History for Atheists Sun, 15 Mar 2026 15:11:19 -0400 https://historyforatheists.com/ en-gb © 2026 History for Atheists yes 7397cb9c-193d-51c7-927a-e7d9432d349e Tim O'Neill episodic false Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) Tim O'Neill https://storage.buzzsprout.com/xash9x6q807qwgnfkqkqooqbao58?.jpg History for Atheists https://historyforatheists.com/ Prof Bart Ehrman on Jesus Mythicism Prof Bart Ehrman on Jesus Mythicism My very special guest today is Professor Bart Ehrman. Bart will need no introduction for most people, but in case you aren’t aware: he is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the author of over 30 books on early Christianity and New Testament studies, including the best sellers Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why and Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible. Those and other books have made him the bête noire of Christian fundamentalists. But his book Did Jesus Exist: The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth also made him deeply unpopular – predictably – with Jesus Mythicists, since he holds that fringe theory in very low regard.

So today, thanks to generous donations from people I’ll thank by name at the end of this interview, I have the great pleasure of discussing Jesus Mythicism with Dr Ehrman. We cover a lot of ground in just one hour and I’m sure some of what he says is going to set the cat among certain pigeons. So please enjoy my conversation with Professor Bart Ehrman.

]]> My very special guest today is Professor Bart Ehrman. Bart will need no introduction for most people, but in case you aren’t aware: he is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the author of over 30 books on early Christianity and New Testament studies, including the best sellers Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why and Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible. Those and other books have made him the bête noire of Christian fundamentalists. But his book Did Jesus Exist: The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth also made him deeply unpopular – predictably – with Jesus Mythicists, since he holds that fringe theory in very low regard.

So today, thanks to generous donations from people I’ll thank by name at the end of this interview, I have the great pleasure of discussing Jesus Mythicism with Dr Ehrman. We cover a lot of ground in just one hour and I’m sure some of what he says is going to set the cat among certain pigeons. So please enjoy my conversation with Professor Bart Ehrman.

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-18315928 Mon, 08 Dec 2025 16:00:00 +1100 3665 5 5 full false Dr Dan McClellan on the Hebrew Bible Dr Dan McClellan on the Hebrew Bible My guest today is Dr Dan McClellan. Dan is the presenter of the Data over Dogma podcast and a public educator who has won the Society of Biblical Literature's 2023 Richards Award for Public Scholarship for his YouTube and TikTok videos on the academic study of the Bible. He is also the author of The Bible Says So: What We Get Right (and Wrong) About Scripture's Most Controversial Issues (2025). Dan holds a Masters in Jewish Studies from Oxford and did his doctorate in Hebrew Bible Studies under Francesca Stavrakopoulou at Exeter University. Dan spends a lot of his time correcting erroneous and simplistic ideas about the Hebrew Bible, called the Old Testament by Christians, held by Christian fundamentalists and Biblical literalists. But I’ve found many of my fellow atheists have similarly poor understanding of these texts and their cultural contexts. So I invited Dan to discuss what current critical scholarship can tell us about this subject and asked him about some common claims about the Hebrew biblical texts made by atheists. So I hope you enjoy my conversation with Dan McClellan.

]]> My guest today is Dr Dan McClellan. Dan is the presenter of the Data over Dogma podcast and a public educator who has won the Society of Biblical Literature's 2023 Richards Award for Public Scholarship for his YouTube and TikTok videos on the academic study of the Bible. He is also the author of The Bible Says So: What We Get Right (and Wrong) About Scripture's Most Controversial Issues (2025). Dan holds a Masters in Jewish Studies from Oxford and did his doctorate in Hebrew Bible Studies under Francesca Stavrakopoulou at Exeter University. Dan spends a lot of his time correcting erroneous and simplistic ideas about the Hebrew Bible, called the Old Testament by Christians, held by Christian fundamentalists and Biblical literalists. But I’ve found many of my fellow atheists have similarly poor understanding of these texts and their cultural contexts. So I invited Dan to discuss what current critical scholarship can tell us about this subject and asked him about some common claims about the Hebrew biblical texts made by atheists. So I hope you enjoy my conversation with Dan McClellan.

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-17916777 Sun, 28 Sep 2025 14:00:00 +1000 3747 5 4 full false Dr Thomas C. Schmidt on Josephus' Testimonium Dr Thomas C. Schmidt on Josephus' Testimonium My guest today is Dr Thomas C. Schmidt of Fairfield University. Tom has just published an interesting new book through Oxford University Press: Josephus and Jesus – New Evidence for the One Called Christ. In it he makes a detailed case for the authenticity of the Testimonium Flavianum; the much disputed passage about Jesus in Book 18 of Flavius Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews. Not only does he argue that Josephus wrote about Jesus as this point in his book, but he also argues that the passage we have is substantially what Josephus wrote. This is a distinctive position among scholars, who usually argue that it has at least be significantly changed and added to, with a minority arguing for it being a wholesale interpolation. So I hope you enjoy my conversation with Tom Schmidt about his provocative new book.

You can download Tom’s book here: https://josephusandjesus.com/purchase-page/

]]> My guest today is Dr Thomas C. Schmidt of Fairfield University. Tom has just published an interesting new book through Oxford University Press: Josephus and Jesus – New Evidence for the One Called Christ. In it he makes a detailed case for the authenticity of the Testimonium Flavianum; the much disputed passage about Jesus in Book 18 of Flavius Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews. Not only does he argue that Josephus wrote about Jesus as this point in his book, but he also argues that the passage we have is substantially what Josephus wrote. This is a distinctive position among scholars, who usually argue that it has at least be significantly changed and added to, with a minority arguing for it being a wholesale interpolation. So I hope you enjoy my conversation with Tom Schmidt about his provocative new book.

You can download Tom’s book here: https://josephusandjesus.com/purchase-page/

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-17512297 Wed, 16 Jul 2025 10:00:00 +1000 5964 full false Dr Ada Palmer on Myths of "the Renaissance" Dr Ada Palmer on Myths of "the Renaissance" My guest today is Dr Ada Palmer, Associate Professor of Early Modern European History at the University of Chicago and author Inventing the Renaissance: Myths of a Golden Age. I must say I haven’t enjoyed reading a book as much as this one in quite some time. Dr Palmer takes the traditional idea of the Renaissance – that it was a glorious rebirth of reason, artistic mastery and secular thinking after a centuries long dark age – and shows this is almost entirely nonsense. She then takes the reader on a remarkable tour of the people, places and periods we can associate with “the Renaissance” and shows – as usual – the real history is so much more complex, varied and interesting than the pop history cliches. It’s a highly engaging, chatty and personable read  – she manages to make some very complex history rather fun.

