A nationally known religious scholar, Princeton Theological Seminary graduate Bart D. Erhman has appeared on the Daily Show and the Colbert Report, very publicly engaged in debates with prominent religious figures, and published more than 20 books about the New Testament and the study of early Christianity. Somehow in the midst of his whirlwind life, Ehrman finds time to teach at UNC in the undergraduate Religious Studies department as well as the doctorate program. Attend a single lecture with Ehrman, and you’ll find it impossible to forget his infectiously chortling laughter and genuine enjoyment to be in the spotlight in a room packed with students. Many of those students will admit that they found themselves in that lecture hall because of a magnetic curiosity about the man known around campus as “the agnostic religion professor”. Whether that moniker implies affection or disdain is certainly arguable, but there’s no doubt Ehrman has a knack for sparking thought and debate among critics and fans alike.
HC: Where did you grow up?
Bart: Lawrence, Kansas.
HC: What was your religious upbringing like?
Bart: That’s a complicated question. I grew up in the Episcopal Church. I was active in the church–I was an altar boy. In high school, when I was maybe 15, I had a born-again experience, and became a gung-ho Evangelical Christian. Right out of high school, I went to Moody Bible Institute. So I was basically a fundamentalist Christian, unlike now.
HC: Why were you originally attracted to the study of the New Testament and Early Christianity?
Bart: Because I was a fundamentalist, and I believed at the time that the Bible was the inspired word of God without any mistakes. I took a class when I was in my first year at Moody that was a class on the Gospel of John. I thought, “This guy is getting paid to teach this class, I want to do that!” So, I got interested in studying the New Testament mainly for religious reasons because I was personally committed to it.
HC: What makes you interested in the subject today?
Bart: I’m still really interested in early Christianity, but not for religious reasons. I’m an agnostic now, not a Christian. The thing about it is that Christianity is the most important historical and cultural phenomenon in the origin of our nation, and studying it is fascinating.
HC: Which of your published works was the most enjoyable write?
Bart: I write some books for scholars, and I write some books that are college textbooks, and I write some books that are for normal human beings, as opposed to abnormal scholars [laughs]. The scholarly book that I’m most proud of is The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture. It’s about how scribes copying the books of the New Testament changed them while they copied them in order to make them more them acceptable. When they’re copying the books, since they’re copying by hand, they can change what the words are, so they were able to change what the New Testament said in order to make it more in line with what they believed. That’s my most important scholarly book. My most popular book is called Misquoting Jesus, which is about something similar, only it’s written for lay people not for scholars. It’s about how we don’t have the early New Testament manuscripts, but only later copies that have been changed. There are some places where we don’t know what the authors originally wrote, which is pretty important for people who believe in the Bible.
HC: What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
Bart: Getting a position at UNC-Chapel Hill [laughs]. Apart from that, being on the Colbert Report. I’ve also had 4 books on the New York Times best-seller list.
HC: How do you feel about the controversy and fascination that surrounds you both here at UNC and nationwide?
Bart: I don’t know much about it, actually. I hear that I’m controversial, but people who say nasty things about me don’t say them to me. Last year, some former students started a website called the “Ehrman Project.” The goal of the project appears to be to contradict everything I’ve ever said or thought about saying [laughs]. I think that it’s perfectly fine to have other opinions out there. It’s my view that students should hear what I say and what other people say, look at the evidence, and decide for themselves. I think one of the weird parts of the controversy is that the things I say are things that scholars across the country are saying.
HC: What is your favorite part about teaching at UNC?
Bart: My favorite part is the students. I think students here are smart and interesting. Students in my classes as a whole tend to want to do the hard work.
HC: What is your favorite part about living in the Durham and Chapel Hill area?
Bart: I’ve lived in Carrboro and Chapel Hill, but I live in Durham now because my wife is a professor at Duke. When we got married 11 years ago, we made a compromise that if we lived on Duke’s campus, she would root for the Tar Heels. I love this area. It’s a really attractive place to live. There’s a lot of good culture–a fantastic restaurant scene, music scene and drama scene. I like going to the mountains and the beach; and taking direct flights to New York City and London, both of which I spend time in. I love it here.