Chris

Another fine work by Dr. Ehrman, this time detailing modifications to the text of the New Testament. Ehrman dedicates chapters to topics including but not limited to:

Historical attempts to reconstruct the original text
The methods used by textual critics
Theological motivations for modifying the text
Social motivations for modifying the text

As is typical of his books written for laypeople, Ehrman gives a general overview of his arguments but does not delve into great detail. Perhaps I ought to attempt one of his academic works one day. For anyone unfamiliar with the field, I think that this book would serve as an excellent introduction to Biblical textual criticism.

Ehrman makes a compelling case regarding the authorship of the books of the Bible that he discusses. I wish he had discussed some of the evidence in greater depth, but this is a book for laypeople, after all. To me, Forged did not reach the heights of [b:Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife|50793705|Heaven and Hell A History of the Afterlife|Bart D. Ehrman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575812957l/50793705.SY75.jpg|71431323], the other Ehrman work I have read. The tone of Forged is noticeably more strident, and one gets the sense that Ehrman wants to “own” the opposition—I can practically hear the Avengers theme playing in Ehrman's head on p. 130, when he talks about getting his Arabic-speaking colleague to translate a document in order to prove that Pythagoras's students did not attribute their books to their teacher.

It's worth a read if you're not up-to-date on Biblical scholarship. I had no idea of the authorship issues surrounding the Pauline epistles, etc. If you are aware of the scholarly consensus regarding these issues, you may not find many revelations here.

An interesting and well-researched overview of the acoustical principles behind tuning and the various tuning systems that have existed in the Western musical culture prior to the current hegemony of 12TET. The title is, in my estimation, printed clickbait; the work doesn't make a solid case that equal temperament “ruined” harmony, but instead leaves the reader with the conclusion that 12TET is just one potentially valid option out of many, depending on context.

If you're a fretted string player or a pianist who has never had to grapple with the issues of 12TET before, portions of this book will be revelatory. Duffin pays a lot of attention to the minutiae of historical tuning systems, and these details may not have practical relevance or application outside of historical practice performance environments. There are also some issues with presentation; Duffin regularly interrupts the flow of text with biographies, some of them taking up a full two-page spread, and many of which contain information already present in the main text.