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

by Bart D. Ehrman

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062012623
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	03/06/2012
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	145,350
Product dimensions:	5.38(w) x 8.54(h) x 0.78(d)

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.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction: Facing the Truth 1

1 A World of Deceptions and Forgeries 13

2 Forgeries in the Name of Peter 43

3 Forgeries in the Name of Paul 79

4 Alternatives to Lies and Deceptions 115

5 Forgeries in Conflicts with Jews and Pagans 143

6 Forgeries in Conflicts with False Teachers 179

7 False Attributions, Fabrications, and Falsifications: Phenomena Related to Forgery 219

8 Forgeries, Lies, Deceptions, and the Writings of the New Testament 251

Notes 267

Index 293

Editorial Reviews

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, andit 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 thenconsidered acceptable—hence, a forgery. While many readers may wish for more evidence ofthe charge, Ehrman's introduction to the arguments and debates among different religious communities during the first few centuries and amongthe early Christians themselves, though not the book's main point, is especially valuable. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Ehrman (religious studies, Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Misquoting Jesus) provides evidence here that the ancient world, in fact, generally condemned forgeries as much as the modern world does. He then goes on to discuss works that were wrongly claimed to have been written by Peter or by Paul as well as other forgeries, including some in the last two centuries. He distinguishes between the use of a pen name to hide the writer's identity and a forgery that claims to be the work of someone else. Most of the forgeries Ehrman discusses served Christian anti-Jewish propaganda, although some were antipagan, while the so-called Gospel of Nicodemus was an attempt to correct the very anti-Christian Acts of Pilate. Ehrman uses other forgeries as well to support his conclusion that "Christians intent on establishing what was right to believe did so by telling lies." VERDICT Ehrman reveals for ordinary readers what most mainstream biblical scholars accept, but he then attributes motives to the writers, which are more speculative, ending his book with a discussion of a few justifiable lies or forgeries and those not justified (all the rest). Recommended for sophisticated readers who will come to their own conclusions about Ehrman's opinions.—Carolyn M. Craft, emerita, Longwood Univ., Farmville, VA

Library Journal