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

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

4.02 of 5 stars 4.02 · rating details · 1,914 ratings · 101 reviews

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, B...more

Paperback, 320 pages

Published September 15th 2005 by Oxford University Press (first published January 28th 2002)

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Feb 10, 2008 Skylar Burris rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: conspiracy theorists

Shelves: christianity

Here is a sentence from "Lost Christianities" that provides a clue to why the book is not really very sensational, as well as a clue to Ehrman's perspective: "It comes as a bit of a shock to most people to realize that the Church has not always had the New Testament." Perhaps it once came as a shock to Ehrman, but it does not come as a shock to any Christian with an inkling of Christian history. I am reminded of Alexander Pope's phrase, "A little learning is a dangerous thing." Ehrman seems to h...more Here is a sentence from "Lost Christianities" that provides a clue to why the book is not really very sensational, as well as a clue to Ehrman's perspective: "It comes as a bit of a shock to most people to realize that the Church has not always had the New Testament." Perhaps it once came as a shock to Ehrman, but it does not come as a shock to any Christian with an inkling of Christian history. I am reminded of Alexander Pope's phrase, "A little learning is a dangerous thing." Ehrman seems to have once taken a small drink from the well of Christian history, drawn a startling conclusion from it, and then attempted to shove all future research into the mold of that pre-drawn conclusion.

This book often plays a "what if" game. What if orthodox Christianity didn't win out? What if the Gnostics or the dualists or the Marcionites or the Ebionites won out? Well, it's an amusing hypothetical, I suppose, but it's rather like saying, "What if the Constitution didn't become the standard for the U.S. but instead the Communist Manifesto did?" Ehrman's fun speculations still beg the question as to which form of Christianity most accurately represents Christ, which form of Christianity is most true. This question, perhaps the most essential question, is one Ehrman seems to regard as unimportant.

He explores why the so-called proto-orthodox "won" out, offering reasons that range from geography to forgery and slander, but he does not spend much time asking whether their theology is more accurate, more true, than the theology on offer by the other "varieties" of Christianity. Is it likely that a sect teaching that the God of the Old Testament is evil has grasped a true representation of the 1st century Jew Jesus? Is it likely that a sect teaching there are twelve gods has grasped a true representation of the 1st century monotheist Jesus? Is the theology of a gospel written over 100 years after Christ's death to be trusted more than the theology of a gospel written within less than thirty years of his death? To Ehrman, these are irrelevant questions. What is relevant is that these "varieties" existed and that their adherents claimed to be followers of Christ, and therefore, presumably, the orthodox have no reason to claim they are orthodox. Ehrman leaves the reader with the impression that the "proto-orthodox" are but one group of Christians among many, no more likely to have grasped a true understanding of Christ and his teachings than any other group of self-labeled Christians.

Perhaps the reason Ehrman does not much explore the question of which group most accurately portrays Christ is that the most likely answer is not sensational. While all of these diverse writings are interesting to read about, it seems highly likely that the earliest manuscripts written by near-contemporaries of Christ and chosen for inclusion in the canon after an application of a strict set of standards more accurately represent the views of Christ than do works written 100+ years after his death. It seems likely that the proto-orthodox interpreted Christ's teachings more accurately than did the Manicheans or the Gnostics. The existence of a wide variety of sects, gospels, and epistles is all very interesting, but it is not SENSATIONAL, and Ehrman seems to be trying to make it sensational.

In Ehrman's sensational version of events, the proto-orthodox, through their "machinations," destroyed these other forms of Christianity, which are themselves occasionally portrayed as more virtuous or liberating than orthodox Christianity. But, how, exactly, do the proto-orthodox, who at the time had no state power and were occasionally subject to persecution, carry out their "machinations" except by intellectual persuasion and accepted authority (which itself implies that orthodoxy was established earlier than Ehrman suggests). Ehrman proceeds almost as if these "lost" writings were lost because the "proto-orthodox" collected every existing copy and set them ablaze in a giant bonfire, and not at all because they were the product of unconvincing religions that ultimately died out after failing to adequately portray Christ to the world. Most of these "varieties" are not so much lost Christianities as dead Christianities.

