MISQUOTING JESUS: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why, by Bart D. Ehrman. HarperSanFrancisco, 2005. Pp. 242 (BS2325.E45).

This respected scholar, author of the NYT Bestseller, MISQUOTING JESUS, is a striking example of how one can move from fundamentalist roots to holding a far different view of the Bible, "without losing one's faith." This book may soften the closed opinions of the cynic who has written off the evangelical. It may help the evangelical, centrist and liberal to understand contradiction in the Scriptures. It is almost certain that early scribes changed what Jesus said, or what was said about Jesus for theological and political reasons. Or, the scribes were tired and added, or omitted, a word or phrase unintentionally.

Bart Ehrman chairs the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. "Ehrman makes the provocative case that many of our cherished biblical stories and widely held beliefs concerning the divinity of Jesus, the Trinity, and the divine origins of the Bible itself stem from both intentional and accidental alterations by scribes - alterations that dramatically affected all subsequent versions of the Bible." (Jacket).

Whether or not you have studied textual criticism, comparison of early Greek manuscripts, there is new material in this well written work for scholars and the average church member. This book is easy to read and exciting - read it before you draw swords with your opponent on how to interpret tradition or the Bible. …The Library Committee