Buy new:
-44% $10.59
Delivery Friday, November 22
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$10.59 with 44 percent savings
List Price: $18.99
The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
FREE International Returns
No Import Fees Deposit & $9.44 Shipping to Netherlands Details

Shipping & Fee Details

Price $10.59
AmazonGlobal Shipping $9.44
Estimated Import Fees Deposit $0.00
Total $20.03

Delivery Friday, November 22. Order within 22 hrs 30 mins
Or fastest delivery Wednesday, November 20
In Stock
$$10.59 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$10.59
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
Returnable until Jan 31, 2025
Returnable until Jan 31, 2025
For the 2024 holiday season, eligible items purchased between November 1 and December 31, 2024 can be returned until January 31, 2025.
Read full return policy
Returns
Returnable until Jan 31, 2025
For the 2024 holiday season, eligible items purchased between November 1 and December 31, 2024 can be returned until January 31, 2025.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$7.53
FREE International Returns
This item shows wear including moderate wear to edges and cover. This item shows wear including moderate wear to edges and cover. See less
Delivery November 27 - December 11
Or fastest delivery November 25 - December 5
$$10.59 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$10.59
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Added to

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Other sellers on Amazon
New & Used (59) from   $7.53
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Bart D. Ehrman
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why Paperback – February 5, 2007

by Bart D. Ehrman (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,979 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$10.59","priceAmount":10.59,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"10","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"59","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"1JbE6lMcxiWnndp0174e8a3dH7RTQ96qmX%2FtAY8TsiGDj0QWzpI%2FOCbSEsFtX1KWtfq04osKn16MDZTRYvo0e1kHaDwZ0C09t7th0A58s%2FjKu4ML6j4NpGu6u6Z05zNNNr5jvqwZJOE%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$7.53","priceAmount":7.53,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"7","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"53","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"1JbE6lMcxiWnndp0174e8a3dH7RTQ96qdxxioNOMQg%2Bwn8%2F5cA0hPu366hxBwgfocXt99tznjVSyTCp1UK03QRASEuAyIHAsJ1ppVn4IkGo8QginuJcaCZ%2BkhiDkkbBFzIhfaqxBm8eSxs7TjitEJZBgdCS1hXGGJusS7ckJWZhdB4QntkXwlFte0e1RAiUs","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

For almost 1,500 years, the New Testament manuscripts were copied by hand––and mistakes and intentional changes abound in the competing manuscript versions. Religious and biblical scholar Bart Ehrman makes the provocative case that many of our widely held beliefs concerning the divinity of Jesus, the Trinity, and the divine origins of the Bible itself are the results of both intentional and accidental alterations by scribes.

In this compelling and fascinating book, Ehrman shows where and why changes were made in our earliest surviving manuscripts, explaining for the first time how the many variations of our cherished biblical stories came to be, and why only certain versions of the stories qualify for publication in the Bibles we read today. Ehrman frames his account with personal reflections on how his study of the Greek manuscripts made him abandon his once ultra–conservative views of the Bible.

Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    242 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    HarperOne
  4. Publication date
    February 5, 2007
  5. Dimensions
    5.31 x 0.61 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0060859512
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0060859510
  8. See all details
Next slide of product details
Books%20with%20Buzz
Books with Buzz
Discover the latest buzz-worthy books, from mysteries and romance to humor and nonfiction. Explore more

Frequently bought together

Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why
This item: Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why
$10.59
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
How Jesus Became God : the Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee
$13.29
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (And Why We Don't Know About Them)
$13.49
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
spCSRF_Treatment
Choose items to buy together.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
2,979 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book highly accessible, engaging, and helpful for general readers. They appreciate the scholarly content, accuracy, and introduction. Opinions differ on the error rate, with some finding it admirable and respectful, while others say it's problematic and contradictory.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
ReadabilityScholarly contentAccuracyIntroductionScholarshipValue for moneyError rateBible accuracy
369 customers mention "Readability"323 positive46 negative

Customers find the book highly accessible, sensational, and well-written. They say it's engaging and helpful for the general reader. Readers also mention that the author is compelling and thoughtful.

