Saturday, November 8, 2008

Misquoting Jesus

Just finished this very interesting read about the bible. I'm not religious, but I do find religion very interesting. Different religions, the holds they have on people, and the way they have evolved are all fascinating.

Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why is a focused look at the evolution of the bible and, subsequently, Christianity. Ehrman traces the process by which texts came to be accepted as the new testament and notes that there were many, many other writings that didn't make the cut. He discusses the methods through which scribes copied early manuscripts, introducing errors as well as intentional changes.

Ehrman book-ends the book (what a very Austin Powers, allow-myself-to-introduce-myself moment here), with a personal message about his history with religion, how the bible came to be important to him, and how he started to recognize it as a very human work instead of divine. This personal addition is an excellent entry point for his readers and adds a level of poignancy that would be otherwise absent.

1 comments:

Tina said...

This sounds really really good. I'm definitely going to get this. Another book I really like is The Golden Bough by James Frazer. It talks about the roots of Christian traditions in Paganism and secular traditions. Not hugely riveting in prose, but really interesting concepts.