Antonio Piñero

He was born in the town of Chipiona in the province of Cádiz (Spain). He graduated in pure philosophy from the Complutense University of Madrid in 1968, in classical philology from the University of Salamanca in 1970, and in trilingual biblical philology from the Pontifical University of Salamanca in 1976.{{cite web |url=http://www.lecturalia.com/autor/937/antonio-pinero |title=Antonio Piñero Sáenz |access-date=12 July 2020 |website=Lecturalia |language=es}}

In 1974 he defended his doctoral thesis in classical philology, supervised by the philologist Luis Gil Fernández, and entitled Teopneustia, estudio sobre la inspiración en los escritores de los siglos I y II ("Teopneustia, study on inspiration from writers of the 1st and 2nd centuries") at the Complutense University of Madrid (Luis Vives award granted),{{cite book |last1=Pasamar Alzuria |first1=Gonzalo | last2=Peiró Martín | first2=Ignacio |title=Diccionario Akal de Historiadores españoles contemporáneos |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zgFvo_1VfLkC&pg=PA297 |year=2002 |publisher=Ediciones Akal S.A. |location=Móstoles (Madrid) |isbn=84-460-1489-0 |pages=297 |language=es}}{{cite web|url=https://ucm.on.worldcat.org/oclc/914527333|title=Ficha de la tesis doctoral del Antonio Piñero. Catalogo CISNE de tesis doctorales de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid. |language=es}} although he completed most of his doctorate in Germany.{{cite episode |title=Antonio Piñero |series=La observadora |first=Teresa |last=Viejo |network=Radio Nacional de España |air-date=11 April 2020 |url=https://www.rtve.es/alacarta/audios/la-observadora/observadora-antonio-pinero-11-04-20/5555843/ |access-date=4 August 2020 |language=es}}

Since 1970 he worked as a teacher at this same university, and in 1983 he became full professor. He is currently full professor emeritus of Greek philology.

In 2016, he received the Trithemius award from the Sociedad de Estudios e Investigaciones Spagyricas y la Editorial Tritemio, for his contribution to the world of culture and his endeavour in all his facets to teacher, researcher and writer.{{cite web |url=https://premiotrithemius.com/entrevista-a-antonio-pinero/ |title=Entrevista a Antonio Piñero – Premio Trithemius 2016 |year=2016 |website=Premio Trithemius |access-date=6 August 2020 |language=es |archive-date=25 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025000956/https://premiotrithemius.com/entrevista-a-antonio-pinero/ |url-status=dead }}

As a result of his work in translating the non-canonical gospels, New Testament academic research, broad participation in dissemination activities and numerous publications, Piñero has become one of the most influential agnostic Spanish exegetes and authors in the study of the early Christianity (mainly the 1st and 2nd centuries).{{cite journal |last=Cervera |first=César |date=4 April 2015 |title=Antonio Piñero: "Los judíos tuvieron poco que ver con la muerte de Jesús" |journal=ABC |publisher=Diario ABC, S.L. |url=https://www.abc.es/cultura/libros/20150403/abci-antonio-pinero-jesucristo-figura-201503280418.html?ref=https:%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F |access-date=12 July 2020 |language=es}}{{cite journal|url=http://meahhebreo.com/index.php/meahhebreo/article/viewFile/457/470|title=Ayaso, José Ramón. "ANTONIO PIÑERO, ED., Orígenes del Cristianismo. Antecedentes y primeros pasos. Córdoba-Madrid, Ediciones EI Almendro-Universidad Complutense, 1991. 476 pp. {{text|ISBN}}:84-86077-95-8|last=Ayaso|first=José Ramón|date=1992|journal=Miscelánea de Estudios Árabes y Hebraicos. Sección Hebreo|issue=41|pages=156–158|access-date=14 July 2020|language=es|archive-date=12 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712040919/http://meahhebreo.com/index.php/meahhebreo/article/viewFile/457/470|url-status=dead}}{{cite journal|url=http://helvia.uco.es/bitstream/handle/10396/4359/2007.18.pdf?sequence=1|title=GARCÍA BAZÁN, Francisco (ed.)(Madrid, 2006), El Evangelio de Judas|last=Albarrán Martínez|first=María Jesús|date=2007|journal=Hervía.uco.es|pages=434–438|access-date=14 July 2020 |language=es}}{{cite journal|url=https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=6450673|title=The Epistle to the Hebrews: Textual Variation and Philological Considerations|last=Keith Elliott|first=John|date=2017|journal=Filología Neotestamentaria|volume=30|issue=50|pages=71–78|access-date=2 August 2020}}{{cite journal |url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/thlou_0080-2654_1997_num_28_2_2886_t1_0266_0000_2|title=Antonio Piñero, L'autre Jésus. Vie de Jésus selon les évangiles apocryphes (tr. de l'espagnol par O. Maldonado). 1996 |last=Camille |first=Focant |date=1997 |journal=Revue théologique de Louvain |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=266 |access-date=2 August 2020 |language=fr}}{{cite journal|title=Das Frauenbild im Judentum der hellenistischen Zeit. Ein Beitrag anhand von "Joseph und Aseneth" (Arbeiten zur Geschichte des antiken Judentums und des Urchristentums 26) by A. Standhartinger; Joseph and Aseneth and the Jewish Temple in Heliopolis (SBL Early Judaism and its Literature 10) by G. Bohak|last=Piñero|first=Antonio|date=1997|journal=Journal for the Study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman Period|volume=28|issue=3|pages=350–356|jstor = 24668421}}

