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Misquoting Jesus Podcast

Who Changed the Bible, and Why?

November 1, 2022 · 59 min · Watch on YouTube →

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Show notes

Episode Outline:
Welcome back: from Bart’s story to the actual manuscript problem
Bart on retreating to the mountains to write and think
Why textual criticism matters
What textual criticism actually is
Why having so many New Testament manuscripts is both helpful and difficult
The most common kinds of scribal changes: accidental vs intentional
Why early scribes made different mistakes than later professional copyists
How theology shaped the way scribes copied the text
Examples of changes tied to Jewish-Christian conflict and women in the church
How scholars decide between different readings in the manuscripts
Is having more manuscripts a blessing or a headache?
How social issues shaped scribal changes too
Erasmus, the Textus Receptus, and the first printed Greek New Testament
Why modern translations differ from the King James Version
Which New Testament autograph Bart would most want to discover
Bart’s Weekly Update: new course on Moses, Exodus, and the Pentateuch
Listener Q&A: dictation, Paul and same-sex language, and whether Bart would still have become agnostic

Episode Description

Bart and Megan continue their discussion on the New Testament. Bart addresses:

Who changed the text of the New Testament, and why?

Why are mistakes and changes in the New Testament important?

What is textual criticism?

Who were the first copyists of the gospels, and why does it matter?

How it can be tricky to determine which version of a given passage is "more" original.

What kinds of evidence do scholars look for when investigation gospel discrepancies?

How did the New Testament finally get translated into vernacular (common) languages?

Is the King James Bible really the gold standard?

Also watch these episodes:
Missing Manuscripts: Uncovering the Original Gospels' Text
Missing Manuscripts: Uncovering the Original Gospels' Text

How Did Scribes Change the Gospel of Mark?
How Did Scribes Change the Gospel of Mark?

Why the Doctrine of Inerrancy Contradicts the Gospels
Why the Doctrine of Inerrancy Contradicts the Gospels

Go deeper on this topic

Online course Scribal Corruption of Scripture: How the Bible Was Changed and Why Readers May Never Know Based on a New York Times bestselling book, this course explores questions critically important to anyone interested in the New Testament: Do we have the original… Bart Ehrman · 4 lessons Free courseFree Did Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Really Write the Gospels? A free lecture on who actually wrote the Gospels, and how scholars can tell. Bart Ehrman · 1 lesson

Related episodes

Podcast Bart and the Bible: What Made Bart Ehrman Change His View on Biblical Inerrancy? Podcast Who Chose the Books of the New Testament? Podcast Faking It: Is the Bible Full of Forgeries?

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Article Textual Criticism: Definition, Resources, & Examples in the Bible Article 10 Key Textual Variants in the New Testament Find your path New to bible reliability & manuscripts?

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