Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible & Why” as Want to Read:
Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible & Why
by
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
...moreGet A Copy
Kindle Edition, 242 pages
Published
(first published November 2005)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Misquoting Jesus,
please sign up.
Popular Answered Questions
Thom
This looks more like a review than a question...
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible & Why

This really is a fantastic book. When Wendy recommended it I thought that it would be pretty much the same old stuff that one would expect when an Atheist recommends a book on Religion. Let me explain why this isn’t what you might expect.
Firstly, it is written by someone who I assume still considers himself a Christian. He begins this book by telling the reader his ‘life story’ – how he became a born again Christian at fifteen and how this lead him to become fascinated in The Bible. Not in the w ...more
Firstly, it is written by someone who I assume still considers himself a Christian. He begins this book by telling the reader his ‘life story’ – how he became a born again Christian at fifteen and how this lead him to become fascinated in The Bible. Not in the w ...more

If you read the reviews written in the Barnes and Noble website, you’ll probably see three types of review:
1. The smart ass academic or pseudoacademic who says the book isn’t that good anyway
2. The fundamentalist Christian appalled at the idea of someone doubting the infallibility of the Bible
3. Your average Joe that finds the book quite interesting
In my case, I could be a #1 considering that I’m both a smart ass and an academic (or so I like to think). In the case ofMisquoting Jesus Cover bi ...more
1. The smart ass academic or pseudoacademic who says the book isn’t that good anyway
2. The fundamentalist Christian appalled at the idea of someone doubting the infallibility of the Bible
3. Your average Joe that finds the book quite interesting
In my case, I could be a #1 considering that I’m both a smart ass and an academic (or so I like to think). In the case ofMisquoting Jesus Cover bi ...more

Please, if you're Christian, read this. If you're religious, read this. If you're atheist, read this. I guess what I'm saying is read this. Misquoting Jesus reminds me of the game we played in elementary school. The teacher whispers a story in the ear of one child and it's whispered from one ear to the next until the last child tells the story out loud. And guess what? It's considerably different from the original. No dah! Well, imagine this . . . A book is copied over and over and over by monks
...more

Before I write my review, I must emphasize that
this book is not making a case against Christianity.
It in no way seeks to destroy the your faith, your system of belief, or convert you to atheism/agnosticism. I feel this is an important disclaimer.
Something about me, I always feel very lost when it comes to selecting educational books on my own. I don't like to perpetuate false information, and it's overwhelming to select literature that maintains an interesting narrative while also providin ...more
Something about me, I always feel very lost when it comes to selecting educational books on my own. I don't like to perpetuate false information, and it's overwhelming to select literature that maintains an interesting narrative while also providin ...more

Dec 23, 2007
Skylar Burris
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
christianity,
bible
While I found it interesting to see what differed in various manuscripts, I did not find any of these changes as sensational, apparently, as the back cover blurb writers did. Ehrman's subject and thesis are interesting, but, unfortunately, he is quite repetitive and his arguments are poorly organized. The introduction and conclusion are the clearest, most arresting portions of the book. The introduction is an intriguing spiritual autobiography, but his conclusion leans a little too heavily towar
...more

Great reading about the foundation of Christian religion
THAT HOLY BOOK
The Bible, one of the most read book in the world, it's curious and quite ingenious how in the early beginning of Christian religion was selected and manipulated the several tons of scriptures that they were around and somebody needs to put them in some controlled order.
How the most "popular" scriptures were chosen to be the "official" ones, and how the Christian religion had to take over other popular celebrations to ...more
THAT HOLY BOOK
The Bible, one of the most read book in the world, it's curious and quite ingenious how in the early beginning of Christian religion was selected and manipulated the several tons of scriptures that they were around and somebody needs to put them in some controlled order.
How the most "popular" scriptures were chosen to be the "official" ones, and how the Christian religion had to take over other popular celebrations to ...more

