Misquoting Jesus with Bart Ehrman

Most Christians would likely agree that Jesus and the Gospels provide us with guidance for how we should be living our lives. People of non-Christian faith traditions, or those with no religious belief at all, might have a somewhat different response...but our guest today, Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, is here to talk about how non-Christians can find value in Jesus and the Gospels, and why they should take another look at the New Testament!

Most of us know the story: Jesus was born in Bethlehem but grew up in Nazareth. Both Matthew and Luke agree on this, but key details raise questions for scholars. Join Bart Ehrman and Megan Lewis as they dive into why the Gospel writers placed Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. Was it historical fact or shaped by theology? Why does Luke have Mary travel 100 miles while pregnant? And why does Matthew’s story send the family fleeing to Egypt?

When you picture the story of Jesus’ birth, you might think of Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem, a stable, shepherds, and wise men. But have you ever wondered which details come from which Gospel—and why the accounts differ? Join Bart Ehrman and Megan Lewis as they explore questions like: Were Mary and Joseph from Nazareth or Bethlehem? Did they flee to Egypt after Jesus’ birth, or go straight home? And can these accounts be reconciled into one story?

As you can probably tell from my incredibly strong accent, I (Megan) am an immigrant to the United States. As such, the US immigration system has been a rather large feature in my adult life…but I’ve never before considered the relationship between American immigration and the Bible, or more specifically, the book of Revelation. It’s never really occurred to me that such a relationship even exists. In contrast, my guest today has written an entire - and absolutely fascinating - book on the subject, and we’re going to be diving right into it! We’ll be exploring how Revelation has been used throughout US history to categorize, demonize, and vilify immigrants, while also painting the US as the New Jerusalem, sanctuary for God’s chosen, which must be defended at all costs.