So it was no surprise to find Ada Palmer is as much fun in person as she is on the page. We had a long discussion about the common misconceptions about the concept of “the Renaissance”, the myth of “the Dark Ages” and the misunderstanding of how secular and non-religious these people and periods were or were not. So I hope you enjoy my conversation with Dr Ada Palmer as much as I did.

]]> My guest today is Dr Ada Palmer, Associate Professor of Early Modern European History at the University of Chicago and author Inventing the Renaissance: Myths of a Golden Age. I must say I haven’t enjoyed reading a book as much as this one in quite some time. Dr Palmer takes the traditional idea of the Renaissance – that it was a glorious rebirth of reason, artistic mastery and secular thinking after a centuries long dark age – and shows this is almost entirely nonsense. She then takes the reader on a remarkable tour of the people, places and periods we can associate with “the Renaissance” and shows – as usual – the real history is so much more complex, varied and interesting than the pop history cliches. It’s a highly engaging, chatty and personable read  – she manages to make some very complex history rather fun.

So it was no surprise to find Ada Palmer is as much fun in person as she is on the page. We had a long discussion about the common misconceptions about the concept of “the Renaissance”, the myth of “the Dark Ages” and the misunderstanding of how secular and non-religious these people and periods were or were not. So I hope you enjoy my conversation with Dr Ada Palmer as much as I did.

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-17259804 Sun, 01 Jun 2025 13:00:00 +1000 6138 5 2 full false Dr Nathan Johnstone Interview - New Atheist Bad History Dr Nathan Johnstone Interview - New Atheist Bad History My guest today is Dr Nathan Johnstone. Nathan is the author of the excellent 2018 book, The New Atheism, Myth and History: The Black Legends of Contemporary Anti-Religion. Like me, Nathan is an unbeliever. And, like me, he has been concerned at the way many of our more anti-theistic fellow atheists have misused history in their arguments. His book covers many of the same examples of this as the articles on my site History for Atheist, so it was a great pleasure to get the chance to sit down with him and discuss this subject. We talk less about the examples of anti-theistic bad history and more about why the New Atheist movement tends to bungle history so badly and the sources and motivations of the flawed historiography their arguments depend on. We also discuss whether the New Atheist moment has passed. 

]]> My guest today is Dr Nathan Johnstone. Nathan is the author of the excellent 2018 book, The New Atheism, Myth and History: The Black Legends of Contemporary Anti-Religion. Like me, Nathan is an unbeliever. And, like me, he has been concerned at the way many of our more anti-theistic fellow atheists have misused history in their arguments. His book covers many of the same examples of this as the articles on my site History for Atheist, so it was a great pleasure to get the chance to sit down with him and discuss this subject. We talk less about the examples of anti-theistic bad history and more about why the New Atheist movement tends to bungle history so badly and the sources and motivations of the flawed historiography their arguments depend on. We also discuss whether the New Atheist moment has passed. 

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-16534449 Fri, 31 Jan 2025 06:00:00 +1100 4439 5 1 full false Dr David Perry Interview - The "Dark Ages" Dr David Perry Interview - The "Dark Ages" My guest today is Dr David M. Perry . David is a medieval historian and author of several books, including The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe and the forthcoming Oathbreakers, both co-authored with Matthew Gabriele. He has taught medieval history at Dominican University and is currently the Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies at the University of Minnesota. The Bright Ages sought to refute common misconceptions about the Middle Ages and counter the misconception that this period was a “dark age” of unrelieved brutality, ignorance, oppression and backwardness. So today David and I will be talking about the concept of the Medieval Period as “a dark age”, the origins of this idea and why it’s a poor way of understanding a complex 1000 year period of history.

https://www.davidmperry.com/the-bright-ages/

]]> My guest today is Dr David M. Perry . David is a medieval historian and author of several books, including The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe and the forthcoming Oathbreakers, both co-authored with Matthew Gabriele. He has taught medieval history at Dominican University and is currently the Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies at the University of Minnesota. The Bright Ages sought to refute common misconceptions about the Middle Ages and counter the misconception that this period was a “dark age” of unrelieved brutality, ignorance, oppression and backwardness. So today David and I will be talking about the concept of the Medieval Period as “a dark age”, the origins of this idea and why it’s a poor way of understanding a complex 1000 year period of history.

https://www.davidmperry.com/the-bright-ages/

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-16119781 Sun, 17 Nov 2024 17:00:00 +1100 3270 4 3 full false Dr Kipp Davis Interview - Jewish Apocalypticism Dr Kipp Davis Interview - Jewish Apocalypticism My guest today is Dr Kipp Davis. Kipp is a biblical scholar and an expert in early Jewish literature and history, with a focus on the Dead Sea Scrolls. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Manchester (2009), has held several professional academic appointments in Europe and North America, and has published widely on the topics related to the Bible, its creation, development and transmission in the Second Temple period. His work on manuscript forgeries in private collections and best practices for provenance research and conservation has been widely publicised in academic venues as well as in mainstream media. He presently works as a public facing scholar, and runs a YouTube channel where he regularly features videos and lectures promoting quality scholarship of the Bible.

Today I’ll be talking to Kipp about Jewish apocalyptic thought, apocalyptic writings and the relevance of these to an understanding of the historical Jesus.

Kipp’s video channel can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/@DrKippDavis

Share this:

]]> My guest today is Dr Kipp Davis. Kipp is a biblical scholar and an expert in early Jewish literature and history, with a focus on the Dead Sea Scrolls. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Manchester (2009), has held several professional academic appointments in Europe and North America, and has published widely on the topics related to the Bible, its creation, development and transmission in the Second Temple period. His work on manuscript forgeries in private collections and best practices for provenance research and conservation has been widely publicised in academic venues as well as in mainstream media. He presently works as a public facing scholar, and runs a YouTube channel where he regularly features videos and lectures promoting quality scholarship of the Bible.

