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)

Limited audience

This book will be good for those who do not already have an in depth knowledge of the Bible. However, if you have studied the Bible in detail this will be a real waste of your time. If you have a degree in religious studies or have been to seminary, don't waste your money.

The real deal

The bible comes alive when you can take all of the different religions out of it and really look at the books. This is a great listen, be prepared to learn.

another Ehrman gem

I love the writing of this american theologian. He frequently uses a witty tone to lighten what could be heavy material. He is able to present a wealth of information in a scholarly fashion and yet he never makes you feel you are listening to a lecture. It always seems more like a good story. I'm looking forward to his next book.

Great but Repetitive

If this is your first book with Dr. Ehrman, you are in for a treat. If not, there’s a fair amount of material you have already heard. There is even a curious repetition in different chapters within this book. The narrator does a great job but pronounces words differently than Dr. Ehrman, which can be distracting for those who know his Great Courses work. Nevertheless, it’s a great and deep academic dive into early Christianity’s biggest figures.

Interesting enough for a second listening

The first part of this book, on Peter, did not excite me, but the last two parts, on Paul and Mary Magdalene were enthralling. Having read numerous studies of the New Testament, I am no beginner but I still found myself learning a lot from this scholarly but user-friendly discussion. I plan to listen to the book again after I finish the book I bought immediately after hearing this one---another one by Ehrman. I want to hear more of what he has to say as I find that he has done his homework (he translated the New Testament himself from the old documents) and his judgment is fair.

A re-write of "Misquoting Jesus"

After listening to "Misquoting Jesus" (by the same author), I decided to get this audiobook. Much to my disappointment, Mr. Ehrman repeats basically everything he said in that book literally word by word! He did not even bother re-phrasing his ideas; it feels like a "cut & paste" job...

He does, however, give some new information on the lives and works of Peter and Paul but sometimes he is so "re-iterative" (i.e repetitive) that one feels compelled to skip entire chapters.

Now, regarding Mary Magdalene, he basically focuses not on WHO she was but on who she was NOT. He actually spends more time in describing the beliefs and practices of the various forms of early christianity than in describing the Magdalene herself.

His conclusion is somehow contradictory for on the one hand he claims that, since the Gospels speak so little about her, she must have been someone who bore little importance in Jesus's life and ministry; or at least not more than any of the other women that are also mentioned in the New Testament.

But on the other hand, he claims that had it not been for the Magdalene's discovery of Jesus's empty tomb, Christianity might have evolved very differently, for she was the one who encouraged the Apostles to start spreading the Good News after she had witnessed the miraculous resurrection of her Lord.

In conclusion, if you have already read "Misquoting Jesus", you do not need to buy this book, unless you want a more specific focus on the lives and works of Peter and Paul. But if what you want instead is more information about the Magdalene, then look elsewhere...

Serious look at our "Christian" beliefs

Presents a logical development of Christianity outside of the "magic" view. Like all religion a need that developed into an answer. Which also best out the alternative answers proposed by fellow human thinkers.

As Usual, Ehrman illuminates

As Usual, Ehrman offers exceptional scholarship on historical Christianity and Early Christian ideas. This book is clearly more oriented to general readership, but it still thoroughly investigates these three early apostles. With thought provoking scholarly inquiry with many references to historical documents and scripture

Excellent history and proofs

The Jesus Professor dud it again. Kudos on such an accurate and amazing account! I'm definitely going to keep this in my library for future lessons and references!

Excellent!

Anyone remotely interested in early Christian history, Professor Ehrman is indispensable. As always I learned a lot. I particularly appreciate his unbiased. balanced historical insights.

The narrator was quite good, I thought. He was never a distraction.