# Any Bart Ehrman fans here? **URL:** \ **Category:** Religion and Secularism\ **Created:** [March 10, 2021, 5:34pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/any-bart-ehrman-fans-here/7819 "2021-03-10T17:34:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cuthbertj](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/cuthbertj/32/18_2.png) [@cuthbertj](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/cuthbertj)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 5:34pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/any-bart-ehrman-fans-here/7819/1 "2021-03-10T17:34:58Z")
Professor Bart Ehrman writes great books on text criticism as it applies to the bible. Anyone a fan of that or interested in it? ---
**Author:** ![write4u](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/write4u/32/23410_2.png) [@write4u](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/write4u)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 6:28pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/any-bart-ehrman-fans-here/7819/2 "2021-03-10T18:28:34Z")
> Professor Bart Ehrman writes great books on text criticism as it applies to the bible. Anyone a fan of that or interested in it? Thanks for the reference. If you are not familiar with it, you may want to check out the "Skeptics annotated Bible (Quran/Book of Mormon)" [https://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/](https://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/) ---
**Author:** ![mriana](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/mriana/32/18174_2.png) [@mriana](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/mriana)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 9:27pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/any-bart-ehrman-fans-here/7819/3 "2021-03-10T21:27:03Z")
I’ve read a couple of Ehrman’s books, met him, listened to his lecture or two, and I find him more of an apologist. The Skeptics Annotated Bible/Quran/Book of Mormon is good. ---
**Author:** ![cuthbertj](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/cuthbertj/32/18_2.png) [@cuthbertj](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/cuthbertj)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 1:19pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/any-bart-ehrman-fans-here/7819/4 "2021-03-11T13:19:51Z")
Interesting. Apologist is exactly what he’s not. In fact everything I’ve read of his is strictly non-religious, which is what I like. In what way would you consider him an apologist? ---
**Author:** ![lausten](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/lausten/32/23705_2.png) [@lausten](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/lausten)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 8:49pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/any-bart-ehrman-fans-here/7819/5 "2021-03-11T20:49:19Z")
Love the guy. An amazing ability to crank out words. I was on a recent Zoom call with him and 200 of my close personal friends. He is planning on writing his next book on Revelation, which should be awesome. He commented that he was surprised that “Misquoting Jesus” was his most popular book, since it is about a very technical aspect of the Bible. But he mixes stories in with the details of a letter that got swapped, or word changed in translation, and makes it interesting. ---
**Author:** ![lausten](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/lausten/32/23705_2.png) [@lausten](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/lausten)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 9:24pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/any-bart-ehrman-fans-here/7819/6 "2021-03-11T21:24:11Z")
> In what way would you consider him an apologist? -- Mriana Hmm, I'd be interested to know what lectures @Mriana heard. He does like the Bible, even though he is strongly agnostic, nearly atheist. He does believe Jesus was some sort of person and refuses to even really debate it, at least not in any reasonable way. But he doesn't promote any kind of Christian worship or belief that isn't in line with enlightened ethics and morals. ---
**Author:** ![mriana](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/mriana/32/18174_2.png) [@mriana](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/mriana)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 9:53pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/any-bart-ehrman-fans-here/7819/7 "2021-03-11T21:53:43Z")
He was at Skepticon a few years back. ---
**Author:** ![write4u](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/write4u/32/23410_2.png) [@write4u](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/write4u)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2021, 3:52am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/any-bart-ehrman-fans-here/7819/8 "2021-03-12T03:52:01Z")
> But he mixes stories in with the details of a letter that got swapped, or word changed in translation, and makes it interesting. I don't know if anyone else has commented on this little detail yet. In the OT ; “I Am that I Am” . > From wiki; **I am that I am** is a common English translation of the Hebrew phrase אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה‎, 'ehyeh 'ăšer 'ehyeh ([ʔehˈje ʔaˈʃer ʔehˈje]) Now place a comma after "That" and the phrase changes to " **I am That, I am",** which changes the meaning to an objective statement of physical fact. ---
