Renowned New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman has spent much of his career approaching Christian texts with a skeptical eye. Having transitioned from a devout Christian to a self-described agnostic, his latest work takes a surprisingly appreciative stance on the moral legacy of the faith's founder.
In his new book, Love Thy Stranger: How the Teachings of Jesus Transformed the Moral Conscience of the West, Ehrman argues that modern society owes its fundamental concepts of charity and altruism directly to Jesus of Nazareth.
Speaking with columnist Ross Douthat, Ehrman dismantled the common misconception that the ancient Greek and Roman worlds lacked any moral compass. Instead, he clarified that what the ancient world distinctly lacked was the innate drive to aid unknown, unrelated people in crisis. Today, when a natural disaster strikes, a collective impulse drives people to donate money or volunteer for strangers they will never meet. According to Ehrman, this deeply ingrained philanthropic reflex is a direct byproduct of Christ's teachings.
"In Greek and Roman moral philosophy at the time, this was not an issue at all—you were not supposed to be helping people just because they were in need," Ehrman explained.
While Jesus built upon the ethical foundations of his Jewish heritage, he radically expanded its boundaries. Where the traditional mandate was to love a fellow Israelite, Jesus universalized the concept to include absolute strangers—and even sworn enemies.
Ehrman points to the famous Parable of the Good Samaritan as the ultimate illustration of this moral revolution. In the biblical story, a Jewish man is beaten, robbed, and left for dead. While respected religious figures of his own community ignore him, a Samaritan—a member of a group historically viewed as enemies of the Jewish people—stops to save his life. The groundbreaking lesson redefined community: a "neighbor" isn't dictated by shared ethnicity, religion, or nationality. A neighbor is simply anyone who requires help.
This theological pivot wasn't just theoretical. Ehrman asserts that this universalized empathy paved the way for massive institutional shifts in Western civilization. The creation of public hospitals, orphanages, nursing homes, and even state-sponsored poverty assistance can all trace their historical roots back to this specific Christian innovation.
Though the book functions as a work of cultural and intellectual history, Ehrman doesn't shy away from its modern implications. Approaching the topic from a secular perspective, he offers a pointed challenge to modern society and practicing Christians, particularly in today's fiercely polarized political climate.
"If people claim to be followers of Jesus, they ought to follow his teachings," Ehrman noted. "His teachings are quite clear that you should care for people who are not like you—the other. You're not supposed to make them suffer because you don't like them or you don't want them among you. You're supposed to take care of them."