"..."Misquoting Jesus" is a short, fast read which intentionally doesn't attempt to cover all the questions scholars actively research and analyze..." Read more

"...Ehrman's presentation of his material is lucid, in spite of some neatly hidden scholarly accessories...." Read more

"A well written book about the evolution of the Bible, particularly the New Testament, and how our present text came to be in all its various forms...." Read more

"...The rest is very excellent, well researched history (and well written, I might add)...." Read more

265 customers mention "Scholarly content"247 positive18 negative

Customers find the book scholarly, with crucial information. They say the research is impeccable and the conclusions are interesting. Readers mention the book is a good introduction to the history of the development of the New Testament canonical text, revealing an unbiased approach. Additionally, they say Ehrman is one of the best scholars working with scripture and other early Greek texts.

"I was very impressed with all the information Bart gives in this book...." Read more

"...read it and not dismiss it out of hand, because the argument Ehrman puts forth is unbiased, well-researched, and most importantly, extremely logical...." Read more

"This book is a very good introduction to the history of the development of NT canonical text...." Read more

"...not obscure the fact that Ehrman is also one of the very best scholars working with scripture and other early Greek texts...." Read more

17 customers mention "Accuracy"14 positive3 negative

Customers find the book accurate, filled with facts, and thought-provoking. They also describe it as believable, honest, and a good detective story.

"This is a fascinating account of what is presently known of the history of the Christian scriptures...." Read more

"...In a fascinating account Bart Ehrman takes you from the beginning of his born again experience through his need to know what the original documents..." Read more

"...I have always found books like this fascinating and factual...." Read more

"...The information conveyed in this book comes across with passion, truth, and a complete lack of malice towards the bible...." Read more

17 customers mention "Introduction"14 positive3 negative

Customers find the introduction of the book very good. They say it provides a pleasant introductory survey of critical differences between manuscripts. Readers also mention the book is interesting if tedious for anyone who wants to learn about the actual Bible. They say it's essential for any serious student of the Bible and the best basic, popular, easy-to-read book on Christianity.

"...Another reason this is a good introduction to the study of early Christianity is that Ehrman avoids most of the controversies within scholarly..." Read more

"...He expounds the course with mastery, humour, and intellectual rigour...." Read more

"...and nonbeliever will enjoy the clarity of his writing, and learn a lot in the process." Read more

"...a willingness to wade through some difficult passages, but the effort is worth it. I highly recommend this book." Read more

9 customers mention "Scholarship"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the scholarship excellent, substantial, and accessible. They also say the author is scrupulous about his scholarship.

"...Ehrman writes remarkable and helpful history. His scholarship is apparent (with 9 pages of endnotes)...." Read more

"...some insight into his possible bias, but he is also scrupulous about his scholarship...." Read more

"Excellent scholarship! This book is very educational...." Read more

"...Ehrman is clear and concise and adds a great amount of scholarship to the many translations of the Bible...." Read more

9 customers mention "Value for money"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well worth twice the price and mention it has immense value beyond its immediate topic.

"...fair, Ehrman does present much information in this book that is highly valuable...." Read more

"...accessible primer of textual criticism that is of immense value beyond its immediate topic, i.e., categorizing the textual differences among the..." Read more

"...My impression overall is that it is of great value for the layman yet it is a book in which I could not help but feel the author had an agenda...." Read more

"Condition even better than advertised. The price was excellent, and the delivery timely. Five stars!" Read more

17 customers mention "Error rate"8 positive9 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the error rate of the book. Some mention the author does an admirable job explaining the processes of ancient religion in a clear and methodical manner. However, others say the true word of God is vague, problematic, and contradictory. They also mention the system is highly error-prone and untenable.

"...many examples of the misquoting of Jesus' words, he provides plenty of examples of errors in the text as it was copied down from the first century...." Read more

"...The mark of a good teacher! Looking forward to his other works!" Read more

"...This is, quite simply, untenable...." Read more

"...The work is respectful and, despite the author's stated conversion to athiesm, very reverent...." Read more

13 customers mention "Bible accuracy"0 positive13 negative

Customers find the Bible full of errors and not reliable. They also mention it's not perfect and contains various contradictions. Readers also say the verse seems out of context and there is some inconsistency between the two passages.

