Book Review: Jesus, Interrupted

I just recently finished reading Bart Ehrman's latest book, Jesus, Interrupted - Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (and Why We Don't Know About Them), and I must say that although the information contained is so wide-ranging that I will need quite a while to ponder it, it is a fascinating read.

To begin my review on the right note, I will say that I have not decided to become an agnostic after reading it, although Ehrman, now a Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at UNC Chapel Hill, is quite adamant throughout the book that he himself is now indeed agnostic. To be fair, he also points out quite clearly that his agnostic position is not as a result of the material he covers in this book (although he might have made the point one too many times - leaving me with a slight feeling that he "doth protest too much," but I digress).

As I mentioned before, the book is fairly wide-ranging in subject matter, as evidenced from the table of contents:

1. A Historical Assault on Faith
2. A World of Contradictions 
3. A Mass of Variant Views 
4. Who Wrote the Bible? 
5. Liar, Lunatic, or Lord? Finding the Historical Jesus 
6. How We Got the Bible 
7. Who Invented Christianity? 
8. Is Faith Possible 

Each of the chapters contains material that covers a very basic understanding of the sort of things that beginning seminary students might expect to learn at all but the most conservative of schools, focusing most heavily on direct contradictions between books in the New Testament, and the authorship of said books. One point that Ehrman tries to drive home repeatedly is the idea that most of what he says in this book is basic and common knowledge among scholars. Here is a quote from the last chapter of the book, to give you a feel for the overall theme:

"I have been trying, instead, to make serious scholarship on the Bible and earliest Christianity accessible to people who may be interested in the New Testament but who, for one reason or another, have never heard what scholars have long known and thought about it." (pg. 271)

It's also clear from repeated allusions that Ehrman himself has come under considerable criticism for his views since the publication of Misquoting Jesus in 2005, primarily from conservative evangelicals (which he isn't ashamed to say he once was, having received degrees from Moody Bible Institute and Wheaton College. He answers those critics multiple times in Jesus, Interrupted, as in this example:

"Some readers will find it surprising that I do not see the material in the preceding chapters as an attack on Christianity or an agnostic's attempt to show that faith, even Christian faith, is meaningless and absurd. That is not what I think, and it is not what I have been trying to accomplish" (p. 271)

I think Ehrman best sums up the reason that he has been vilified by conservatives in the following statement, again near the end of the book:

"Or perhaps pastors are afraid that if the person in the pew learns what scholars have said about the Bible, it will lead to a crisis of faith, or even the loss of faith. My personal view is that a historical-critical approach to the Bible does not neccesarily lead to agnosticism or atheism." (p. 272)

Ehrman's writing style is indeed accessible to the lay person, and it is clear that he has had enough experience with first year seminary students to learn how to "soften the blow" of full-on NT textual criticism well enough to keep his readers engaged until he has made his case. Still, I know that many of my readers will be frightened of the subject matter or at least very cautious when approaching this book. To those folks, I would recommend that you take the time to find the book at a bookstore or library and read the last chapter, as it will give you a good idea of what you are in for, should you decide to take the material on.

I have read about as much theological literature as a hobbyist can, but I have no formal theological training, so dry, clinical, or academic texts usually turn me off. I can say to my delight however, that Ehrman's book went right to the edge of that cliff without stepping over it, and I really enjoyed the read, to the author's credit. Footnotes in this book are fewer and father between than one might expect, and if I had a criticism for the editor, I would say that placing the footnotes on the page where they are referenced would be of great value to a hobbyist reader such as myself. I know I can look them up in the back of the book, but to me it disrupts the flow of the material too much at times to have to dig around like that. A minor point, I know, but this is a book review, after all.

As for criticisms of Ehrman himself, I have only one. He is certainly entitled to his agnosticism, which seems hard won indeed, but I feel that on multiple occasions in the book he has to make some leaps or "gut feel" types of calls on what he thinks about original authorship questions and other things. It's hard to put my finger on anything in particular, but it seemed to me that each time those leaps were required, his presuppositions lead him and his gut away from faith, perhaps subconsciously, rather than offering the benefit of the doubt and accepting orthodox thought.

Still, for the majority of the book, Ehrman's facts seem to be in line with conventional scholarship, and his conclusions logically plausible, if not obvious.

Should you read it? As with every book of this nature, that totally depends on you, and I can't pretend I know enough about you to make the call, but consider the following paraphrased statements from the book:

• Only eight of the books of the New Testament are thought to be written by their supposed authors
• Jesus probably never said he was divine, nor did the authors of Matthew, Mark, or Luke
• Jesus might not have meant that he was coming again, but that the Son of Man (a different person) was 
• The concepts of Heaven, Hell, and eternal punishment or reward of people, and the Trinity are all inventions of early Christian leaders, and only evident in what we read today because they were added later by scribes and the like 
• No historian knows if Jesus performed miracles, and the very purpose of miracles are at odds with each other in Matthew and John
• The gospels at times differed greatly on many points, from the theologically significant (including "the suffering servant" narrative and substitutional atonement) to the trivial (like when Jesus was born and when he was crucified).  

If the kinds of things listed above give you pause or even cold chills, you may not want to approach this material. If on the other hand, you feel strong enough to engage the text regardless of your personal beliefs, you may very well enjoy having your mind stretched. If all of those statements sound basic and familiar to you, this book might not have much extra to offer. Ehrman's goal (if I understand his multiple repetitions of it throughout the book) is to simply present the scholarship to a lay audience, and not necessarily to convince his readers to join him in his retreat from the Christian faith. 

More useful info:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qADxEspNE-Q Jesus, Interrupted in Ehrman’s own words

http://bartdehrman.com Dr. B’s homepage

http://www.harpercollins.com/book/index.aspx?isbn=9780061173936&WT.mc_id=PBAN_OOZE_JSINT_021309 Book page with video, excerpts and more

http://blog.beliefnet.com/blogalogue/is-our-pain-gods-problem - blogalogue: an interesting debate last year between Ehrman & NT Wright on the problem of pain and suffering

Comments

[stephanie renner]

I know I am bias but I love reading stuff that you write. And I get to have you all the time. Proud of you sweetie.