Jesus, Interrupted

Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible

By: Bart D. Ehrman

Narrated by: Jason Culp

Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

Picking up where Bible expert Bart Ehrman's New York Times best seller, Misquoting Jesus, left off, Jesus, Interrupted addresses the larger issue of what the New Testament actually teaches...and it's not what most people think. Here Ehrman reveals what scholars have unearthed:

The authors of the New Testament have diverging views about who Jesus was and how salvation works.

The New Testament contains books that were forged in the names of the apostles by Christian writers who lived decades later.

Jesus, Paul, Matthew, and John all represented fundamentally different religions.

Established Christian doctrines, such as the suffering messiah, the divinity of Jesus, and the trinity were the inventions of still later theologians.

These are not idiosyncratic perspectives of just one modern scholar. As Ehrman skillfully demonstrates, they have been the standard and widespread views of critical scholars across a full spectrum of denominations and traditions. Why is it most people have never heard such things?

This is the book that pastors, educators, and anyone interested in the Bible have been waiting for, a clear and compelling account of the central challenges we face when attempting to reconstruct the life and message of Jesus.

©2009 Bart D. Ehrman (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers

Take a college course in New Testament in a book

I teach "Introduction to the New Testament" in a Public University in North Carolina. This is without a doubt the best introduction to the New Testament that is currently available. The book is accessible but always scholarly. I assume Ehrman has taken his notes from his New Testament class and expanded them into a book, because this is precisely the material one would get in a New Testament class at a University. Evangelicals will find the material challenging, but Ehrman (a former evangelical himself) works hard to show the evidence and answer the objections he knows are coming. I cannot say enough good about this book. Buy it, listen to it, and your understanding of the New Testament will be enhance and possible transformed.

Unbiased/Informative

Less academic than Misquoting Jesus, therefore more listenable, this is another Bart D. Ehrman look into the early Christian Faith/Jesus Movement. I learned nothing about the bible from Christian evangelical radio, so I am glad to get another audiobook that is very well informed.
If you want to learn about early Christianity without the proselytizing this book presents an explanation/examination of the famed discrepancies of the gospels; very intriguing.

Good info. but hard to get through

The book really does have some good information on the historical New Testament. I am taking on faith that Mr. Ehrman is truly the scholar he says he is, and that his historical data does, in fact, reflect the information one would receive at a university when studying the topic. My problem with the material is that the dissemination of this historical information is only about half of the book. The other half is repeating, ad nauseam, the information presented, combined with a rather self-aggrandizing account of the author, his life, and his beliefs (which are also repeated many times). I kept finding myself wanting to shout "you said that already, at least twice, move on!" every 10 minutes or so. He really needed a better editor to cut out all the noise and help him stick to the topic, which would in turn have alleviated some of the need for him to constantly mention that he didn't have the space to go into each topic in more detail.

Perfect balance of plain language and scholarship

This is the most approachable critical historical look at Jesus and the New Testament that I've yet read. This book should be mandatory reading for everyone, both believers and non-believers, who holds a strong opinion regarding Christianity. It certainly won't turn a non-believer into a believer. It's unlikely to turn a believer into a non-believer. But it is likely to make both sides take less extreme stances regarding the role of Christianity (especially those of the American Evangelical persuasion) in todays society.

Excellent book

As a Christian believer (albeit open minded) I found this book fascinating. It certainly has caused me to look differently and more deeply and the new testament gospels that we all tend to accept blindly. It has actually deepened (not threatened) my faith. Thank you Prof. Ehrman, I only wish I had taken your classes while at UNC.

A Seminary in a Book

An incredible book that will let you see what is taught in mainline Seminaries and Divinity schools throughout the western world... much of it you'll probably never learn about in church, even though your pastor knows many of these facts... It's like a seminary in a book and will add a whole new dimension to your reading of the most significant book in the western world. It teaches a critical historic review of the New Testament rather then what most people know which is just a devotional read of the Bible. I first listened to on audible and like it so well bought a couple copies here for me and other more progressive friends.

Ehrman = Engaging/Challenging + a Tad Pedantic

This book seems to fit in between 'Misquoting Jesus' and 'God's Problem'. I didn't find it as intellectually satisfying as 'Misquoting Jesus' and I didn't find it as doctrinally challenging as 'God's Problem'. While I appreciate Ehrman's desire to translate Biblical scholarship for the lay reader, 'Jesus, Interrupted' just seemed over-organized but also underwrought. At his best Ehrman is engaging and challenging. At his worst, Ehrman's prose jumps between pedantic and overly simplistic. His central premise on the need to read the Bible from a historical perspective and not just a doctrinal perspective already had significant purchase in me, so perhaps, I was just hoping 'Jesus, Interrupted' would wow me just a little more.

