Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew - Softcover

9780195182491: Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew
View all copies of this ISBN edition:
 
 
The early Christian Church was a chaos of contending beliefs. Some groups of Christians claimed that there was not one God but two or twelve or thirty. Some believed that the world had not been created by God but by a lesser, ignorant deity. Certain sects maintained that Jesus was human but not divine, while others said he was divine but not human.

In Lost Christianities, Bart D. Ehrman offers a fascinating look at these early forms of Christianity and shows how they came to be suppressed, reformed, or forgotten. All of these groups insisted that they upheld the teachings of Jesus and his apostles, and they all possessed writings that bore out their claims, books reputedly produced by Jesus's own followers. Modern archaeological work has recovered a number of key texts, and as Ehrman shows, these spectacular discoveries reveal religious diversity that says much about the ways in which history gets written by the winners. Ehrman's discussion ranges from considerations of various "lost scriptures" including forged gospels supposedly written by Simon Peter, Jesus's closest disciple, and Judas Thomas, Jesus's alleged twin brother to the disparate beliefs of such groups as the Jewish Christian Ebionites, the anti Jewish Marcionites, and various "Gnostic" sects. Ehrman examines in depth the battles that raged between "proto orthodox Christians" those who eventually compiled the canonical books of the New Testament and standardized Christian belief and the groups they denounced as heretics and ultimately overcame.

Scrupulously researched and lucidly written, Lost Christianities is an eye opening account of politics, power, and the clash of ideas among Christians in the decades before one group came to see its views prevail.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author:

Bart D. Ehrman is Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the author of The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings and Jesus, Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium.
From Publishers Weekly:
What if Marcion's canon-which consisted only of Luke's Gospel and Paul's letters, entirely omitting the Old Testament-had become Christianity's canon? What if the Ebionites-who believed Jesus was completely human and not divine-had ruled the day as the Orthodox Christian party? What if various early Christian writings, such as the Gospel of Thomas or the Secret Gospel of Mark, had been allowed into the canonical New Testament? Ehrman (The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture), a professor of religion at UNC Chapel Hill, offers answers to these and other questions in this book, which rehearses the now-familiar story of the tremendous diversity of early Christianity and its eventual suppression by a powerful "proto-orthodox" faction. The proto-orthodox Christians won out over many other groups, and bequeathed to us the four Gospels, a church hierarchy, a set of practices and beliefs, and doctrines such as the Trinity. Ehrman eloquently characterizes some of the movements and Scriptures that were lost, such as the Ebionites and the Secret Gospel of Mark, as he outlines the many strands of Christianity that competed for attention in the second and third centuries. He issues an important reminder that there was no such thing as a monolithic Christian orthodoxy before the fourth century. While Ehrman sometimes raises interesting questions (e.g., are Paul's writings sympathetic to women?), his book covers territory already well-explored by others (Gregory Riley, The River of God; Elaine Pagels, Beyond Belief), generating few fresh or provocative insights.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherOxford University Press
  • Publication date2005
  • ISBN 10 0195182499
  • ISBN 13 9780195182491
  • BindingPaperback
  • Number of pages294
  • Rating

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780195141832: The Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  ISBN 13:  9780195141832
Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2003
Hardcover

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Stock Image

Ehrman, Bart D.
Published by Oxford University Press (2005)
ISBN 10: 0195182499 ISBN 13: 9780195182491
New paperback Quantity: 8
Seller:
Textbooks_Source
(Columbia, MO, U.S.A.)

Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Ships in a BOX from Central Missouri! UPS shipping for most packages, (Priority Mail for AK/HI/APO/PO Boxes). Seller Inventory # 000720334N

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 14.04
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 3.99
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Ehrman, Bart D.
ISBN 10: 0195182499 ISBN 13: 9780195182491
New Paperback or Softback Quantity: 5
Seller:
BargainBookStores
(Grand Rapids, MI, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback or Softback. Condition: New. Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew 1.05. Book. Seller Inventory # BBS-9780195182491

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 18.35
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Ehrman, Bart D.
Published by OUP USA (2005)
ISBN 10: 0195182499 ISBN 13: 9780195182491
New PAP Quantity: 12
Seller:
PBShop.store US
(Wood Dale, IL, U.S.A.)

