Bart Ehrman argues that several New Testament books traditionally attributed to apostles such as Paul and Peter were in fact deliberate forgeries written by later authors using those names to gain authority. Drawing on ancient evidence, he shows that literary forgery was common yet widely condemned in the Greco-Roman world, and he examines how such writings shaped early Christian debates over doctrine, identity, and orthodoxy.

Ehrman presents a clear, accessible case that challenges traditional views of biblical authorship while remaining grounded in historical and textual analysis. Though some scholars dispute his stronger claims about motive and the extent of forgery within the canon, the book effectively introduces general readers to the complex realities of early Christian literature and the long history of contested authorship.