Today I’ll be talking to Kipp about Jewish apocalyptic thought, apocalyptic writings and the relevance of these to an understanding of the historical Jesus.

Kipp’s video channel can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/@DrKippDavis

Share this:

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-15376015 Mon, 08 Jul 2024 11:00:00 +1000 5519 4 2 full false Hypatia - Myths and History Hypatia - Myths and History The story often told about Hypatia of Alexandria was that she was a great scientist, rationalist and scholar who was brutally murdered by a mob of Christians who hated her knowledge and learning, with her death ushering in the Dark Ages. But this story is mostly nonsense and the real history is far more complex and much more interesting. Contrary to the myths, she was not a modern-style scientist, she was far from an atheist or what we would regard as a rationalist and her murder was due to the complex city politics of her day, not some hatred of science and scholarship.

Further Reading

Alan Cameron, “Hypatia: Life, Death, and Works” in Wandering Poets and Other Essays on Late Greek Literature and Philosophy, pp. 37-80, (Oxford, 2016)

Thony Christie, “Hypatia – What do we Really Know?”, Renaissance Mathematicus, 2019

Maria Dzielska, Hypatia of Alexandria, (Harvard, 1995)

Peter Gainsford, “Cosmos #3 – Hypatia and the Library”, Kiwi Hellenist, 2018

Christopher Haas, Alexandria in Late Antiquity: Topography and Social Conflict (John Hopkins, 1997)

Spencer Alexander McDaniel, “Who was Hypatia Really?”, Tales of Times Forgotten, 2018

Edward J. Watts, Hypatia: The Life and Legend of an Ancient Philosopher, (Oxford, 2017)

Bryan J. Whitfield, “The Beauty of Reasoning: A Reexamination of Hypatia of Alexandria”, The Mathematics Educator, Vol.6:1 (1995), pp. 14-21

]]> The story often told about Hypatia of Alexandria was that she was a great scientist, rationalist and scholar who was brutally murdered by a mob of Christians who hated her knowledge and learning, with her death ushering in the Dark Ages. But this story is mostly nonsense and the real history is far more complex and much more interesting. Contrary to the myths, she was not a modern-style scientist, she was far from an atheist or what we would regard as a rationalist and her murder was due to the complex city politics of her day, not some hatred of science and scholarship.

Further Reading

Alan Cameron, “Hypatia: Life, Death, and Works” in Wandering Poets and Other Essays on Late Greek Literature and Philosophy, pp. 37-80, (Oxford, 2016)

Thony Christie, “Hypatia – What do we Really Know?”, Renaissance Mathematicus, 2019

Maria Dzielska, Hypatia of Alexandria, (Harvard, 1995)

Peter Gainsford, “Cosmos #3 – Hypatia and the Library”, Kiwi Hellenist, 2018

Christopher Haas, Alexandria in Late Antiquity: Topography and Social Conflict (John Hopkins, 1997)

Spencer Alexander McDaniel, “Who was Hypatia Really?”, Tales of Times Forgotten, 2018

Edward J. Watts, Hypatia: The Life and Legend of an Ancient Philosopher, (Oxford, 2017)

Bryan J. Whitfield, “The Beauty of Reasoning: A Reexamination of Hypatia of Alexandria”, The Mathematics Educator, Vol.6:1 (1995), pp. 14-21

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-14837538 Sat, 06 Apr 2024 17:00:00 +1100 3192 4 1 full false Dr Philipp Nothaft Interview - The Date of Christmas Dr Philipp Nothaft Interview - The Date of Christmas My guest today is Dr Philipp Nothaft. Philipp is a Fellow of All Souls Oxford and a historian specializing in astronomy, astrology and calendars in late antiquity, the Middle Ages and early modern Europe. He’s also the author of a key paper on the question of why Christmas falls on December 25th, which is our main topic today. It’s often claimed in pop history that Christians stole a pagan feast day and made it into Christmas, and this is a version of a thesis scholars developed in the late nineteenth century. But Philipp and several other recent scholars have bolstered an alternative theory that seems to fit the evidence better, as he’ll discuss with me today.

Further Reading

Steven Hijmans, “Sol Invictus, the Winter Solstice, and the Origins of Christmas”, Mouseion, Series III, Vol. 3, 2003, pp. 377-98 and his monograph Sol: Image and Meaning of the Sun in Roman Art and Religion Vol. 1 (Brill, 2022).
Thomas C. Schmidt, “Calculating December 25 as the Birth of Jesus in Hippolytus’ ‘Canon’ and ‘Chronicon’” Vigiliae Christianae Vol. 69, No. 5 (2015), pp. 542-563.
Philipp Nothaft, “Early Christian Chronology and the Origins of the Christmas Date: In Defense of the ‘Calculation … Theory'” Questions Liturgiques, 94 (2013), pp. 247-65.

]]> My guest today is Dr Philipp Nothaft. Philipp is a Fellow of All Souls Oxford and a historian specializing in astronomy, astrology and calendars in late antiquity, the Middle Ages and early modern Europe. He’s also the author of a key paper on the question of why Christmas falls on December 25th, which is our main topic today. It’s often claimed in pop history that Christians stole a pagan feast day and made it into Christmas, and this is a version of a thesis scholars developed in the late nineteenth century. But Philipp and several other recent scholars have bolstered an alternative theory that seems to fit the evidence better, as he’ll discuss with me today.

Further Reading

Steven Hijmans, “Sol Invictus, the Winter Solstice, and the Origins of Christmas”, Mouseion, Series III, Vol. 3, 2003, pp. 377-98 and his monograph Sol: Image and Meaning of the Sun in Roman Art and Religion Vol. 1 (Brill, 2022).
Thomas C. Schmidt, “Calculating December 25 as the Birth of Jesus in Hippolytus’ ‘Canon’ and ‘Chronicon’” Vigiliae Christianae Vol. 69, No. 5 (2015), pp. 542-563.
Philipp Nothaft, “Early Christian Chronology and the Origins of the Christmas Date: In Defense of the ‘Calculation … Theory'” Questions Liturgiques, 94 (2013), pp. 247-65.

