 241 (n. 11):

Fix the brackets as follows: [(5/6) x (1/2)] / [[(5/6) x (1/2)] + [(1/6) x (1/4)]] = (5/12) / [(5/12) + (1/24)] = (10/24) / [(10/24) + (1/24)]

p. 241 (n. 12):

Fix the brackets as follows: [(240/264) x (1/500)] / [[(240/264) x (1/500)] + [(24/264) x (1/25)]] = (240/132,000) / [(240/132,000) + (24/6600)] = (240/132,000) / [(240/132,000) + (480/132,000)]

p. 244 (n. 16):

Fix the brackets as follows: [(5/6) x (1/1000)] / [[(5/6) x (1/1000)] + [(1/6) x (1/100)]] = (5/6000) / [(5/6000) + (1/600)] = (1/1200) / [(5/6000) + (10/6000)]

p. 257 (n. 6):

Replace “Many claims to the contrary exist but all are unfounded” with “Claims to the contrary are unfounded” and “, e.g., is a medieval fake” with “is a medieval fake”.
Strike “See also Steven Schafersman’s ‘Skeptical Shroud of Turin Website’ (http://freeinquiry.com/skeptic/shroud); and the Skeptic’s Dictionary entry on the ‘Shroud of Turin’ (http://www.skepdic.com/shroud.html)” and replace it with “See also materials provided by McCrone (mccroneinstitute.org/v/64/the-shroud-of-turin), Schafersman (tinyurl.com/y62eea64), CFI (tinyurl.com/y6go4sgq), and the Skeptic’s Dictionary (skepdic.com/shroud.html)”.

p. 258 (n. 8, last line):

“see Chapter 10, §5” should be “see p. 459”.

p. 270 (line 16):

“only regard as reliable” should be “only regard as usable”.

p. 270 (n. 35, line 3-4):

Should replace the URL, switching out “http://freethoughtblogs. com/carrier/archives/2669” for “richardcarrier.info/archives/2669”

p. 277 (bottom of second paragraph):

“effect our” should be “affect our”.

p. 277 (n. 46, line 4-5):

Should replace the URL, switching out “http://freethoughtblogs.com/ carrier/archives/389” for “richardcarrier.info/archives/389”

p. 295 (bottom of second paragraph):

Should read: “Testimonium Taciteum, §10”

p. 307 (n. 39, line 2):

Hyperlink www.athenapub.com/egypap1.html is now tinyurl.com/yxwrhqku

p. 308 (third paragraph, line 9):

“state of affairs as well as” should just be “state of affairs as”

p. 330 (n. 75, line 2):

Should read: “Ps. 117.19-20 (LXX)”

p. 332 (n. 79):

[No correction here needed, but just FYI my article on Josephus in _JECS_ is also now more accessible in Hitler Homer Bible Christ.]

p. 335 (second para., line 8):

“so surely Origin” should be “so surely Origen”.

p. 337 (n. 88, six lines from the bottom):

“Wheeley” should be “Whealey”.

p. 344 (line 11):

“They key line here” should be “The key line here”.

p. 344 (n. 101):

[No correction here needed, but just FYI my article on Tacitus in _VCh_ is also now more accessible in Hitler Homer Bible Christ.]

p. 346 (line 5):

The “it’s esoteric” should be “its esoteric” (italicization the same).

p. 364 (line 24-25):

“Acts 6.9-10” should be “Acts 16.9-10”.

p. 378 (line 25):

“hay out that” should be “hay out of that”.

p. 383 (first par., line 1-2):

The phrase “garment torn from Stephen” should be “garments tossed from Stephen’s accusers”.

p. 386 (line 13):

The entry “8/25” should read “18/25” (the remainder of the math is correct).

p. 399 (first paragraph, line 5):

“fisherman” should be “fishermen”.

p. 400 (line 24):

“insisted the messiah had be” should be “insisted the messiah had to be”

p. 408 (n. 49, line 6):

“borrowing from Ps. 30.5” should be “borrowing from Ps. 31.5 (30.5 LXX)”.

p. 412 (n. 55, line 2):

The author “Benedikston” should be “Benediktson”.

p. 417 (line 4):

The “mana” should be “manna”.

p. 417 (lines 21-23):

[Strike the whole sentence “And in the Jairus narrative Jesus takes only his top three apostles with him into the bed chamber (the pillars Peter, James and John: Mk 5.37), just as Moses is told to take only three elders with him to strike the rock (Exod. 17.5).” Ensure subsequent pagination remains the same. I think this came from a peer-reviewed work by Moshe Barach, in Egypt: Temple of the Whole World, p. 5, but I have since been unable to figure out where he got a reading of “three” in Exodus. Unless someone can adduce a variant reading of such, the argument must be struck as incorrect.]

p. 447 (line 19):

“and were then crucified” should be “, which were then crucified”.

p. 457 (n. 139, second line from bottom):

“Gos. Pet. 14.50-60″ should be “Gos. Pet. 50-60″.

p. 459 n. 143: “Chapter 8, §7” should be “n. 68 in Chapter 8, §7”.

p. 472 (line 8):

The “it’s key” should be “its key”.

p. 476 (table, col. 1, row 5):

The “17.13-14” should be “17.19-20”.

p. 495 (last block for Jn 4.43-53):

The word “miracle” should be in bold.

p. 495 (bottom of first paragraph, below diagram):

“their structural” should be “its structural”.

p. 507 (line 7):

“in determing the prior” should be “in determining the prior”

p. 511 (line 7):

The “response peaked” should be “response piqued”.

p. 515 (n. 9):

“by Dave Mack” should be “by Stephen Thompson”, “_bibleLAD_” should be “_StephenBlogs_” and the URL “http://biblelad.wordpress.com/category/historical-jesus-2” should be replaced with “tinyurl.com/y2vncf4y”.

