John Dominic Crossan

"If you're saying "Well, the general resurrection is coming soon" or "The apocalyptic consummation is coming soon", you can say that all you want because it's in the future and you can't be wrong unless you're stupid enough to date it."

"My point, once again, is not that those ancient people told literal stories and we are now smart enough to take them symbolically, but that they told them symbolically and we are now dumb enough to take them literally."