New Releases by Bart D. Ehrman

Leading biblical scholar Bart Ehrman reveals the many challenging and even disturbing early variations of our cherished biblical stories.

The biblical scholar recounts the events surrounding the discovery and handling of the Gospel of Judas, and provides an overview of its content, in which Judas is portrayed as a faithful disciple.

El descubrimiento del Evangelio perdido de Judas Iscariote ha venido no sólo a enriquecer nuestro conocimiento de la vida de Jesús y de los primeros tiempos del cristianismo, sino también a plantearnos nuevos problemas, que obligan a reconsiderar mucho de lo que se consideraba admitido. Nadie podía enfrentarse a estas complejas cuestiones mejor que Bart D. Ehrman, profesor de la Universidad de North Carolina y uno de los más prestigiosos expertos en la historia de los orígenes del cristianismo, que fue precisamente escogido para examinar el manuscrito original antes de su adquisición. Ehrman nos cuenta en este libro –del que el profesor Marvin Meyer ha dicho que es «una joya: inteligente, lleno de vida y de atractivo»– la historia de este Evangelio perdido y nos descubre su significado real, para mostrarnos lo que aporta de nuevo, no sólo acerca de la figura de Judas Iscariote, sino también sobre la vida de Jesús, sobre sus discípulos y sobre la historia de los primeros tiempos del cristianismo.

Pedro, Pablo y María de Magdala son actores clave en los inicios de la institución histórica, social, política y, por supuesto, religiosa más longeva de la civilización occidental, la Iglesia cristiana. Pero estos tres personajes no son sólo importantes desde el punto de vista histórico, que Bart Ehrman analiza aquí desde los textos del Nuevo Testamento y desde fuentes extrabíblicas, sino que, además, resultan increíblemente fascinantes como protagonistas de leyendas y mitos, ya sea san Pedro resucitando un aranque ahumado, san Pablo bautizando a un león parlante o María Magdalena en sus diversas facetas de prostituta, esposa de Jesús o misionera en Francia. Para el doctor Ehrman estas historias son también importantes porque «expresan las creencias, preocupaciones, valores y prioridades de los cristianos», nos ayudan a comprender los orígenes del cristianismo y a repensar críticamente algunos aspectos de su doctrina. John Shelby Spong ha dicho de este libro que «es fascinante para las mentes abiertas que buscan la verdad en antiguas fórmulas religiosas, pero demoledor para aquellos que creen que están en posesión de la verdad infalible».

Il y avait, aux origines, plusieurs versions possibles du christianisme. Lesquelles ont disparu ? Pourquoi ? Comment ? Dans la grande diversité des textes sacrés, certains furent incorporés au Nouveau Testament, d''autres furent rejetés, attaqués, interdits et détruits. Bart Ehrman nous entraîne dans une enquête palpitante à la recherche de ces christianismes disparus. Nous assistons à une lutte de plusieurs siècles pour l''orthodoxie, qui se transforma en guerre des textes, avec la création d''une multitude de faux, d''apocryphes, d''ajouts, de censures... Nous découvrons d''anciennes interprétations, d''anciennes croyances perdues, comme l''incroyable culte de Thècle, aujourd''hui totalement oublié, et qui, jusqu''au Ve siècle, dépasse celui de Marie en notoriété. Notre histoire religieuse ne se limite pas aux croyances et aux pratiques sorties victorieuses des conflits du passé. Elle s''éclaire, pour nous aujourd''hui, de celles qui ont été vaincues et qui ont finalement disparues.

Aun en nuestros días, tras la lectura de un pasaje de la Biblia se suele decir “palabra de Dios”, como si lo que está escrito en el Nuevo Testamento fueran las palabras exactas que pronunció Jesucristo o los textos originales de Pablo de Tarso. En realidad esa “palabra de Dios” es, en muchos casos, solamente palabras de los hombres, porque, a lo largo de mil quinientos años, los diferentes traductores y copistas de la Biblia introdujeron un sinfín de errores accidentales y cambios malintencionados que pasaron a las ediciones impresas. Ahora, por primera vez, el eminente especialista del Nuevo Testamento Bart D. Ehrman (autor de Los cristianismos perdidos) reconstruye los textos originales, nos revela cómo, dónde y por qué fueron manipulados y nos demuestra que muchas de nuestras creencias más profundas sobre la divinidad de Jesús, la Trinidad o los orígenes divinos de la Biblia misma carecen de fundamento documental. Quien lea Jesús no dijo eso nunca volverá a leer, del mismo modo, los evangelios o las epístolas de San Pablo.