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-14237624 Wed, 03 Jan 2024 11:00:00 +1100 3571 3 4 full false Prof. Ken Dark Interview - The Archaeology of Jesus' Nazareth Prof. Ken Dark Interview - The Archaeology of Jesus' Nazareth My guest today is Professor Ken Dark. Ken is Visiting Professor at King's College and formerly Professor of Archaeology and History at the University of Reading. His archaeological work has focused on Late Antiquity and the Byzantine Era, but, as he and I will discuss, this led him to study sites in Nazareth which will be the focus of our discussion today. His analysis of these sites is the focus of his new book  Archaeology of Jesus’ Nazareth (Oxford University Press, 2023) which draws on several papers he has published based on his examination of sites and finds in Nazareth. In today’s conversation we talk about the evidence regarding the town of Nazareth in Jesus’ time and, of course, eventually get to Rene Salm's crackpot theory that there was no such town in Jesus' time. This is a theory so stupid that even most Jesus Mythicists reject it, but it still has currency among far too many non-believers. Ken Dark will help us to understand why it’s complete nonsense.

Further Reading 

Dark, K., Archaeology of Jesus' Nazareth (Oxford University Press, 2023)

Dark, K., Roman-period and Byzantine Nazareth and its Hinterland (Routledge: London, 2020) 

Dark, K., The Sisters of Nazareth Convent - A Roman-Period, Byzantine and Crusader Site in Central Nazareth (Routledge: London, 2021) 

History for Atheists: Jesus Mythicism 5 - The Nazareth "Myth".

]]> My guest today is Professor Ken Dark. Ken is Visiting Professor at King's College and formerly Professor of Archaeology and History at the University of Reading. His archaeological work has focused on Late Antiquity and the Byzantine Era, but, as he and I will discuss, this led him to study sites in Nazareth which will be the focus of our discussion today. His analysis of these sites is the focus of his new book  Archaeology of Jesus’ Nazareth (Oxford University Press, 2023) which draws on several papers he has published based on his examination of sites and finds in Nazareth. In today’s conversation we talk about the evidence regarding the town of Nazareth in Jesus’ time and, of course, eventually get to Rene Salm's crackpot theory that there was no such town in Jesus' time. This is a theory so stupid that even most Jesus Mythicists reject it, but it still has currency among far too many non-believers. Ken Dark will help us to understand why it’s complete nonsense.

Further Reading 

Dark, K., Archaeology of Jesus' Nazareth (Oxford University Press, 2023)

Dark, K., Roman-period and Byzantine Nazareth and its Hinterland (Routledge: London, 2020) 

Dark, K., The Sisters of Nazareth Convent - A Roman-Period, Byzantine and Crusader Site in Central Nazareth (Routledge: London, 2021) 

History for Atheists: Jesus Mythicism 5 - The Nazareth "Myth".

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-13150719 Mon, 03 Jul 2023 15:00:00 +1000 5389 3 3 full false Joseph AP Wilson Interview - Was Paul Sexist? Joseph AP Wilson Interview - Was Paul Sexist? Both conservative Christians and many atheist activists point to 1Corinthians 14:34-35 and note how Paul forbids women to speak in church. The Christians do this to maintain that women should not preach and cannot be pastors or priests. The atheists usually do so to hold this up as evidence that Paul was a misogynist and Christianity is inherently sexist. But did Paul really write this? And was it Christianity which made the Greco-Roman world less egalitarian or was it actually … the other way around? In this interview, I speak with Dr Joseph A. P. Wilson of Fairfield University and explore these questions.

(Note to listeners: my apologies for the clicking in the background at various points in this conversation. It seems it was feedback from my headset’s mic.)

Further Reading:

Joseph A. P. Wilson, “Recasting Paul as a Chauvinist within the Western Text-Type Manuscript Tradition: Implications for the Authorship Debate on 1 Corinthians 14.34-35”, Religions, 2022, 13(5), p. 432

Ally Kateusz, “Women Leaders at the Table in Early Churches”, Pricilla Papers, Spring 2020, Vol. 34, No. 2. https://www.cbeinternational.org/resource/women-leaders-table-early-churches/

Dr Ally Kateusz on Early Christian Women: https://allykateusz.org/

]]> Both conservative Christians and many atheist activists point to 1Corinthians 14:34-35 and note how Paul forbids women to speak in church. The Christians do this to maintain that women should not preach and cannot be pastors or priests. The atheists usually do so to hold this up as evidence that Paul was a misogynist and Christianity is inherently sexist. But did Paul really write this? And was it Christianity which made the Greco-Roman world less egalitarian or was it actually … the other way around? In this interview, I speak with Dr Joseph A. P. Wilson of Fairfield University and explore these questions.

(Note to listeners: my apologies for the clicking in the background at various points in this conversation. It seems it was feedback from my headset’s mic.)

Further Reading:

Joseph A. P. Wilson, “Recasting Paul as a Chauvinist within the Western Text-Type Manuscript Tradition: Implications for the Authorship Debate on 1 Corinthians 14.34-35”, Religions, 2022, 13(5), p. 432

Ally Kateusz, “Women Leaders at the Table in Early Churches”, Pricilla Papers, Spring 2020, Vol. 34, No. 2. https://www.cbeinternational.org/resource/women-leaders-table-early-churches/

Dr Ally Kateusz on Early Christian Women: https://allykateusz.org/

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-12348123 Wed, 01 Mar 2023 07:00:00 +1100 4038 3 2 full false Cats and the Black Death Cats and the Black Death Some atheists and even some prominent scientists claim that the Black Death was caused or at least made worse by a wholesale massacre of cats ordered by the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages. But is this true? And where did this strange story come from?

]]> Some atheists and even some prominent scientists claim that the Black Death was caused or at least made worse by a wholesale massacre of cats ordered by the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages. But is this true? And where did this strange story come from?

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-12150350 Tue, 31 Jan 2023 11:00:00 +1100 2598 3 1 full false Sebastian Major Interview - Galileo and History Myths Sebastian Major Interview - Galileo and History Myths My guest today is Sebastian Major, writer and presenter of the excellent "Our Fake History" podcast. Sebastian recently presented a three part episode on the Galileo Affair, debunking the many historical myths surrounding Galileo. He did a fine job, but he also took on board some criticisms I had of what he said. And so he was also happy to come on "History for Atheists" to discuss Galileo, how hard it is to get complex history right and some thoughts about the persistence of bad history in the popular sphere.

