Forged
Writing in the Name of God--Why the Bible's Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are
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4.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Bart D. Ehrman, the New York Times bestselling author of Jesus, Interrupted and God’s Problem reveals which books in the Bible’s New Testament were not passed down by Jesus’s disciples, but were instead forged by other hands—and why this centuries-hidden scandal is far more significant than many scholars are willing to admit. A controversial work of historical reporting in the tradition of Elaine Pagels, Marcus Borg, and John Dominic Crossan, Ehrman’s Forged delivers a stunning explication of one of the most substantial—yet least discussed—problems confronting the world of biblical scholarship.
In this provocative work of biblical criticism, Ehrman separates history from tradition to reveal:
Ancient Forgery: Which books of the New Testament were written by anonymous authors who lied about their identity, and why this centuries-hidden scandal matters for modern faith.Historical Methods: The techniques biblical scholars use to detect pseudepigraphy and how we can know who really wrote the books of the Bible.Early Christian Conflicts: How internal debates and struggles with outsiders led different groups to create documents in the names of apostles like Peter and Paul to authorize their own views.Lost Scriptures: An eye-opening look at non-canonical texts like the Gospel of Peter and 3 Corinthians, and what they tell us about the world of biblical forgery.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The evocative title tells it all and hints at the tone of sensationalism that pervades this book. Those familiar with the earlier work of Ehrman, a distinguished professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and author of more than 20 books including Misquoting Jesus, will not be surprised at the content of this one. Written in a manner accessible to nonspecialists, Ehrman argues that many books of the New Testament are not simply written by people other than the ones to whom they are attributed, but that they are deliberate forgeries. The word itself connotes scandal and crime, and it appears on nearly every page. Indeed, this book takes on an idea widely accepted by biblical scholars: that writing in someone else's name was common practice and perfectly okay in ancient times. Ehrman argues that it was not even then considered acceptable hence, a forgery. While many readers may wish for more evidence of the charge, Ehrman's introduction to the arguments and debates among different religious communities during the first few centuries and among the early Christians themselves, though not the book's main point, is especially valuable.
