Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why by Bart Ehrman

This is an important and fabulous book. Very little of the material was new to me, but it was still a very useful read to have a basic introduction to textual criticism wrapped up in a nice, neat little package instead of scattering all over--the way that I picked it up in school. While this book would be a killer for someone who thinks the scriptures are inerrant, I think a fairly conservative Saint could handle it--the confirmations of the Church's attitude toward scripture ("insofar as it is translated correctly" and "corrupt and designing priests" come to mind) will be enough to tide them over through the tough parts. (I don't think most people know that the story of the woman taken in adultery is not original to the text.) This book is highly recommended to anyone with any interest in the Bible and is essential reading to anyone who wants to seriously study the scriptures.