I highly recommend Sebastian's work on "Our Fake History" and would encourage everyone to subscribe and listen to Sebastian's work: https://ourfakehistory.com/

On Galileo, there is my three part interview with Thony Christie which goes into what really happened and why in some depth. And there is also my article on the theological background and some myths about the 1633 trial:
https://historyforatheists.com/2022/0...

]]> My guest today is Sebastian Major, writer and presenter of the excellent "Our Fake History" podcast. Sebastian recently presented a three part episode on the Galileo Affair, debunking the many historical myths surrounding Galileo. He did a fine job, but he also took on board some criticisms I had of what he said. And so he was also happy to come on "History for Atheists" to discuss Galileo, how hard it is to get complex history right and some thoughts about the persistence of bad history in the popular sphere.

I highly recommend Sebastian's work on "Our Fake History" and would encourage everyone to subscribe and listen to Sebastian's work: https://ourfakehistory.com/

On Galileo, there is my three part interview with Thony Christie which goes into what really happened and why in some depth. And there is also my article on the theological background and some myths about the 1633 trial:
https://historyforatheists.com/2022/0...

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-11876595 Thu, 15 Dec 2022 17:00:00 +1100 3991 2 5 full false Pagan Halloween? Pagan Halloween? The idea that all the traditional holidays and festivals of the year are “pagan” in origin and were simply “stolen by the Church” is one that has permeated popular culture and is repeated without question in newspaper, magazine and online articles. Unfortunately, many anti-theistic polemicists cannot resist a chance to get in a jab at any aspect of Christianity being “really pagan”, so every October we see supposed rationalists parroting pseudo history about the “pagan origins of Halloween”, with no sign of any fact-checking, let alone engagement with scholarship. In fact, the claim that Halloween is “pagan” is largely a nineteenth century myth.

]]> The idea that all the traditional holidays and festivals of the year are “pagan” in origin and were simply “stolen by the Church” is one that has permeated popular culture and is repeated without question in newspaper, magazine and online articles. Unfortunately, many anti-theistic polemicists cannot resist a chance to get in a jab at any aspect of Christianity being “really pagan”, so every October we see supposed rationalists parroting pseudo history about the “pagan origins of Halloween”, with no sign of any fact-checking, let alone engagement with scholarship. In fact, the claim that Halloween is “pagan” is largely a nineteenth century myth.

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-11603349 Tue, 01 Nov 2022 06:00:00 +1100 2128 2 4 full false David Hutchings & James C. Ungureanu interview - The Conflict Thesis David Hutchings & James C. Ungureanu interview - The Conflict Thesis My guests today are David Hutchings and James C. Ungureanu, co-authors of Of Popes and Unicorns: Science, Christianity and How the Conflict Thesis Fooled the World. David is a physicist, science teacher and writer and James is a historian of science and religion. In this interview we discuss their book and the origin and impact of the Conflict Thesis - the pervasive but erroneous idea that religion and science have always been in conflict down the ages.

To buy the book: Of Popes and Unicorns: Science, Christianity and How the Conflict Thesis Fooled the World .

And for debunkings of many of the myths the Conflict Thesis is founded on, see History for Atheists: The Great Myths.  

]]> My guests today are David Hutchings and James C. Ungureanu, co-authors of Of Popes and Unicorns: Science, Christianity and How the Conflict Thesis Fooled the World. David is a physicist, science teacher and writer and James is a historian of science and religion. In this interview we discuss their book and the origin and impact of the Conflict Thesis - the pervasive but erroneous idea that religion and science have always been in conflict down the ages.

To buy the book: Of Popes and Unicorns: Science, Christianity and How the Conflict Thesis Fooled the World .

And for debunkings of many of the myths the Conflict Thesis is founded on, see History for Atheists: The Great Myths.  

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-10698574 Sun, 29 May 2022 14:00:00 +1000 4226 2 3 full false Is Easter Pagan? Is Easter Pagan? Every year fundamentalist Christians, New Agers, neo-pagans and many atheists loudly agree that Easter was not originally a Christian feast and was a pagan fertility festival stolen by Christianity. Unfortunately, despite what endless memes and pop history articles claim, this idea is complete nonsense. So is the claim that Easter eggs and the Easter Bunny are also originally pagan.

Easter, Ishtar, Eostre and Eggs

]]> Every year fundamentalist Christians, New Agers, neo-pagans and many atheists loudly agree that Easter was not originally a Christian feast and was a pagan fertility festival stolen by Christianity. Unfortunately, despite what endless memes and pop history articles claim, this idea is complete nonsense. So is the claim that Easter eggs and the Easter Bunny are also originally pagan.

Easter, Ishtar, Eostre and Eggs

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-10363023 Sat, 02 Apr 2022 09:00:00 +1100 1748 2 2 full false Derek Lambert Interview - Jesus Mythicism Derek Lambert Interview - Jesus Mythicism My guest today is Derek Lambert, the presenter of the excellent Mythvision video channel. Derek has been kind enough to have me on his channel several times over the last two years to discuss atheist bad history in general and Jesus Mythicism in particular. 

But today we are going to hear from Derek about his very interesting personal journey regarding his thoughts and conclusions about the historical Jesus. As he’ll detail for us, Derek began as a fundamentalist Christian, lost his belief, became an atheist and also became a Jesus Mythicist, coming to believe that there was no historical Jesus at all. But Derek displays an interesting combination of rigorous examination of the evidence, intellectual honesty and a remarkable open-mindedness. So he is always open to other people’s views, generous in consideration of alternatives and unstinting in following where the evidence seems to lead.

As a result of listening to and engaging with a wide range of scholars, Derek has come to reject Mythicism and now concludes that a historical Jesus most likely existed. And I was surprised and rather flattered to discover during our conversation that my articles on History for Atheists had something to do with this transition. We also discuss why he found Mythicism appealing and why he feels this fringe idea has a hold on many atheists despite being rejected by almost all scholars.

So please enjoy my fascinating conversation with the always enthusiastic, upbeat and very interesting Derek Lambert.

https://mythvisionpodcast.com/

https://historyforatheists.com/jesus-mythicism/

]]> My guest today is Derek Lambert, the presenter of the excellent Mythvision video channel. Derek has been kind enough to have me on his channel several times over the last two years to discuss atheist bad history in general and Jesus Mythicism in particular. 

