In my most recent thread I laid out my thoughts on my next book (what I *think* will be my next book) on how Christian views of charity helped revolutionize ancient (and as a consequence, modern) society.

Now I will begin a series on my thoughts for my book after that.  Throughout the past ten or fifteen years I’ve always thought two books ahead; that way when I’m writing a book, in my down time I can be thinking a bit about the next one.  It’s kind of pleasant, actually, since there is no pressure on my thoughts – I haven’t even starting to work on it yet!

As I may have mentioned already, I will probably propose a two-book deal to my publisher, that is to have a contract for two books instead of one.  That way my thinking can be even more serious about #2.   I’ve done that a couple of times before.  The first time, it happened (Triumph of Christianity and Heaven and Hell) and the second time, the publisher didn’t go for it.  I don’t know if it’ll work this time or not, but hey, hope springs eternal….

Charity is a topic I’ve just gotten interested in over the past three or four years.  The subject of the second book is one I’ve been interested in for my entire adult life, nearly 50 years now.  I first got interested in my first year of Bible college; it was the topic of my first PhD seminar I had years later; it was the topic of my very first academic publication; it is something I’ve thought, taught, written, and blogged about for-roughly-ever. Where’d the NT canon come from?

Here is how I’m organizing my thoughts as of now in a preliminary draft of a prospectus for my publisher (this will take 7 or 8 posts):

 

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CREATING THE BIBLE

How We Got the Twenty-Seven Books of Christian Scripture

 

Bart D. Ehrman

 

“How did we get the New Testament?”   This is the one question I get asked more than any other.  It is not about

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