"...There is some inconsistency between these two passages, and young Bart worked up an elaborate explanation attempting to preserve the veracity of Mark..." Read more

"...This verse seems out of context, it was placed elsewhere in some manuscripts, and it conflicts with other things Paul wrote in the same book...." Read more

"...There are very few citations for a book of this depth and potential magnitude...." Read more

"...it seems like he is trying to build the case that the Bible can't be trusted at all...." Read more

Great book, erroneous implications.
4 out of 5 stars
Great book, erroneous implications.
It is obvious the author spent much time researching his subject. As for the historical arguments he makes, I cannot offer compelling arguments which would show problems with his assertions. But, though he is not making any obvious and direct claims against the Bible. he does allow the implication to be understood. Basically, he seems to say that since there may have been (he claims there were) errors in copying, and/or outright changes made to the texts, that we may not have the original text in some cases, and that they present-day tests may not be "inspired" as the originals may have been. His mistake is believing that, if God truly has inspired His Word, then the Lord could not have led for some corrections or modifications to be made to it along the way that would better illuminate His original inspiration. To argue, either directly or indirectly, that ONLY the original text could have been inspired is a fallacy. God can inspire His Word, written whenever, and by whomever, He chooses and is not limited to human procedures or practices. In fact, God can choose to inspire present-day writers, even if their work is never included into the canonized Scriptures. God will not let corrections, modifications, errors, or anything else stop Him from getting His message across to us.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

patrina coverdell
5.0 out of 5 stars Loads of information it is very insightful
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2024
Verified Purchase
I was very impressed with all the information Bart gives in this book. I cannot believe that I have learned the truth about the Bible, and where the manuscripts came from. The information about the Texas receptus blew me away. I am no longer a Christian so all of this information has taught me. We have been lied to all these years. Thank you Bart for being so truthful.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
gawws
4.0 out of 5 stars required read for Protestants/Fundamentalists
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2007
Verified Purchase
"Misquoting Jesus" is Bart Ehrman's self-proclaimed first lay book of textual criticism of the New Testament. While the title may be somewhat of a misnomer since there are not too many examples of the misquoting of Jesus' words, he provides plenty of examples of errors in the text as it was copied down from the first century. With the original Greek being written with no punctuation or spaces -scriptuo continua - and copying of the text performed by untrained and biased scribes in the midst of debates with supposed heretics, it is certainly obvious how and why these text variants occurred.

While no examples are given of variants that threaten an article of faith - although the reference to the Johannine Comma and its affirmation of the Trinity might come close for some - the evidence he presents makes a very, very compelling case that the text has been tampered with. The argument is also a very logical one and I have often worried about it prior to reading this. The argument also threatens the Protestant foundation of sola scriptura. Post-Reformationists worried that textual criticism strengthened Papist claims of Church authority, and rightly so. It sure seems irrational to base one's faith solely around a set of written words so poorly handled and preserved.

While Ehrman does not say this in the book, if you have followed his interviews and other writings, you know he has fallen from fundamentalist to atheist/agnostic. He does not make the argument for atheism, but deals a painful blow to the concept of inerrancy, for "even if God had inspired the original words, we don't have the original words." Ehrman further ventures towards a disturbing conclusion about divine inspiration:

"For the only reason (I came to think) for God to inspire the Bible would be so his people would have his actual words; but if he really wanted people to have his actual words, surely he would have miraculously preserved those words, just has he had miraculously inspired them in the first place. Given the circumstance he didn't preserve the words, the conclusion seemed inescapable to me that he hadn't gone to the trouble of inspiring them."

While the book does not prove this conclusion, it certainly makes it arguable.

"Misquoting Jesus" may shake some fundamentalists and literalists to the core, but they should read it and not dismiss it out of hand, because the argument Ehrman puts forth is unbiased, well-researched, and most importantly, extremely logical. His revelations are not new, but you certainly do not hear much about these things from Bible study teachers or mainstream Christian authors.