p. 516 (line 6):

“Rom. 15.25-26” is supposed to be “Rom. 16.25-26”.

p. 516 (n. 10, line 4):

Should replace the URL, switching out “http://freethoughtblogs.com/carrier/archives/2839” for “richardcarrier.info/archives/2839”

p. 519 (footnote):

“P(none) = 1 − (0.05)⁶⁰ = 0.046 (rounded)” should be “P(none) = (1 − 0.05)⁶⁰ = 0.046 (rounded)” [i.e., the opening parenthesis was in the wrong place].

p. 529 (line 2):

“Instead, Jas. 5.11 imagines that” should be “Instead, Jas. 5.11 imagines that (if referring to Jesus and not Job)”.

p. 530 (line 30):

“22.4” should be “2.24”.

p. 531 (lines 10-11):

The “or the way James” should be “or the way James might have”.

p. 549 (first paragraph):

The citation for the top quote of “Heb. 5.8-9” should read Heb. 5.7-9.
And it should end “and was perfected…” rather than simply “and was perfected”.

p. 554 (line 34):

The “peak at this process” should be “peek at this process”.

p. 555 (second paragraph, line 3):

“Render under” should be “Render unto”.

p. 559 (n. 60, line 7):

“are called the ‘the” should just be “are called the”.

p. 575 (line 6):

“in Paul, one” should be “in Paul: one”.

p. 576 (n. 85):

“In later Jewish legend, the demoness Igrath was believed to collect semen from sleeping men, and once did so from David himself, using his sperm to beget rival kings” should be “In medieval Jewish legend, the demoness Igrath collected semen from sleeping men, even from David himself, to beget rival kings”.
Add a sentence at the end of the note: “And the angel Laylah did something akin: b. Niddah 16.” [Italicizing “b. Niddah”]

p. 578 (n. 87, line 2):

“whom he says” should be “who he says”.

p. 601 (second paragraph, line 8 below the equation):

“1/40% of 1%” should be “1/40th of 1%”.

p. 604 (line 32):

The “last five chapters (7 through 10)” should be “last five chapters (7 through 11)”.

p. 619 (alpha):

The author “Alvarez” should be “Alvar”.

p. 621 (alpha):

The author “Benedikston” should be “Benediktson”.

p. 625 (second, sixth, and forteenth entries):

Should replace the URLs, switching out “http://freethoughtblogs.com/carrier/archives/166” for “richardcarrier.info/archives/166” and “http://freethoughtblogs.com/carrier/archives/4282” for “richardcarrier.info/archives/4282” and “http://freethoughtblogs.com/carrier/archives/2669” for “richardcarrier.info/archives/2669”

p. 626 (fifteenth entry):

Should replace the URL, switching out “http://freethoughtblogs.com/carrier/archives/389” for “https://tinyurl.com/y3tjka43”

p. 634:

Should strike the line for Fox.

p. 642:

In between Landau and Lang, should add “Lane Fox, Robin, Pagans and Christians (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1987).”

p. 644:

[The entire entry for Dave Mack should be struck, and relocated to p. 656, with the author listed there as “Thompson, Stephen,” to be inserted after the entry for Thompson, P.J. Also “_bibleLAD_” should be “_StephenBlogs_” and the URL “http://biblelad.wordpress.com/category/historical-jesus-2” should be replaced with “tinyurl.com/y2vncf4y”.]

p. 647 (alpha):

In between “Nordgaard, Stefan” and “Novenson, Matthew” should be the following line: “Norelli, Enrico, CCSA 7–8 (Turnhout: Brepols, 1995)” with the “CCSA” in italics.

p. 653 (alpha):

Under Segal, “In Quest of the Hero (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1990).” should not be listed here, but in a new entry for “Dundes, Alan” that belongs on p. 630 after the entry for Drury.

p. 663 (line 1):

Replace “372, 417, 529” with “372, 529”.

p. 669:

The first column for 2 Corinthians should have an entry for 8:9 pointing to page 570.

p. 671:

The entry for Hebrews at 5:8-9 should read 5:7-9.

p. 672 (alpha):

The author “Alvarez” should be “Alvar”.
The author “Benedikston” should be “Benediktson”.

p. 674 (alpha):

In between “Droge, A.” and “Dunn, J.” should be “Dundes, A., 229–30”.
Should strike “Fox, R.L.112, 125, 634”.

p. 675:

In between “Griffiths” and “Gruen” include “Grobel, K., 503, 636″.

p. 676:

In between Landau and Lang, should add “Lane Fox, R.112, 125, 642″.

p. 677:

[The entry for Mack, D. needs to be struck and on p. 679, after Thompson, P.J, there needs to be inserted “Thompson, S. 515, 656”.]
In between “Nordgaard, S.” and “Novenson, M.” should be “Norelli, E., 36, 39, 48”.

p. 679:

In “Segal, A. 66, 105, 127, 146, 189, 229- 30, 367, 652” drop the “229–30”.

p. 682:

[There should be an entry for Aristides, between the entries for Arimathea and Arrian, to read as “Aristides 274n41”.]

p. 685 (entry for “Eusebius”):

The “194n22” should read “294n22”.

p. 693:

[There should be an entry for Polycarp between the entries for Plutarch and Pontius, to read as “Polycarp 158n8, 202n124, 316n46, 323-24” with the “316n46” and “323-24” both in bold.]
[There should be an entry for Quadratus, between the entries for Q and Qumran, to read as “Quadratus (the Christian) 274n41”.]

p. 695:

Between “trial of Jesus” and “Twelve (apostles)” put “Turin, Shroud of” with page numbers 257, 636, 645, 647.