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    Jesus, Interrupted
    Jesus, Interrupted
    Jesus, Interrupted
    Audiobook12 hours

    Jesus, Interrupted

    Written by Bart D. Ehrman

    Narrated by Jason Culp

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    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 books in the Bible were actually forged by later authors, and that the New Testament itself is riddled with contradictory claims about Jesus—information that scholars 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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateMar 3, 2009
    ISBN9780061867200
    Jesus, Interrupted
    Author

    Bart D. Ehrman

    Bart D. Ehrman is a leading authority on the New Testament and the history of early Christianity and a distinguished professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The author of six New York Times bestsellers, he has written or edited more than thirty books, including Misquoting Jesus, How Jesus Became God, The Triumph of Christianity, and Heaven and Hell. Ehrman has also created nine popular audio and video courses for The Great Courses. His books have been translated into twenty-seven languages, with over two million copies and courses sold.

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    Reviews for Jesus, Interrupted

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    • 1/5
      I give this book a half star not because Mr Ehrman is a bad writer, or that he didn't have enough to say. I actually recommend this to Christians that are well grounded in their faith. Mr. Ehrman sees the Word of God as a human book because he is using “deep and penetrating historical, literary, and textual analysis” to examine the outside of the package not the truth that is contained inside. Mr. Ehrman’s academic and historical perspectives have led him to the wrong conclusion. However, I will give him credit. He is a talented writer and intellect, for it is difficult to write so much and so well about something that is so wrong.

      2 people found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Well researched, a must read/listen for every believer!!! Really informative.
    • 4/5
      As always Bart Ehrman books are fun to read. I think his reasoning is very poor in some areas, but nevertheless I think his books are good for shaking someone up who might be complacent in their evengelical fundamentalist bubble. I really hope his books provoke people into investigating further. In this regard, I highly recommend the last chapter
    • 1/5
      Bart didn't shatter my faith. Again and again what you can listen is the word "probably". He didn’t present a positive argument against the Bible. Besides, he didn’t mention the Holy Spirit. Thus, we have a reliable text and a personal relationship with God. He said that historians cannot report miracles. But this is so fallacious. Suppose I witness the first flight of an airplane. I can’t explain how such a big object can fly. Yet, this doesn’t mean I can’t report what I see.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely fascinating book about approaching the Bible as a historical document for scholarly review/comparison. As an atheist, I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy this but it made me consider the Bible in a completely different way.

      I'm now moving on to Ehrman's other titles.
    • 5/5
      What an effort!!
      What can I say?!
      God bless you -;)
    • 4/5
      A detailed critical-historical account of the New Testament explaining the contradictions and differences between the books. Ehrman shows how the different authors of the New Testament had very different theological views and how these views gradually evolved into christian ortodoxy after three centuries.
      Ehrman's scholarship is excellent and his prose is clear. The only reason I would deduct one star, is it is to much essayistic for my taste, referring constantly to his own (abandoned) beliefes and how he teaches his students.
    • 4/5
      To be honest this book confirmed what I have already thought about The Bible. My feelings about the Bible are that it's part history, part myth, part storytelling, part polemic and part propaganda. Ehrman establishes that he was once a "conservative Christian" who has left the Christian faith. He did not leave because of his research and findings from the Bible but because he cannot reconcile a loving God with all the suffering that he sees in the world. I can appreciate his feelings as they mirror mine partly.

      Ehrman points out some of the discrepancies that can be found in the New Testament related to the life-and-death of Jesus Christ. Ehrman does believe that Christ existed but leaves the door wide open as to whether Christ was divine and the son of God. Much of the New Testament was written 60-70 or more years from Christ's death. It seems that the authors of the New Testament took great pains to reconcile Christ's life and deeds with previously held myths and speculations about the Messiah who was about to come.

      Ehrman takes great pains to ensure his neutrality in presenting information in the book. He realizes that most Christians are unaware of the historical findings related to documents presented in the Bible. If you believe the Bible is the word of God and that literally everything is true within it, you may not like the conclusions or findings that Ehrman presents.

