Forged

Writing in the Name of God - Why the Bible's Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are

By: Bart D. Ehrman

Narrated by: Walter Dixon

Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

It is often said, even by critical scholars who should know better, that “writing in the name of another” was widely accepted in antiquity. But New York Times best-selling author Bart D. Ehrman dares to call it what it was: literary forgery, a practice that was as scandalous then as itis today. In Forged, Ehrman’s fresh and original research takes readers back to the ancient world, where forgeries were used as weapons by unknown authors to fend off attacks to their faith and establish their church. So, if many of the books inthe Bible were not in fact written by Jesus’s inner circle - but by writers living decades later, with differing agendas in rival communities - what does that do to the authority of Scripture?

Ehrman investigates ancient sources to:

• Reveal which New Testament books were outright forgeries.
• Explain how widely forgery was practiced by early Christian writers - and how strongly it was condemned in the ancient world as fraudulent and illicit
• Expose the deception in the history of the Christian religion.

Ehrman’s fascinating story of fraud and deceit is essential reading for anyone interested in the truth about the Bible and the dubious origins of Christianity’s sacred texts.

©2010 Bart D. Ehrman (P)2011 HarperCollins Publishers

Fair story Good voice terrible recording

The narrator's voice is good but the audio needed processing, there are an annoying amount of sibilance in the speech. The section of the book where the author indicated that Jesus existed based on scholarship needs some elaboration on this scholarship, to me that is the only little blemish on the story, apart from the above complaints, it is an enjoyable listen.

I just lost interest

With all due respect I believe this book is poorly argued and very disorganized. I find the arguments to be weak at best and it seems to me that the arguments are based solely on speculation or assumption. it almost seems as if the author wants these things to be true as an excuse to not believe in the scripture. I guess this book is fine if you're looking for confirmation bias. but, the author uses only the weakest arguments from sources that conflict with his conclusions. Also, I wish the author would let his audience come up with their own conclusions. but he doesn't do that and instead says decisively that this or that is fake. and he says these things to the point of AD nausea.

Another issue I take with this book is how often he goes off topic. It's seems to me that there is just so much fluff and filler. And, of course I need to mention the fact that it takes nearly 3 hours to get to the first bit of information on his claim that the scripture is fake when he gets to the book of Peter. The evidence he uses against Peter 1 & 2 is quite possibly his weakest arguments. First he claims that Peter couldn't have written Peter 1 because Peter would not have referred to Rome as Babylon. Except that the Jews absolutely hated Rome and had launched a successful revolt against the Greeks and hoped to do the same thing with Rome. His argument is just speculation.

Then in Peter 2 he claims that Peter was illiterate. And, again, this argument is from the standpoint of speculation. So, allow me to speculate. Peter was with Christ for 3 years. Christ could write. Therefore, it's easy to assume that Christ would have taught Peter how to write.

One of the claims in the book that I really took issue with was that he did not believe the ancients believed their mythologies. yet with all of the classical literature that I've read I see no indication of that anywhere. furthermore, if the ancients didn't believe their mythology then why did they perform human sacrifice or build massive elaborate temples to their idols? if they didn't believe their mythologies then why do the first two emperors of Rome claim to have lineage with Venus? I don't even see the purpose in this claim of his unless he's trying to say that Jesus Christ didn't really mean for us to believe in the scripture. but if that's true then why was Christianity spread so fast across the ancient world that was so hostile to anything that wasn't Roman paganism?

Honestly, I just can't finish it. Some of the things were interesting but for the most part it's hard to take any of his arguments seriously. Don't let this book ruin your faith. I don't think he knows what he's talking about.

Introduction to Biblical Authenticity

The performance was great, however I would have loved to hear Dr. Ehrman all the way through.

