Lost Christianities: Christian Scriptures and the Battles Over Authentication

by Bart D. Ehrman

12 Audio CDs
(24 lectures, 30 minutes/lecture)

Course Lecture Titles
1. The Diversity of Early Christianity
2. Christians Who Would Be Jews
3. Christians Who Refuse To Be Jews
4. Early Gnostic ChristianityOur Sources
5. Early Christian GnosticismAn Overview
6. The Gnostic Gospel of Truth
7. Gnostics Explain Themselves
8. The Coptic Gospel of Thomas
9. Thomas' Gnostic Teachings
10. Infancy Gospels
11. The Gospel of Peter
12. The Secret Gospel of Mark
13. The Acts of John
14. The Acts of Thomas
15. The Acts of Paul and Thecla
16. Forgeries in the Name of Paul
17. The Epistle of Barnabas
18. The Apocalypse of Peter
19. The Rise of Early Christian Orthodoxy
20. Beginnings of the Canon
21. Formation of the New Testament Canon
22. Interpretation of Scripture
23. Orthodox Corruption of Scripture
24. Early Christian Creeds

Genres: Religion, History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Christianity, Theology, Philosophy

285 pages, Audio CD

First published January 28, 2002

About the author

Bart Denton Ehrman is an American New Testament scholar focusing on textual criticism of the New Testament, the historical Jesus, and the origins and development of early Christianity. He has written and edited 30 books, including three college textbooks. He has also authored six New York Times bestsellers. He is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not an argument for or against Christianity.
It's a lecture on the subject of the "lost scriptures". With lecture being the operative word here.
That may or may not be your jam.



But it was kind of perfect for what I was looking for because I didn't really want someone inserting a lot of opinions into the subject. Obviously, there are and always will be a lot of opinions when it comes to ancient texts, simply due to the nature of them being ancient and present-day scholars and researchers having to act like detectives to attempt to piece together how everything went down thousands of years ago. Because even if you have historical documents, those documents were more than likely written by the winners of whatever philosophical argument (war, political coup, etc) of that day.

What I mean by opinions is that I'm not interested in reading a philosophical discussion on the existence of God. And that's why I really enjoyed this. The history of when we first heard of these texts vs when we actually found physical copies of them, and what the differences between what ancient theologians/scholars/religious leaders had said about them in the past vs what they were found to have actually contained, was exactly what I had been wanting to know.
To me, that stuff is just cool. Your mileage, of course, may vary.



This lecture included a lot of information about Gnostics, Ebionites, & Marchionites. I'd heard of all of these sects, but I'd never read much, so for me, this was a great introduction to their beliefs.
Also included was a breakdown of quite a few non-cannon religious texts that range from probable forgeries (The Secret Book of Mark) to stuff that almost made it into the Bible (The Apocalypse of Peter). Other books give us a background for some of the Christian lore (Gospel of James tells the story of Mary mother of Jesus) that isn't found in the New Testament.
This stuff is all fascinating and I was honestly never bored while listening to it.



So.
The moral of the story for me is that I'm going to be grabbing more books that are lecture-style like this one.
Recommended.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

[watched the video lecture dvds]
I did not make it to the second part of this course. There is only so much gnosticism I can take, and I felt like a LOT of this material was already covered in the Early Christian History course Bart did. If you wanted to go deeper into sects and non-canon NT works, this would probably be fab for you.

[Jed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author is a very smart man and fills your head with lots of information. It took me a while to read this because so much is covered but I’m really glad I read it.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio download of 24 lectures, 30 minutes each, and an 144 page lecture guide.
Before widely available written texts about the teachings of this relatively unknown Jesus of Nazareth in the first century CE, there were many different opinions about the true meaning of this man. Was he a man or God, or just a spirit of piety? Dr Erhman examines the history behind some of these questions, fairly, in my opinion. While it is pretty clear that Bart has an agenda, I think he lays out the fact so that the reader/listener can reach their own conclusions. Conclusions about what? Well, how did Christianity come to be one of the most dominant religions in the world? In a world of mostly illiterate, desperately poor people, how was 'the word' spread...and who spread it?