      At some point in what remains of my life, I should read the Bible. Not as a believer but someone who appreciates the history of Christianity and would be interested to know more about its history and doctrines.
    • 5/5
      Examination of the New Testament and early Christianity by a renowned Biblical scholar using the historical critical method. The author discusses discrepancies between the 27 books that comprise the accepted canon and presents the theory (almost universally taught in seminaries) explaining how early Church fathers altered the religion of Jesus (himself an observant apocalyptic Jew) into the foundation of the religion what is today the largest religion on the planet.
    • 5/5
      Yet another outstanding book by Mr. Ehrman. His works are consistently well researched and his style is completely available to the common reader despite his background as a new testament scholar.Jesus Interrupted makes a convincing case that bible was not the inspired words of God, but instead was written by various people from various places and sets forth sometimes different (if not contradictory) facts about the life of Jesus and the developing theology of being a Christian. Mr. Ehrman sets forth his arguments, which are standard in the scholarly community, in such a way that reader will finish the book with a far greater appreciation for the history of both the bible and the Christian religion.Highly recommended for believers and non-believers alike.
    • 5/5
      An excellent, plain language survey of critical scholarship on the nature and development of the New Testament documents of the Christian bible. As the author points out, scholars have known the information presented in this book for many, many decades - it’s just that the person in the street is not told about it. The information will be a bombshell for those who are not aware of this information - and a brilliant summary and discussion for those who already do. The author is an agnostic and is often asked why he continues to study the Bible. His answer, provided near the end of this book, is that ‘The Bible is the most important book in the history of Western civilization. It is the most widely purchased, the most thoroughly studied, the most highly revered, and the most completely misunderstood book—ever! Why wouldn’t I want to study it?’ Bart Ehrman is clearly an expert in his field. But he has the ability to make his area simple to understand without dumbing down the material. For anyone interested in the Bible - atheist, agnostic, or believer - this is a must read.
    • 1/5
      Most of Ehrman's criticisms don't make any sense to me. Besides the minor ones, they seem like a simple twisting of the literal level of scripture. That is not the way early Christians wrote or interpreted (2 Co 3:6). Ehrman used to believe "literally." That's where He started to go wrong, by rejecting the spiritual. Most of the discrepancies he speaks of were resolved in the second and third centuries. Following is how Ehrman disagrees with scripture.Ehrman seems to think that John teaches a different kingdom of God than Mark. Learn a parable of the mustard seed where faith is the kingdom of God. As Luke says, the kingdom is within you (Luke 17:21, Rom 14:17). Paul says the kingdom is present and spiritual (Rom 14:17 1, Co 15:50). For Paul the kingdom is already present. Jesus does miracles to prove who He is (John 12:37). Signs and miracles are used for confirmation in all the Gospels (Mark 16:20). Jesus was the fulfillment of the commandments (Mat 5:17). He wasn't asking people to poke out their eye or cutoff their hand. The way to heaven was to follow Him (Luke 9:23-24). In Romans 1 Paul mentions several sins. He doesn't single out idol worship for the wrath of God. It is because of their materialism and rejection of God that they do those things. It is a symptom, not a cause. Matthew shows Jesus is divine by calling Him "God with us," (Mat 1:23) and closing chiastically, Jesus says I am with you always (Mat 28:20). The idea that one day equals a thousand years was present before the first century in such literature as the book of Jubilees (4:30) and Psalms (90:4). It wasn't the invention of first century Christians who were disappointed that Jesus hadn't returned. The orthodox church has always looked forward to the resurrection. The Trinity is shown in such verses as Mat 28:19-20.He admits that argument from vocabulary is a tricky way to establish authorship, and their are many disagreements among scholars, yet he depends on it. That's why the opinions of modern scholars about authorship aren't better known among the general public. Historians have no real way to authenticate the process of scripture canonization. Their opinions vary widely and they can't be proven. Ehrman claims that people believe in things that were "made up." Yet he believes in the old "whispering game" idea where the message gets jumbled up. Which is it? How can he base conclusions on history if history isn't true? He says the ancient world was "different." If so, how can he draw conclusions about their thinking using 19th century methods of interpretation. He simply picks and chooses what he wants to believe in the bible, and even admits that.Ehrman believes that most people live miserable lives. Perhaps he is describing his own situation. If he had faith then maybe that would change.
