From Jesus to Constantine: A History of Early Christianity

By: Bart D. Ehrman, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Bart D. Ehrman

Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

Step back to Christianity's first three centuries to see how it transitioned from the religion of Jesus to a religion about Jesus. How did a single group from among many win the struggle for dominance to establish the beliefs central to the faith, rewrite the history of Christianity's internal conflicts, and produce a canon of sacred texts – the New Testament – that supported its own views?

These 24 lectures provide a fresh and provocative perspective on how a movement of perhaps only 20 lower-class followers of a Jewish apocalyptic preacher crucified as an enemy of the state grew to include nearly four million adherents in only 300 years. Professor Ehrman looks at the faith's beginnings, starting with the historical Jesus, Jewish-Christian relations, the way Paul and other Christians spread the new faith, hostility to the Christian mission, internal struggles within the faith, and the formation of traditional Christianity as we know it today.

Christianity argued its ancient roots by retaining the Jewish scriptures and arguing that it was, in fact, the fulfillment of what those scriptures had promised. Throughout these lectures, Professor Ehrman challenges old misconceptions and offers fresh perspectives on aspects of Christianity and its roots that many of us might have thought we already understood. By offering you a scholar's perspective on the origins of what Professor Ehrman describes as the most important institution in Western civilization, this engaging course will increase your understanding of Christianity today.

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

©2004 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2004 The Great Courses

very educational

very concise and articulate information putting many elements of the early church together in a way that can be understood by anyone.

So enlightening and educational

Those of the faith and those of us as interested historians and humanitarians or both will find this engaging.

It makes more sense now!

I had alot of "a ha!" moments, little things clicking into place and now it makes more sense. I learned alot. This is a wonderful course. I enjoy the small spots of humor the professor put into his lectures. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

Exactly what I wanted

An unadulterated history of early Christianity. Prof Ehrman really knows his stuff. Highly recommend if you are looking for truth in the historical sense.

Awesome Ehrman

This is pretty typical work by Bart D Ehrman, meaning that the research is impeccable and it is presented so the lay person can understand the material. A lot of the material will seem familiar to readers of Ehrman, but this in no way lessons the significance of this particular work. Highly recommended.

This Course Should Be Required for All!

Ehrman can rescue us from the anti-intellectual religious fundamentalism that has a ensnared our nation.

Great book! I would like to see others like it.

Scholarship needs to put more time into sharing their knowledge with lay people & congregations!

Well done. Added perspectives I hadn't considered.

Good job exposing different viewpoints. Occasionally added personal perspectives or didn't explore topics deep enough.

Bart Ehrman Does it Again!

This was impossible to put down. I listened to almost the entire lecture in one sitting. Lots of substance. Of course, what else can you expect from the great Dr. Ehrman?

Very good overview

What did you love best about From Jesus to Constantine: A History of Early Christianity?

It gives a comprehensive easy-to-understand overview of the subject.

What did you like best about this story?

That it dispels some myths about early Christians and early Christianity, and also it shows how different modern Christianity is from early Christianity.

Which character – as performed by Professor Bart D. Ehrman – was your favorite?

St Perpetua martyr

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Those related to early martyrs

Any additional comments?

I found that Ehrman did not discuss some important points about early Christianity, women in early Christianity, the Swoon Hypothesis, the Lost Years of Jesus, and he presented his course, but with too-bold statements. I would have loved him presenting what other scholars he doesn't agree with say about some of his statements on a regular basis.