Dr Erhman holds a mirror to the face of Christianity and asks the questions about the origins of the New Testament and how it fits into the Bible we know today. I've read many of the reviews for these lectures and fail to see why anyone could be offended. After all, we have many different varieties of Christian practices today...Catholic, Mormon, Protestants, 7th Day Adventist, Baptists...all having major philosophical differences, why not in antiquity? Apparently, the New Testament was a sort of group effort, in which many different points of view from many different authors were categorized as either good (acceptable doctrine), or bad (not so acceptable doctrine). Most recognized Jesus as special, but just couldn't agree on how his message fit in with his Hebrew origins in a pagan world. The good Professor wonders what the canon would be like if one of these (slightly) different set of texts had been incorporated into the Bible we know today. (What if one of those texts had been written by L. Ron Hubbard...or Stephen King?)

Like all of the other Teaching Company (The Great Courses) lectures, this course opens topics that allow the individual to dig a little deeper...learn a little more. Do you have to agree with everything presented? No, but you should want to find out the facts that allow you to reach your own conclusions. That's why we listen to these lectures...to learn more.

Recommended...Dr Erhman is an entertaining, highly knowledgeable lecturer, with whom I agree (pretty obviously). Wait for a sale and a coupon...he's not that good to pay full price.

[JP · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked most about this series of lectures was the substantial context it provided about the ancient writings that were included or rejected from the canon we now know as the Bible. Ehrman maintains an objective tone, though you can tell he doesn't support some of the interpretations that are common today. I found his approach to be thoughtful and enlightening. A few most notable insights for me included that the 27 books we know as today's New Testament were originally selected by one man (and supported because of the consistency they provided). It's also noteworthy that our current Bible is based on over 5,000 partial writings that contain as many differences as there are words. The early divisions of Christianity included some potential options that could have produced a very different set of beliefs, such as if the Gnostics has become the dominant system. For me, this course reinforced my appreciation for the Bible as an orthodox source, while at the same time showing how much the current doctrine was defined by those desired to and succeeded in shaping it along the way.

[Michael Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

After long dismissing Ehrman as being dominated by a desire to "disprove" the fundamentalism of his upbringing, I've gotten a grudging respect for (some of) his scholarship. I thought I'd hate Lost Christianities but I didn't! It was fairer and more carefully argued and far more interesting than I expected!
A good study!

[Vlad Ardelean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting how modern christianity is a mixture of 2 competing doctrines.
Out of those ancient doctrines (some monotheistic, some polytheistic) we get the current unclear description of Christianity as weirdly monotheistic BUT with a god composed of 3 different entities.

It was also interesting to find out how vastly different the christianities of the past were...with some of them barely recognizable as anything than Jewish sects, some of them mystery religions, while some were totally sci-fi compared to what we have now.

Very nice course.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always enjoy Ehrman’s books and talks. I really appreciate his expertise in the early history of Christianity, and especially his expertise in textual criticism. Can’t wait to pick up his next book.

[Tony duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a phenomenal book. Such a comprehensive and enlightening exploration of what we know about the development of Christian religious sects. Amazing that the "orthodox" sect was able to completely suppress every other strand, of which there were many.

While I loved "gnostic Gospels" there is so much more information in general here and it is presented in such an inclusive (as opposed to objective) manner.

Of course this is a very sensitive issue in the United States, especially, I imagine for fundamentalists and their political influence. the idea that the Gospels were fluid and that there were changes and that there were very different views of who Christ was and what his message meant.
while there is no way to know this, I was impressed with how some parts of the gnostic and other gospels clearly reflects eastern mystic spirituality. it is also interesting how post christian mystic have perceived christianity in similar ways.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of the Great Courses series, this is an audiobook recording of 24 lectures given by Professor Bart D. Ehrman from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that covers the period in early Christianity when a range of groups with wildly differing beliefs like the Jewish Christians, the Gnostics, and the proto-Orthodox all argued over doctrine, and used their own scriptures to back it up. When necessary, he references the accepted Biblical canon for comparison, but this programme is mostly about what’s missing, yet under different circumstances, could have been. It looks into missing gospels, books on the acts of individual apostles, unknown epistles, possible forgeries, and errors in copy and translation, as well as how they ultimately got rejected by the Christian leaders and the Bible came to be what it is today, all put into its proper historical context.

