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

Bart D. Ehrman

Oct 2009 · Sold by Harper Collins

About this ebook

When world-class biblical scholar Bart Ehrman first began to study the texts of the Bible in their original languages he was startled to discover the multitude of mistakes and intentional alterations that had been made by earlier translators. In Misquoting Jesus, Ehrman tells the story behind the mistakes and changes that ancient scribes made to the New Testament and shows the great impact they had upon the Bible we use today. He frames his account with personal reflections on how his study of the Greek manuscripts made him abandon his once ultraconservative views of the Bible.

Since the advent of the printing press and the accurate reproduction of texts, most people have assumed that when they read the New Testament they are reading an exact copy of Jesus's words or Saint Paul's writings. And yet, for almost fifteen hundred years these manuscripts were hand copied by scribes who were deeply influenced by the cultural, theological, and political disputes of their day. Both mistakes and intentional changes abound in the surviving manuscripts, making the original words difficult to reconstruct. For the first time, Ehrman reveals where and why these changes were made and how scholars go about reconstructing the original words of the New Testament as closely as possible.

Ehrman makes the provocative case that many of our cherished biblical stories and widely held beliefs concerning the divinity of Jesus, the Trinity, and the divine origins of the Bible itself stem from both intentional and accidental alterations by scribes -- alterations that dramatically affected all subsequent versions of the Bible.

Ratings and reviews

In my readings for the free version, it looks as if the author owns the knowledge of the letters in the Bible. the Catholic Church have more than dozens of bible scholars--septuagints, st. Jerome and St. thomas Aquinas, atleast. In the 2000 year tradition of the Church, I think, a person who just live a matter of 50 years will be able to discuss matter of letters based on INSIGHT, INTENTIONS and MEANING of every Words said by the Lord

THE CATHOLIC BIBLE MAN HAS MESSED WITH THE WORD OF GOD. NOT MY PROBLEM WHEN PEOPLE WALK AWAY FROM THE ONE TRUE FAITH THATS WHY SATANIST COME IN AND THE JEZEBEL SPIRIT AKA NARCISSIST THAT INFILTRATE THE TRUE CHURCH OF JESUS TO HURT, AND DO BLACK MAGIC OR HYPNOTIC TRANCE STATE ON A PRIEST AND ATTACK THE CHURCH DUE TO ITS HOLINESS. WHY, YOU DON'T HEAR OF OTHER CHURCHES BEING SCANDALIZED BECAUSE THERE NOT THE TRUE FAITH AND HAVE ALL 7 SACRAMENTS OF CHRIST. THINK BEFORE YOU REFUTE THIS AND END UP IN HELL. Holiness gets attacked why you don't see them attack mormon satanic churches, or jehovah's witnesses, or LSD non recognized places by church and state don't recognize them as a faith. There a gathering satanic group .Why suffering, you foolish writer dr erhman its the participation with Jesus and the cross for one, SECONDLY. You just ERKED THE HELL OUT OF ME DR.ERHMAN. FOOLISH MAN YOU DON'T TOSS OUT THE BABY WITH THE BATH WATER Bart Ehrman, u trusted hertic ppl. I mad at u

The book is a huge over exaggeration and the materials he refers to he did not read very carefully or intelligently. He in many cases misquotes JESUS.

About the author

Bart D. Ehrman is one of the most renowned and controversial Bible scholars in the world today. He is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and is the author of more than twenty books, including the New York Times bestsellers How Jesus Became God; Misquoting Jesus; God’s Problem; Jesus, Interrupted; and Forged. He has appeared on Dateline NBC, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, CNN, History, and top NPR programs, as well as been featured in TIME, the New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, and other publications. He lives in Durham, North Carolina. Visit the author online at www.bartdehrman.com.