It is hard to believe. That one rouge scholar could elicit such press is at least hard for me to believe. Still, that is the case and many are quoting Ehrman as if he actually spoke with authority. He speaks as if he has that unquestioning authority and some are at a loss at how to refute him, especially to someone who blindly accepts him. Enter this volume, subtitled “The Real Origins Of Belief In Jesus’ Divine Nature”, and published by Zondervan, that is written by five scholars. Michael Bird, Craig Evans, Simon J. Gathercole, Charles E. Hill, Chris Tilling contribute.

Ehrman’s positions are explained carefully and fairly before they are answered. The authors each hold the belief that Jesus is God in the full sense of the word.

They prove that Ehrman is guilty of “parallelomania” is describing what early Christians believed. That is, he finds something in one document and then demands it means the same in another. That is both arbitrary and illogical and alone refutes a big portion of Erhman’s work.

They also showed his interpretive categories were faulty. For example, he randomly picks Galatians 4:14 as his key, attaches a far fetched meaning, and then reads it into every Christological passage. That is reckless.

Ehrman wants us to believe that our current views on the deity of Christ developed slowly over time, but that is simply not the case. It sprang directly from Jesus’ personal followers.

The writers write as scholars and make a few concessions that I could not. Still, this is a real help at a time of need.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.