In his staggeringly popular work of fiction, Dan Brown states up front that the historical information in the The Da Vinci Code is all factually accurate. But is this claim true? As historian Bart D. Ehrman shows in this informative and witty book, The Da Vinci Code is filled with numerous historical mistakes. Did the ancient church engage in a cover-up to make the man Jesus into a divine figure? Did Emperor Constantine select for the New Testament--from some 80 contending Gospels--the only four Gospels that stressed that Jesus was divine? Was Jesus Christ married to Mary Magdalene? Did the Church suppress Gospels that told the secret of their marriage? Bart Ehrman thoroughly debunks all of these claims. But the book is not merely a laundry list of Brown''s misreading of history. Throughout, Ehrman offers a wealth of fascinating background information--all historically accurate--on early Christianity. He describes, for instance, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls ; outlines in simple terms how scholars of early Christianity determine which sources are most reliable; and explores the many other Gospels that have been found in the last half century. In his engaging book, Ehrman separates fact from fiction, the historical realities from the flights of literary fancy. Anyone who would like to know the truth about the beginnings of Christianity and the real truth behind The Da Vinci Code will find this book riveting.

For the first time in one volume this book presents contributions to the textual criticism of the New Testament made over the past twenty years by Bart Ehrman, one of the premier textual scholars in North America. The collection includes fifteen previously published articles and six lectures (delivered at Duke University and Yale University) on a range of topics of central importance to the field. Following a general essay that gives an introduction to the field for beginners are several essays dealing with text-critical method, especially pertaining to the classification of the Greek manuscript witnesses. There then follow two articles on the history of the text, several articles on important specific textual problems, and three articles on the importance and use of patristic evidence for establishing the text and writing the history of its transmission. The volume concludes with six lectures designed to show the importance not only of reconstructing an allegedly “original” text but also of recognizing how that text was changed by scribes of the early Christian centuries. This book will be of vital interest to any scholar or advanced student of the New Testament and early Christianity. It will make an ideal companion volume for Bart Ehrman’s ground-breaking study, The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture: The Effects of Early Christological Controversies on the Text of the New Testament (Oxford, 1993) and the volume he co-edited with Michael Holmes, The Text of the New Testament in Contemporary Research: Essays on the Status Quaestionis (Eerdmans, 1995).

This thoroughly revised edition of Bruce M. Metzger''s classic work is the most up-to-date manual available for the textual criticism of the New Testament. The Text of the New Testament, Fourth Edition, has been invigorated by the addition of Bart D. Ehrman--author of numerous best-selling books on the New Testament--as a coauthor. This revision brings the discussion of such important matters as the early Greek manuscripts and methods of textual criticism up to date, integrating recent research findings and approaches into the body of the text (as opposed to previous revisions, which compiled new material and notes into appendices). The authors also examine new areas of interest, including the use of computers in the collection and evaluation of manuscript evidence and the effects that social and ideological influences had upon the work of scribes. The standard text for courses in biblical studies and the history of Christianity since its first publication in 1964, The Text of the New Testament is poised to become a definitive resource for a whole new generation of students.

Focusing on key historical texts, a biblical authority offers a revealing look at the early church and the intense struggle to form the canon of the New Testament. 11 halftones.

Hva hvis Bibelen ikke gjengir Jesu ord? Hva om Bibelen slik vi kjenner den i dag er blitt endret av kopister og skriftlærde gjennom 1500 år, enten på grunn av inkompetanse eller ved bevisst manipulasjon? Kan dette endre vår oppfatning av kristendommen? Dr Barth Ehrman er forfatter og bibelforsker. Han har studert Bibelen på originalspråket og funnet en lang rekke feil og bevisste endringer gjort av tidligere oversettere, ofte under sterk innflytelse av politiske og religiøse maktkamper i deres samtid. Ehrman tegner i boken et dystert bilde av Bibelens tilblivelse, og mener det vil være umulig å rekonstruere Jesu opprinnelige ord. Han konkluderer med at Bibelen ikke er Guds ord, men en bok skrevet og skapt av feilbarlige mennesker.