**Author:** ![cuthbertj](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/cuthbertj/32/18_2.png) [@cuthbertj](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/cuthbertj)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2021, 6:01pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/any-bart-ehrman-fans-here/7819/9 "2021-03-12T18:01:20Z")
> Love the guy. An amazing ability to crank out words. I was on a recent Zoom call with him and 200 of my close personal friends. He is planning on writing his next book on Revelation, which should be awesome. > > He commented that he was surprised that “Misquoting Jesus” was his most popular book, since it is about a very technical aspect of the Bible. But he mixes stories in with the details of a letter that got swapped, or word changed in translation, and makes it interesting. You’re kidding? “…and 200 of my close personal friends…” sounds like you’re goofing around. If not, what was this zoom call? Regardless, I really like the technical stuff - just fascinating. But also a bit depressing. Assuming the situation is similar with many ancient texts, like Plato, Socrates, etc. then it really does make you wonder what the heck we’re even reading. ---
**Author:** ![lausten](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/lausten/32/23705_2.png) [@lausten](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/lausten)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2021, 9:34pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/any-bart-ehrman-fans-here/7819/10 "2021-03-12T21:34:24Z")
> what was this zoom call? - cuthbert I paid a charitable contribution to read his full blog entries. I think the Zoom call was announced through that membership. It was an "ask me anything" type format. The trouble with Bart is, he has a head full of stories and if you ask him one thing, he'll preface it, then maybe answer it, then tell something else he just thought of. He's still fun though. ---
**Author:** ![cuthbertj](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/cuthbertj/32/18_2.png) [@cuthbertj](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/cuthbertj)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 1:10pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/any-bart-ehrman-fans-here/7819/11 "2021-03-16T13:10:23Z")
@lausten - Ah okay. I was thinking of doing similar. He’s obviously super smart, so he’s got to know that like him, others that learn what he learned about how the bible came to be will naturally be lead to if not outright atheism, at least agnosticism and regardless, leaving organized religion. ---
**Author:** ![lukervogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lukervogel](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/lukervogel)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 2:37pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/any-bart-ehrman-fans-here/7819/12 "2021-03-26T14:37:13Z")
I’ve found the conversations between Bart and Michael Shermer to be interesting. They’re on YouTube. I haven’t visited the forum in awhile, but the last time I commented here I was using Bart’s idea in my attempt to play devils advocate. [https://centerforinquiry.org/forums/topic/19930/#post-294295](https://centerforinquiry.org/forums/topic/19930/#post-294295) Took me a bit to find it, but it’s a slow day at work so that’s ok. Bart Ehrman and Michael Shermer: How a Forbidden Religion Swept the World Starting around 13:40 - [Bart Ehrman and Michael Shermer: How a Forbidden Religion Swept the World - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H4Lt9-IIak)     ---
**Author:** ![timothybyrne49](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/timothybyrne49/32/23404_2.png) [@timothybyrne49](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/timothybyrne49)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2023, 9:40pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/any-bart-ehrman-fans-here/7819/13 "2023-07-07T21:40:12Z")
Huge Bart Ehrman fan here, at least what I’ve read so far. Feels like an extremely niche fandom most times. My fellow IRL atheists aren’t really interested (“Oh, he explains in detail why it’s all not true? Well, I already know it isn’t.”). It helps if you were brought up religious and once accepted the basic narrative as coherent and plausible. On this thread I feel like I’ve found my people! ---
**Author:** ![lausten](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/lausten/32/23705_2.png) [@lausten](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/lausten)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2023, 12:45pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/any-bart-ehrman-fans-here/7819/14 "2023-07-08T12:45:13Z")
Bart teaches at a religious College, so he has found a way to teach the history without making it all about the belief ---
**Author:** ![vitolear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e47774/32.png) [@vitolear](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/vitolear)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2023, 5:57pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/any-bart-ehrman-fans-here/7819/15 "2023-07-12T17:57:28Z")
Bart teaches at UNC Chapel Hill. He is certainly _not_ an “apologist” about anything, except the Tarheel basketball team. He is very forthright about his transitions from fundamentalism to liberal Christianity to atheism. As I mentioned in the other recent thread, his numerous books, youtube videos, and weekly podcasts are both fun and educational. “Jesus Before The Gospels” is a fascinating debunking of the reliability of memory (even eyewitnesses of spectacular events) and oral legends (including cultures with oral legend traditions). ---
**Author:** ![lausten](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/lausten/32/23705_2.png) [@lausten](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/lausten)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2023, 9:34pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/any-bart-ehrman-fans-here/7819/16 "2023-07-12T21:34:45Z")
He does a better job of saying what these terms mean than I do. Let me know if you can’t read the entire thing. I am a subscriber. [Being an Agnostic Atheist by Bart Ehrman (ehrmanblog.org)](https://ehrmanblog.org/on-being-an-agnostic-or-atheist/) I should check in there more often. He has several blogs with “Life of Brian” as a theme. [The Life of Brian and Jesus: Was Jesus Really Buried on the Day of the Crucifixion? - The Bart Ehrman Blog](https://ehrmanblog.org/the-life-of-brian-and-jesus-was-jesus-really-buried-on-the-day-of-the-crucifixion/)