Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene

The Followers of Jesus in History and Legend

By: Bart D. Ehrman

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 12 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Bart Ehrman, author of the best sellers Misquoting Jesus and Truth and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code, here takes listeners on another engaging tour of the early Christian church, illuminating the lives of three of Jesus' most intriguing followers: Simon Peter, Paul of Tarsus, and Mary Magdalene.

What do the writings of the New Testament tell us about each of these key followers of Christ? What legends have sprung up about them in the centuries after their deaths? Was Paul bow-legged and bald? Was Peter crucified upside down? Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute? In this lively work, Ehrman separates fact from fiction, presenting complicated historical issues in a clear and informative way and relating vivid anecdotes culled from the traditions of these three followers. He notes, for instance, that historians are able to say with virtual certainty that Mary, the follower of Jesus, was from the fishing village of Magdala on the shore of the Sea of Galilee; but there is no evidence to suggest that she was a prostitute, and little reason to think that she was married to Jesus.

Vibrantly written and leavened with many colorful stories, Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene will appeal to anyone curious about the early Christian church and the lives of these important figures.

©2006 Bart D. Ehrman (P)2006 Tantor Media, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Uncompromising in its scholarship yet utterly engaging." (Publishers Weekly)
"Terrific....Ehrman presents his case clearly and succinctly." (Publishers Weekly)

Good info

Very interesting stories and facts. I really enjoyed it and learned some things. I’ve liked all the books by him so far…

Solid scholarship, but...

I have read Professor Ehrman's Misquoting Jesus, Jesus Interrupted and God's Problem, and I noticed that the scholarship underlining all the books tends to overlap. So, the contend of all books overlaps significantly too with emphasis on one aspect or the other, but without many new scholarship. Which is fair enough, (you don't expect an academic to give you brand new research everytime he/she write a book.) The information in this book is solid enough, and I am satisfied with it, and the argument it makes is sound enough as well as convincing, but if you have read his other books, don't expect too many new research.

Insightful

I'm an Ehrman fan, and found this to be as refreshing and freeing as the rest of his books. I recommend it to those who are sick and tired of the same old religious cliche ridden looks at Christian scriptures. Thank goodness for this writer's honest scholarship and humorous approach. I'm certain the bulk of modern "Christians" would find this a threatening and heretical study, but in fact it is wonderfully freeing. I worthy read!

Great

Very interesting and thought provoking.
I recommend it very much.
G-d bless praise be

Not As Strong As the Rest of the Ehrmann Oeuvre

I've read a lot of Bart Ehrmann's books and listened to a lot of his lectures. They're all interesting and informative, but this one is not up to his usual level. It's repetitive. The narrator is okay but not great. There are better options in the Ehrmann oeuvre for you to read.

Peter, Paul & Mary, first-century style...

Professor Ehrman expands on the history of these three figures from early Christianity, an excellent complement to his previous book, _Truth and Fiction in The DaVinci Code_. Meticulously researched and (in the case of the New Testament scriptures) translated by Ehrman himself.

The tie-ins at the beginning and end with Peter, Paul & Mary, the folk group from our era, are very humorous and appropos.

Mr. Gardner delivered a superb performance.

Highly recommended!

An historical look at 3 key Christian figures.

As with any Ehrman book, there is a large amount of content overlap with previous works. This book however, does do an excellent job of sticking to its the three core figures and rarely ventures far off topic. As usual, Ehrman approaches the subject matter from a strictly historical point of view, with an emphasis on who these people really were and what they most likely really said, at the same time remembering the importance of how history and its writers remembered or 'chose to remember' these three key figures of the New Testament.

Readers who are unfamiliar with Christian Apocryphal, noncanonical and Deuterocanonical books & scripture might be put off a bit since Ehrman uses these as sources for much of the content and analysis presented - though this book could serve as an interesting introduction to some of the contents of these scriptural writings and why they are no longer considered canon by many Christian institutions. This may also present a problem for readers who want to sit back with their Bible and read along.

The narration and presentation is excellent, though a little bland at times.

Engaging and slightly humorous

An intelligent work that doesn't profess to have all the answers, nor does he criticise other viewpoints such as found in films or current novels. He explains the fallacies of religious and historical accounts in the context of their times, not an easy thing to do for most writers. Grover Gardner is one of my favorite readers, a bonus when listening to this book.

Good

Repeats a lot from Ehrman's other books, but still great stuff. Still some good nuggets, though, and worth a listen or 2

Too slick for me

I have been a fan of Ehrman's, but this book has really let me down. He is talking about Christian mythology here without making that clear. Christians, it is true, do not want to admit they have a mythology, but the New Testament is just that--with a little historical material mixed into it.

The writers of the New Testament were not interested in historical accuracy, the idea was foreign to them. They were used to the Jewish tradition of religious writing, which became the Christian tradition too. In this tradition the desired result is a story with maximum impact and appeal--which then becomes accepted as the truth, the logic being that if it feels right, it must be right.

Ehrman seems intent on creating new stories about Peter, Paul, and Mary (Magdalen), working over the informal oral source material in the Bible--but ignoring the fact that this kind of material is inconsistent by its very nature. No matter, he will make it consistent anyway, and pretend it is history. This might be acceptable for a run-of-the mill religious writer. But it is inexcusable for a scholar of his standing.

He tells a story that is entertaining and uplifting, suitable for a Christian TV series or a church school. His analogy to the folks singers Peter, Paul and Mary is deliberate and glib.