Although I like Ehrman and have read and will continue to read his other works, I expected a bit more from "Misquoting Jesus" and was left wanting. I found it too short, too belaboring, and too repetitive with its constant recapping. Yet the author was very clear in his Introduction that this book was for the layman who knew nothing about textual criticism. Given that as his goal, I have to give Four Stars and recommend that all Fundamentalists/Literalists/Evangelicals and anyone without knowledge of textual criticism read it.
18 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Michael Heath
5.0 out of 5 stars A brief wade into textual criticism
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2006
Verified Purchase
This book is a very good introduction to the history of the development of NT canonical text. Ehrman, a historian, provides a historian's rigor and standards to this publication while presenting his findings in a very readable narrative style. "Misquoting Jesus" is a short, fast read which intentionally doesn't attempt to cover all the questions scholars actively research and analyze between historical reality and the versions of manuscripts current laymen read. Instead, Ehrman provides a pleasant wade, especially for those readers unfamiliar with output by credentialed scholars such as Ehrman. He provides a perfect start to a journey towards an intellectual understanding of early Christianity.

Ehrman stays away from theological arguments and exegesis of some of the more topical controversies (e.g., Paul's perception of the life of Christ prior to his crucifixion is not covered, nor are textual criticism methods to test the veracity of claims covered, like the criterion of dissimilarity test that would dismiss the Jesus counting fishes miracle since it's the same story as a much earlier Pythagoras story - even down to the fish count). Instead Ehrman focuses on what the manuscripts say, and how we know that some parts have changed over time by comparing texts. Ehrman does cover theories on why they were changed though he does so briefly without getting bogged down in any dense analysis to prove his point.

Another reason this is a good introduction to the study of early Christianity is that Ehrman avoids most of the controversies within scholarly circles regarding the divinity of Jesus. I assume this is because to many conservative Christians who appear to be one of Ehrman's primary target audiences, discovering the ease at which scholars have proven the Bible is errant as reported in this book will be contrary to what they've been indoctrinated into by many churches; with that being enough provocation to deal with in an introductory book. My assumption is based on Ehrman's introduction, a short memoir of his own intellectual journey from being an ignorant evangelical to enlightened historian, a "hey, if I can take this journey, so can you" essay I believe would have been more appropriate as an appendix.

I don't believe Ehrman is dishonest by avoiding the historical veracity of NT claims for a divine Jesus; most of those controversies require that readers have some foreknowledge of what we know regarding early manuscripts well beyond the scope of an introductory book along with some skills in exegesis to understand the theories presented that challenge a literal reading. However, due to the relative shortness of this book and Ehrman's narrative skills, I believe Ehrman had plenty of room to include some of the easier conceptual contradictions between manuscripts and outside source material, e.g., the corruption of the Josephus texts or some of the miracle stories and how they compared to earlier non-Christian texts. This is my one major criticism of this book; Ehrman would have made a more powerful presentation by adding additional case studies that are conceptually easy to understand for even casual readers.

Regarding the claims by some readers who were put off by this book and accuse Ehrman of bias for not better representing the fundamentalist dogma they support. There are very few instances in this book where Ehrman wades into waters where there isn't a peer-accepted theory. Those instances are ones in which Ehrman presents earlier manuscripts with less corruption of text as closer to the original author's version, but these Byzantine texts also challenge current conservative Christian beliefs which use later, more corrupt manuscripts, like the Middle Ages' Textus Receptus. Ehrman does an adequate job in this book of providing a small portion of the empirical evidence available to destroy any notion that this particular manuscript is a trust-worthy source given the lack of source material used along with the suspect quality of source material to develop the Textus Receptus, which was the subsequent primary source for the King James Version. All areas of study have their flat-earthers; ignoring the apologists who are unable or unwilling to use the scientific method as Ehrman does do not deserve attention when one is seeking truth. In fact, I would argue Ehrman bent over backwards by not delving into the more radical claims which do have some empirical evidence supporting them and are reasonable claims (Robert Price's deconstruction of Jesus or Earl Doherty's construction of Jesus from Paul's Christ being two examples).