In his work he focuses on the historical Jesus, therefore he tries to separate the religious interpretation from the historical reconstruction of Jesus through historical and philological methods.{{cite journal|url=https://riull.ull.es/xmlui/bitstream/handle/915/18757/F_15_(2004)_34.pdf?sequence=1|title=Juan Antonio López Pérez (ed.), Mitos en la Literatura Griega Helenística e Imperial, Ediciones Clásicas, Madrid, 2004, 581 pp.|last=Pino Campos|first=Luis Miguel|date=2004|journal=Riull.ull.es|pages=221–224|access-date=2 August 2020 |language=es}}

Similarly, he also addresses the first steps of the early Christianity trying to clarify the evolution of the first communities of followers of Jesus of Nazareth.{{cite journal |title=De nuevo sobre la Gran Iglesia petrina |last=Piñero |first=Antonio |date=2019 |journal=Revista Fortvnatae |issue=30 |pages=127–142 |url=https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/7209127.pdf |access-date=4 August 2020 |language=es}}{{cite news|last=Bastante|first=Jesús|title=Antonio Piñero: "Jesús era político, y su religiosidad llevaba a unas implicaciones políticas"|url=https://www.periodistadigital.com/cultura/religion/20170609/antonio-pinero-jesus-politico-religiosidad-llevaba-implicaciones-politicas-noticia-689401268490/|date=9 June 2017|access-date=14 July 2020|newspaper=Periodistadigital|location=España |language=es}}{{cite book |last=Piñero |first=Antonio |title=Los cristianismos derrotados: ¿Cuál fue el pensamiento de los primeros cristianos heréticos y heterodoxos? |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NotdaoPc0ccC |access-date=4 August 2020 |year=2007 |publisher=Edaf |isbn=978-84-414-2005-2 |language=es}}

One of the recurring topics of his works is the study of the figure of Jesus of Nazareth. According to the analysis of the texts in Judea in the 1st century, Piñero defends the existence of a historical Jesus, but differentiated from the literary Jesus Christ of the gospels.{{cite news|last=Cervera|first=Cesar|title=Antonio Piñero: "No podemos demostrar que Juan Bautista fuera familiar de Jesús"|url=https://www.abc.es/cultura/libros/20150401/abci-entrevista-antonio-pinero-trono-201503280415.html|date=17 June 2015|access-date=14 July 2020|newspaper=ABC|location=España |language=es}}

The historical Jesus, according to his research, would be a craftsman from Galilee and religious leader with limited impact while he was alive. After his death, he would be magnified, idealized and divinized, giving rise to the heavenly and mythological Christ in the gospels and Christianity.{{cite journal|url=https://revistas.usal.es/index.php/0213-2052/article/viewFile/21844/21342|title=Piñero, Antonio. Aproximación al Jesús histórico, Editorial Trotta, Madrid, 2018, 342 pp. [{{text|ISBN}}: 978-84-9879-761-9]|last=Rodriguez Gervasios|first=Manuel|date=2019|journal=Studia Historica: Historia Antigua|issue=37|pages=357–360|access-date=14 July 2020 |language=es}}

Thus, according to Piñero, the vast majority of the main ideas of Christianity were born in a Jewish world through a totally natural process, and with the passage of time the human being called these ideas dogmas.