Despite all this criticism, I give the book two stars (an "okay" rating) because it contains so much information, all in one place, on early Christian and Gnostic literature, early sects, and the history of Christianity. I cannot give it more because the information comes obviously processed and arranged to persuade the reader that orthodox Christianity has no more reason to consider itself orthodox than any other form. Religious labels need some definition to be useful at all. If we say the orthodox Christians (those who canonized the Bible, those who established the creeds, those who spread the church throughout the world) have no more right to define Christianity than anyone else, then the Muslims and Unitarians are Christians too; they're just Christians who view Christ differently than orthodox Christians, and so the religious term becomes meaningless. It's almost as if someone started speaking of the "varieties of Judaism" and began behaving as though the Samaritans and the Christians had as much authority to define Judaism as the Jews.

"Lost Christianities" could have benefited from better organization and less backtracking, and, when it comes to textual claims (i.e. about whether or not a verse is original, for instance) it would be helpful if he discussed the dissenting opinions in some detail rather than simply presenting his own perspective as near fact. I suggest that anyone who reads this also read the second half of Timothy Paul Jones's "Misquoting Truth" for two different perspectives. Also of interest are the actual noncanonical texts, many of which can be found collected in "Lost Books of the Bible." Finally, I recommend the slim volume "How We Got the Bible" for a clearer, concise, factual historical overview of why and how the canon was selected.(less)

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May 18, 2013 JP rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What I liked most about this series of lectures was the substantial context it provided about the ancient writings that were included or rejected from the canon we now know as the Bible. Ehrman maintains an objective tone, though you can tell he doesn't support some of the interpretations that are common today. I found his approach to be thoughtful and enlightening. A few most notable insights for me included that the 27 books we know as today's New Testament were originally selected by one man...more

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Mar 12, 2009 Tyler rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: All; History and Religious Studies Fans

Shelves: non-fiction

Of the four main strands of Christianity prevalent before the fourth century, only one had what it took to emerge as the religion we know today. Theology students are no doubt familiar with this history, but seldom does it make its way past the pulpit. So as a general reader, I found this survey of the earliest years of Christianity informative.

The book, for example, takes up the subject of gnosticism, an early Christian theology that considered matter itself to be evil. Lost Christianities dis...more

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Jan 29, 2009 Steven Stark rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you are interested in early church history, then this a book for you. The followers of Christ were more diverse over the first few centuries of the Christian religion than they are even now. From the Ebionites, who followed the laws of Judaism and used only a version of Matthew as their gospel, to the Marcionites, who only used the letters of Paul and Luke and NO old testament, there were many different interpretations of the religion. This book explores these two groups plus the Gnostics and...more If you are interested in early church history, then this a book for you. The followers of Christ were more diverse over the first few centuries of the Christian religion than they are even now. From the Ebionites, who followed the laws of Judaism and used only a version of Matthew as their gospel, to the Marcionites, who only used the letters of Paul and Luke and NO old testament, there were many different interpretations of the religion. This book explores these two groups plus the Gnostics and the Proto-orthodox (they weren't "orthodox" yet) through their writings. This is difficult business because once one group came to dominate the others, most of the writings of the other groups were destroyed. In fact, many gospels and letters are only preserved through letters quoting them in order to condemn them. And many of the writings have only been rediscovered in the 20th century.

Of course, anyone with a New Testament knows how diverse views were in the early church. You just have to read the many references to "false teachers" in the NT to see that. Surely these "false teachers" also felt that the writers of the NT had it wrong. Paul's disagreements with Peter (Galatians) and with the so-called "super apostles" (2 Corinthians) are also good examples.

My favorite part of the book is where Ehrman describes the Jewish origins of Gnosticism. He does so in a very brief and effective way tracing Jewish views of God from the Exodus and the Davidic monarchy through the classical prophetic line of thought, to the emergence of apocalyptical literature, to the arrival at Gnostic thought where the material world is evil and not the product of the "true" God ( represented by Christ) but is rather the creation of the "demiurge" (Yahweh), an imposter God who thinks that He is the one and only God.

Ehrman is thorough and open-minded in his discussion of ancient texts and beliefs. He speculates on why the proto-orthodox view of Christianity "won". The Ebionites required circumcision for conversion - not promising for winning converts. The Marcionites ignored the Old Testament in a culture where ancient authority was revered - nobody wanted another cult with no history. The Gnostics were not into organization and hierarchy - a problem for growing and sustaining a religion. And they were into seriously symbolic stuff - difficult for many to accept.

