Misquoting Jesus with Bart Ehrman Missing Manuscripts: Uncovering the Original Gospels' Text
10 snips
Nov 25, 2025 
Bart Ehrman, a New York Times bestselling scholar and expert on the New Testament, dives deep into the world of original gospel manuscripts. He discusses why these texts rarely survive and defines what an 'original' really means. Bart reveals how manuscript variations occur and why scholars face challenges in determining true originals. He highlights early Christians' awareness of textual differences and defends the academic pursuit of reconstructing original texts, emphasizing its importance for both theology and scholarship.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Originals Rarely Survive
- Original manuscripts of ancient literary works rarely survive, so we only have later copies for the New Testament.
- This lack of originals is common across antiquity and not unique to the Bible.
Three Pillars Of Evidence
- Textual critics use three main evidence bodies: Greek manuscripts, ancient translations, and church fathers' quotations.
- These sources are numerous but often disagree, requiring comparative analysis.
Manuscript Variants Are Everywhere
- Thousands of manuscripts exist and almost none are identical, producing many textual differences.
- Most differences are minor (spelling, word order) but some alter meaning or add entire passages.
