Misquoting Jesus with Bart Ehrman

Mary's virginity is a central tenet in most (or all) Christian denominations - but when did the story develop? Today, Dr. Bart Ehrman joins me to talk about where the idea of a virgin birth might have come from, and...

Did you know that the "Christmas story" everyone knows, with the shepherds and wise men, is actually an amalgamation of the accounts in the gospels of Luke and Matthew? Today, Dr. Bart Ehrman answers my questions about...

We have hundreds of manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark, and no two are exactly the same. From spelling errors to deliberate, theologically-driven changes, each scribe put their own mark on the gospel. Today, Dr. Bart...

We often talk about copies of the gospels, how different manuscripts differ from one another, and the implications of these differences - but we rarely talk about the original gospel manuscripts. Today on Misquoting...

The Catholic tradition considers the apostle Peter to be the first Pope and the founder of the church in Rome, but what does the historical record say? Today, Dr. Bart Ehrman joins me to discuss where this idea came...

Gnosticism is one of the most confusing and enigmatic early Christian groups, whose beliefs were considered secret knowledge meant only for a select few. Today, Dr. Bart Ehrman answers my questions about what Gnostics...

Have you ever submitted a question to the Misquoting Jesus podcast? Ever heard the answer? Today, Bart and I are going to be doing an entire episode covering listeners questions on the topic of the apostle Paul - keep...

There are several resurrection stories in the New Testament - including, of course, Jesus himself, but what about the mass resurrection in the gospel of Matthew? Today, Dr. Bart Ehrman joins me to discuss why the...

Marcion, founder of the 2nd century Christian group imaginatively called the Marcionites, had some beliefs that would be cause for stoning in the Life of Brian. This week, Dr. Bart Ehrman joins me to talk about what...

The gospel of John doesn't mention Jesus' birth from a virgin, doesn't show Jesus' baptism by John, and does absolutely nothing to keep his identity secret - not even don a pair of glasses. This week, Dr. Bart Ehrman...

The Dead Sea Scrolls preserve the beliefs of the Essenes, an ancient Jewish sect that were, like Jesus and John the Baptist, expecting the end of the world. Dr. Bart Ehrman joins me today to talk about whether Jesus and...

If Genesis 1 is an account of the creation of the world, why is the world recreated in Genesis 2? Dr. Bart Ehrman joins me to talk about whether these accounts can be understood as one story, or if something else is...

Why on earth would someone study the scripture of a religion that they don't even believe in? Today, Dr. Bart Ehrman joins me to explore that very question!

Mary is known in the canonical gospels as the virgin mother of Jesus - but what else did early Christian writings say about her? Dr. Bart Ehrman joins me today to talk about the Proto-Gospel of James, and what it says...

Have Christians always believed the Bible contains no errors or mistakes, or did this understanding develop over time? Dr. Bart Ehrman joins me to talk about the Christian view of biblical inerrancy!

Understanding where the writers of the gospels got their information is the foundation of source criticism - but how does that work when the original sources are hypothetical? Dr. Bart Ehrman is here today to talk about...

Even though it was the religious text of Jesus, the Hebrew Bible is consistently overlooked by many Christians. Which is a shame, honestly, because it's a fascinating collection of literature and an incredible...

The first gospel recording Jesus life wasn't written until approximately 30 years after his death. Dr. Bart Ehrman is here to tell us why it took so long for pen to be put to paper, and how this impacts their use as...

If the accounts of Jesus' life found in the four gospels contain contradictions, how can we know what the historical Jesus actually said and did? Dr. Bart Ehrman explains how scholars sort historical truth from...

As an historian, I'm pretty much always interested in ancient writing. Give me a document written a few thousand years ago, and I'll be entertained for hours. My guest today is similarly minded, except his passion for...

Just how many ways can one person explain how Jesus' death and resurrection saves humanity? In the case of the apostle Paul, the answer is probably more than you think! Why explain it in one way when you can confuse...

As an apocalypticist, Jesus was anticipating the end of the political system he was living under - but was he trying to hasten that end by plotting the violent overthrow of the Roman state? Does Jesus' outburst in the...

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." That's a passage from the book of Isaiah, and I can't...

Has Christianity been a net positive or negative for humanity? If you wander into an online debate between an atheist and a Christian apologist, you may hear an enthusiastic discussion on just this topic, with the...

Jesus' ethical teachings are often touted as being revolutionary in the ancient world. The pagan cultures that preceded Christianity are commonly understood as being immoral, full of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. Well...