Ehrman also discusses ancient forgery, both inside and outside of the New Testament, including one example (The Secret Gospel of Mark) where many scholars are very divided on its authenticity.

It's all really interesting, and Ehrman is at time humorous and rarely, if ever, boring. This review, of course, is only scratching the surface of the surface. If you're interested in this subject, this is a great read.

This is a good companion book to the works of Elaine Pagels since she focuses almost exclusively on early Christians Gnosticism. Ehrman rounds things out nicely.(less)

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Mar 02, 2013 Kristopher Swinson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I can't recommend this to anyone lacking a thorough familiarity with the pitfalls in higher criticism, which can ultimately lead one to question everything and believe very little. (I've often said I would heartily shake hands with anyone who'd read J. Reuben Clark's Why the King James Version, of their own accord.) For one, even where there's an ambiguity over the authorship of Hebrews within the LDS faith (see Szink, in How The New Testament Came to Be), the inspiration thereof was never a mat...more I can't recommend this to anyone lacking a thorough familiarity with the pitfalls in higher criticism, which can ultimately lead one to question everything and believe very little. (I've often said I would heartily shake hands with anyone who'd read J. Reuben Clark's Why the King James Version, of their own accord.) For one, even where there's an ambiguity over the authorship of Hebrews within the LDS faith (see Szink, in How The New Testament Came to Be), the inspiration thereof was never a matter of dispute. There's similar support for the authenticity of the Book of Revelation, and many other instances where latter-day revelation offers direct support for verses they would discard as spurious, thinking them unsupported in the "earliest" manuscript variations. (I share Philip Mauro's objection to undue deference given the intact New Testament Codex Vaticanus, which was doubtless "carefully treasured in the Vatican," because "it contained errors and textual corruptions favorable to the doctrines and practices of Rome.")

I've even seen this particular leprous form of scholasticism infect a BYU student, who was not unlike Marcion in his desperation to divorce the God of the New Testament from the God of the Old. The primary factions described throughout were incontestably heretical, but he oversimplifies a bit in the degree to which one side or another held certain beliefs--with a subtle huzzah for underdogs solely because they differed, and not so much in recognition that some minority out there not belonging to any of the sects may have been most correct. He also overrates the unanimity of Nicea, for which I've seen attendance projections as only approximately 6% of Christendom's bishops--when a council in 305 (see Nibley, Apostles and Bishops, 122-123) had already realized that all present were guilty of compliance during time of persecution--attended, with an intensely lopsided favoring of the East. Even the attendees were not so much in agreement, and some subsequently felt the hot displeasure of Rome.

I just felt I had to toss in a few words by way of caveat, and am now too fatigued to comment favorably on what WAS interesting. I like his observation at 229-231, 236:

It comes as a bit of a shock to most people to realize that the Church has not always had the New Testament. But the Christian Scriptures did not descend from heaven a few years after Jesus died. The books that eventually came to be collected into the sacred canon were written by a variety of authors over a period of sixty or seventy years, in different places for different audiences. Other books were written in the same period, some of them by the same authors. Soon thereafter the Church saw a flood of books also allegedly written by the earliest followers of Jesus, forgeries in the names of the apostles, produced for decades, centuries even, after the apostles themselves were long dead and buried. Virtually all of this other literature has been destroyed, forgotten, lost. Only a fraction of the early Christian writings came to be immortalized by inclusion in the sacred canon. . . . The process did not take a few months or years. It took centuries. . . . And so, when we talk about the "final" version of the New Testament, we are doing so in (mental) quotation marks, for there never has been complete agreement on the canon throughout the Christian world. . . . [T]here is no evidence of any concerted effort in proto-orthodox Christianity (or anywhere else, for that matter) to fix a canon of Scripture in the early second century, when Christian texts were being circulated and ascribed authority.(less)

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Aug 27, 2010 Pamela Tucker rated it 5 of 5 stars

I admit I am an admirer to Bart D. Ehrman and read a lot his books. There are other sources that reveal the hidden books that were among the Christian and their writings that in my opinion most of what is written by Christians to some degree are inspired by the Holy Spirit. Most believers will confess they walk a better life when looking to what the leading of the Holy Spirit will teach.

