HERE I CONTINUE MY REMINISCENCES OF BRUCE METZGER, MY MENTOR
As I indicated on my previous post, for years friends of mine were eager for me to find out whether the story about Metzger and the squirrel really happened. They wanted me just to ask Metzger. But there were problems with that. Among other things, if it had happened, he almost certainly wouldn’t remember, since it would have simply been something that happened with no significance to him – only to the one who thought it was very odd that Metzger would happen to know what the Greek word for squirrel was and that he would volunteer it at that rather inauspicious moment.
Moreover, there were aspects of the story that did not “ring true.” Metzger was not heartless toward other living beings and he was not one to boast about his knowledge about Greek — or about anything else. Years later something happened to me that made me realize that the narrative itself could not be true…
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Bruce Metzger is the author of several books including The Early Versions of the New Testament and The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, And Restoration.
hahaha, brilliant! i’ve wondered about this story for a long time; it’s so nice that you’re doing this blog Prof Ehrman, for a number of reasons 🙂
Good story…so even though the story wasn’t true it did illustrate a very memorable aspect of Metzger’s personality. It is my understanding that the story of Alexander the Great and the Gordian Knot may have developed for similar reasons.
Okay, I am seriously loving your blog. Time to donate to a charity! (I am seriously behind in this, anyway.)
Yes, and feel free to donate to the Bart Ehrman Foundation. Every cent goes to amazing charities helping the homeless and hungry.
Dr Ehrman
I’m just wondering what book of the new testament was actually written first?
And also is there any significance of the order we have in our new testament today?
Probably 1 Thessalonians. The Gospels are given first today, because they are about Jesus and so are of ultimate importance. Then Paul, with letters arranged more or less according to length. Then the other apostles. And then the climax of it all, Revelation.
Great story!
Good story! Point well-taken.
Great example of the “truth” in an oral tradition.
Fascinating tale which illustrates much. One thing that I have observed is that current Christians seem to make up a lot of stuff to which they get quite attached so I imagine ancient Christians 2,000 years ago did the same thing.