Bart Ehrman

And I learned French and German, so I could read what modern scholars are saying in these countries and learned other ancient languages. And the more I studied, the more I realized, in fact, the Bible does have mistakes in it. There are contradictions, there are discrepancies, there are geographical errors, there are problems with the Bible.

For a number of years, I became more of a mainline Protestant type who had a fairly liberal view of the Bible, a pretty liberal view of social issues and politics and things, but I've still identified with the church. I ended up leaving Christianity maybe about 30 years ago or so, and it wasn't directly related to my scholarship.

For a number of years, I became more of a mainline Protestant type who had a fairly liberal view of the Bible, a pretty liberal view of social issues and politics and things, but I've still identified with the church. I ended up leaving Christianity maybe about 30 years ago or so, and it wasn't directly related to my scholarship.

For a number of years, I became more of a mainline Protestant type who had a fairly liberal view of the Bible, a pretty liberal view of social issues and politics and things, but I've still identified with the church. I ended up leaving Christianity maybe about 30 years ago or so, and it wasn't directly related to my scholarship.

It was trying to wrestle with the problem of why there's suffering in the world, why there's so much pain and misery if there's a God who's in control. And so I'd spent, you know, I actually taught on it. I've written a book on it. I read a lot of philosophers and theologians and biblical scholars and what regular old people say about why they're suffering.

It was trying to wrestle with the problem of why there's suffering in the world, why there's so much pain and misery if there's a God who's in control. And so I'd spent, you know, I actually taught on it. I've written a book on it. I read a lot of philosophers and theologians and biblical scholars and what regular old people say about why they're suffering.

It was trying to wrestle with the problem of why there's suffering in the world, why there's so much pain and misery if there's a God who's in control. And so I'd spent, you know, I actually taught on it. I've written a book on it. I read a lot of philosophers and theologians and biblical scholars and what regular old people say about why they're suffering.

And I just got to a point where I didn't believe it anymore, that there's actually some kind of divine being who's in charge of the world.

And I just got to a point where I didn't believe it anymore, that there's actually some kind of divine being who's in charge of the world.

And I just got to a point where I didn't believe it anymore, that there's actually some kind of divine being who's in charge of the world.

They're very closely related, and it depends which kind of biblical scholar you're talking to. Most biblical scholars work in a theological context, in divinity schools, in seminaries, and they would be more closely related to theologians than they'd be related to classicists.

They're very closely related, and it depends which kind of biblical scholar you're talking to. Most biblical scholars work in a theological context, in divinity schools, in seminaries, and they would be more closely related to theologians than they'd be related to classicists.

They're very closely related, and it depends which kind of biblical scholar you're talking to. Most biblical scholars work in a theological context, in divinity schools, in seminaries, and they would be more closely related to theologians than they'd be related to classicists.

My training was mainly in that kind of world, the theological world, because even my master's degree and my PhD were at Princeton Theological Seminary, which trains Presbyterian ministers. But they were also very interested in serious scholarship. And so it kind of was more kind of crossing the lines.

My training was mainly in that kind of world, the theological world, because even my master's degree and my PhD were at Princeton Theological Seminary, which trains Presbyterian ministers. But they were also very interested in serious scholarship. And so it kind of was more kind of crossing the lines.

My training was mainly in that kind of world, the theological world, because even my master's degree and my PhD were at Princeton Theological Seminary, which trains Presbyterian ministers. But they were also very interested in serious scholarship. And so it kind of was more kind of crossing the lines.

My professor, my main professor, Bruce Metzger, was actually, his graduate degrees were in classics. And so I had a bit of that. But once I started teaching, I really shifted more kind of away from anything having to do theology and interpreting the Bible for the church kind of thing, and far more into kind of the classics.

My professor, my main professor, Bruce Metzger, was actually, his graduate degrees were in classics. And so I had a bit of that. But once I started teaching, I really shifted more kind of away from anything having to do theology and interpreting the Bible for the church kind of thing, and far more into kind of the classics.

My professor, my main professor, Bruce Metzger, was actually, his graduate degrees were in classics. And so I had a bit of that. But once I started teaching, I really shifted more kind of away from anything having to do theology and interpreting the Bible for the church kind of thing, and far more into kind of the classics.

And so I have a secondary appointment at UNC Chapel Hill in the classics department. And those are the people I really resonate with are the classicists.