In his book he shows that different religions since the time of Christianity, but what is missing is fundament...more I admit I am an admirer to Bart D. Ehrman and read a lot his books. There are other sources that reveal the hidden books that were among the Christian and their writings that in my opinion most of what is written by Christians to some degree are inspired by the Holy Spirit. Most believers will confess they walk a better life when looking to what the leading of the Holy Spirit will teach.

In his book he shows that different religions since the time of Christianity, but what is missing is fundamentalism of the main gospels and the letters were placed in their to prove Paul's case before Rome. Luke his dear friend would right to his political friend in hopes that when PAUL stood before court he would be released. At least he was the first time. Since then religions were popping up everywhere, and most of the letters or information were forever destroyed this was their way of communicating long distance at the time.

With the founding fathers aware of this they began to have their creeds written to give the church strength which it was for at least 50 years. In this book the collections did not happen during this time, but there were many who were being destroyed for pure pleasure of the Romans non faith in anything really.

Many of these letters are held sacred today in Orthodox versions of their bible. Historians kept a point of view on how they saw the new faith in a man professed to be God.

This will include letter fragments from authors such as Mary Magdalene which I think wrote Hebrews or it could have been any one of the women that followed Jesus. Every since women have had a time of it just trying to be educated and knowing the Lord to be able to preach the word. Which when led my the Holy Spirit all things are possible with God. Who knows how many women have had a walk that was rejected by men who thought of them higher in position than what they ought.

I think Jesus was rejected because of his odd behavior as a child, God being so pure and seeing men as they really are gives way to condemnation. So some may have experienced the wrath as God was developing his human side to conform with the spiritual. This is why I think he went away from the age after 12 to 30 to be educated and influenced in the eastern way of life only to develop truth so that each people could understand truth.

The people then were not Christians and were very evil and more so as were the children. Heathens, and they were influenced by their own lusts and desires, and thought of no one but themselves. I believe it is possible for an earthly Jesus to not accept evil of others and did not understand the concepts of blessings until he met his mentor(s) as Zachaeus heard the wisdom and understood he was different than others. Jesus destroyed other demons later written in the gospels...he also matured to understand it was demons to be cast away not people to be punished, and that he was destined to do much more than that.

There are many instances that will give the mind something to expand into the unknown truths of God and how the human side is vulnerable to many things in life.

I have read many books similar to this book, so I just leave it up to the Holy Spirit to guide me through all that the world is and hope to see truth in all things.

Why couldn't there be other writings on Christians we read them everyday walking into bookstores and even writing them ourselves...of course we all have growing stages to go through. Jesus was not so different when it came to his human side. He just grew quicker than most and God sent him to learn. That is why he was so pleased with him as Jesus became the son and man God could really hope for.(less)

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Jun 19, 2009 Rich DiSilvio rated it 5 of 5 stars

Another excellent book by Bart Erhman. Not only are the historical facts that he presents fascinating--and challenging to many diehard Christians-- but they're "crucial" for ALL to read and understand.

Religion is a very tough and sensitive topic. I know from my own book, which dedicates several chapters to religious beliefs and how these deep ideologies shaped the minds and actions of many great- and also evil -leaders.

The broad array of Christian sects that immediately sprouted up after Jesus...more

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Mar 22, 2011 Ken Robert rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ebionites, Marcionites, and Gnostics. Oh my.

This is a great introduction to the history of the competing theologies and practices of early Christians as can best be determined from ancient texts that have been passed down and rediscovered.

The author Bart D. Ehrman, professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, argues and, in my opinion, demonstrates that early Christianity was anything but a monolithic religion and that the beliefs that eventually came to be called orthodox...more

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Aug 14, 2012 P.D. Bekendam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Most people who self-identify as “bible believing Christians” operate under a certain understanding of the history of Christianity. Whether their view of this history is learned or assumed, it usually goes something like this in a nutshell: "The canonized scripture is the inerrant word of God. The New Testament was formed sometime shortly after Jesus Christ’s resurrection and ascension—most of it from first-hand witnesses to Jesus’s ministry. Because Jesus’s teachings were so clear, and his grea...more

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Jan 30, 2010 Stacy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Growing up in a Christian family, the Bible just was. It existed, it was the word of God. But how did that come to be? The first time I learned about the authorship of the Bible was interestingly enough, in my Catholic High School's Freshman Religious Studies class. I learned about the source material for the Gospels (Q) and other interesting tidbits. Still, it wasn't discussed much, or in great detail.