But today we are going to hear from Derek about his very interesting personal journey regarding his thoughts and conclusions about the historical Jesus. As he’ll detail for us, Derek began as a fundamentalist Christian, lost his belief, became an atheist and also became a Jesus Mythicist, coming to believe that there was no historical Jesus at all. But Derek displays an interesting combination of rigorous examination of the evidence, intellectual honesty and a remarkable open-mindedness. So he is always open to other people’s views, generous in consideration of alternatives and unstinting in following where the evidence seems to lead.

As a result of listening to and engaging with a wide range of scholars, Derek has come to reject Mythicism and now concludes that a historical Jesus most likely existed. And I was surprised and rather flattered to discover during our conversation that my articles on History for Atheists had something to do with this transition. We also discuss why he found Mythicism appealing and why he feels this fringe idea has a hold on many atheists despite being rejected by almost all scholars.

So please enjoy my fascinating conversation with the always enthusiastic, upbeat and very interesting Derek Lambert.

https://mythvisionpodcast.com/

https://historyforatheists.com/jesus-mythicism/

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-9939137 Mon, 24 Jan 2022 14:00:00 +1100 6228 2 1 full true Constantine and the Bible Constantine and the Bible The historical myths surrounding the emperor Constantine, his conversion to Christianity and the claim he created the Bible at the Council of Nicaea are persistent and continue to be propagated in popular culture, despite being total nonsense. Unfortunately, leading atheists also perpetuate these silly ideas, with everyone from Richard Dawkins to Joe Rogan insisting that Constantine was not really a Christian, that he pretended to convert for political reasons and that it was he who set the canon of the New Testament. It is a sad testament to the poverty of these atheists’ historical knowledge that their understanding is stunted at the level of the airport thriller, The Da Vinci Code.

In this latest podcast episode, I look at the actual historical evidence and show how the caricature of history presented by these public anti-theists is hopelessly wrong.

Further reading

David L. Dungan, Constantine’s Bible: Politics and the Making of the New Testament (Fortress: 2007)

Bart D. Ehrman, The Triumph of Christianity: How a Forbidden Religion Swept the World, (Simon & Schuster: 2018)

Robin Lane Fox, Pagans and Christians, (Penguin: 1986)

Peter J. Leithart, Defending Constantine: The Twilight of an Empire and the Dawn of Christendom (IVP Academic: 2010)

Paul Stephenson, Constantine (Quercus: 2009)

The Great Myths 4: Constantine, Nicaea and the Bible

]]> The historical myths surrounding the emperor Constantine, his conversion to Christianity and the claim he created the Bible at the Council of Nicaea are persistent and continue to be propagated in popular culture, despite being total nonsense. Unfortunately, leading atheists also perpetuate these silly ideas, with everyone from Richard Dawkins to Joe Rogan insisting that Constantine was not really a Christian, that he pretended to convert for political reasons and that it was he who set the canon of the New Testament. It is a sad testament to the poverty of these atheists’ historical knowledge that their understanding is stunted at the level of the airport thriller, The Da Vinci Code.

In this latest podcast episode, I look at the actual historical evidence and show how the caricature of history presented by these public anti-theists is hopelessly wrong.

Further reading

David L. Dungan, Constantine’s Bible: Politics and the Making of the New Testament (Fortress: 2007)

Bart D. Ehrman, The Triumph of Christianity: How a Forbidden Religion Swept the World, (Simon & Schuster: 2018)

Robin Lane Fox, Pagans and Christians, (Penguin: 1986)

Peter J. Leithart, Defending Constantine: The Twilight of an Empire and the Dawn of Christendom (IVP Academic: 2010)

Paul Stephenson, Constantine (Quercus: 2009)

The Great Myths 4: Constantine, Nicaea and the Bible

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-9716223 Tue, 14 Dec 2021 14:00:00 +1100 2906 1 12 full true Ted McCormick Interview - Steven Pinker's Enlightenment Ted McCormick Interview - Steven Pinker's Enlightenment My guest today is Associate Professor Ted McCormick. Ted is a specialist in intellectual history and the history of science at Concordia University in Canada. He examines the intersections between science, technology, economy and empire in the early modern era.

Recently, he has taken an interest in how the concept of “the Enlightenment” has been taken up as something of an ideological cause by some popular writers. In particular he has critiqued the way the Enlightenment has been portrayed by Steven Pinker in his books The Better Angels of Our Nature and, particularly, his more recent work Enlightenment Now which Pinker has subtitled “The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress”. As a historian of the Enlightenment, Ted has serious problems with the way Pinker – a non-historian – characterises the Enlightenment and the rhetorical purposes to which he puts his version of history.

Ted has also provided a list of selected reading on aspects of the Enlightenment.

]]> My guest today is Associate Professor Ted McCormick. Ted is a specialist in intellectual history and the history of science at Concordia University in Canada. He examines the intersections between science, technology, economy and empire in the early modern era.

Recently, he has taken an interest in how the concept of “the Enlightenment” has been taken up as something of an ideological cause by some popular writers. In particular he has critiqued the way the Enlightenment has been portrayed by Steven Pinker in his books The Better Angels of Our Nature and, particularly, his more recent work Enlightenment Now which Pinker has subtitled “The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress”. As a historian of the Enlightenment, Ted has serious problems with the way Pinker – a non-historian – characterises the Enlightenment and the rhetorical purposes to which he puts his version of history.

Ted has also provided a list of selected reading on aspects of the Enlightenment.

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-9272528 Tue, 28 Sep 2021 17:00:00 +1000 3369 1 11 full false Thony Christie Interview - The Galileo Affair Part 3 Thony Christie Interview - The Galileo Affair Part 3 My guest today is the historian of science, Thony Christie. Thony is an independent scholar based in Germany who also the author of the superb Renaissance Mathematicus blog.  His knowledge of the history of Early Modern science is vast and so he is the perfect person to give us a detailed overview of what happened and, more importantly, what did not happen in the dispute between Galileo and the Catholic Church. Thony and I spoke for almost two and a half hours on this subject, so I’ve edited our conversation into three parts of about 50 minutes each.

