Bart Ehrman's Book, Jesus Interrupted, to be Released Tomorrow!

I heartily recommend getting this book!

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey John, I've been watching your blog for some time now and have been very impressed.

I am definitely looking forward to the release of this book and will probably rush to the store first thing tomorrow morning.

Are you planning on writing a review?

Anonymous said...

Probably.

kiwi said...

"How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question"; "Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible", ... Meh, I don't like that his books look more and more like anti-Christian polemics rather than a neutral and scholarly approach.

Jeff said...

I agree with you on that one, kiwi. However, at the same time I do appreciate that his books are scholarly and informed while written in a way that can appeal to a more general audience. What's written in his books is generally nothing new - but yet most non-scholars have never heard it. But you're absolutely right - what bothers me somewhat is how half of the sources cited in his footnotes are references to his other books. I find that, typically, the more varied and numerous one's sources, the better the book. And Ehrman's books tend not to be the best on the market in that regard.

Anonymous said...

Kiwi:

The books you are discussing aren't meant to be scholarly, they're meant to appeal to a wide audience and to introduce them to some key comments of biblical history and criticism.

Of Ehrman's work, only _God's Problem_ could be seen as an "anti-Christian polemic" by disinterested readers, I would argue, and even that text is largely devoted to explaining what the Bible says about suffering--that he disagrees with it is a personal decision, and the book isn't really polemical; his other books are even less so.

I've read all of Ehrman's general audience books, and I can say with confidence his tone is reasonable and polite and he's a fine scholar. He's a long way from being the agnostic answer to Christian apologists.

Anonymous said...

Jeff:

You're right about his footnotes, though I'd add that this is pretty common among those who are trained as academics--when you spend a whole book, as Ehrman has, arguing for a particular interpretation of Jesus' beliefs, you're likely to site the book itself when referencing the topic elsewhere. I don't have a problem with that, given his expertise and familiarity with the topic. I believe his scholarship is well regarded in the field.

I'm definitely looking forward to Jesus, Interupted.

AIGBusted said...

Out tomorrow? I looked through it in a bookstore Saturday!

James said...

Unfortunately, this may change the minds of two or three people, at best. Religion is not a system of thought that hangs upon reason and evidence but is crafted based on identity politics and emotion.

I'm not saying theology is purely irrational (Calvinism is very logical). However, in the end, it's a "leap of faith" which by its definition can have no evidence: the reasons why people take that leap are as numerous and complex as the stars.

It might provide some interesting discussion, however.

a helmet said...

Calvinism is very logical

Are you kidding? I haven't seen any calvinist that knows what "saving faith" actually is.

Aspergers.life said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Host said...

Bought it and read about a third of it so far. Ehrman rules! He does a good job of picking apart inconsistencies in content and theology in the N.T. documents, and has explained how attributing the 4 gospels to the names commonly associated with them is utterly groundless and based entirely on wishful thinking. Can't wait to read the rest.

Let's all chip in and send feeno a copy...

Blogger won't let me delete my own profile. said...

If skeptics are actually intrigued by this book that is a sad indication of the depth of their "intellectual prestige".

Great, more surfacy ad populum skepticism... yeah, and the church never knew about the Gnostics until "The DaVinci Code" either... my goodness... This is "The Purpose Driven Life" for skeptics. *yawn*

Anonymous said...

well, HERR, there was a post on a popular (calvinist) blog just this week declaring Mere Christianity the best book on apologetics. Here. let me help you get that timber from your eye...