Jesus, Interrupted - by Bart D Ehrman (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

The problems with the Bible that New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman discussed in his bestseller Misquoting Jesus--and on The Daily Show with John Stewart, NPR, and Dateline NBC, among others--are expanded upon exponentially in his latest book: Jesus, Interrupted.

This New York Times bestseller reveals how many books in the Bible were not written by their traditional authors, and that the New Testament itself is filled with conflicting accounts about Jesus--information that scholars of biblical criticism know... but the general public does not. If you enjoy the work of Elaine Pagels, Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan, and John Shelby Spong, you'll find much to ponder in Jesus, Interrupted.

This landmark work unpacks the provocative questions that scholars have debated for centuries but are rarely discussed outside the seminary.

• Hidden Contradictions: A deep dive into the irreconcilable discrepancies between the Gospels regarding Jesus's birth, his final words, and even the day and time of his death.
• Forged Books of the Bible: An investigation into the anonymous authors of the Gospels and the pseudonymous writers who forged letters in the names of the apostles to promote their own views.
• The Historical Jesus: How scholars use the historical-critical method to separate the man from the myths and reconstruct what Jesus of Nazareth likely said and did.
• Inventing Christianity: A startling exploration of how core Christian doctrines--like the suffering Messiah, the divinity of Christ, and the Trinity--were later developments of the early church.

From the Back Cover

The Human Story Behind the Divine Book

In this New York Times bestseller, leading Bible expert Bart Ehrman skillfully demonstrates that the New Testament is riddled with contradictory views about who Jesus was and the significance of his life. Ehrman reveals that many of the books were written in the names of the apostles by Christians living decades later, and that central Christian doctrines were the inventions of still later theologians. Although this has been the standard and widespread view of scholars for two centuries, most people have never learned of it.

Jesus, Interrupted is a clear and compelling account of the central challenges we have when attempting to reconstruct the life and meaning of Jesus.

Review Quotes

"There's something delicious (for nonbelievers, anyway) about the implacable, dispassionate way that Ehrman reveals how the supposedly "divine truth" of Christianity was historically constructed." - Salon.com

"Ehrman's ability to translate scholarship for a popular audience has made the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill a superstar in the publishing world" - IndyWeek

"For both scholars and the masses who read about religion, Bart D. Ehrman needs no introduction . . . He adds the personal to the scholarly for some of his works, detailing how he went from a Moody Bible Institute-educated fundamentalist evangelical to an agnostic . - Durham Herald-Sun