Lost Christianities: Christian Scriptures and the Battles over Authentication

By: Bart D. Ehrman, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Bart D. Ehrman

Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

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

Christology 101 from the beginnning.

Where does Lost Christianities: Christian Scriptures and the Battles over Authentication rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

At the top of the list, I can go over this lecture again and again

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the way it was set up

What does Professor Bart D. Ehrman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Authority on the subject

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

not possible to listen to these lectures in one sitting.

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.

worth the investment of time

worth the investment of time worth the investment of time worth the investment of time fulfilling 7 unique word minimum

good work as usual

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

Very nice lectures

It’s about time someone told the truth. With todays days and time we don’t need to be over ran by yesterday’s ignorance in todays age of information.

fascinating look at the variety of early Xtians

This is another wonderful series by Prof. Ehrman. There was a lot I didn't realize about the wide variety of beliefs that early Jesus followers had. Although he doesn't indulge in counterfactual history, it did make me wonder about what today's religious scene would be like if the Christian establishment had picked one of these other paths.

Prof. Ehrman is an excellent lecturer. I enjoy his speaking voice, and the lectures and overall series are well-organized.

Wow! A+ Scholarly account of early Christianity.

This lecture series is one of the most interesting I've come across. Prof Ehrman does an excellent job of demonstrating the historical evolution of canon Christianity, and of other forms of Christian belief that are not canonical, but are unbelievably fascinating.

This lecture discusses what did and didn't make it into the New Testament...

I think it may surprise some Christians. I am certainly amazed.
This may not be a book for everyone. I don't believe it's offensive in any way. However, it may make those sensitive and defensive of their faith a little uncomfortable. On the other hand, if you are interested in the historical roots of Christianity and of the many gospels and letters excluded from the Christian bible, this is an OUTSTANDING EXPERIENCE.

While I don't agree with a few of Prof Ehrman's arguments, he makes a point to show all sides of the issue. The listener can make up their own mind. His work opens the door to so much historical discussion and debate in a great way. It's fascinating. I plan to seek out some of the books he discusses. There are really shocking tidbits in this lecture!!

I want to emphasize that this is not an attack against Christianity. Just an historical study of early Christian ideas that don't find their way to the bible. Very very interesting!

Fascinating Review of Alternative Christian Books

Would you consider the audio edition of Lost Christianities: Christian Scriptures and the Battles over Authentication to be better than the print version?

I did not reads the print version.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Interesting question for a course review. Um, Eucibius? Seriously, Professor Ehrman did a wonderful job of giving biographies of the various historical figures who were involved in both the creating of these books (where thay are known) and in those who criticized them. It gives a lot of insight into why various writing did or did not make it into the Christian canon.

Have you listened to any of Professor Bart D. Ehrman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, he is an excellent scholar and an entertaining lecturer. I can't say that it is any better than any other, nor any worse. They are all excellent.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Fascinating question. At times, it did make me laugh, but it also helped me to understand some facits of Christianity that I have always found puzzling. Professor Ehrman is a true scholar and a wonderful lecturer.

Any additional comments?

If I were still attending college and had the opportunity to sign up for one of Prfoessor Ehrman's classes, I do it in a heartbeat.

Very good

Very interesting subject matter and it was well organized and presented. There was much I didn't know.

Professor knows his topic, but hard to follow

I loved the topic. I've always wanted to know why some writings made it in to the cannon and others didn't. Dr. Ehrman went a long way toward explaining, although I think it would take a semester (if not a degree) to really get a handle on it it.

I think the professor did as well as he could for the time he had and the complicated topic he had to explain to the layman, such as myself. There were times when his narrative skills just were not up to the challenge, and I still was left trying to sort out what he had just said (while he was already onto the next puzzler).

With that being the only caveat, I highly recommend this course. In fact, I think my next course from The Great Courses will come from him!