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 thi...
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Feb 10, 2008
Skylar
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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
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Mar 12, 2009
Tyler
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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 Christ More...
The book, for example, takes up the subject of gnosticism, an early Christian theology that considered matter itself to be evil. Lost Christ More...
Jan 29, 2009
Steven
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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
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Jul 31, 2011
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
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Aug 27, 2010
Pamela
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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 More...
In his book he shows that different religions since the time of Christianity, but what is missing More...
Jun 19, 2009
Rich
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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 immed More...
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 immed More...
Mar 22, 2011
Ken
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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 c More...
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 c More...
Jan 30, 2010
Stacy
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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 teaching More...
As it turns out, there were many forms of early Christianity. Their teaching More...
Sep 06, 2011
Neil
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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 ver More...
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 ver More...
May 17, 2010
Russell
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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
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Jul 30, 2011
Jc
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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
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Sep 26, 2009
Rick
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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 o More...
The world of true believers would be a lot different if some o More...
Sep 25, 2010
Felicity
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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 t
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Jun 04, 2010
Sean
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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" More...
Ehrman explains in detail the struggle for dominance among religious groups in the first century for the title of "orthodox" More...
Apr 17, 2009
Dave
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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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Nov 10, 2008
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
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Jan 13, 2008
Russell
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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 th More...
I continuously wondered th More...
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Nov 02, 2007
John
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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
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Jan 14, 2011
Joe
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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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Dec 05, 2009
Tony
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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 More...
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 More...
Apr 21, 2011
Courtney
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There really is no disputing Ehrman's research, he's very good. My disappointment with this book has more to do with my expectations, I think. I thought this would be more politics between varying religious Christian sects, and how the scriptures we have became canonized. There is work on this but far less than I thought there would be. However, it's mostly about forgeries of the scriptures. This book should have been titled Forgeries of the Ancient Faiths That We Never Knew. I probably wouldn't
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Apr 02, 2009
Eric
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An important scholarly work for anyone who wants to understand the history of the Bible. Dr. Ehrman provides a remarkably frank and straight-forward look at what went into the creation of the collection of works in our bibles today. Even thought there is a significant amount of expertise and scholarship in this book, Dr. Ehrman has a writing style that makes it easy and enjoyable to follow. Be prepared to learn a lot!
Oct 13, 2010
Alicia
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If you have ever wondered about the earliest Christian groups, this is a very interesting books. The diversity in beliefs of these groups is amazing. This book also talks about which books the different groups used and considered scripture. Some groups excluded some books that made it in at the end and included some books that didn't. I found it all very interesting to read and think about how Christianity began.
Nov 07, 2009
Danns
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I found the presentation of the material to be very well thought out. The author presented his hypothesis in the beginning and did a fantastic job of backing up his research. I higly recommend this for anyone interesting in the history of western thought, religion and Christianity.
This book has a companion - Lost Scriptures, Books that Did Not Make It into the New Testament. I strongly recommend reading these together.
This book has a companion - Lost Scriptures, Books that Did Not Make It into the New Testament. I strongly recommend reading these together.
Aug 15, 2011
Karen
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I found this recap of some of the little-known, non-Canonical, "heretical", sometimes forged documents of early Christianities to be fascinating. Ehrman, a professor of Religious Studies at UNC Chapel Hill, writes of these matters straightforwardly but also with great erudition. He has a certain tendency to almost-sensationalize, and the editing wasn't what it could have been - there were lots of repetitions from chapter to chapter - but I thought the content was compelling and it's a
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Jul 27, 2011
James
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An excellent historical perspective on the early history of Christianity. Ehrman provides a mostly objective look at the early manuscripts available with a few forays into the great "what-ifs" - i.e. what if the Gnostics had become the primary Christian sect instead of the proto-orthodox (early Catholics). He also discusses the human motivations involved in the formation of the canon of scripture.
Nov 10, 2011
Meagan
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I feel like it's only fair for me to preface this review by admitting bias. I am in a class with Professor Ehrman this semester, so I've had his personal interpretation of these topics as well as reading his book. I think Bart makes dense, complicated topics easy to understand and he presents them in a way that is interesting. I thought that I would be totally bored by the material in the book, but instead I found it engaging. He gives a really comprehensive look at how Christianity evolved into
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Feb 24, 2011
Shane
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Another great Bart Ehrman book presented in his non-biased way using logic, truth and history rather than emotion, conjecture and a specific faith based slant. It's agnostic in nature and will again, open those interested in knowing more about the truth behind Christian religion, how the bible came to it's current form and many other areas of reason and thought.
Jan 07, 2010
I found this book to be in large part a refresher about how the Scriptures (New Testament) did not emerge whole and perfect upon the death of Jesus, but were compiled over a prolonged period of centuries. On the one hand, it's interesting material. On the other hand, it does seem to be more trouble than the subject is worth. It's not like this is new news.
Apr 04, 2009
Kcraybould
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This was a typically Ehrman book: fascinating subject, well researched and well argued marred only by a slight tendency to the "boring professor lecturing" style of writing during those few parts when he is summarizing a point in order to move along to what really interests him.
Aside from that flaw, this is a fascinating look at how man different Christianities there were in the first couple centuries of the Church and the process by which the orthodox church came to be bef More...
Aside from that flaw, this is a fascinating look at how man different Christianities there were in the first couple centuries of the Church and the process by which the orthodox church came to be bef More...