In his work as a translator since 1983 he has coordinated a project in which a team of specialists carried out the translation of all the known gospels into Spanish, including canonical and non-canonical. This project has involved research on the social and political context that surrounded the original writings and the full translation of the texts from the original languages: Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Syriac, Coptic and Arabic. It concluded in 2009 when the work containing the latest-translated Apocryphal Gospels is published.{{cite book |last1=Piñero |first1=Antonio |last2=Peláez |first2=Jesús |title=El Nuevo Testamento. Introducción al estudio de los primeros escritos cristianos |year=1995 |publisher=Ediciones El Almendro |isbn=84-8005-023-3 |location=España |language=es }}{{cite book |last=Piñero Saenz |first=Antonio |title=Todos los evangelios. Traducción íntegra de las lenguas originales de todos los textos evangélicos conocidos |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BQONswT7hegC |access-date=4 August 2020 |year=2009 |publisher=Titivillus |isbn=978-84-414-2116-5 |location=España |language=es}}

This translation work has been recognized as a valuable study tool.{{cite journal |url=http://revistasculturales.ucm.es/index.php/GERI/article/download/36355/35224 |title=Apócrifos del Antiguo Testamento VI. Directed by Alejandro Díez Macho – Antonio Piñero, Madrid, Ed. Cristiandad, 2009, 627 pp. [{{text|ISBN}}: 84-7057-542-6] |last=Sen |first=Felipe |date=2010 |journal=Gerión |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=85–199 |language=es |access-date=4 August 2020 |archive-date=23 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123154950/http://revistasculturales.ucm.es/index.php/GERI/article/download/36355/35224 |url-status=dead }}{{cite journal |url=https://revistas.unav.edu/index.php/scripta-theologica/article/download/1246/1106 |title=Antonio PIÑERO y Gonzalo DEL CERRO (eds.), Hechos apócrifos de los Apóstoles, III, Madrid: BAC, 2011, 1223 pp., 13 x 20, {{text|ISBN}} 978-84-7914-974-1 |last=Caballero |first=Juan Luis |date=2012 |journal=Scripta Theologica |volume=44 |pages=794–795 |doi=10.15581/006.44.1246 |s2cid=171016213 |access-date=4 August 2020 |language=es|doi-access=free }}

Piñero proposes a hypothesis to interpret, as something coherent, the conditions for salvation reported by Pablo. According to this hypothesis the Law of Moses, as Paul preaches it, is complex and is divided into two parts: an eternal, natural and obligatory law for all, and a specific law for the Jews in the messianic age.

• The eternal, natural and obligatory law for all (Jews and Gentiles) is the Decalogue (The Ten Commandments), which governs correct relationships between humans, and which in Pauline ethics is translated into the norms referring to the general behavior of all humans.
• The specific law is the part of the Law of Moses that is not present in the Decalogue. Therefore, it includes the laws that contemplate circumcision, food standards and ritual purity with everything required around the temple. This part of the Mosaic Law does not affect Gentiles (that is, non-Jews), since it is specifically oriented to the chosen people, the Jews. Therefore, even Jews called to faith in the Messiah must continue to live as Jews, that is, fulfilling the full Law of Moses.

Through this interpretive hypothesis, Piñero makes compatible two aspects of Paul's theology: his insistence on denying the written Law (for example, circumcision) and stating that Jews are naturally subject to the entire Mosaic Law.{{cite book |last=Piñero |first=Antonio |author-link=Antonio Piñero |date=2015 |title=Guía para entender a Pablo de Tarso. Una interpretación del pensamiento paulino |location=Madrid |publisher=Trotta |page=159-171 |isbn=978-8498795868 |language=es}}

Piñero has been characterized by his work of dissemination in various media, such as, radio,{{cite news|last=Ares|first=Nacho|title=SER Historia 178 Orígenes del cristianismo|url=https://nachoares.com/ser_history/ser-historia-178-origenes-del-cristianismo/|date=2 December 2012|access-date=15 July 2020}}{{cite news|title=Antonio Piñero: "Jesús fue un personaje mínimo, fracasado y probablemente real"|url=https://valenciaplaza.com/antonio-pinero-jesus-fue-un-personaje-minimo-fracasado-y-probablemente-real|date=1 April 2018|access-date=14 July 2020|newspaper=Valencia Plaza|location=España |language=es}} TV{{cite episode |title=Antonio Piñero: "Jesús fue un maestro que posteriormente fue divinizado" |series=Cuarto Milenio |first1=Iker |last1=Jiménez |author-link1=Iker Jiménez |first2=Carmen |last2=Porter |network=Cuatro |air-date=6 April 2015 |url=https://www.cuatro.com/cuarto-milenio/programas/temporada-10/t10xp30/Cara-cara-Jesus-humano-divino_2_1966680031.html |access-date=4 August 2020 |language=es}} and Internet.{{cite web |url=https://www.religiondigital.org/el_blog_de_antonio_pinero/ |title=El blog de Antonio Piñero |last=Piñero |first=Antonio |website=Religión Digital |access-date=4 August 2020 |language=es }}