Jan 09, 2008
Wendy
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
those who like history, are curious about the Bible..whether skeptic or religious
As a biblical scholar, the author wanted to read the Bible in the languages in which it was first written and so studied them and went deeper into the texts. His decision to go deeper, to fully appreciate it, led him to find out as the old saying goes more than he bargained for. It led him to reevaluate his faith which had been based on a belief in the literal truth of what he had been taught it said and in the inerrancy of it as brought down thru the ages..as it was originally written.
What he ...more
What he ...more

Jul 20, 2014
Shaun
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2014,
non-fiction
This was pretty good for what it was, a textual criticism of the Bible. Sure it's a little repetitive at times, but I think this is the result of the author trying to simplify and explain a complex topic to an ignorant (at least relatively ignorant) audience.
Bart Ehrman attended Moody Bible College and finished his Bachelors degree at Wheaton College. He then received his PhD and M.Div from Princeton Theological Seminary.
A born-again Christian, Ehrman's desire to understand the Bible led him to ...more
Bart Ehrman attended Moody Bible College and finished his Bachelors degree at Wheaton College. He then received his PhD and M.Div from Princeton Theological Seminary.
A born-again Christian, Ehrman's desire to understand the Bible led him to ...more

Jul 26, 2007
Lena
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction,
skepticism
Ehrman was just a teenager when he had a born-again experience that led him to devote his life to the study of Christianity. Hoping to help defend the Bible as the true word of God, he focused his studies on the origins of the Bible, only to discover that the history of a book whose words many faithful take as infallible truth is nowhere near as clear as most people would like to believe. It seems that God suffered the same fate as many great writers and had his words altered by numerous editors
...more

A must for anyone who wants to know WHY the Bible isn't inerrant. A wonderful work by a biblical scholar who was motivated by his deep faith and only wanted to find the truth. One of the most interesting aspects is that the reader will come to understand how biblical scholars work and the methods they use to decide which text represents an older tradition than another text. Also, those new to the study of comparative religion will probably be amazed to learn (or refuse to believe) that some part
...more

There were minor variations in the New Testament manuscripts. This is old news.
Unfortunately, Ehrman, a former fundamentalist Christian, thinks it's such a big deal that it casts doubt on the veracity of the Christian faith. Practically nobody agrees, except for people like atheists who already have a bone to pick with Christians.
The truth is that no other ancient text is as well supported as the New Testament. Minor variations are to be expected. The ones we find the the NT manuscripts don't ...more
Unfortunately, Ehrman, a former fundamentalist Christian, thinks it's such a big deal that it casts doubt on the veracity of the Christian faith. Practically nobody agrees, except for people like atheists who already have a bone to pick with Christians.
The truth is that no other ancient text is as well supported as the New Testament. Minor variations are to be expected. The ones we find the the NT manuscripts don't ...more

There was no New Testament until the fourth century. Until that time assorted factions warred over all sorts of different beliefs about Jesus. Some thought he was all human, others he was all God. Some believed there were many gods, others there must be only a few. Their assorted beliefs were transcribed by the individual congregations themselves, obviously representing their own particular view of reality. What happened to those oral and written traditions and documents and how they evolved and
...more

May 24, 2007
Emily Ann Meyer
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
objective scholars of religion
I wish there were a 1/2 star method, because I didn't quite like this up to 4 stars, but I liked it more than 3.
The book was not quite what I expected, inasmuch as it focused a lot more on the individual motivations of scribes and/or transcription errors rather than the major political and theological debates that also contributed to changes in the text.
There is much of this that I already knew - changes are made and mistakes happen. What was new to me, and what really made me sit up and take n ...more
The book was not quite what I expected, inasmuch as it focused a lot more on the individual motivations of scribes and/or transcription errors rather than the major political and theological debates that also contributed to changes in the text.
There is much of this that I already knew - changes are made and mistakes happen. What was new to me, and what really made me sit up and take n ...more

I originally started my review with a big long rant about why even though I still believe in God I no longer go to church or even believe in organized religion. I’m truncating it down to this: the unexamined faith, just like the unexamined life, is not worth living. I feel that if more people understood that modern day Christianity is a product of its times but also the product of what was once a very diverse systems of beliefs and understandings of Jesus’ role, or that it is recognized fact tha
...more