Only 1 part: The book is only 6 hours long.

Any additional comments?

The book was very enjoyable: a nice account of the New Testament from an historical perspective.
My complaint is that the book is only 6 hours. It is listed as 12 hours and divided into two parts. If you download both parts, you just downloaded the same book twice. It's a good listen, just limit your expectations to 6 hours (not 12 hours!).

Nothing new.....

I would suggest anyone who listens to this would also listen to Lee Strobel's, "The Case For Christ". Everything the author presents can be disputed in that book. He didn't present any new arguments that I hadn't heard. As a student of the Bible, it was definitely interesting though and Christians who believe the Word of God is accurate and reliable need to be aware of this type of teaching.

Ehrman is Back

After Ehrman's last book, God's Problem, I was worried that his work had lost its usual rigor and objectivity. I am happy to say that Ehrman is back in Jesus, Interrupted. This is a concise, objective view of how different authors of the New Testament differ on fundamental issues and how we are left to decide for ourselves how to reconcile these discrepancies. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has read the Bible and thinks they really know it well. This book will open your eyes to how little you actually know.

Should be a "must listen to" for every adult!

I always feel like an uninformed idiot after reading Bart Ehrman. Yet I am an educated, open minded and well traveled adult. I guess I am almost angry that I've allowed myself to be so easily brainwashed... His easy to read style and depth of information never disappoints.
While listening with my headsets on my partner had to deal with sudden explosions of "What!", laughter and slaps to the forehead. It just gets to you that strongly.
If you are at all worried about it damaging your faith then listen to the last chapter first. It certainly won't unless you want it to!
The reader is perfect. A great voice that one never tires of. I fear if I ever got to meet Mr. Ehrman I'd be shocked to hear his voice!
Now that my 15 hours are over I must immediately download another!

An interesting perspective on an old story

Erhman is a man of great intellect, a scholar of the highest credentials.

The contents if this book he claims not to be controversial among academics in the field of biblical scholarship, but are certainly controversial to the layman.

His conclusions are certainly controversial - but given the weight if evidence he gives in support they clearly shouldn't be.

A good run-through the work of New Testament history; detailed enough to provide clarity but not in-depth enough for me in some places.

A book that will make you think, maybe not fought to shake the faith of the masses but it will certainly leave you with many questions.

A good audiobook but for me it would have been much better if read by the author.

Phew! Should be read in every church

Hard to argue with Prof. Ehrman's reasoned and carefully presented scholarship. Beautifully clear; a shame that the deeply indoctrinated won't ever appreciate or even consider the questions raised by this

my fav Bart Ehrman book thus far

lots of good content in this book and the narration even on 2x speed was easily understandable so that saved a lot of time reading/listening

very insightful

This book has helped me in understanding why there are many contradictions in the 'good book'.

Fantastic

Loved every chapter. The depth of research that obviously went into this book is astounding. Bart D Ehrman’s qualifications to talk on this subject are second to none. Jason Culp narrates the book really well and has an engaging voice.

A great way to hear Bart's scholarly work

Having watched Bart speaking and debating on a few occasions, and having read some of his other works, this book has not disappointed.
His vast scholarly knowledge and insight, born from decades of study, is laid out in an accessible fashion.

Wow. So much information I didn’t know.

This book is amazing. I asked my pastor in my church about the bit where the disciples ask Jesus where he is going in John though and a couple of chapters later, Jesus saying that none of them asks where he is going. It felt like I had committed a mortal sin! He kind of explained though, after a while, that the disciples weren’t sincere when they asked where he was going and that is why Jesus denied them ever asking…. maybe that’s true? Part of me feels like maybe I shouldn’t be listening to this book, but I can’t help it.

Sanity with good humour and honesty.

Sanity at last!!! I have been trying to join up these dots for years, in ministry and for my own quest, and here is a scholarly and sensible account of all the issues that stand in the way of swallowing all these impossibilities ‘before breakfast’. Clearly set out and without the arrogance of a Dawkins. Reading is perfect.

great but...

Casts aside arguments that Jesus is a myth with a bizarre anecdote about a story that appears in the new York times. He has no explanation for the silence of Paul. Bart ehrman is a scholar but not when it comes to this.