First published 2005
Christianity's early centuries erupted with competing beliefs about God and Jesus. Bart Ehrman explores the diverse groups that claimed to follow authentic Christian teachings. Some sects worshipped multiple gods rather than one. Others taught that an inferior deity created the world, not the true God. Certain communities viewed Jesus as purely human, while their rivals insisted he was entirely divine. Each faction possessed sacred texts they attributed to Jesus's disciples. Archaeological discoveries have unearthed these lost scriptures, including gospels allegedly written by Simon Peter and Judas Thomas. Ehrman examines the Jewish-Christian Ebionites, the anti-Jewish Marcionites, and various Gnostic movements. He traces the fierce battles between proto-orthodox Christians and the groups they branded as heretics. The orthodox faction eventually compiled the New Testament and established standardized beliefs. This book reveals how religious diversity gave way to unified doctrine through political struggle and intellectual combat.
Genres: history, non-fiction, christianity, church-history, ancient-history, academic
Vibes: thought-provoking
Tropes: academic-investigation, historical-exploration
Period: Early Christianity
294 pages · Paperback · Oxford University Press