The repetition in this book was ridiculous. I don't know how many times the author mentioned that the gospels are copies of copies of copies but it was more than a few. Probably more than a dozen. Eventually, he gets to examples which made it interesting but I'm hoping the book he released todayJesus Before the Gospels: How the Earliest Christians Remembered, Changed, and Invented Their Stories of the Savior, has fewer redundancies. I'm about to find out.
This was a decent introduction to the to ...more
This was a decent introduction to the to ...more

A real eye opener.
I'm familiar with the point the author was trying to make in this book. For a couple of years now, I've known the Bible isn't as infallible as most Christians make it look. I've know that the book is littered with errors by its writers throughout history. But I haven't had time to do a proper research on the forms these errors took. Reading this book has saved me a lot of time.
It's a bit unfortunate most Christians aren't aware of Biblical textual criticism. It's almost like ...more
I'm familiar with the point the author was trying to make in this book. For a couple of years now, I've known the Bible isn't as infallible as most Christians make it look. I've know that the book is littered with errors by its writers throughout history. But I haven't had time to do a proper research on the forms these errors took. Reading this book has saved me a lot of time.
It's a bit unfortunate most Christians aren't aware of Biblical textual criticism. It's almost like ...more

Ehrman did a good job of explaining textual criticism for the average person. The reason I only give two stars is because I learned pretty much everything he says in this book at a conservative evangelical seminary. In other words, he writes as if these things are a shocking secret to Christians when most Christians, even the most evangelical ones, learned this ages ago and are fine with it. This book should encourage Christian teachers and pastors to teach these things to the people in their ch
...more

First of all, for a man who values the exact words written down by writers and copyists, it is ironic that this book is so titled. In all of the examples the author uses to show how New Testament texts have been altered, almost none contain anything Jesus actually said.
I can only surmise that falsely leading readers into believing the opposite would sell more books.
But let's move on to the content.
Textual criticism is not a science. It takes hold of old manuscripts, compares them, applies certa ...more
I can only surmise that falsely leading readers into believing the opposite would sell more books.
But let's move on to the content.
Textual criticism is not a science. It takes hold of old manuscripts, compares them, applies certa ...more

As a believer in "verbal plenary inspiration", which this author once cherished but came to see as ridiculous, I am curious to hear his experience and case. I want to admit up front that I already find myself distrusting his conclusions because of an assumption/leap-in-logic that he made back on page 11 about God's motives and choices. But, that said, he still holds my interest on a number of points.
Update: I am kind of disappointed in this author, because I feel like he promised these earth-sha ...more
Update: I am kind of disappointed in this author, because I feel like he promised these earth-sha ...more

You had me at "reformed fundamentalist author."
Very interesting and the author was fascinating. Definitely read the prologue if you get to this book. The author's education arc adds a lot to the books perspective.
Ultimately if you're a believer, this probably won't change your mind. If you find yourself firmly on the fence or a dyed in the wool atheist, you'll find great information. ...more
Very interesting and the author was fascinating. Definitely read the prologue if you get to this book. The author's education arc adds a lot to the books perspective.
Ultimately if you're a believer, this probably won't change your mind. If you find yourself firmly on the fence or a dyed in the wool atheist, you'll find great information. ...more

I read this after reading Jesus, Interrupted, also by Bart D. Ehrman. This book is slightly more technical than the other, and I would recommend reading Jesus, Interrupted first, then this one.
Ehrman begins this book by describing how he was raised as a Christian and was so fascinated by the Bible that he began intently studying it, and I do mean intently. He was so interested in it that he learned Greek, Latin, and some of the ancient languages in order to translate the ancient manuscripts him ...more
Ehrman begins this book by describing how he was raised as a Christian and was so fascinated by the Bible that he began intently studying it, and I do mean intently. He was so interested in it that he learned Greek, Latin, and some of the ancient languages in order to translate the ancient manuscripts him ...more

An explanation from a noted textual scholar, as to why literal interpretation of the bible is simply not possible. His question is "where is the actual bible you're taking literally?" The one we have is an amalgam of manuscripts, few of them complete, many of them fragments no bigger than a matchbook, copied, recopied over millennia, with many mistakes, many intentional changes on the part of scribes, and thousands of differences, all regularized and heavily edited by scholars of varying stripes
...more

