Forged - Writing in the Name of God--Why the Bible's Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are

Bart D. Ehrman, the New York Times bestselling author of Jesus, Interrupted and God’s Problem reveals which books in the Bible’s New Testament were not passed down by Jesus’s disciples, but were instead forged by other hands—and why this centuries-hidden scandal is far more significant than many scholars are willing to admit. A controversial work of historical reporting in the tradition of Elaine Pagels, Marcus Borg, and John Dominic Crossan, Ehrman’s Forged delivers a stunning explication of one of the most substantial—yet least discussed—problems confronting the world of biblical scholarship.

In this provocative work of biblical criticism, Ehrman separates history from tradition to reveal:

Ancient Forgery: Which books of the New Testament were written by anonymous authors who lied about their identity, and why this centuries-hidden scandal matters for modern faith. Historical Methods: The techniques biblical scholars use to detect pseudepigraphy and how we can know who really wrote the books of the Bible. Early Christian Conflicts: How internal debates and struggles with outsiders led different groups to create documents in the names of apostles like Peter and Paul to authorize their own views. Lost Scriptures: An eye-opening look at non-canonical texts like the Gospel of Peter and 3 Corinthians, and what they tell us about the world of biblical forgery.