Arguably no scholar in the twenty-first century has had more of an impact on public discussion and debate over the historical Jesus and the development of early Christianity than distinguished professor of religious studies Bart D. Ehrman. He has introduced many new readers to crucial questions of biblical criticism in a series of best-selling books, including Misquoting Jesus, Jesus, Interrupted, God's Problem, Forged, and How Jesus Became God. Concerned neither to protect the faithful from the discomfort of critical challenges nor to protect himself from the ire of the faithful, Ehrman has insisted on "taking it to the streets." In so doing, he has not only courted criticism but also invited controversy by his refusal to hide behind diplomatic and equivocal language. In Bart Ehrman Interpreted, theologian and writer Robert M. Price evaluates Ehrman's body of work. Taking a collegial approach and rejecting polemics, Price defends Ehrman's writing against conservative attacks but also suggests a number of points at which Ehrman may be insufficiently or inconsistently critical, even downright conservative. No matter one's views toward Ehrman, Bart Ehrman Interpreted will prompt much fruitful and positive discussion of his important work and of the ongoing and often-heated popular and scholarly debates that surround it.