In 2009 he participated as an advisor in the making of the film El discípulo ("The disciple"), whose plot addresses the life of Jesus of Nazareth.{{cite news|last=Nieto|first=Ángel|title=El cine español se atreve con Jesucristo|url=https://www.larazon.es/historico/el-cine-espanol-se-atreve-con-jesucristo-FLLA_RAZON_124697/|date=15 April 2009|access-date=14 July 2020|newspaper=La Razón|location=España |language=es}}

Given the popular and general audience of his seminars and published books on the person of Jesus of Nazareth, his conclusions are controversial for part of society.{{cite journal|url=https://ellibrepensador.com/2010/06/15/hablamos-con-antonio-pinero/|title=Hablamos con… Antonio Piñero|last=Sierra Marquez|first=Jordi|date=15 June 2010|journal=El Librepensador: Magazine Cultural|access-date=15 July 2020|location=Chile |language=es}}

Contrary to the belief of some atheists, Piñero firmly states the historical existence of Jesus, although he differentiates the historical person (on whom he focuses his attention) from the heavenly figure.{{cite journal |url=https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=6359079 |title=¿Existió Jesús realmente? |last=Piñero |first=Antonio |date=2018 |journal=Desperta Ferro. Arqueología e Historia |issue=18 |pages=12–18 |issn=2387-1237 |access-date=4 August 2020 |language=es}}{{cite news |title=Antonio Piñero: "Jesús existió, pero no Jesucristo, que es una mitificación" |url=https://www.farodevigo.es/sociedad/2019/01/14/antonio-pinero-jesus-existio-jesucristo/2032594.html |date=14 January 2019 |access-date=14 July 2020 |newspaper=El Faro de Vigo |location=España |language=es }}{{cite web|url=https://razoncienciaspr.org/2019/04/07/una-mirada-critica-a-lo-siento-mucho-pero-jesus-nunca-existio-de-ricardo-alonso-zavala-toia/|title=Una mirada crítica a Lo siento mucho, pero … Jesús nunca existió de Ricardo Alonso Zavala Toia – 1|access-date=15 July 2020|author=Pedro M. Rosario Barbosa|date=7 April 2019 |language=es}}

On the other hand, the segregation of the historical Jesus from the heavenly one also raises criticism from the Christian faithful, mainly in Spain.{{cite journal |last=Viana |first=Israel |date=12 December 2018 |title="Muchos cometen el error de igualar el Jesús histórico y el celestial" |journal=ABC |publisher=Diario ABC, S.L. |url=https://www.abc.es/cultura/libros/abci-muchos-cometen-error-igualar-jesus-historico-y-celestial-201812120213_noticia.html |access-date=12 July 2020}}{{cite web |url=https://www.libertaddigital.com/opinion/chat-chat/del-13-de-abril-18221/ |title=Diálogo con César Vidal |access-date=12 July 2020 |date=13 April 2010 |website=Libertad Digital S.A. |language=es }}{{cite news |last=Sadia |first=José María |title=Antonio Piñero: "Da pena decir a las personas religiosas que la Semana Santa carece de base histórica" |url=https://www.laopiniondezamora.es/zamora/2020/03/08/da-pena-decir-personas-religiosas/1229209.html |date=7 July 2020 |access-date=14 July 2020 |newspaper=La opinión de Zamora |location=España |language=es }}

The argument of the latter is that, contrary to the approach adopted by Piñero, the religious view cannot be separated from a historical interpretation of the New Testament.{{cite news|last=Serrano Oceja|first=Francisco|title=Las claves del ateísmo español|url=https://religion.elconfidencialdigital.com/opinion/francisco-serrano-oceja/claves-ateismo-espanol/20190516002602027915.html|date=16 May 2019|access-date=15 July 2020|newspaper=elconfidencialdigital.com|location=España |language=es}}{{cite news |last=Pikaza |first=Xabier |title=Piñero y Pikaza. Un agnóstico y un creyente ante la misma Biblia|url=https://www.religiondigital.org/el_blog_de_x-_pikaza/Pinero-Pikaza-agnostico-creyente-Biblia_7_1616008389.html |date=1 October 2014 |access-date=15 July 2020 |newspaper=religióndigital.org |language=es}}