Overall, this book is a great beginning for someone trying to understand which books are likely authentic, forged, or misattributed based on academic consensus. Dr. Ehrman skips the detailed arguments for and against, opting for a consensus view to cover the most ground in one book. Forged covers an introductory level survey of the New Testament plus other early documents from the first few centuries CE. Dr. Ehrman has a book that goes into further detail if someone is already acquainted with the issues this book presents.

A compelling overview of authorship and historicity

This book is about what it says on the tin: the forged works in the New Testament. If you cannot fathom even entertaining information contrary to dogmatic views of the authorship of these works, then this probably isn’t a book you will find enjoyable. It is, however, a deeply fascinating subject and worth a listen for anyone seeking to honestly engage with the subject matter.

Occasionally, the book takes a few detours that I found a bit too lengthy, but on the whole it was a focused read I very much enjoyed. The cohesive thesis was well argued, and the structure well suited to the book-by-book analysis. A great read for anyone trying to start digging into Biblical studies at an approachable level.

great

honest approach, eye and mind opener. shows irrefutable proof of humanity has been living in lies.

Made my Faith Stronger

I live in the middle of the Bible Belt. Springfield, Mo. is home to the Assembly of God and we have a baptist church on every corner. I have had several heated arguments with friends about the bible. One problem I have had is the inconsistencies in what the bible says. I especially had trouble with Paul's teachings. In one part of the bible Paul says that women can participate in church and in another they can't even ask questions in church, they are to wait until they get home and ask there husbands. In one part Paul wants everyone to be chaste, (No Sex) even with your spouse. In another women are suppose to have babies and raise them up in the church.

My friends are blind to these inconsistencies making up thinly veiled excuses and if you question the excuses you are awful and going to hell. I always had trouble with the wrathful God of the old testament and the loving God of the new testament being the same God and being perfect. My friends believe that God is perfect and the bible is perfect and if you question either, you are going to hell and burn forever.

First, I believe in a God who welcomes questions. I do not believe in a God who thinks men are superior to women. In order to not believe in a false god you must be able to ask questions. Second, I believe that Faith, means never having absolute evidence. Faith comes from the heart, it is something you know. Like you know that your spouse is the one for you, like when shopping for a house, you know the right one when you see it. Faith can not be explained, love can not be explained and God can not be explained.

Ehrman's book shows where parts of the bible are forgeries. My faith has always told me that Women and Men are equal and if you take out the forgeries, then that is what Paul actually says. Christians who believe that the bible is perfect and fear that if the bible was not perfect, they would not have faith, need to question there faith now. There will never be 100% proof that God exists and never 100% proof that the bible is perfect, if there was we would not have Faith.

This my second Ehrman book and they both were Five Stars. The narrator is excellent.

A very thorough presentation of the thesis

I felt the author did a very good job presenting his facts, data, and conclusions to support his premise that many of the books of the Bible are written by people who in one way or another are not who you think they are. I am not a Bible scholar, but found his review to be rigorous and convincing. The book could have been a little tighter and it took a while to get into the meat of the material, but all in all, this book delivered what it promised in the title.

Bart Ehrman never disappoints

Excellent book! Like his other books, this one is just as informative and enlightening --it's kind of like brain food! Definitely a must-have to your audiobook library.

Facts Not Fiction

Where does Forged rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It was one of the most informative factually.

What did you like best about this story?

The large number of distortions in the New Testament, about which they never told you in Sunday School.

Which scene was your favorite?

All were interesting and I especially liked the new picture of Paul, not as a male chauvinist, but as a real man who valued women as essentially equal to men.

Any additional comments?

I have long questioned much of what was written in the New Testament. I believe Jesus was one of the greatest people who ever lived; however, I have felt his life was misrepresented by many of the writings of the New Testament. This book confirms much of what I, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and other founding fathers believed of the New Testament.

Any document written over one hundred years after events must be filled with what the writers thought, not what actually occurred,

Surprised Listener

As an Atheist, I bought this audiobook to learn more about how flawed the Bible is, but I came away with a better understanding of the book. It made more sense to me, so I want to hear more from this author.