As it turns out, there were many forms of early Christianity. Their teachings varied widely fr...more

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Jan 26, 2013 Jeffrey Cavanaugh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Written for the layman, Ehrman presents an interesting discussion of the contending factions vying for power and influence during the early, formative years of Christianity. He does this primarily through a synthesis of modern scholarship's analysis of early Christian texts that have been discovered recently or survived through the years. The conclusion he presents - which reflects the broader discipline he is part of - is that the "New Testament" presented as canon today is in fact an amalgamat...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Chelsea rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Really really good book. It has finally given me the motivation to start reading The Bible and gave a really interesting history of early Christianity. I think the author did a great job of keeping the book very academic and factual, especially with such a sensitive topic as religion. It did this without ridiculing the religion so it was overall a very enjoyable read.

I think the author did a good job of making this accessible to the lay person. Most obscure academic terms are spelled out and I n...more

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Jun 27, 2012 Robb Bridson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: society

This is a book that reveals some of the "sausage-making" of religion. To the nonbeliever, it's an amazing history lesson, but I'd imagine to the believer, it is a challenge to faith-- not so much to faith in God but certainly to faith in the institutions that claim to speak for Him.

That said, the book makes it clear why the Pauline model succeeded and the others failed (the book goes perfectly with Rodney Stark's classic "How New Religions Succeed") and gives an eye-opening glimpse into how not...more

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Jan 18, 2013 Old-Barbarossa rated it 2 of 5 stars

Informative look at early xtian texts that ended up excluded from the canon incidentaly looking at some of the canon itself.
Discusses the idea of authenticity and forgery as well as the early xtian groups that may have used them and their reasons for doing so.
Also looks at the reasons why the version of xtianity that ended up dominating did so to the cost of the other flavours.
The main things I took away from this:
1) pretty much every variety of xtain though they were right and everyone else was...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Neil Hanson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ehrman is very good at speaking in plain and understandable language about topics that folks often try and make complex and hard to understand. Folks who want no part of asking hard questions about the modern western orthodoxy will not this or others of his books. You can see this plainly in the reviews and comments folks leave regarding his books.

However, if you're someone who asks the hard questions and you're willing to evolve and grow your faith as you learn more, then you'll very likely enj...more

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May 17, 2010 Russell rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a fascinating book about the diverse early christian cults that existed in the decades immediately following the death of Jesus. Ehrman is a careful and insightful scholar who not only offers well thought our opinions on the subject, but also explains how the majority of scholars have reached such conclusions. My only hesitation in recommending this book is for those who have read some of Ehrman's other works. This is because some of the information contained here is repeated from earlie...more

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Jul 30, 2011 Jc rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As an introduction to the various forms of christianity, e.g. Gnosticism or Marcionism, that existed in the first few hundred years of this odd spin-off of Judaism. Ehrman, a recognized authority of early christianity also is a skilled writer, making this a fine introduction to the early chaos that in time coalesced into the christian orthodoxy. If happen to believe in churchy stuff, or just have an interest in the early history of the most influential religious movement in the history of especi...more

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Sep 26, 2009 Rick rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a compendium of the minor (and major) heresies of the early Christian era. They had to be dealt with at the 4th-century meeting in Nicea of priests at the behest of the emperor Constantine. As a result we now have the "official" holy book and a Creed that we have to swear to before every (Protestant and I guess Catholic) church service - at least as nearly as I recall, since I have not attended one since ~1962.
The world of true believers would be a lot different if some of the heretical...more

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Sep 25, 2010 Felicity Barry rated it 3 of 5 stars

Ehrman's topic fascinates me but his writing to the nonacademic audience just doesn't persuade, at least not in this work. Very interesting analysis of the Marcionite and Ebionite sects of early Christianity that were ultimately suppressed or failed to succeed in the early centuries after Christ. I just wish Ehrman had taken a more rigorous approach even though he was writing to a lay audience. Anyone who read this type of work is not going to be put off by a more scholarly approach and his tone...more

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Jun 04, 2010 Sean rated it 4 of 5 stars

Very interesting, but a little dry at times because of the amount of historical background and information Ehrman gives in order to better convey a more complete understanding of the specific topics he covers. This is a must read for the average Christian because most average Christians have absolutely no idea how their orthodox beliefs originated.

