FuzzyLumpkins
05-13-2011, 04:10 PM
Guy who was trained at multiple christian universities and seminaries writes a book analyzing the ancient texts and comes to the sensible conclusion that a lot of it was just made up nonsense.
Anyway this is the book:
http://www.amazon.com/Forged-Writing-God-Why-Bibles-Authors/dp/0062012614
Here is one review with exerpt:
http://www.pacificfreepress.com/news/1/8722-lying-in-the-name-of-christianity-a-review-of-forged.html
Readers also would learn that the two oldest surviving complete New Testaments are the codex Sinaiticus and codex Vaticanus. Sinaiticus is a fourth-century Greek Bible discovered in the middle of the nineteenth century that not only contains the complete New Testament, but also The Shepard of Hermas and the Epistle of Barnabas, books that were considered to be part of the New Testament for several centuries. Vaticanus also is a fourth–century Greek Bible that has been housed in the Vatican Library at least since 1475.
Because approximately 5,000 Greek manuscripts containing all or part of the New Testament have been identified, textual criticism became a necessity. As Professor Metzger put it, “The necessity of applying textual criticism to the books of the New Testament arises from two circumstances: (a) none of the original documents is extant, and (b) the existing copies differ from one another.”
(These are facts to keep in mind whenever some biblical literalist, presumably incapable of reading Greek, tells you that the New Testament is inerrant.)
Here is a review from the other side:
http://www.patheos.com/community/bibleandculture/2011/03/30/forged-bart-ehrmans-new-salvo-the-introduction/
This book should not be confused with some of Bart’s previous efforts, in particular Misquoting Jesus, as Bart is not arguing in this book merely that are errors or mistakes in the Bible. No, in this book he takes the next step in arguing that there is deliberate fraud going on in the canon, deceitful practices undertaken to convince or bamboozle some audience into believing something, on the basis of the authority of some apostle or original disciple, who in fact did not write the book in question. In other words, Bart is taking on not merely the conservative view that the NT is written by those authors to whom it is attributed but also the widespread notion that pseudonymity was a regular and widely recognized literary practice in antiquity, and that no one was deceived, nor was there an intent to deceive by such a practice. This book is likely to addle scholars and lay people all across the spectrum of belief, including quite liberal ones who have for a long time argued that pseudonymity was an accepted practice in antiquity. To judge from the early reviews on Amazon, those who are looking for an excuse to call the early Christians liars and deceivers are delighted with this book.
You are right they are obviously mistakes but they were all just big whoopsies all the repeated consistent and systematic ones included.
I actually read one review saying that people giving credence this book is just proof that people will believe the most outlandish things. Yeah like translocation of demonic possession from humans to pigs, fertilization without sex and resurrection are just so passe...
Anyway, have fun with this guys.
Anyway this is the book:
http://www.amazon.com/Forged-Writing-God-Why-Bibles-Authors/dp/0062012614
Here is one review with exerpt:
http://www.pacificfreepress.com/news/1/8722-lying-in-the-name-of-christianity-a-review-of-forged.html
Readers also would learn that the two oldest surviving complete New Testaments are the codex Sinaiticus and codex Vaticanus. Sinaiticus is a fourth-century Greek Bible discovered in the middle of the nineteenth century that not only contains the complete New Testament, but also The Shepard of Hermas and the Epistle of Barnabas, books that were considered to be part of the New Testament for several centuries. Vaticanus also is a fourth–century Greek Bible that has been housed in the Vatican Library at least since 1475.
Because approximately 5,000 Greek manuscripts containing all or part of the New Testament have been identified, textual criticism became a necessity. As Professor Metzger put it, “The necessity of applying textual criticism to the books of the New Testament arises from two circumstances: (a) none of the original documents is extant, and (b) the existing copies differ from one another.”
(These are facts to keep in mind whenever some biblical literalist, presumably incapable of reading Greek, tells you that the New Testament is inerrant.)
Here is a review from the other side:
http://www.patheos.com/community/bibleandculture/2011/03/30/forged-bart-ehrmans-new-salvo-the-introduction/
This book should not be confused with some of Bart’s previous efforts, in particular Misquoting Jesus, as Bart is not arguing in this book merely that are errors or mistakes in the Bible. No, in this book he takes the next step in arguing that there is deliberate fraud going on in the canon, deceitful practices undertaken to convince or bamboozle some audience into believing something, on the basis of the authority of some apostle or original disciple, who in fact did not write the book in question. In other words, Bart is taking on not merely the conservative view that the NT is written by those authors to whom it is attributed but also the widespread notion that pseudonymity was a regular and widely recognized literary practice in antiquity, and that no one was deceived, nor was there an intent to deceive by such a practice. This book is likely to addle scholars and lay people all across the spectrum of belief, including quite liberal ones who have for a long time argued that pseudonymity was an accepted practice in antiquity. To judge from the early reviews on Amazon, those who are looking for an excuse to call the early Christians liars and deceivers are delighted with this book.
You are right they are obviously mistakes but they were all just big whoopsies all the repeated consistent and systematic ones included.
I actually read one review saying that people giving credence this book is just proof that people will believe the most outlandish things. Yeah like translocation of demonic possession from humans to pigs, fertilization without sex and resurrection are just so passe...
Anyway, have fun with this guys.