World Famous Comics: Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why (Plus)
Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why (Plus)
By: Bart D. Ehrman Publisher: HarperOne Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: HarperOne Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 272 Publication Date: February 05, 2007 Release Date: February 06, 2007
For almost 1,500 years, the New Testament manuscripts were copied by hand––and mistakes and intentional changes abound in the competing manuscript versions. Religious and biblical scholar Bart Ehrman makes the provocative case that many of our widely held beliefs concerning the divinity of Jesus, the Trinity, and the divine origins of the Bible itself are the results of both intentional and accidental alterations by scribes.
In this compelling and fascinating book, Ehrman shows where and why changes were made in our earliest surviving manuscripts, explaining for the first time how the many variations of our cherished biblical stories came to be, and why only certain versions of the stories qualify for publication in the Bibles we read today. Ehrman frames his account with personal reflections on how his study of the Greek manuscripts made him abandon his once ultra–conservative views of the Bible.
Well written, objective review of early Christian writings - recommended to anyone interested in the topic This book is well worth reading if you are interested in the subject matter. Perhaps most refreshing about this book, despite its rather provocative title, is that Ehrman is very objective in his review of early Christian writings. I read a lot of books on the topic of religion that have been written by atheists and, while I enjoy most of these books, I have to admit that many of these authors have a tendency to be sarcastic (some might even say smarmy) when referring to the faithful. Ehrman, a former fundamentalist Christian turned agnostic, appears to respect the religious convictions of others, even if his own research caused him to change his beliefs. His interest in the subject matter seems genuine to me. I didn't get the impression that he had an agenda, other than a genuine scholarly interest to discover, to the degree possible, the truth about early Christianity and the evolution of the New Testament.
It is because of Ehrman's objectivity that I was surprised (although I shouldn't be really) that there is a book called Misquoting Truth that disputes Ehrman's research. I guess this indicates that Ehrman, who has been writing books on early Christianity for years, has achieved a level of success that brings with it a degree of notoriety.
Because I've read a number of books on early Christianity, not everything in this book was new to me, but I found quite a bit of information that I hadn't heard before. It has a very logical flow, is accessible to a lay person, and is well researched and very objective.
It is unlikely that fundamentalist Christians will read this book with an open mind, but I think a lot of Christians could find it very enlightening to read. I know that as a child, attending Catechism, I was either taught (or just assumed) a lot of things that I suspect many Christians believe. I always assumed that the gospels were written by men who knew Jesus (or at least had first-hand knowledge of his life) shortly after his death. I assumed that the four gospels in the New Testament were the only gospels, that they were consistent with one another, that the gospels never changed, and that we had the originals somewhere. I assumed that all of the followers of Jesus had the same beliefs about his life, death, and resurrection.
I have come to learn that these assumptions are likely false. The gospels were written decades after the death of Jesus and its unlikely that they represent first-hand accounts of his life. There were many very different variations of early Christianity and numerous gospels and writings circulated at this time, reflecting a wide range of interpretations of who Jesus was. These writings reflect the different theological interests and competing agendas of early Christians. The four canonized gospels contradict each other (quite significantly at times) and no originals have been found. Most interesting (and the focus of this book) is how the gospels and other writings of the New Testament were altered by scribes over hundreds of years. Some changes were accidental, but many alterations were likely deliberate. Ehrman objectively analyses the probable motives behind many of these changes.
This is a very well written, well researched, discussion of this topic. I recommend this book to anyone interested in early Christian history.
A Good Piece of Readable, Critical Scholarhip Ehrman has masterfully succeeded in putting together a piece of academic scholarship on the writing and construction of the New Testament, which is easily accessible to the lay reader. I recommend it for those interested in a readable starting point in the field of "who (wrote) and how" the Bible was written. While Ehrman prefers the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, his book demonstrates that all Bibles are based upon an incomplete and often times erroneous interpretation of our earliest Biblical texts. We do not even have the original texts, as the Gospels themselves were written a generation or two after Christ's death. Ehrman suggests also, however, that all readers of the Bible need not despair for despite these changes many scholars believe that the meaning and intent of the Bible been preserved. What Ehrman challenges most squarely is the Fundamentalist reading of the Bible that asserts it is the Word of God without error. Ehrman himself believed this at one point, and went to the Moody Bible Institute, then proceeded on to Princeton Theological Seminary in pursuit of the deepest understanding of the Bible, so his credentials and ability in this field are well-established. He has concluded that, while the Bible's meaning may in many places be intact, there are some significant revisions and alterations to the text that have taken place, and that should give us great caution in making inflexibly dogmatic statements based upon it. Anyone wishing to understand the New Testament and the message of Christianity better would do well to read this book.
Wonderful I really enjoyed this book. Many of the conclusions that Ehrman comes to about the textual accuracy of the Bible, were ones which I have pondered myself. He takes it one step further in this book and discusses the contradictions and textual inaccuracies in the Gospels, of which I was unaware, in some depth. It is a must read for anyone wavering on the issue of whether or not to accept the Christian Bible as inerrant.
I also appreciate the fact that Ehrman was a born again indoctrinated into the school of thought which says that the Bible IS the inerrant word of God and that he managed to overcome this belief to write this wonderful textual analysis and perhaps come to some personal gnosis himself.
I highly recommend it!
Interesting history whether you are religious or secular I'm not sure how I came across this title. Quite likely I was drawn by the controversy around "Misquoting Jesus: The story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why". The sub-title is very imporant, for it sets forth Ehrman's basic theme - the New Testament is the work of men, not of divine authorship. The contention has angered many.
I have no stake in the argument and, for that matter, no interest either. What does intrigue is the scope of Ehrman's research and his textual criticism. I cannot determine if Ehrman is accurate or not. I'm not about to do any research on the issues, so I take what Ehrman says as true.
The sheer number of scraps, remnants, partial and whole renderings of the evolving New Testament came as a surprises. Ehrman painstakingly analyzes the text and demonstrates how it has evolved over the centuries. In seven broad chapters, Ehrman covers the beginnings of Christian scripture, the earliest copiests and the changes they introduced, a review of the texts of the New Testament, the quest for origins, the originals that matter, theologically motivated alterationsa of the text and the social worlds of the text.
It will come as no surprise to the reader that Ehrman does not believe the New Testament is divinely inspired. In fact, Ehrman acknowledges that his journey has taken him from a form of fundamentalist Christianity to his current agnosticism.
"Misquoting Jesus" is a fascinating exercise in textual criticism. I doubt that believers will find it satisfying, for those of us coming from a secular perspective, it is indeed quite interesting.
Jerry
GREAT BOOK. HELPS AN AVERAGE READER UNDERSTAND This review is of the three MISQUOTING BOOKS which I have purchsed as gifts to individuals who also enjoy reading which stimulates the brain.
This book allows a reader to listed to the religious bable on TV with a true understanding of the texts that these persons like to quote.
I have read my copy twice, and believe any objective thinking person would find the book extremely useful in their personal life and their true appreciation for the Bible.
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