Ehrman explains in detail the struggle for dominance among religious groups in the first century for the title of "orthodox" Christianity. What most...more

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Apr 17, 2009 Dave Maddock rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: religion

Bought this book with its companion volume, Lost Scriptures, and read it on a recent China trip. I enjoyed it; Ehrman's an entertaining and thought-provoking read. However, having listened to the Teaching Company lectures of same name and read much of his other material, I didn't get too much out of this one. I'm looking forward to digging into the second volume though.

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Feb 21, 2013 Chuck Springer rated it 4 of 5 stars

I must say that this book was a great follow-up to " Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why" by Bart Ehrman. I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the origins and early evolution of the Christian religion.

Essentially, in the years that followed the life of Jesus Christ, a wide variety of beliefs went under the name "Christian," including many later denounced as heresy. This book opens the reader's mind to the possibility that the traditional "orth...more

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Jul 31, 2011 Dan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: religion, history

Lost Christianities is an excellent introduction for the lay reader/non-specialist into the early and formative years of the faith we now know today as Christianity. Ehrman demonstrates that there were numerous versions of Christianity which preceded what we call today orthodoxy a la Roman Catholicism and mainstream Protestantism which assert the unity of Jesus' divine/human nature as well as other prevailing doctrines including the 27 book New Testament canon and the Trinity. While I thoroughly...more

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Apr 09, 2012 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Early Christianity is a fascinating, if poorly documented, area of study. This book focuses mainly on three branches of early Christianity: The Ebionites, Gnostics, and proto-Orthodox. The Ebionites believed that Jesus was human, born of a physical union between Mary and Joseph, and became the chosen of God when he was baptized. I am highly sympathetic to this view of Jesus. The Ebionites also followed Judaism more closely than any of the other groups. The Gnostics believed in a secret meaning o...more

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Nov 10, 2008 Shippseattle marked it as to-read

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...more [close] 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 divin...more

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Jan 13, 2008 Russell rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book provided quite an educational and eye-opening experience in learning of some historical aspects of the creation of the New Testament. The subtitle of the book appropriately describes "the Faiths that We Never Knew" and primarily focuses on their co-existence (and eventual congealment with the early proto-orthodox church). I was fascinated at the variation of beliefs, forgeries, disagreements and incredible amount of scholarly exploration.

I continuously wondered throughout the course of...more This book provided quite an educational and eye-opening experience in learning of some historical aspects of the creation of the New Testament. The subtitle of the book appropriately describes "the Faiths that We Never Knew" and primarily focuses on their co-existence (and eventual congealment with the early proto-orthodox church). I was fascinated at the variation of beliefs, forgeries, disagreements and incredible amount of scholarly exploration.

I continuously wondered throughout the course of the book why his material is relatively "hidden". That is, it seems as though the knowledge of creation of the New Testament is rarely given much attention and neither are the turbulent periods prior to its official canonization. I found it intriguing that canonization "officially" occurred during the Council of Trent, though a letter dated 367AD by Alexandrian bishop Athanasius which states, "in these alone the teaching of godliness is proclaimed. Let no one add to these; let nothing be taken away from them." (p 230). And yet, as Ehrman explains, there continued to be debates and disputes even in his own church. These sort of statements, and additional material covering related events, kept causing me to think about the fact that there was _never_ a clear leader, only many disparate bishops (how many self-appointed, bought or otherwise gained power and monetary support) that appear to have espoused their own agenda prior the creeds. In my opinion and observation, clearly no prophetic leader nor priesthood authority.

There are many, many lost/heretical/non-canonized texts that Ehrman mentions and frequently references his other works in the end notes (in addition to many other sources he cites, I appreciated his thorough and thoughtful notes and references). He specifically covers 44 texts and their role during early Christianity. I felt that he gave ample attention to each in order to cover its relevance, at the same time he avoided providing all of the text in detail (which appeared to not really be necessary).