This unique set combines two of Bart Ehrman''s most popular works on the early Christian church--Lost Scriptures and Lost Christianities-- and gives readers a vivid picture of the range of beliefs that battled each other in the first centuries of the Christian era.

The twenty-seven books of the New Testament were not the only writings produced by early Christians. Nor were they the only ones to be accepted, at one time or another, as sacred Scripture. Unfortunately, nearly all the other early Christian writings have been lost or destroyed. But approximately twenty-five books written at about the same time as the New Testament have survived--books that reveal the rich diversity of early Christian views about God, Jesus, the world, salvation, ethics, and ritual practice. This reader presents, for the first time in one volume, every Christian writing known to have been produced during the first hundred years of the church (30-130 C.E.). In addition to the New Testament itself, it includes other, noncanonical Gospels, Acts, Epistles, and Apocalypses, as well as additional important writings, such as those of the Apostolic Fathers. Each text is provided in an up-to-date and readable translation (including the NRSV for the New Testament), and introduced with a succinct and incisive discussion of its author, date of composition, and overarching themes. This second edition adds The Martyrdom of Polycarp, an important text that will enhance the collection''s utility in the classroom. It also features Ehrman''s new, accessible translations of many of the noncanonical works and provides updated introductions that incorporate the most recent scholarship. With an opening overview that shows how the canon of the New Testament came to be formulated--the process by which some Christian books came to be regarded as sacred Scripture whereas others came to be excluded--this accessible reader will meet the needs of students, scholars, and general readers alike. An ideal primary text for courses in the New Testament, Christian Origins, and Early Church History, it can be used in conjunction with its companion volume, the author''s The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, 3/e (OUP, 2003).

Christianity in Late Antiquity, 300-450 C.E.: A Reader collects primary sources of the early Christian world, from the last "Great Persecution" under the Emperor Diocletian to the Council of Chalcedon in the mid-fifth century. During this period Christianity rose to prominence in the Roman Empire, developed new notions of sanctity and heresy, and spread beyond the Mediterranean world. This reader incorporates standard texts--from authors such as Athanasius, Augustine, and Eusebius--in the most recent translations and also includes less familiar texts, some of which appear in English translation for the first time. Presented in their entirety or in long excerpts, the texts are arranged thematically and cover such topics as orthodoxy, conversion, asceticism, and art and architecture. The editors provide introductions for each chapter, text, and image, situating the selections historically, geographically, and intellectually. Christianity in Late Antiquity, 300-450 C.E.: A Reader highlights the ways in which religion and culture were mutually transformed during this crucial historical period. Ideal for courses in Early Christianity, Christianity in Late Antiquity, and History of Christianity, this reader is an excellent companion to Bart D. Ehrman''s After the New Testament (OUP, 1998) and an exceptional resource for scholars.

While most people think that the twenty-seven books of the New Testament are the only sacred writings of the early Christians, this is not at all the case. A companion volume to Bart Ehrman''s Lost Christianities, this book offers an anthology of up-to-date and readable translations of many non-canonical writings from the first centuries after Christ--texts that have been for the most part lost or neglected for almost two millennia. Here is an array of remarkably varied writings from early Christian groups whose visions of Jesus differ dramatically from our contemporary understanding. Readers will find Gospels supposedly authored by the apostle Philip, James the brother of Jesus, Mary Magdalen, and others. There are Acts originally ascribed to John and to Thecla, Paul''s female companion; there are Epistles allegedly written by Paul to the Roman philosopher Seneca. And there is an apocalypse by Simon Peter that offers a guided tour of the afterlife, both the glorious ecstasies of the saints and the horrendous torments of the damned, and an Epistle by Titus, a companion of Paul, which argues page after page against sexual love, even within marriage, on the grounds that physical intimacy leads to damnation. In all, the anthology includes fifteen Gospels, five non-canonical Acts of the Apostles, thirteen Epistles, a number of Apocalypses and Secret Books, and several Canon lists. Ehrman has included a general introduction, plus brief introductions to each piece. This important anthology gives readers a vivid picture of the range of beliefs that battled each other in the first centuries of the Christian era.