This book is fascinating and deep. It presents the history of documentation,translation and transmission of the New Testament in a critical way. There are more variations among the 16000 old manuscripts available than the words in the New Testament. The reasons for these variations were illiteracy of scribers , mistakes, theological differences, worldviews etc. In short the inspired words of God were altered by humans. The question is if God didn't stop the alteration in his words,then may be th
...more

May 28, 2009
Stephanie *Eff your feelings*
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
spirituality,
2009
I found this book interesting. A biblical scholar, who was a born again Christian as a teen, decides to not only study the bible but other more secular studies. He does this to be able to prove to none believers that the bible is without error. But finds out he has been very, very, wrong about this fact. He says at one point that "there are more errors in the new testament then there are words in it". Most of the errors where honest mistakes by the scribes copying these manuscripts and the rest
...more

Nov 06, 2009
Erik Graff
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Christians
Recommended to Erik by:
Thomas Miley
Shelves:
religion
Ehrman claims that this, his overview of the formulations of what have come down to us as the texts of the Christian Scriptures, is a work that hadn't been done before. That is a bit of an overstatement. Any work of textual criticism applied to this corpus must needs cover such ground. Such originality as there is to Jesus Misquoted is in its engagingly accessible style.
Usually I find self-reference off-putting when used in scholarship. In this case, however, Ehrman's introductory account of how ...more
Usually I find self-reference off-putting when used in scholarship. In this case, however, Ehrman's introductory account of how ...more

As part of my research into the early development of the Christian Church, I took an online course "How Jesus Became God" by Dr. Ehrman, which I very much enjoyed. When this book showed up as an eBook bargain, I got it and promptly lost it on my huge digital TBR shelf. It surfaced when I needed to do more research and I found it immensely helpful.
Ehrman does a good job covering the history of the developing Bible from it's earliest roots to more recent versions, through translations from and in ...more
Ehrman does a good job covering the history of the developing Bible from it's earliest roots to more recent versions, through translations from and in ...more

An oddly encouraging book due to the fact that Ehrman, despite being clearly very educated and clearly bent on discrediting scripture, can summon up surprisingly little here to even begin to make his case. I was left thinking, "Huh, if this is the best they've got, there must not be any significant textual variations to speak of."
...more

I kept waiting for the punch line, but Ehrman over-promised and under-delivered. The controversies he highlights -- such as they are -- are nits at best. Vox Day wrote a book responding to Ehrman, and I'd recommend that instead.
...more

I listened to this book as an audiobook. I generally enjoyed much of this book and found it to be very interesting. On the other hand, I also sensed that the author was writing with an agenda that missed the mark. He seemed to be relishing the prideful pleasure of iconoclasm as he set himself up as the smartest man in the room to enlighten us poor simpletons who actually believe in the Bible. I suppose I should also blame the narrator for the smug, sneering, condescending tone of this book. I h
...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Underground Knowl...: Mistranslations in the Bible | 3 | 20 | Jul 14, 2019 04:40PM | |
The Hitler button | 7 | 114 | Jun 08, 2019 02:52PM |
Bart D. Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. He came to UNC in 1988, after four years of teaching at Rutgers University. At UNC he has served as both the Director of Graduate Studies and the Chair of the Department of Religious Studies.
A graduate of Wheaton College (Illinois), Professor Ehrman received both his Masters of Div ...more
A graduate of Wheaton College (Illinois), Professor Ehrman received both his Masters of Div ...more
News & Interviews
Die-hard mystery fans are always on the hunt for their next supremely satisfying whodunit. To help you stock that Want to Read shelf, we asked...
50 likes · 22 comments
1 trivia question
More quizzes & trivia...
“The Bible, at the end of the day, is a very human book.”
—
8 likes
“What if we have to figure out how to live and what to believe on our own, without setting the Bible up as a false idol—or an oracle that gives is a direct line of communication with the Almighty?”
—
4 likes
More quotes…