    • 5/5
      Ehrman explains the issues and current scholarship regarding the Bible and the historical Jesus where anyone can understand them. Highly recommended.
    • 3/5
      Maybe one of the only popular books on biblical scholarship I have ever seen.
    • 5/5
      I never did figure out what the title of this book is supposed to mean, but it doesn't matter. The secondary title is most relevant. Ehrman is a biblical scholar in the "historical-critical" school and he really knows his stuff. Scholarly but quite readable, fascinating, and provocative.
    • 5/5
      Bart Ehrman is on a roll. A scholar of the New Testament (NT) at the University of North Carolina, Ehrman has published a new book on the history of early Christianity, NT, or the historical Jesus every other year or so since 2005. Ehrman's recent output has tended toward the popular rather than the scholarly. I haven't yet read any of Ehrman's more scholarly works (I mean to, I will), but I assume that books such as Jesus, Interrupted: Revaling the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (and Why We Don't Know About Them) (2009) are more accessible distillations of his academic monographs.Ehrman's thesis in Jesus, Interrupted is that the NT, early Christianity and, consequently, modern Christianity, is riddled with “hidden” contradictions. As Ehrman himself repeatedly points out, there is nothing “controversial” about the notion that the NT contradicts itself. It is obvious to any observant reader that the Jesus portrayed in Mark is different from that in Luke, and both versions of the Nazarene radically differ from the one in John. Ehrman notes that even readers familiar with the NT might miss such differences since they tend to read the books sequentially rather than “horizontally”; that is, they read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the order they appear in the Bible rather than comparing aspects of the stories to one another (for instance, Jesus' birth).Having established the varied perspectives of the Gospels, Ehrman goes on to discuss issues of interest to both scholars and the reading public. In light of the differences in the Gospels, what can scholars say about the historical Jesus? Who wrote the NT? How was it compiled? Who were the early Christians and what did they believe? Readers unfamiliar with history or religion (as academic disciplines), or who consider themselves versed in the NT (without really having read much of it) might be surprised or disturbed by Ehrman's points. I read one user review that said something along the lines of, “As usual, Ehrman's facts are flawless but his conclusions are biased and totally off-base.” The conclusions to which the user was referring were unclear (Ehrman touches on a variety of topics, after all), but Ehrman builds arguments that, although sometimes based on a paucity of evidence and a heap of speculation, seem sound. Remember that this is not an academic work; Ehrman is permitted leeway in terms of expressing his “guesses” and “intuitions.”Some readers will be concerned about the implications Jesus, Interrupted will have for faith (their own, Christians in general). My impression is that such readers needn't worry. Ehrman takes pains to point out that he is not attacking Christianity, nor is he interested in subverting anyone's faith. Ehrman began his academic career as an evangelical Christian and is now an agnostic. Lest anyone suspect that Ehrman's fall from grace is proof of the perversions rife in academe, he notes that his abandonment of Christianity had nothing to do with his studies and everything to do with his inability to reconcile the notion of a loving deity with the suffering evident in the world. Ehrman points out, rightly, that the discipline of history can neither prove nor disprove the assertions of faith, although it can inform particular schools of belief. Evangelical Christians who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible may find Jesus, Interrupted a difficult pill to swallow.I will end on a personal note, a liberty I take in light of Ehrman's frequent personal asides. I am a Jew. I am not in any way invested in the truth of Christianity. (Although, I think, it would be sad to see my Christian friends and neighbors abandon their faith en masse as a result of the scholarship Ehrman shares.) That said, I completely embrace Ehrman's assertion that scholarship can enhance one's faith and one's understanding of one's religion. Liberal Jews have known this since biblical studies began in earnest in the nineteenth century. The majority of my fellow (liberal) Jews do not recognize Moses as the author of Torah, as tradition states. We are aware that Torah was compiled by at least four sources (“authors”) and put into its final form by a Redactor (or, if you prefer, redactors). The literary-historical approach to the text opens a vista of interpretations, understandings, and meanings. We find the multiplicity of meanings not threatening, but liberating. I don't presume to tell our Christian friends how to approach the NT, but to see them study it the way liberal Jews do Torah would provide us all a common ground from which to speak to one another.
