I know what some critics have said about this book. They do not like the flippant style of one of the authors.
I bought the book and have read most of it by now. I will probably get the copy by Ehrman from the library. I have the feeling that we are seeing the 21st century version of some sort of traveling road show, with Ehrman (the liberal or agnostic renegade) pitted against some fairly well-versed evangelical scholars. The line of point-counterpoint books just keep on coming. At some point, people may weary of the trend. But it does allow anyone who wants it the chance to explore different perspectives and varying theological points at the popular level.
My position on anything of this sort is to consult the authors' sources -- their footnotes and/or bibliography -- and read some or all of their sources (depending on interest and time) to see if you agree with the sources. This will also deepen your knowledge of a subject so that you know a bit more than just the he said--he said aspect of the issue. The book does have great endnotes, and I heartily recommend them for all readers.
The book is not too long -- for those who might be intimidated by such a thing (205 pages), the typeface not too small, or the general "look" of it too academic for those of us who are not academics. The chapter titles give a good idea of subject matter ("What Did the First Christians Think About Jesus?"), and they deliver on that promise.
The content of these chapters will give the reader a fair overview of the subject and how the author feels the topic (e.g., "Problems with Ehrman's Interpretive Categories") relates or refutes Ehrman's position. Some subjects will interest more than others. I found the various excursuses (excursi? excurses?) on second and third century evidence for Jesus as God to be quite helpful, and a real challenge to those who think, generally, that Jesus became God with Constantine, or some other version of that story.
I also especially liked the excursus on "Kings, Angels, and Holy Men."
And P.S., I said a challenge. When I read Ehrman, maybe he will enlighten me further about the moment when Jesus became God..
But I am not counting on it. I read Misquoting Jesus by Ehrman a few years back -- and have heard him speak many times and read other works of his. He is a riveting speaker, quite talented. He possesses the ability to take dry and academic concepts and put them into every-day language. Whether he does justice to the material in doing that -- well, that is why reading endnotes and checking other books is crucial for anyone who wishes to really know the subject -- and not just go on the internet and blow hard.
I then read Fabricating Jesus, the rebuttal book to Misquoting Jesus, done by Craig Evans ( who has the chapter "Getting the Burial Traditions and Evidences Right" in this book). Before I read Misquoting and Fabricating, I had spent several years researching some of those same issues for myself. I had just returned to Christianity, and I wanted to figure out where I stood on issues of the biblical text. I encountered Ehrman early on, with some Teaching Company lectures on the New Testament, and was massively impressed by him-- until I read a book by a woman theologian (Gillingham) who essentially showed me (without meaning to) that you can do anything with statistics -- or other pieces of information -- and that Ehrman had done that with some aspects of the Teaching Company lectures.
Thus, when it came time to Misquoting and Fabricating, I already was in agreement with Evans' analysis. I suspect that my opinions of the current scholarly matchup fall in line the same way. The chapter by Evans in this book is high quality. I did think there were parts of the book that I preferred over others. It may depend a lot on what aspect of the issue most interests me at the moment. If I come back to it in a year, or if I come back to it after reading Ehrman, I might find some other chapters that suddenly leap out at me.
Yes, Mr. Bird's style is flippant and he tries to be amusing. That is not too usual for someone who expects, or prefers, an academic tone. For example: "Ehrman's view of Jesus is low, so low in fact that it could possibly win a limbo contest against a leprachaun" (p. 11).But he makes some good points while he is at it. The only problem is that after you have read something by him, then you flip over to Chris Tilling or Charles Hill or Simon Gathercole or Evans. They write in less exuberant styles. But Bird is the general editor of the book. He got to do things the way he wanted to do things.
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Zondervan Academic serves the needs of Christian scholars, pastors, and students. Since 1931, we have been privileged to partner with the scholarly community to develop Christ-honoring resources in service of the academy and the church worldwide.
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Top reviews from other countries
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Fabricio Luís LovatoReviewed in Brazil on January 16, 2023
"COMO DEUS SE TORNOU JESUS"
- Paul John PurnellReviewed in the United Kingdom on August 4, 2019
Very helpful book of this theological topic.
The contributors to this book explain each subject in each chapter in an easy to understand way, which isn't always that easy to do. This demonstrates their expertise in this field.Very helpful book of this theological topic.Paul John Purnell
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 4, 2019
In my opinion you needn't read Bart Ehrman's book first as it is clear which subjects from his book "How Jesus became God" that the contributors are addressing and responding too.
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