I was very impressed by this presentation. The sound quality is excellent, with no ambient noise from the audience except for a few moments of polite applause at the end of each lecture. Ehrman has a good speaking voice, in which he shares a wealth of knowledge, laid out in an easy-to-understand style, about a truly fascinating topic. The only thing that disappointed me is that it wasn’t in print form, which would more easily allow returning to earlier sections for review, consulting an index, and following up references. But I really enjoyed this audiobook and hope to read or listen to more of Ehrman’s authoritative work.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lost and Found

AT A GLANCE:
Want to learn about early Christian writings that didn't make the cut? This one's for you!

CONTENT:
The Christian canon had a period of formation in which many non-orthodox writings held wide circulation. These are examined in some depth. The course mostly pertains to the surviving texts, rather than the reconstructed cultures and lives of those who wrote them. Those familiar with the professor will know what to expect in terms of his worldview and meticulous methods, as well as a good deal of material (perhaps too much) shared with other courses.

NARRATOR:
Professor Ehrman is at his best. I found myself less distracted by his lecturing voice than in other courses.

OVERALL:
This is suitable to dip your toe into the water, and does a good job presenting topics that are rarely explored in popular Christian discourse.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably more like 3.5 stars. Prof. Ehrman covers a lot of ground, and it's very informative, especially if you're new the topic. I find it very surprising that not once in 24 lectures does he even acknowledge professor Elaine Pagels, whose 1979 book The Gnostic Gospels was my introduction to most of the books mentioned here. Not only is Pagels a fellow scholar, not only did her book win a National Book Award, but she made a compelling case as to why many of these books did not make the cut. That Ehrman didn't even mention it even to refute it is baffling.

[Zachary · Rating 3 out of 5]

The content was very interesting, but the presentation was poor. Much of the content was already stated in his Great Course over the New Testament and I think a merging of that and Lost Christianities would have provided a much better product. Dr. Ehrman seemed to say everything two or three times over in this course and over-explained fairly obvious points. My eyes about spun out of their sockets when he felt the need to explain that books can be published containing material older than the publication date. Like yeah dude, we know how books work.

Still a good listen, but the quality of information was all over the place.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is highly recommended for those wanting to know how the Bible was put together and how books were judged to be holy cannon. Erdrich addresses the many early opinions on what defined a Christian and the writings by authors whose beliefs were out of the mainstream. These included the secret knowledge of the Gnostics, and the ideas that Jesus was only human or only God. He also sheds light on certain books whose authorship is not as attributed.

It’s a fascinating story, told clearly and with great scholarship.

This was from the library. I need to purchase a copy and listen to it again, strictly due to the wealth of information.

[Don Heiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Bart Ehrman’s excellent book “Lost Christianities”, I purchased his 2002 Teaching Company Great Courses 24 lectures subtitled “Christians Scriptures and the Battles Over Authentication.” The lectures and Guidebook are very well done. I especially liked the Guidebook’s 333 B.C. to 325 A.D. historic timeline, annotated glossary, and annotated bibliography. Harvard Magazine, Los Angles Times, and Wall Street Journal praised the Erhman’s lectures for being stimulating, erudite, and a serious force in American education. (P)

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was on the verge of assigning a third star but demurred when I started to enumerated to myself whether the individual lectures could be summed to be greater than its parts. Yes, there are some interesting lectures that pose challenging thoughts on how the Christian canon came to me - and even more that we ought to know what some of them are. On the other hand, as I listened I kept thinking of all those cases where the lectures seemed to be entertainment masquerading as scholarship. On balance there were too many to give it a solid endorsement.

