Professor Ehrman tackles suffering and the Bible's approaches to the thorny problem of why people suffer.
Professor Ehrman begins this book with his usual short autobiography. He began his academic career as a bible-thumping reborn again Christian. He learned Greek and Hebrew and set about researching the history of the Bible and Christianity. His research led him to conclude that the Bible is very much a human creation, leading him to abandon his faith. He now calls himself an agnostic.
In "God's Problem," Ehrman sets forth the reasons the Bible gives us for suffering and shows that there was an evolution of answers. The early Hebrews explained suffering as a punishment for turning away from God. The early Hebrews worshiped the Mesopotamian gods, most notably Baal, and this was a major obstacle to establishing monotheism. Accordingly, the early books, specifically Exodus and Leviticus, portray suffering as the fruits of failing to worship the Hebrew god.
As Judaism evolved, Jews developed the idea of a covenant. They were entitled to Canaan because God promised it to them (much in the same way American invented the idea of Manifest Destiny to justify the taking of lands from native Americans). As the concept of a covenant between god and the Hebrews evolved, the prophets then explained suffering as a result of failure to keep the covenant. The best example is Isiah, in which god punishes Israel for failing to keep his laws, thus breaking the covenant. Some books offered no explanation at all. For example, Ecclesiastes claims that there is no heaven or afterlife; suffering is arbitrary and without reason. We must count on suffering as part of the normal part of life. The best we can hope for is to enjoy the short stay we have on the earth.
Other books contradict the early explanations. For example, in Maccabees (apocrypha for some) suffering results because the Hebrews are keeping the covenant as Antiochus IV persecutes the Hebrews in the Maccabean Revolt.

Over the course of ancient history, however, the covenant rationale began to lose traction, and Jews developed a form of theology called "apocalypticism," whereby suffering was now explained as a battle between good and evil. The most notable apocalyptics were Jesus and Paul, who now focused upon the idea of a satan or devil. Erhman gives us here a brief history of the devil, and we see that he or she is a very recent invention. For example, the satan in the book of Job is an adviser to God, a sort of counselor among a body of advisors. Hebrews did not have a concept of satan or devil or even hell. (The snake in the Garden of Eden is never identified as the devil. This association was drawn by saint Augustine in the 4th Century, and Christians have since thought of the serpent as satan ever since. The motif of talking serpents was common in early Mesopotamia, e.g. "The Epic of Gilgamesh," and Hebrews most likely borrowed it for their mythology. The talking serpent was never intended to be Satan, the fallen angel.)

Erhman here give a concise history of apocalypticism, and here he rants against the foolishness of reading certain books, mainly Daniel and Revelations, as predictions of things to come. They were, Ehrman reminds us, written about specific events to specific audiences. Daniel was addressed to Hebrews who suffered under the Babylonian exile and Revelations is addressed to 1st century Christians suffering from sporadic Roman persecutions. They are not to be read, Ehrman cautions, as predictions of world war III or the rise of some antichrist. (We know who the 666 man was: Emperor Nero)To do so is to is to construct a mythology (i.e. a rapture, a rise of an antichrist, an armageddon) that was never intended.

In the end, Ehrman concludes, if we are looking to cues from the Bible as to why there is suffering, we are going to be pretty disappointed. The authors had their own axes to grind and their own political agendas and there explanations were intended to forward those agendas. In the end, we may just have to accept God's explanation to Job, who after all his suffering and loss is merely told, in effect: "because I'm God, that's why."
Not a very satisfying answer, God. You'll have to do better.

I think this is the best of Ehrman's books. It asks the question that I ahve often asked- how can a loving God allow so much apparently needless suffering? And Ehrman, coming from a completely different religious background to me- evangelical compared to atheist/agnostic- has the courage to say that what he found has caused him to lose his faith. I suppose he was preaching to the converted in my case, but I have asked myself the same questions and it was nice to see him trawl the Bible and discuss its various appraches to this question. I dont want to offend believers so I wont go any further in this review than to ask that people ask, the next time a disaster happens and some survivor praises God for saving them- Why didnt God save the others too? ( )

Ehrman has become one of my favorite writers in the realm of Biblical and extra-Biblical/Gnostic studies. A very clear understanding of the various reasons for suffering that are offered in the Bible (which are prevalent throughout the culture), as well as his own speculation/journey from Christian to agnostic. Makes me want to read "The Brothers Karamazov" again. ( )

This is Ehrman's rather personal look at the issue that caused him to "de-convert:" the existence of evil and, in his view, an insufficient answer or divine action regarding evil.

The author spends most of the book going through the various answers that the Bible presents to explain the existence of evil: consequence of sin, free will, redemptive suffering, no real answer, and the apocalyptic perspective of the world being under the control of evil forces. The explanations are quite approachable, and, on the whole, fairly accurate, save for the author's prejudice toward the scholarly explanations for the Old and New Testaments.

In the end, the work is deeply unsatisfying. Different answers for different situations are deemed "contradictory." Furthermore, when attempting to "refute" the various perspectives, strawman arguments are brought up. He rejects the apocalyptic view for highly questionable reasons, partly due to his (ironically) "fundamentalist" perspective on what the Kingdom "must be." His rejection of the concept of redemptive suffering is also quite facile, and does not really take into account the theological power behind God allowing His own Son to suffer, and the implications such has for the question.

Ultimately, the book is unsatisfying because "evil" is really never defined, and the author's rather modernist, post-Enlightenment view seems to handle the question of what "evil" is on a quite facile level. The author would also exalt the position of man and his intelligence, and his interpretation of God's response to Job is quite telling in that regard.

The book represents a good explanation of various Biblical perspectives, but the author's interpretation and philosophical presuppositions that color them are quite unsatisfying. ( )

My favorite of Ehrman's books--with Misquoting Jesus a close second. The book is heartfelt and convincing. I now better understand why sentiments such as "everything happens for a reason" and "this is the best of all possible worlds" and "we suffer because we have free will" are bothersome. Ehrman doesn't write to argue anyone out of faith, but this book does encourage a thoughtful examination of religious explanations of/justifications for suffering. ( )