    • 4/5
      I think the subtitle of this book is a little misleading. There's really only one chapter that focuses primarily on "revealing the hidden contradictions in the Bible, "and that one only offers up a smattering of examples, all of them from the New Testament. (In fact, the book as a whole focuses almost exclusively on the New Testament, that being the author's area of expertise.) What it really is, rather than a list of contradictions, is an introductory overview of the historical-critical approach to the Bible, in which the texts are examined in an analytical fashion, in their proper historical context. So, we do get a chapter that talks about how the various accounts of the life and death of Jesus contradict each other and how those contradictions reflect the individual authors' own theological concerns. But there are also discussions about who wrote the various books of the Bible (which often turns out not to be who they're attributed to), how some writings were accepted as part of the biblical canon while others were left out, what we can conclude (or reasonably speculate) about the historical Jesus based on the writings we have, how Christian theology changed in the centuries after Jesus and affected the biblical texts, and so on.I imagine a lot of this is likely to be quite eye-opening for those raised in a tradition of Biblical literalism (assuming they're willing to hear it out). For heathen unbeliever me, though, some of the basic points have a certain "well, duh!" quality to them. Of course reports of events written by different people decades after the fact are going to differ significantly, and all the more so if differing religious agendas are involved. Many of the historical details are quite interesting, though, especially when you consider the incredible, massive influence the Christian Bible has had on all of western civilization. And Ehrman's writing is very clear and readable, covering the subject matter well without getting too bogged down in fiddly academic disputes, and providing just enough examples to make his points without letting things get too tedious. He also doesn't make any unwarranted assumptions about his readers' personal beliefs, or expect more than a basic, general familiarity with the Bible going in.
    • 4/5
      The author is an academic professor whose job is to examine critically the New Testament as a collection of works written in the 1st-2nd century, rather than as a collection of Holy Books, and understand the aim and the worldviews of their authors.And this book is just, that, an examination of the contradictions among the books of the New Testament and of the differences between the theologies of the early Christian communities that held them precious.
    • 4/5
      I bought this one as a Kindle edition and found it very interesting and well written. It is measured and well reasoned without the shrillness and emotion of many of the new, militant-atheist books but it certainly blows the fundamentalist idea of the inerrancy of scripture out of the water.The points it makes are well argued but it treats the reader as an adult and doesn't try to lecture - or at least not to excess. Throughly recommended to anyone interested in whether the christian religion is valid, either as a way of getting in touch with God or as a cultural artefact.
    • 5/5
      A very well-written and thought provoking book that shares the view of the Bible that biblical scholars have long had and addresses all those nagging questions left over from Sunday School.
    • 4/5
      Ehrman manages to find a different focus for each of his books written to introduce a non-professional audience to biblical textual criticism. Much of this book covers the same ground as his excellent Misquoting Jesus, but its scope is broader and its purpose seems different. It seems that Ehrman has been stung by criticism from Christians about his previous books and wants to go out of his way here to say (over and over) that understanding that the bible is a book written by human beings, not the divine, word of god, doesn’t mean you have to lose your faith. Ehrman says his own journey from Christianity to agnosticism was a result of deciding that a world that has as much suffering as ours could not have been created by a loving god.The book starts out well, and its best part is its discussion of the varying viewpoints of the writers of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), the contrasts between them, and the contrasts with the Acts of the Apostles (written also by Luke) and the letters of Paul. In this discussion, Ehrman shows that the many discrepancies and inconsistencies between (and inside) books of the bible are not primarily the result of generations of copying errors or deliberate changes made by scribes over the centuries. Instead, he convincingly