In this the third and final part of our conversation we get to the climax of the story of Galileo: the 1632 publication of his book Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems and his resulting trial before the Roman Inquisition.

Thony's detailed, 52 part series of articles on the beginnings of modern astronomy is also a great resource: “The Emergence of Modern Astronomy – A Complex Mosaic”.
And Thony has also provided an extensive recommended reading list. Finally, here is the translation of Cardinal Bellarmino's "Letter to Foscarini" which we discuss in our conversation and which is crucial for an understanding of the critical issues of the Church's approach to science and to the interpretation of the Bible. Finally, here is the translation of Cardinal Bellarmino's "Letter to Foscarini" which we discuss in our conversation and which is crucial for an understanding of the critical issues of the Church's approach to science and to the interpretation of the Bible.

]]> My guest today is the historian of science, Thony Christie. Thony is an independent scholar based in Germany who also the author of the superb Renaissance Mathematicus blog.  His knowledge of the history of Early Modern science is vast and so he is the perfect person to give us a detailed overview of what happened and, more importantly, what did not happen in the dispute between Galileo and the Catholic Church. Thony and I spoke for almost two and a half hours on this subject, so I’ve edited our conversation into three parts of about 50 minutes each.

In this the third and final part of our conversation we get to the climax of the story of Galileo: the 1632 publication of his book Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems and his resulting trial before the Roman Inquisition.

Thony's detailed, 52 part series of articles on the beginnings of modern astronomy is also a great resource: “The Emergence of Modern Astronomy – A Complex Mosaic”.
And Thony has also provided an extensive recommended reading list. Finally, here is the translation of Cardinal Bellarmino's "Letter to Foscarini" which we discuss in our conversation and which is crucial for an understanding of the critical issues of the Church's approach to science and to the interpretation of the Bible. Finally, here is the translation of Cardinal Bellarmino's "Letter to Foscarini" which we discuss in our conversation and which is crucial for an understanding of the critical issues of the Church's approach to science and to the interpretation of the Bible.

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-8951594 Sat, 31 Jul 2021 13:00:00 +1000 3260 1 10 full true Thony Christie Interview - The Galileo Affair Part 2 Thony Christie Interview - The Galileo Affair Part 2 My guest today is the historian of science, Thony Christie. Thony is an independent scholar based in Germany who also the author of the superb Renaissance Mathematicus blog. His knowledge of the history of Early Modern science is vast and so he is the perfect person to give us a detailed overview of what happened and, more importantly, what did not happen in the dispute between Galileo and the Catholic Church. Thony and I spoke for almost two and a half hours on this subject, so I’ve edited our conversation into three parts of about 50 minutes each.

In this second instalment Thony talks about the career of Galileo, his sudden rise to fame and the beginnings of the controversy that would eventually lead to his trial before the Inquisition. Thony gives a lot of context to help us understand what actually happened and has a lot of fun debunking myths along the way.

Thony's detailed, 52 part series of articles on the beginnings of modern astronomy is also a great resource: “The Emergence of Modern Astronomy – A Complex Mosaic”.
And Thony has also provided an extensive recommended reading list.

]]> My guest today is the historian of science, Thony Christie. Thony is an independent scholar based in Germany who also the author of the superb Renaissance Mathematicus blog. His knowledge of the history of Early Modern science is vast and so he is the perfect person to give us a detailed overview of what happened and, more importantly, what did not happen in the dispute between Galileo and the Catholic Church. Thony and I spoke for almost two and a half hours on this subject, so I’ve edited our conversation into three parts of about 50 minutes each.

In this second instalment Thony talks about the career of Galileo, his sudden rise to fame and the beginnings of the controversy that would eventually lead to his trial before the Inquisition. Thony gives a lot of context to help us understand what actually happened and has a lot of fun debunking myths along the way.

Thony's detailed, 52 part series of articles on the beginnings of modern astronomy is also a great resource: “The Emergence of Modern Astronomy – A Complex Mosaic”.
And Thony has also provided an extensive recommended reading list.

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-8951532 Sat, 31 Jul 2021 13:00:00 +1000 3059 1 9 full true Thony Christie Interview - The Galileo Affair Part 1 Thony Christie Interview - The Galileo Affair Part 1 My guest today is the historian of science, Thony Christie. Thony is an independent scholar based in Germany who also the author of the superb Renaissance Mathematicus blog.  His knowledge of the history of Early Modern science is vast and so he is the perfect person to give us a detailed overview of what happened and, more importantly, what did not happen in the dispute between Galileo and the Catholic Church. Thony and I spoke for almost two and a half hours on this subject, so I’ve edited our conversation into three parts of about 50 minutes each.

In this, the first part, we discuss the common myths that seem to be accepted by many people, and certainly by many atheists, about what happened in the Galileo Affair. Thony gives a detailed background to Galileo’s early career and the social and scientific context in which he worked.

Thony's detailed, 52 part series of articles on the beginnings of modern astronomy is also a great resource: “The Emergence of Modern Astronomy – A Complex Mosaic”.

And Thony has also provided an extensive recommended reading list. Finally, here is the translation of Cardinal Bellarmino's "Letter to Foscarini" which we discuss in our conversation and which is crucial for an understanding of the critical issues of the Church's approach to science and to the interpretation of the Bible.

]]> My guest today is the historian of science, Thony Christie. Thony is an independent scholar based in Germany who also the author of the superb Renaissance Mathematicus blog.  His knowledge of the history of Early Modern science is vast and so he is the perfect person to give us a detailed overview of what happened and, more importantly, what did not happen in the dispute between Galileo and the Catholic Church. Thony and I spoke for almost two and a half hours on this subject, so I’ve edited our conversation into three parts of about 50 minutes each.

In this, the first part, we discuss the common myths that seem to be accepted by many people, and certainly by many atheists, about what happened in the Galileo Affair. Thony gives a detailed background to Galileo’s early career and the social and scientific context in which he worked.

Thony's detailed, 52 part series of articles on the beginnings of modern astronomy is also a great resource: “The Emergence of Modern Astronomy – A Complex Mosaic”.