Ehrman's objective with this book is to kick-start an intellectual journey for laymen to bring some intellectual knowledge to their beliefs beyond the traditional paradigm of indoctrination, I can't imagine anyone not appreciating the information Ehrman provides to his readers, even the flat-earthers themselves. While I appreciate his effort, I'm still waiting for Ehrman, due to his talent and skill as a writer, to let us have it with both barrels by writing a more comprehensive analysis of the status of textual criticism of the early Christian manuscripts.
32 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Rudy
5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative
Reviewed in Canada on July 17, 2024
Verified Purchase
I am learning a lot. Basically, the Bible we have today is the result of multiple copies made by individuals who were semi-literate. And, as such, were proned to make lots of mistakes. These mistakes and additions are embedded in todays's Bible. It is a convincing argument. I am sure there are ways to refute Bart's findings. In the mean time, there's no doubts that once you've gone half through the book, you'll develop a slight mistrust on the infalability of the Bible.
I do recommend it. But, to those with the mental fortitude to hold on to their faith while living in the midst of the obvious contractions wrapping world religions, I encourage them to continue to do so.
In the end, God's message can still be found within the pages of the Bible.
God's message is the message behind each story and not the grammatical format of the text. Although, the text influences what the message might be.
Report
Rémi Levy
4.0 out of 5 stars ouvrage précis et plume vigoureuse
Reviewed in France on July 14, 2019
Verified Purchase
ouvrage précis quant à son contenu et plume rigoureuse et vigoureuse. appareil critique très développé. content de mon achat.
Report
Ben Bet
5.0 out of 5 stars A product of a real, meaningful scholarship
Reviewed in India on November 6, 2018
Verified Purchase
This book speaks volumes about the one thing that is most integral to all scriptures of all religions and cultures of the world: Human nature. Humans have a profound need for 'meaning of life'. They need to explain themselves and to their progeny the meaning of the world, the reason it is what it is. As a result, they have known to create their god(s), 'produce' the evidence for it, write about it, and interpret what they have written in a 1000 ways to suit their day. This book opens up a new way to look at the Bible, which makes much better sense than the ideas I previously held about the Bible. It all falls into right perspective. A great read.
Report
Lyle Neander
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent exposition on textual criticism
Reviewed in Australia on October 11, 2024
Verified Purchase
Bart Ehrman does a wonderful job of explaining a complex subject in easy to understand terms. The depth of research involved gives the reader confidence in the accuracy of the work without them being overwhelmed by a very complicated subject. It also aims for objectivity, not apologetics.
Report
Amazon-Kunde
5.0 out of 5 stars Großartiges Buch
Reviewed in Germany on December 23, 2016
Verified Purchase
Aus meiner Rezension von sinem Buch "How Jesus Became God" (Beide Bücher sollte man lesen):

Die Bücher von Ehrman sind alle großartig. Dieses hier ist eines seiner besten. Es beschriebt, wie das Bild von Jesus sich in den ersten Jahrhunderten entwickelt hat. Von einem einfachen Prediger zum Sohn Gottes. Spannende Geschichte. Weiterhin kann ich insbesondere das Buch "Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why" empfehlen. Auch dort wird erzählt, wie die Bibel aus theologischen Gründen geändert wurde z.B. wie die Maria zur Jungfrau wurde. Es ist eine Schande, dass die Priester/Pfarrer uns davon nichts erzählen, obwohl die Ergebnisse der Textkritischen Analyse bereits sein über 100 Jahren bekannt sind. Offenbar scheint das wissen um die Anfänge des Christentums, zu gefährlich für die Laien zu sein.

Das einzige Manko bei den Büchern von B. Ehrman ist: Hat man 3 oder 4 von ihm gelesen wird man in weitern Büchern wenig neues finden. Vieles wiederholt sich. Trotzdem, vom Inhalt sind seine Bücher extrem spannend.
Report