[Abdul Alhazred · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong showing among the Great Courses series and arguably better than the book by the same name (and author). Felt like the structure was much more logical here and the approach to understanding the early battles in christianity tying into what texts were used and how, as well as the battle between literalism and symbolism, made a lot of sense. You get a clear picture of why the various factions ended up with the opinions they had and the logical consequences in theology. The religion could have looked entirely different had another interpretation won out.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting things I learned from this book:

Creeds are initiation rites that certain Christian sects made new members say so they knew the newcomers believed exactly as they wanted them to believe.

“There are more differences among our manuscripts of the New Testament than there are words in the New Testament.”

Tho most of those are misspellings, there are sections that are completely added, like the long ending of mark and the story of the adulterous woman.

I learned more about lost sects as well.

[Gary Brumagin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although "just" a guidebook for a Great Courses class that I've already completed, the book turned out to be better than I anticipated. I used this more as a filler between other books since I'm preparing to leave for my winter relocation soon and this is an easy to pick up and set down book with short chapters.
A good introduction to early apocryphal texts that can lead into great depths if desired.

[Mars Cheung · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the book that Dr. Ehrman wrote on this topic and decided to listen to this course to dig deeper into his material. I enjoyed listening and learning about the different branches of Christian belief that vied to become established orthodoxy, with many of the arguments and examples sounding strangely familiar employed today between modern denominations.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent lecture series from Bart Ehrman, who always does a spectacular job addressing the historicity of the Bible and biblical scholarship in an analytical and respectful way. This one contrasts proto-Orthodoxy and proto-heresy. My favorite lecture was about Barnabas, gematria, and eating weasels.

[Chris Aldrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear concise story with some excellent history and comparison of early Christianities. Unstated, but there are lots of parallels to the diversity of beliefs in Christianity today. There are lots of interesting things within the "lost" sects which still lived on through cultural spread despite the disappearance of the original groups.

[Brenton Swafford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting! I enjoyed learning about Christianity as it was 2,000 years ago, as opposed to how it is now. When I was still a Christian, I had always assumed that Christianity had held the same doctrines and sacraments since it's early existence, but this simply isn't true.

Groups of early Christians had different scriptures, some of which were fake scriptures, and scribes have changed some of the passages of the Bible to fight the beliefs of other various groups. They didn't even have a canon (list) of the books considered to be orthodox until about 150 years after Jesus, and even that canon differed from the one which was used to write the modern day Bibles.

For me, this really dispels the notion that the current Bible is the perfect word of God, or that God has preserved scripture. It indicates to me that the Bible has become less and less accurate over time, and that it is not a reliable source of information in most cases.

[Enrico · Rating 4 out of 5]

The interesting story of the multitude of Christian Scriptures and their interpretation and how all of them were slowly eradicated as a heresy to get to a single canon. Especially the lecture about the changes over the centuries while copying the canon works, in which authors intentionally changed the text to make it more in line with the canon view instead of the heresies.

[Петр Федичев · Rating 5 out of 5]

i've discovered Bart D. Ehrman accidentally on youtube and since then got to watch and read almost everything i could quickly get my hands on. I was aware of some stuff, but it's always a great intellectual pleasure to absorb the narrative from somebody as a deep thinker as Bart

[Kevin Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superbly well organized, clearly exposed, and presented with background needed by the non-specialist. As even-handed and fair as one can imagine any discussion of orthodoxy vs. heresy to be. Highly recommended.

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoying studying the history of the New Testament. For anyone interested in where these books came from and how we got the books we did, Bart Ehrman's histories are very interesting.

[Andrew Mosteller · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many forgotten sects with incredibly diverse christological views. Fascinating to think about the many shapes Christianity could have taken had different voices won out.

[Shalene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like this teacher from his past courses but a lot of it feels repetitive from previous lectures.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of interesting information