Muslims too will be shocked to learn just
how much of the New Testament is forged. Leading experts in the field
of ancient forgery have given the book highly favourable reviews as you
can discover below (follow the link).
Few books have so effectively challenged the basis of scriptural authority in Christianity. (London Review of Books)
“Arguably the most distinctive feature of the early Christian literature,” writes Bart Ehrman, “is the degree to which it was forged.” The Homilies and Recognitions
of Clement; Paul’s letters to and from Seneca; Gospels by Peter,
Thomas, and Philip; Jesus’ correspondence with Abgar, letters by Peter
and Paul in the New Testament – all forgeries. To cite just a few
examples.
Forgery and Counterforgery is
the first comprehensive study of early Christian pseudepigrapha ever
produced in English. In it, Ehrman argues that ancient critics–pagan,
Jewish, and Christian–understood false authorial claims to be a form of
literary deceit, and thus forgeries. Ehrman considers the extent of the
phenomenon, the “intention” and motivations of ancient Greek, Roman, and
Jewish forgers, and reactions to their work once detected. He also
assesses the criteria ancient critics applied to expose forgeries and
the techniques forgers used to avoid detection. With the wider practices
of the ancient world as backdrop, Ehrman then focuses on early
Christian polemics, as various Christian authors forged documents in
order to lend their ideas a veneer of authority in literary battles
waged with pagans, Jews, and, most importantly, with one another in
internecine disputes over doctrine and practice. In some instances a
forger directed his work against views found in another forgery,
creating thereby a “counter-forgery.” Ehrman’s evaluation of polemical
forgeries starts with those of the New Testament (nearly half of whose
books make a false authorial claim) up through the Pseudo-Ignatian
epistles and the Apostolic Constitutions at the end of the fourth
century.
Shining light on an important but overlooked feature of the early Christian world, Forgery and Counterforgery
explores the possible motivations of the deceivers who produced these
writings, situating their practice within ancient Christian discourses
on lying and deceit.
See academic reviews here