Book Description PAP. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # GB-9780195182491

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 18.50
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Ehrman, Bart D.
Published by Oxford University Press (2005)
ISBN 10: 0195182499 ISBN 13: 9780195182491
New Softcover Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Lakeside Books
(Benton Harbor, MI, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Brand New! Not Overstocks or Low Quality Book Club Editions! Direct From the Publisher! We're not a giant, faceless warehouse organization! We're a small town bookstore that loves books and loves it's customers! Buy from Lakeside Books!. Seller Inventory # OTF-S-9780195182491

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 14.79
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 3.99
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Ehrman, Bart D.
Published by Oxford University Press (2005)
ISBN 10: 0195182499 ISBN 13: 9780195182491
New Soft Cover Quantity: 1
Seller:
booksXpress
(Bayonne, NJ, U.S.A.)

Book Description Soft Cover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9780195182491

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 20.00
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Bart D. Ehrman
ISBN 10: 0195182499 ISBN 13: 9780195182491
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
Grand Eagle Retail
(Wilmington, DE, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. The early Christian Church was a chaos of contending beliefs. Some groups of Christians claimed that there was not one God but two or twelve or thirty. Some believed that the world had not been created by God but by a lesser, ignorant deity. Certain sects maintained that Jesus was human but not divine, while others said he was divine but not human.In Lost Christianities, Bart D. Ehrman offers a fascinating look at these early forms ofChristianity and shows how they came to be suppressed, reformed, or forgotten. All of these groups insisted that they upheld the teachings of Jesus and his apostles, and they all possessed writings that boreout their claims, books reputedly produced by Jesus's own followers. Modern archaeological work has recovered a number of key texts, and as Ehrman shows, these spectacular discoveries reveal religious diversity that says much about the ways in which history gets written by the winners. Ehrman's discussion ranges from considerations of various "lost scriptures"--including forged gospels supposedly written by Simon Peter, Jesus's closest disciple, and Judas Thomas, Jesus's alleged twinbrother--to the disparate beliefs of such groups as the Jewish-Christian Ebionites, the anti-Jewish Marcionites, and various "Gnostic" sects. Ehrman examines in depth the battles that raged between"proto-orthodox Christians"--those who eventually compiled the canonical books of the New Testament and standardized Christian belief--and the groups they denounced as heretics and ultimately overcame.Scrupulously researched and lucidly written, Lost Christianities is an eye-opening account of politics, power, and the clash of ideas among Christians in the decades before one group came to see its views prevail. The early Christian Church was a chaos of contending beliefs. Some groups Christians claimed that there was not one God but two, or twelve, or thirty. Certain sects maintained that Jesus was human but not divine; others that he was divine but not human. Eherman offers an enlightening study of these early forms of Christinaity, and how they came to be suppressed, reformed, or forgotten. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780195182491

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 20.36
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Bart D. Ehrman
ISBN 10: 0195182499 ISBN 13: 9780195182491
New paperback Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Blackwell's
(Oxford, OX, United Kingdom)

Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9780195182491

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 14.93
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 5.68
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Ehrman, Bart D.
Published by Oxford University Press (2005)
ISBN 10: 0195182499 ISBN 13: 9780195182491
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
GF Books, Inc.
(Hawthorne, CA, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Book is in NEW condition. Seller Inventory # 0195182499-2-1

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 22.06
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Ehrman, Bart D.
Published by Oxford University Press (2005)
ISBN 10: 0195182499 ISBN 13: 9780195182491
New Paperback Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Save With Sam
(North Miami, FL, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. Brand New!. Seller Inventory # 0195182499

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 22.07
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Ehrman, Bart D.
Published by Oxford University Press (2005)
ISBN 10: 0195182499 ISBN 13: 9780195182491
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Book Deals
(Tucson, AZ, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. New! This book is in the same immaculate condition as when it was published. Seller Inventory # 353-0195182499-new

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 22.68
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

There are more copies of this book

View all search results for this book