What happened in early Christianity just *after* the period of the New Testament? It’s an unknown period for most people, but of vital importance for anyone interested in the Christian religion. For the next three posts I’ll explain by discussing my book devoted to the topic, After the New Testament: A Reader in Early Christianity (Oxford University Press, 2nd ed, 2015)
In some ways, I think After the New Testament is the most *useful* book I’ve ever done. It is an anthology of important ancient Christian texts in readable English translations, each with introductions that explain what they are about and why they matter. Some of these are texts you may have heard of. Some, I bet not! But they are all important and intriguing.
In these posts I will explain my book by excerpting the General Introduction, which introduces readers to the fascinating world of Christian Origins and shows it’s importance and the problems its study poses for scholars.
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What is the difference between the first edition and the latest edition of this book? Are they substantially different in content?
I added some materials that I (couldn’t believe I had) left out of hte first edition — e.g., the Gospel of Mary; and I subbed out a number of newer translations, including a bunch of my own that I had published in the interim.
Thanks. I would really like to have the latest edition for completeness, but it’s really expensive (of course I’m sure it is worth it). I can get a used first edition affordably, but I suppose I just need to find some $ to get the best version.
I can’t find one for less than $102!! Is it out of print?
Thanks.
OUch. Really? I have no idea.
Good professor, these prices are simply too high for us ordinary folk.
I know. Like all authors, I wish I had some say in the matter. They are pricing it for college students, which also doesn’t make sense, but they’re a *business* and that’s how business works. You might be able to get a used copy online.
I ordered my 2nd edition from (?) Amazon a few years ago. I don’t remember what I paid, but it sure wasn’t in the 3 figures…likely less than half that.
Why do scholars continue to ignore the textual evidence that genuine Christians were Jews and non-Jewish descendants of the tribes of Israel dispersed among the nations and pretend that Greek pretenders after AD70 were Christians?
You say “Most of the evidence for these early years of Christianity…” and “These findings have enriched our understanding of early Christianity”…. No, it hasn’t. All of Paul’s audiences were Jews and their Israelite brethren, some of them called GK Ethnos because they had stopped being Torah observant and had stopped practicing circumcision while out in the nations. Those people were part of a metanarrative about the return and restoration of the tribes of Israel that runs through the New Testament. There is no metanarrative in the New Testament involving a presumed return and restoration of Greeks or otherwise non-Israelites.
Im not sure what you mean by “genuine” Christian” Paul calls his audience gentiles, not Jews or Israelites. “Gentile” means someone other than a Jew or an Israelite. He calls himself the apostle to the Gentiles. It’s fine for you to think otherwise, but I don’t know where you’re getting it from. I can’t think of any New Tesatment passages tha tsay this but many that say otherwise.
Didn’t know about this book. It looks exactly like the book I need. Just ordered the hardback version of the 2nd edition.
Have you tried the public (or school) library? You don’t even need to check it out. Just scan it with your iPhone.
my uncle who introduced me to Ehrman is a big fan of the library
otherwise bookbinder.com