There was some disturbing material as well in terms of what some of the more off-the-path sects believed. This is no real surprise given Satan's ability to twist and thwart principles of righteousness by contorting them to supply justification of immoral activity.

Lastly, I think this book makes it very clear, in its short 294 pages, that:

* there are NO original manuscripts of the New Testament writings, only "copies made from copies of the copies of the copies of the original"(p. 217)
* there are possibly hundreds of thousands of differences that occurred during the thousands of copies created during the centuries
* many of the accepted books of today's New Testament are suspected forgeries
* the proto-orthodox church engaged in its own modification of the canonized texts
* sects were incredibly diversified in accepted texts and belief systems, there was rare unification until the creeds

I underlined a lot of paragraphs I found particularly interesting in this book. Because this is the first historical analysis on early Christianity I've read, including the texts and creation of New Testament, I'd eagerly recommend it to those already having an interest in scripture study. In the perspective of The Restoration, I found it to be quite a source of corroboration in terms of lost truth, lost scripture and lost faith.

Because of the some the disturbing content (in terms of morality and my sensitivity threshold, which maybe equated to a full page) I rate this at 4/5(less)

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Nov 02, 2007 John rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is an account of the details of these Christian faiths that were ultimately suppressed, as well as an account of how these faiths became "heretical" while one of these sects of Christianity came to be considered orthodox and ultimately shape the beliefs of Christians down to our own day. I found this to be a fascinating trip through the ancient world. Believers should understand the roots of their religion and of the texts on which it is founded; likewise, non-believers will probably a...more This book is an account of the details of these Christian faiths that were ultimately suppressed, as well as an account of how these faiths became "heretical" while one of these sects of Christianity came to be considered orthodox and ultimately shape the beliefs of Christians down to our own day. I found this to be a fascinating trip through the ancient world. Believers should understand the roots of their religion and of the texts on which it is founded; likewise, non-believers will probably also be interested in seeing those roots bared. Christianity has been so influential on our culture for the past 1600 years or so that it seems worth understanding.

Allow me to quote extensively from his introduction. He says "It may be difficult to imagine a religious phenomenon more diverse than modern-day Christianity," and goes on to enumerate the stunning varieties that Christianity takes today in America. He continues, however, to ask

"What could be more diverse than this variegated phenomenon, Christianity in the modern world? In fact, there may be an answer: Christianity in the ancient world. As historians have come to realize, during the first three Christian centuries, the practices and beliefs found among people who called themselves Christian were so varied that the differences between Roman Catholics, Primitive Baptists, and Seventh-Day Adventists pale by comparison."

He gives us some sense of this later in the introduction.

"The wide diversity of early Christianity may be seen above all in the theological beliefs embraced by people who understood themselves to be followers of Jesus. In the third century there were, of course, Christians who believed in one God. But there were others who insisted that there were two. Some said there were thirty. Others claimed there were 365.
"In the second and third centuries there were Christians who believed that God created the world. But others believed that the world had been created by a subordinate, ignorant divinity. (Why else would the world be filled with such misery and hardship?) Yet other Christians thought it was worse than that, that this wrld was a cosmic mistake created by a malevolent divinity as a place of imprisonment, to trap humans and subject them to pain and suffering.
"In the second and third centuries there were Christians who believed that the Jewish Scripture (the Christian "Old Testament") was inspired by the one true God. Others believed it was inspired by the God of the Jews, who was not the one true God. Others believed it was inspired by an evil deity. Others believed it was not inspired.
"In the second and third centuries there were Christians who believed that Jesus was both divine and human, God and man. There were other Christians who argued that he was completely divine and not human at all. (For them, divinity and humanity were incommensurate entities: God can no more be a man than a man can be a rock.) There were others who insisted that Jesus was a full flesh-and-blood human, adopted by God to be his son but not himself divine. There were yet other Christians who claimed that Jesus Christ was two things: a full flesh-and-blood human, Jesus, and a fully divine being, Christ, who had temporarily inhabited Jesus' body during his ministry and left him prior to his death, inspiring his teachingsand miracles but avoiding the suffering and its aftermath.
"In the second and third centuries there were Christians who believed that Jesus' death brought about the salvation of the world. There were other Christians who thought that Jesus' death had nothing to do with the salvation of the world. There were yet other Christians who said that Jesus never died."

