Forged (book)
Author | Bart D. Ehrman |
---|---|
Language | English |
Subject | Authorship of the Bible |
Publisher | HarperCollins |
Publication date | 2011 |
Pages | 320 pages |
ISBN | 0-06-207863-1 |
Preceded by | Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (And Why We Don't Know About Them) |
Followed by | The Apocryphal Gospels: Texts and Translations |
Forged: Writing in the Name of God – Why the Bible's Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are is a book by the biblical scholar Bart D. Ehrman. Although it has long been recognised that numerous books of the New Testament bear names of authors who are unlikely to have written them.
Arguments and contentions[]
It has often been said[by whom?] that it was an accepted practice in antiquity for a writer to attribute his work to a well-known figure from the past, or a teacher who has greatly influenced him[citation needed].Forged contends that this is incorrect and the practice would have been condemned as dishonest by all authorities in antiquity. Falsely attributed writings are often referred to as "pseudepigraphs" but Ehrman maintains that the more honest term is "forgery". The book posits that 11 or more books out of the 27 books of the Christian New Testament canon were written as forgeries.[1] In his book, Ehrman points out numerous inconsistencies which he finds within the New Testament which appear to support many of his claims, such as the fact that in Acts 4:13 the statement is made that both Peter and John were illiterate, yet in later years entire books of the Bible were then alleged to have been written by them.
New Testament books identified as forgeries by Ehrman[]
- First Epistle of Peter
- Second Epistle of Peter
- Acts of the Apostles
- Epistle of James
- Epistle of Jude
- Second Epistle to the Thessalonians
- First Epistle to Timothy
- Second Epistle to Timothy
- Epistle to Titus
- Epistle to the Ephesians
- Epistle to the Colossians
False attributions[]
In addition to the eleven books of the New Testament Ehrman identifies as forgeries, he discusses eight originally anonymous New Testament texts that had names of apostles ascribed to them later and are falsely attributed. These are not forgeries since the texts are anonymous but have had false authors ascribed to them by others.
- Gospel of Matthew
- Gospel of Mark
- Gospel of Luke
- Gospel of John
- First Epistle of John
- Second Epistle of John
- Third Epistle of John
- Epistle to the Hebrews
Reviews[]
The book was positively reviewed by the Library Journal.[2]
United Methodist pastor and biblical scholar Ben Witherington III (Asbury Theological Seminary) wrote a long and detailed critique of Ehrman's positions in his blog.[3] Presbyterian pastor and biblical scholar Michael J. Kruger (Reformed Theological Seminary) also wrote a detailed critique of Ehrman's book in the website of The Gospel Coalition.[4]
See also[]
- Jesus, Interrupted, another New York Times bestseller by Ehrman
- Misquoting Jesus, a New York Times bestseller by Ehrman
References[]
- ^ Blake, John (2011). "Half of New Testament forged, Bible scholar says". CNN. Retrieved 2011-05-17. CNN book review article summarizing Ehrman's claim that much of the New Testament was written as a forgery.
- ^ Craft, Carolyn. "Forged". Library Journal. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
- ^ Culture, The Bible and (2011-03-30). "FORGED-- BART EHRMAN'S NEW SALVO--- The Introduction". The Bible and Culture. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
- ^ "Forged: Writing in the Name of God—Why the Bible's Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are". The Gospel Coalition. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
- 2011 in Christianity
- 2011 non-fiction books
- Biblical criticism
- Books by Bart D. Ehrman
- English-language books
- HarperCollins books
- Pseudepigraphy