Lost Christianities: Christian Scriptures and the Battles over Authentication

By: Bart D. Ehrman, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Bart D. Ehrman

What did the "other" Scriptures followed by early Christians say? Do they exist today? How could such outlandish ideas ever be considered Christian? If such beliefs were once common, why do they no longer exist?

These are just a few of the many provocative questions that arise from these 24 thrilling lectures. Join the dramatic search for lost Christianities and learn why it's considered such an appealing subject to study.

These lectures focus on the remarkable fact that many of the struggles of early Christians were not against pagans or other nonbelievers but against other Christians. Professor Ehrman will introduce you to these fascinating groups, including the Ebionites (Jewish Christians who accepted a non-divine Jesus as the Messiah), the Marcionites (who believed the God of the Old Testament and the God of Jesus were different), and the Gnostics (who believed in other deities aside from the one true God).

The fascinating heart of this lecture series is its exploration of the Scriptures that were read and considered authoritative by these Christian sects. They provide a fascinating opportunity to study little known and sometimes controversial Scriptures that might have become part of the Bible. You'll explore the Gnostic Gospel of Truth (one of the most powerful and moving expositions of the joy of salvation to survive from Christian antiquity), the Infancy Gospels (which describe events leading up to Jesus' birth and during his young childhood), and the Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles (which provide legendary, imaginative, and entertaining accounts of the activities of Jesus' closest followers).

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2002 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2002 The Great Courses

worth the investment of time

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Very informative

This group of lectures had so much information that I've wondered about for so long. I'm glad that I was able to get a breakdown of some of the most early forms of Christianity.

Finally Understanding Bart Ehrman

The guided reviews are simply unsuited to reviewing the great courses series.

Ehrman has written books on the subject, but hearing him go through the material in the style of a lecture really helped me to understand early gnostic and heretical/non proto-orthodox beliefs.

If you're interested in the early formation of Christianity before the establishment of the orthodox canon, this is the way to go. Great work, great explanations, just plain great. Well worth the listen, fully recommended.

A must read for Ex Christians

A great lecture! Really demystified a lot of the weird beliefs I had growing up.

good work as usual

rich in historical context, but some stories were quite lengthy that i started losing track.