Jesus Before the Gospels

How the Earliest Christians Remembered, Changed, and Invented Their Stories of the Savior

By: Bart D. Ehrman

Narrated by: Joe Barrett

The best-selling author of Misquoting Jesus, one of the most renowned and controversial Bible scholars in the world today, examines oral tradition and its role in shaping the stories about Jesus we encounter in the New Testament - and ultimately in our understanding of Christianity.

Throughout much of human history, our most important stories were passed down orally - including the stories about Jesus before they became written down in the Gospels. In this fascinating and deeply researched work, leading Bible scholar Bart D. Erhman investigates the role oral history has played in the New Testament - how the telling of these stories not only spread Jesus' message but helped shape it.

A master explainer of Christian history, texts, and traditions, Ehrman draws on a range of disciplines, including psychology and anthropology, to examine the role of memory in the creation of the Gospels. Explaining how oral tradition evolves based on the latest scientific research, he demonstrates how the act of telling and retelling impacts the story, the storyteller, and the listener - crucial insights that challenge our typical historical understanding of the silent period between when Jesus lived and died and when his stories began to be written down.

As he did in his previous books on religious scholarship, debates on New Testament authorship, and the existence of Jesus of Nazareth, Ehrman combines his deep knowledge and meticulous scholarship in a compelling and eye-opening narrative that will change the way we read and think about these sacred texts.

©2016 Bart D. Ehrman (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers

Knowledge of Jesus’s history.

Bart did a wonderful job with this book and gave a good insight to early giving good examples from the gospels, and non-canonized gospels. This is a good read for all.
Thanks Bart!

superb and original thinking

never disappointing, prof ehrman provides a deeper understanding of the new testament. I will listen again.

A thought-provoking look at Jesus

Once again, Professor Ehrman presents provocative but historically provable facts about the man Jesus. If you are a fan of his other work you will not be disappointed. This is not the story of Jesus that you learn about in Church. Professor Ehrman once again demonstrates that the gospels, written decades after the supposed death of Jesus, evolved and were created by people who had no first-hand knowledge. A great read if you are interested in learning religious history without Dogma.

Information about Jesus

Loved it. Everyone who thinks they know Jesus , needs to listen to this book.

All of his books are wonderful

I love learning from these books. I’ve gone through all of his books and also have gone through the new testament scores of times

Thought Provoking

A fascinating synthesis of two different fields of study. Well constructed and easy to digest, this was one of my favorites from Bart Ehrman.

Good book, bad reading

Any additional comments?

A good popular level book about the role of memory as it relates to the Scriptures that have been handed down to us.
I wish it had been another reader, though.

Excellent Book, Boring Reader

This is an interesting meditation on the Gospels as seen through the lens of modern theories of human memory (and it's fallibility).

It's not what you know it's how you remember it.

This book is a departure for Dr. Ehrman in that it deals story telling and how we remember these stories, tells, and in most cases facts. It also deals with how fact can get corrupted through the constant retelling of the story.

A most interesting job

The Author revised critically various Gospels and the relative bibliography with great competence, always without offending listener's ideas.