And Thony has also provided an extensive recommended reading list. Finally, here is the translation of Cardinal Bellarmino's "Letter to Foscarini" which we discuss in our conversation and which is crucial for an understanding of the critical issues of the Church's approach to science and to the interpretation of the Bible.

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-8951513 Sat, 31 Jul 2021 13:00:00 +1000 2936 1 8 full true The Great Library of Alexandria - Part Two The Great Library of Alexandria - Part Two What was the Great Library of Alexandria and why does it feature in some anti-religious rhetoric? In this second part of a two-part episode, we will look at how the Great Library came to an end. And then examine how the myth that it was "burned down from Christians" arose and why this story is nonsense.

]]> What was the Great Library of Alexandria and why does it feature in some anti-religious rhetoric? In this second part of a two-part episode, we will look at how the Great Library came to an end. And then examine how the myth that it was "burned down from Christians" arose and why this story is nonsense.

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-8693772 Mon, 14 Jun 2021 02:00:00 +1000 1845 1 7 full false The Great Library of Alexandria - Part One The Great Library of Alexandria - Part One What was the Great Library of Alexandria and why does it feature in some anti-religious rhetoric? In this first part of a two-part episode, we will examine some of the misconceptions about the Great Library, look at what it was and - more importantly - what it was not. 

And in the upcoming second part, we will explore how the Great Library came to an end and the enduring myth that it was burned down by a Christian mob.

]]> What was the Great Library of Alexandria and why does it feature in some anti-religious rhetoric? In this first part of a two-part episode, we will examine some of the misconceptions about the Great Library, look at what it was and - more importantly - what it was not. 

And in the upcoming second part, we will explore how the Great Library came to an end and the enduring myth that it was burned down by a Christian mob.

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-8398260 Sun, 25 Apr 2021 17:00:00 +1000 2456 1 6 full false Tom Holland Interview - "Dominion" Tom Holland Interview - "Dominion" A conversation with bestselling history author Tom Holland about his book "Dominion - The Making of the Western Mind".

You can buy a copy of "Dominion" here: https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/tom-holland/dominion/9781408706978/​

For a transcript of key parts of Tom's debate with A.C. Grayling on the themes of the book, with my critique of Grayling's claims about history, see https://historyforatheists.com/2020/03/the-great-myths-8-the-loss-of-ancient-learning/​

And to find your favourite platform for Tom and Dominic Sandbrook's podcast "The Rest is History" go to https://twitter.com/theresthistory​



]]> A conversation with bestselling history author Tom Holland about his book "Dominion - The Making of the Western Mind".

You can buy a copy of "Dominion" here: https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/tom-holland/dominion/9781408706978/​

For a transcript of key parts of Tom's debate with A.C. Grayling on the themes of the book, with my critique of Grayling's claims about history, see https://historyforatheists.com/2020/03/the-great-myths-8-the-loss-of-ancient-learning/​

And to find your favourite platform for Tom and Dominic Sandbrook's podcast "The Rest is History" go to https://twitter.com/theresthistory​



]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-8175314 Sat, 20 Mar 2021 12:00:00 +1100 4561 1 5 full false Did Jesus Exist? Yes (Probably). Did Jesus Exist? Yes (Probably). Why do almost all scholars accept that a historical Jesus most likely existed? An overview of the reasons behind the consensus that there probably was a historical, human preacher behind the later stories of Jesus.

For more on Jesus Mythicism and its problems, see:
https://historyforatheists.com/jesus-mythicism/

]]> Why do almost all scholars accept that a historical Jesus most likely existed? An overview of the reasons behind the consensus that there probably was a historical, human preacher behind the later stories of Jesus.

For more on Jesus Mythicism and its problems, see:
https://historyforatheists.com/jesus-mythicism/

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-8175304 Sat, 20 Mar 2021 12:00:00 +1100 1851 1 4 full false Dr Seb Falk Interview - "The Light Ages" - Science in the Middle Ages Dr Seb Falk Interview - "The Light Ages" - Science in the Middle Ages Cambridge University historian Dr Seb Falk joins History for Atheists to discuss his book "The Light Ages" and misconceptions about science in the Middle Ages.

His book is available from various vendors and comes highly recommended:
https://www.sebfalk.com/the-light-ages​



]]> Cambridge University historian Dr Seb Falk joins History for Atheists to discuss his book "The Light Ages" and misconceptions about science in the Middle Ages.

His book is available from various vendors and comes highly recommended:
https://www.sebfalk.com/the-light-ages​



]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-8175289 Sat, 20 Mar 2021 12:00:00 +1100 3401 1 3 full false The Medieval Flat Earth Myth The Medieval Flat Earth Myth Despite it having been repeatedly debunked by historians, some atheist activists continue to peddle the myth that the Medieval Church taught the earth was flat. But how did this myth arise and what did medieval people really know about the shape of the earth?

See also:
https://historyforatheists.com/2016/06/the-great-myths-1-the-medieval-flat-earth/​
https://historyforatheists.com/the-great-myths/​

And my detailed critique of the claims of "Aron Ra":
https://historyforatheists.com/2019/08/aron-ra-gets-everything-wrong/



]]> Despite it having been repeatedly debunked by historians, some atheist activists continue to peddle the myth that the Medieval Church taught the earth was flat. But how did this myth arise and what did medieval people really know about the shape of the earth?

See also:
https://historyforatheists.com/2016/06/the-great-myths-1-the-medieval-flat-earth/​
https://historyforatheists.com/the-great-myths/​

And my detailed critique of the claims of "Aron Ra":
https://historyforatheists.com/2019/08/aron-ra-gets-everything-wrong/



]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-8174158 Sat, 20 Mar 2021 07:00:00 +1100 2083 1 2 full false Introduction - Why History for Atheists? Introduction - Why History for Atheists? Atheist activism has a serious history problem. Tim O'Neill, author of the History for Atheists blog, explains why he began tackling the errors about the history of religion made by many of his fellow atheists and why he created his video channel and this podcast to supplement the blog.

]]> Atheist activism has a serious history problem. Tim O'Neill, author of the History for Atheists blog, explains why he began tackling the errors about the history of religion made by many of his fellow atheists and why he created his video channel and this podcast to supplement the blog.

]]> Tim O'Neill Buzzsprout-8174087 Sat, 20 Mar 2021 07:00:00 +1100 748 1 1 trailer false