Dr. Bart Ehrman, a former born-again Evangelical Christian who studied at Moody Bible Institute and Wheaton College before earning his PhD in New Testament studies at Princeton Theological Seminary, shares how rigorous academic research led him to abandon core Christian doctrines. His scholarly findings about the Bible raise profound questions that every truth-seeker should consider.
From Devout Evangelical to Critical Scholar
Dr. Ehrman’s Christian commitment was not casual. He accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior in high school, attended a fundamentalist Bible college, graduated from Billy Graham’s alma mater, earned a seminary degree, and served as a Baptist Church pastor. His faith was deep, sincere, and grounded in the belief that the Bible was inspired and without error.
“As I engaged in historical research on the Bible while getting my PhD at Princeton Theological Seminary, I started finding mistakes. This cut away at my assumptions that the Bible was inerrant. Then I started questioning: is Jesus really divine? Is it really a Trinity?”
What Happened to the Original Bible?
- We do not possess the original manuscripts of any book in the New or Old Testament; only copies of copies remain
- Approximately 5,500 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament exist, but most are hundreds of years removed from the originals
- All of these manuscripts contain differences, some accidental and some appearing to be deliberate alterations by scribes
- The last 12 verses of the Gospel of Mark, including key theological passages, were added later by scribes who found the original ending unsatisfying
The Divinity of Jesus: An Original Teaching or a Later Development?
Through his research, Dr. Ehrman came to a conclusion that many in the scholarly community share but few dare to say publicly: the idea that Jesus is God was not original to Christianity but developed historically over time. The same applies to the doctrine of the Trinity. These were later theological formulations that evolved among early Christian communities, not teachings that came from Jesus himself.
“The idea that Jesus is God is an idea that was developed historically over time among Christians. It wasn’t something that was original to Christianity. It’s a later historical development, and so is the doctrine of the Trinity.”
Why This Matters
- Islam has always maintained that Jesus (peace be upon him) was a mighty prophet, not God incarnate
- The Quran, unlike the Bible, has been preserved in its original language without alteration for over 1,400 years
- Honest scholarship, when pursued without bias, leads to conclusions that align remarkably with Islamic teachings
- Leaving deeply held beliefs is difficult and can mean losing friends, family, and social networks, but the search for truth demands courage