argues, these books say different things because the authors meant them to. In essence, they weren’t telling the same story. Each author had his own agenda. Luke is very anti-Jewish, for instance. The gospel of John is the outlier of the four, as in it Jesus over and over proves his divinity through a series of miracles. In the other gospels, he is reticent to do anything to show his divinity, which for that matter, he doesn’t really claim. How do Christians reconcile all these differences? Ehrman says that they basically pick and choose elements of all four gospels and combine them into a fifth gospel that isn’t consistent with the view of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. Christianity isn’t the religion of Jesus—it is the religion about Jesus.Ehrman goes on to deal with other issues that different books of the bible present different perspectives on. Was Jesus divine from birth? Or did he become divine at the time of his resurrection? The gospels (and Paul) seem to differ on this. Will Heaven be here on Earth, with the dead raised and sinners punished? Or is Heaven somewhere in the ether? And so on. I won’t try to provide a full summary of the many fascinating things Ehrman points out. If these examples are interesting to you, you’ll want to read this book.Despite the fascination of its subject matter, the book begins to drag a little as it goes on. Some subjects are dealt with multiple times, as if this were a collection of articles combined into a book, which so far as I can tell, this isn’t. Ehrman’s repeats other themes a few too many times as well. Why, he asks, don’t ministers who have attended bible seminaries and understand the complicated history of the texts that make up the new testament convey this information to their congregations, if not during a sermon, then at least in adult education classes? Ehrman seems mystified about this. The cynic in me says that they don’t tell their congregations because they are afraid of sowing seeds of doubt that will hurt their churches, but I will have to yield to Ehrman’s judgment, given that he went to seminary with many ministers who would accept most of what Ehrman puts forth in this volume, but who still hold on to their faith. Perhaps the reason is simple. The bible isn’t that important. Ehrman proves this himself. In one of his introductory religion classes, he asks a group of 300 students, how many have read at least one Harry Potter book. Almost every hand goes up. Then he asks how many have read the bible all the way through. Only a few hands are raised. It makes me wonder. Most of those who criticize Ehrman’s books probably haven’t read the bible all the way through, either. But then, Ehrman is a lot easier to read.
    • 4/5
      Very well educated Author. Book is very informative exemplary.
    • 4/5
      If you've already read Misquoting Jesus and God's Problem, most of this book is repetitive. However, Ehrman does still point out a number of new issues in the hijacking of the person and the divine aspects of Jesus. I only rated it so low because only about half was new information that he hadn't written about already.
    • 3/5
      Written in a style that is easy and inviting for the average reader, Ehrman's book attempts to explain inconsistencies in the books of the New Testament and to explore possible explanations for those differences. A point he makes more than once in the book is that these inconsistencies are well known to the clergy; are simply not shared with members of their churches. The book winds down a bit toward the end. Having made his point, Eherman can't seem to resist the temptation to reiterate. Overall, the book was informative, interesting, highly readable.
    • 3/5
      I read this book after hearing the author interviewed on 'Freethought Radio'. The absolute best thing about it is the title.The author is a bible expert, having graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary, who has come to agnosticism after a long struggle with faith. The book is his attempt to lay out the academic, historical and origination inconsistencies in the Bible, with the intention of educating people so they can 'make their own decisions' about what it all means. The last chapter - 'Is Faith Possible' - shows that he's not simply out to debunk Christianity.Still it comes through as ammunition for people who want to have a better understanding of the bible, in order to maintain or further their skepticism.I found the beginning, in which inconsistencies in biblical stories are spelled out in detail interesting, but not earth shattering. There are larger elements pointed out, but small things like the number of angels that appeared in different accounts of the same divine events seem irrelevant to the larger issue of whether the Bible is a document that can serve as the foundation for a world-wide religion.This is an interesting read, written in friendly voice - albiet one which is a bit too conscious of being folksy-scholarly about its basic intent. I enjoyed the facts in the book, but less so the philosophical discussions. Could have been shorter, but then it wouldn't have been a best-seller.Of course, it wouldn't have been a best seller without the cool title, either.