Pocos asuntos biográficos provocan pasiones tan intensas como las interpretaciones de la vida de Jesús. En este libro, a la vez riguroso y accesible, Bart D. Ehrman revisa la más reciente investigación textual y arqueológica sobre la vida de Jesús y la Palestina del siglo I y dibuja un retrato fascinante y controvertido del hombre y sus enseñanzas. Jesús, el profeta judío apocalíptico trata de mostrar al gran público lo que los historiadores saben desde hace mucho tiempo sobre los Evangelios y quienes están detrás de ellos. Por medio de una pormenorizada valoración del Nuevo Testamento y de otras fuentes conservadas --incluidos los evangelios de Tomás y Pedro, recientemente descubiertos--, Ehrman sostiene que Jesús podría caracterizarse, en el fondo, como un profeta apocalíptico, convencido de que el fin del mundo iba a tener lugar de una manera espectacular antes de su muerte y de que en la tierra iba a crearse un nuevo reino, un reino de justicia y de paz dirigido por un Dios benevolente. Según Ehrman, la creencia de Jesús en un apocalipsis próximo y su esperanza en una completa transformación de las estructuras sociales no sólo pone de relieve el radicalismo de sus enseñanzas, sino que arroja luz tanto sobre el atractivo de su mensaje para los marginados de la sociedad como sobre la amenaza que supuso para las autoridades establecidas en Jerusalén. En este libro, escrito con agudeza y persuasión, Ehrman sugiere que el fervor apocalíptico que tan a menudo se apodera de extensas capas de la sociedad no es algo nuevo. De hecho, la gran cantidad de personas que en la historia han predicho el fin del mundo, incluidos los que en nuestros días se muestran inquietos ante el nuevo milenio, están cerca del espíritu y el pensamiento de Jesús, que esperó en vano la llegada inminente de un nuevo reino de paz.

The remarkable diversity of Christianity during the formative years of the first three centuries has become a plain, even natural, "fact" for most ancient historians. However, until now there has been no source book of primary texts that reveals the many varieties of Christian beliefs, practices, ethics, experiences, confrontations, and self-understandings. To help readers recognize and experience the rich diversity of the early Christian movement, After the New Testament provides a wide range of texts, both "orthodox" and "heterodox". It includes such works as the Apostolic Fathers, the writings of Nag Hammadi, early pseudepigrapha, martyrologies, anti-Jewish tractates, heresiologies, canon lists, church orders, Liturgical texts, and theological treatises. In addition, rather than including only fragments of texts, this collection provides substantial sections -- entire documents wherever possible -- organized under social and historical rubrics.

This lucid introduction approaches the New Testament from a consistently historical and comparative perspective, emphasizing the rich diversity of the earliest Christian literature. Rather than shying away from the critical problems presented by these books, Ehrman addresses the historical and literary challenges they pose and shows why scholars continue to argue over such significant issues as how the books of the New Testament came into being, who produced them, what they mean, how they relate to contemporary Christian and non-Christian literature, and how they came to be collected into a canon of Scripture. Distinctive to this study is its emphasis on the historical, literary, and religious milieu of the Greco-Roman world, including early Judaism. As part of its historical orientation, this text also discusses works by other Christian writers who were roughly contemporary with the New Testament, such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Apocalypse of Peter, and the letters of Ignatius. Instead of simply setting forth scholarly views without explanations, Ehrman includes the evidence that scholars have found persuasive for their views, engaging students and demonstrating why scholars have taken the positions they have. Ideal for undergraduate and seminary classes in the New Testament, biblical studies, and Christian origins, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings is an accessible, clearly written introduction that encourages students to consider the historical issues surrounding these writings.

The victors not only write the history, they also reproduce the texts. In a study that explores the close relationship between the social history of early Christianity and the textual tradition of the emerging New Testament, Ehrman examines how early struggles between Christian "heresy" and "orthodoxy" affected the transmission of the documents over which, in part, the debates were waged. His thesis is that proto-orthodox scribes of the second and third centuries occasionally altered their sacred texts for polemical reasons--for example, to oppose adoptionists like the Ebionites, who claimed that Christ was a man but not God, or docetists like Marcion, who claimed that he was God but not a man, or Gnostics like the Ptolemaeans, who claimed that he was two beings, one divine and one human. Ehrman''s thorough and incisive analysis makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the social and intellectual history of early Christianity and raises intriguing questions about the relationship of readers to their texts, especially in an age when scribes could transform the documents they reproduced to make them say what they were already thought to mean, effecting thereby the orthodox corruption of Scripture.