Some of these beliefs may seem absurd today, but they were all held passionately by people who believed that they knew what God wanted from them and what Jesus had taught. They had scriptures to back them up and arguments supporting their positions.(less)

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Jan 14, 2011 Joe Henry rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ehrman is a happy discovery for me, and I’m adding him to my short list of favorites on history/interpretation of Christianity—along with Marcus Borg and John Shelby Spong. I’ve heard before many of the historical figures and manuscripts, but Ehrman makes it come alive for me…makes me want to want to read/study more. The book reads almost like a “who-done-it” in places. The promo quote that says it best for me is from Elaine Pagels: “Fascinating….Lively, enjoyable, and accessible.”

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May 07, 2012 Sharon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: scripture

The early church had a variety of beliefs, based on the religions people converted from, the beliefs of the disciple doing the converting and/or peoples actual recollections of Jesus' life. There was no organization that listed the creed for early believers. Then people started writing down what they believed. Not all of the writings became part of the canonical books of the New Testament. Battles raged between the Gnostics as well as other groups also considered heretical and the Church.

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Dec 05, 2009 Tony duncan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: history religion philosophy

Shelves: audio, history, philosophy, politics, religion-spiritual

Just a phenomenal book. Such a comprehensive and enlightening exploration of what we know about the development of Christian religious sects. Amazing that the "orthodox" sect was able to completely suppress every other strand, of which there were many.

While I loved "gnostic Gospels" there is so much more information in general here and it is presented in such an inclusive (as opposed to objective) manner.

Of course this is a very sensitive issue in the United States, especially, I imagine for fu...more

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About Bart D. Ehrman

Bart D. Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. He came to UNC in 1988, after four years of teaching at Rutgers University. At UNC he has served as both the Director of Graduate Studies and the Chair of the Department of Religious Studies.

A graduate of Wheaton College (Illinois), Professor Ehrman received both his Masters of Div...more Bart D. Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. He came to UNC in 1988, after four years of teaching at Rutgers University. At UNC he has served as both the Director of Graduate Studies and the Chair of the Department of Religious Studies.

A graduate of Wheaton College (Illinois), Professor Ehrman received both his Masters of Divinity and PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary, where his 1985 doctoral dissertation was awarded magna cum laude. Since then he has published extensively in the fields of New Testament and Early Christianity, having written or edited 21 books, numerous scholarly articles, and dozens of book reviews. Among his most recent books are a Greek-English edition of The Apostolic Fathers for the Loeb Classical Library (Harvard University Press), an assessment of the newly discovered Gospel of Judas (Oxford University Press), and two New York Times bestsellers: God’s Problem (an assessment of the biblical views of suffering) and Misquoting Jesus (an overview of the changes found in the surviving copies of the New Testament and of the scribes who produced them).

Among his fields of scholarly expertise are the historical Jesus, the early Christian apocrypha, the apostolic fathers, and the manuscript tradition of the New Testament.

Professor Ehrman has served as President of the Southeast Region of the Society of Biblical literature, chair of the New Testament textual criticism section of the Society, book review editor of the Journal of Biblical Literature, and editor of the monograph series The New Testament in the Greek Fathers (Scholars Press). He currently serves as coeditor of the series New Testament Tools, Studies, and Documents (E.J. Brill), coeditor in chief for the journal Vigiliae Christianae, and on several other editorial boards for journals and monographs in the field.

Winner of numerous university awards and grants, Professor Ehrman is the recipient of the 1993 UNC Undergraduate Student Teaching Award, the 1994 Phillip and Ruth Hettleman Prize for Artistic and Scholarly Achievement, and the Bowman and Gordon Gray Award for excellence in teaching.

Professor Ehrman has two children, a daughter, Kelly, and a son, Derek. He is married to Sarah Beckwith (PhD, King's College London), Marcello Lotti Professor of English at Duke University. He lives in Durham, North Carolina.

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More about Bart D. Ehrman...

Books by Bart D. Ehrman

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

Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible {and Why We Don't Know About Them}

God's Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question-Why We Suffer

Lost Scriptures: Books That Did Not Make It Into the New Testament

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