Misquoting Jesus

By: Bart D. Ehrman

Narrated by: Richard M. Davidson

Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

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.Bart D. Ehrman chairs the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a widely regarded authority on the history of the New Testament.

©2005 Bart Ehrman (P)2006 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"Engaging and fascinating." (Publishers Weekly)

Profound

Profound is the first word that comes to mind when trying to describe this book. It’s absolutely fantastic. This book may well give you a new, fresh, and even controversial outlook on The Bible. I certainly no longer see it as I once did.

The narration was superb, and the book is written well. The middle of the book is laden with some relatively dry content, but only because I had trouble following it closely on my first read through. The author does a great job of keeping the lay person interested.

This is, perhaps, one of my favorite books. Highly, highly recommended.

Essential reading for Christians

Going into this book I was pretty ignorant about the origins of the bible, and I found it very informative. Anyone should be able to find this book interesting because of the impact that the bible has had on western culture, but it's especially for Christians that this book is really a must-read (or listen).

I feel it's important to mention that Christians should listen to this because I noticed that a few of the other reviews cried heresy, and it would be a shame if any Christians avoided this book because of that. The book gives you an idea of how the bible came to be. If you live your life by the bible's teachings then it should go without saying that this subject is extremely relevant to your life. It's also worth noting that the author doesn't argue for or against the validity of Christianity, having listened to the book all the way through I'm still not even sure if the author is a Christian or not. (Although he does make a very good argument against completely literal interpretations of the bible, but that's unavoidable in any serious look at this subject)

Excellent

So very well documented, with reasoned discussion of the myriad concepts and details related to the numerous changes in the various scriptures of the New Testament.

overall good popsci intro to textual criticism

not very thorough, but a good introduction. stepping stone if you are interested in the topic, Bart simplifies a lot out of necessity and also can at time jump to equivalences that doesn't make much sense without more exposition. hold on and trust he's not a moron and you'll learn something you can bring up at family dinner

Slow, but interesting

You need to have an interest in history to truly appreciate this book. I am not extremely religious, but do find religion fascinating - especially as it changes over time. The reader was rather dry, but with the content being so scientific, it was expected. I do recommend the content for anyone inquisitive in truly getting to the true source of Jesus' teachings through the quest to find the oldest remaining scriptures and identify mistakes or changes in the new testament texts.

Very important to understand the Bible.

This is one of the best books on the Bible I have experienced. Ehrman gives an outstanding expose on how the Bible has changed over the millennia which presents a very real problem for those who believe that the Bible is "the inspired word of God." The fact is that we don't have the original texts and the texts we DO have contradict one another, even when presenting the same verses. We don't have any conclusive way of knowing which of these copies is correct. Scholars have done their best, but that has sometimes led to even more disturbing texts. An outstanding book for anyone interested in the Bible and how the book revered today came into being.

Eye Opening!

I am very impressed with the level of detail and careful descriptions and explanations. it has answered many questions I've had over the years and opened my eyes to many many more thought provoking possibilities. Extremely well read and easily understood

Inevitable mistakes in copying before Gutenburg

Would you try another book from Bart D. Ehrman and/or Richard M. Davidson?

A scholarly piece of work that needs to be abridged. The repetition on the main point is overworked. Interesting listen but the nuggets were buried in the chaff.

Have you listened to any of Richard M. Davidson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

First time listening to Richard Davidson.

Could you see Misquoting Jesus being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Not movie material

Any additional comments?

I don't regret buying this audible

Awesome book - definitely worth a listen.

A great book by Bart Ehrman - perfect for those interested in understanding the Jesus of the Bible in far more depth than the superficial commercialised versions presented at Easter and Christmas.

Fascinating Book!

I loved this book. I found it to be eye opening. I would highly recommend.