Some of his best-known books are:{{cite book |last1=Muñoz Gallarte |first1=Israel |last2=Peláez |first2=Jesús |title=IN MARI VIA TUA: Philological Studies in Honor of Antonio Piñero |url=https://www.upo.es/export/portal/com/bin/portal/upo/profesores/pgimsie/profesor/1506102485831_la_carta_de_santiago_y_los_origenes_del.pdf |year=2016 |publisher=Ediciones El Almendro |location=Córdoba |isbn=978-84-8005-219-1 |chapter=Libros |pages=743 |language=es }}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

• Gnosis. Conocimiento de lo oculto. La gnosis judía y cristiana explicada por sus textos, Trotta, 2025.
• Aproximación al Jesús histórico, Trotta, 2018.
• El Nuevo Testamento: Introducción al estudio de los primeros escritos cristianos, Herder, 2019.
• El otro Jesús: vida de Jesús según los evangelios apócrifos, Herder, 2018.
• Guía para entender a Pablo de Tarso: Una interpretación del pensamiento paulino, Trotta, 2018.
• Apócrifos del Antiguo y del Nuevo Testamento, Alianza Editorial, 2016.
• Guía para entender el Nuevo Testamento, Trotta, 2013.
• Jesús de Nazaret: El hombre de las cien caras. Textos canónicos y apócrifos, Edaf, 2012.
• Jesús y las mujeres, Trotta, 2014.
• Año I. Israel y su mundo cuando nació Jesús, Ediciones del laberinto, 2008.
• Los cristianismos derrotados: ¿Cuál fue el pensamiento de los primeros cristianos heréticos y heterodoxos?, Edaf, 2007. (1st prize Finis Terrae 2007 for heterodox essay)
• Los apocalipsis, Edaf, 2007.

• José Luis Corral and Antonio Piñero: El trono maldito, Editorial Planeta, 2014 (novel).
• Eugenio Gómez Segura and Antonio Piñero: El Juicio Final, Edaf, 2010.
• Antonio Piñero and Eugenio Gómez Segura: La verdadera historia de la pasión, Edaf, 2008

• Los libros del Nuevo Testamento. Traducción y comentario. Trotta, 2021.
• Orígenes del cristianismo. Herder, 2018 (reedition).
• Fuentes del cristianismo. Tradiciones primitivas sobre Jesús. Herder, 2018 (reedition).
• Todos los evangelios. Traducción íntegra de todos los textos evangélicos conocidos, tanto canónicos como apócrifos. Editor: Antonio Piñero. Edaf, 2009.
• ¿Existió Jesús realmente?. Editor: Antonio Piñero. Raíces, 2008.
• Textos gnósticos. Biblioteca de Nag Hammadi I. Tratados filosóficos y cosmológicos (volume I). Editors: Antonio Piñero, Francisco García Bazán and José Montserrat Torrents, Trotta, 2000.
• Textos gnósticos. Biblioteca de Nag Hammadi II. Evangelios, Hechos, Carta (volume II). Editors: Antonio Piñero, Francisco García Bazán and José Montserrat Torrents, Trotta, 2004.
• Textos gnósticos. Biblioteca de Nag Hammadi III. Apocalipsis y otros escritos (volume III). Editors: Antonio Piñero, Francisco García Bazán and José Montserrat Torrents, Trotta, 2009.
• Apócrifos del Antiguo Testamento. (6 volumes. I: Introducción; II: Historias; III Literatura sapiencial; IV Ciclo de Henoc; V: Literatura de testamentos; VI: Apocalipsis) Ediciones Cristiandad, 1982-2009. The last volume (VII) is in preparation: Remaining Jewish works from the 2nd-1st centuries BC. and Complete indexes of the 7 volumes).{{cite journal |last=Sen |first=Felipe |date=2010 |title=Apócrifos del Antiguo Testamento VI. Dirigida por Alejandro Díez Macho (†) – Antonio Piñero, Madrid, Ed. Cristiandad, 2009, 627 pp. [{{text|ISBN}}: 84-7057-542-6] |url=https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/GERI/article/view/36355/35224 |journal=Gerión. Revista de Historia Antigua |publisher=Ediciones Complutense |issn=1988-3080 |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=88 |access-date=24 October 2020 |language=es}}
• Hechos Apócrifos de los Apóstoles. (volumes I-III, co-authored with Gonzalo del Cerro: Greek and Latin texts, plus translations from Coptic and Syriac, with translation into Spanish, introductions and notes) Biblioteca Autores Cristianos, 2005-2011.

• Antonio Piñero and Jesús Peláez: The Study of the New Testament: A Comprehensive Introduction, Deo Publishing, 2003. (translation)
• The Hidden Life of Jesus, Cascade Books, 2016. (translated by Thomas W. Hudgins)

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