    • 4/5
      Much easier to read than most histories of Christianity. The author walks you slowly but directly through the use of modern historical techniques for evaluating the Bible and many other manuscripts in the first centuries following the ministry of Jesus. Most of his arguments are convincing and this would be a good book for anyone considering him or herself a Christian. The constant references to how he introduces ideas to his students is tiresome.
    • 4/5
      I was looking for a one book resource on questions about the origins of the bible, historicity of Jesus, who organized the bible etc. This was the perfect book. Answered all my questions in one readable and entertaining book. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      Not, in my opinion, as good a book as Misquoting Jesus. It basically hits all the same points but does not notably advance the argument. This may have been a factor of the order in which I read them.
    • 4/5
      The "hidden contradictions" as promised in the title are only a small part of what this book is about, and I am glad for that. Jesus, Interrupted is a sort of biography of the Bible itself. Although Ehrman begins the book with a refutation of biblical inerrancy, the rhetoric set forward isn't actually academia versus religious fundamentalists (there's enough of that already). Instead it's a fairly level history of where the New Testament comes from, who controlled what was said and not said in it, and what social circumstances were surrounding its writings.Ehrman stresses several times that the Bible is a "very human" book - whether a reader would say it's also divinely inspired is up to him or her, but the historical situations of the Bible are undeniably important. Responsible readership should keep in mind that it can and should be a dynamic book for believers, informing their spirituality, but it also is a collection of first century documents created by a culture very different from our own. Religious controversies swirled around the communities writing these books, and the so-called orthodox theology set forth in the Bible (more or less) was only one of many interpretations by self-proclaimed Christians as to who Jesus was and what his ministry actually *meant.* The skepticism that Ehrman introduces with his book is not intended to obliterate faith, but perhaps better ground it in a historical reality, closer to the "real" (historical) Jesus and less infused with the later dogma set forth by Christian churches.
    • 5/5
      I really like Ehrman's writings. He is a very thoughtful writer on subjects that aren't discussed much in public because they involve, for some people, a radical reinterpretation of the Bible. In fact that is one of the reasons he wrote the book: so few lay people have been taught anything about the last 200 years of Biblical scholarship.The book is something of a sequel to his previous work Misquoting Jesus. In both he points out that a view of the Bible as literally true and inerrant has been made impossible by facts. We do not have the original Biblical texts, first of all. Secondly, there are thousands of existing copies made prior to the invention of the printing press, and no two are alike... they all contain errors, some major, most minor, some deleting text found in other versions and some adding text. The errors in all of these copies add up to more words than are in the Bible.Ehrman points out, however, that many if not most Biblical scholars are believing Jews or Christians, that knowing the Bible is not inerrant by no means mandates a loss of faith. Ehrman is candid in revealing that he has become an agnostic himself, but says it had nothing to do with the issue of inerrancy, but rather the issue of suffering (which he addressed in a different book).Ehrman reconstructs the New Testament (he is a Greek scholar, not a Hebrew scholar, so does not treat the Old Testament), discussing who wrote the various books, which are forgeries, when they were written, etc. He talks some about the process by which the canonical books of the New Testament became canonical. Prior to this, around the fourth century, there were many competing Christianities (discussed in more depth in his book Lost Christianities). In some Christians had to follow Jewish law, in others they were not to do so, and then there were the Gnostics, a wholly different kettle of fish. Each group had its own set of works it considered sacred.Ehrman has an extensive discussion of the value of reading the books "vertically" (comparing the same story in different books), rather than "horizontally" (reading the books in order straight through). By doing so the unique viewpoints of the authors come out. Mark, for example, was the earliest of the Gospels to be written, and is one of the sources for Luke and Matthew. Mark's view of Jesus is that he is the one who atones for the sin of the world, and so his emphasis is on Christ's suffering. Bart Ehrman has produced another excellent book on Biblical scholarship for the lay reader.