Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why (Plus)

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 272 pages
• Published by: HarperOne February 6, 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0060859512
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0060859510
• Book Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Weighs: 6.4 ounces

From Booklist
The popular perception of the Bible as a divinely perfect book receives scant support from Ehrman, who sees in Holy Writ ample evidence of human fallibility and ecclesiastical politics. Though himself schooled in evangelical literalism, Ehrman has come to regard his earlier faith in the inerrant inspiration of the Bible as misguided, given that the original texts have disappeared and that the extant texts available do not agree with one another. Most of the textual discrepancies, Ehrman acknowledges, matter little, but some do profoundly affect religious doctrine. To assess how ignorant or theologically manipulative scribes may have changed the biblical text, modern scholars have developed procedures for comparing diverging texts. And in language accessible to nonspecialists, Ehrman explains these procedures and their results. He further explains why textual criticism has frequently sparked intense controversy, especially among scripture-alone Protestants. In discounting not only the authenticity of existing manuscripts but also the inspiration of the original writers, Ehrman will deeply divide his readers. Although he addresses a popular audience, he undercuts the very religious attitudes that have made the Bible a popular book. Still, this is a useful overview for biblical history collections. Bryce Christensen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Review
"Offers a fascinating look into the field of textual criticism and evidence that Scriptures have been altered." -- Charleston Post & Courier

"One of the unlikeliest bestsellers of the year." -- Washington Post

"Whichever side you sit on regarding Biblical inerrancy, this is a rewarding read." -- Dallas Morning News --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Reader Reviews
This review is from: Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why (Hardcover) In a little over 200 pages, Ehrman gets to the point of how the New Testament came to be what it is today. No, it didn't just appear leather-bound, shiny, and new after Jesus' resurrection; rather, it was painstakingly cobbled together decades after Jesus' crucifixion from copies of copies of copies of (you get the point) the original writings of the New Testament authors, which were slowly altered over time by scribes that handed them down (sometimes by accident or othertimes intentionally by those meaning to "correct" things in the scriptures that didn't make sense). All in all, Ehrman makes his case well, that even if the New Testament scriptures started out as the inspired word of God, we humans have certainly gotten our filthy little hands on it and have made it quite difficult to discern what the "original" writers (whose texts have been lost) actually wrote. Thus, we can only try to piece it together through the challenging art of textual criticism, which is what this book is largely about.