Was Gnosticism Tolerant and Inclusive? Debunking Some Myths about “Alternative” Christianities
In the world of biblical studies, at least among some critical scholars, Gnosticism has been the darling for sometime now. Especially since the discovery of the so-called “Gnostic Gospels” at Nag Hammadi in 1945, scholars have sung the praises of this alternative version of Christianity.
Gnosticism was a heretical version of Christianity that burst on the scene primarily in the second century and gave the orthodox Christians a run for their money. And it seems that some scholars look back and wish that the Gnostics had prevailed.
After all, it is argued, traditional Christianity was narrow, dogmatic, intolerant, elitist, and mean-spirited, whereas Gnosticism was open-minded, all-welcoming, tolerant and loving. Given … Continue reading...
It’s Here! My Book on Christianity in the Second Century is Now Available in the USA
Last year (2017) my book on second-century Christianity was released with SPCK in the UK: Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church.
For my American colleagues and friends however, this book has not been easy to get. Since it is a dual publication between SPCK and IVP Academic, and since it was released by SPCK first, it has thus far only been (technically) available if ordered from the UK.
I am pleased to say that it is now available in the USA. No more need to get bootleg copies!
Although Amazon is showing the book is not available till February 25th, our … Continue reading...
Book Notice: The Triumph of Christianity: How a Forbidden Religion Swept the World
Just a couple days ago I received the new book by Bart Ehrman entitled, The Triumph of Christianity: How a Forbidden Religion Swept the World (Simon and Schuster, 2018). I had received a pre-published copy of the book several months ago and have been working through it.
The reason I have a keen interest in this volume is because it covers a lot of the same ground of my recent book which was released last year, Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church (SPCK/IVP Academic, 2017).
Currently, I am about 3/4 of the way through Ehrman’s volume and plan to review it formally … Continue reading...
IVP Academic Set to Release My Book on the Second Century
Last year (2017) my book on second-century Christianity was released with SPCK in the UK: Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church.
For my American colleagues and friends however, this book has not been easy to get. Since it is a dual publication between SPCK and IVP Academic, and since it was released by SPCK first, it has thus far only been (technically) available if ordered from the UK.
I am pleased to say that its US release is almost here. IVP Academic plans to release it March 6th (see here).
And I have to say I love the new cover … Continue reading...
The Heresy of Orthodoxy: When Was the Earliest Complete List of New Testament Books?
For the last few weeks, I have been posting a series of videos where Andreas Köstenberger and I discuss our response to Walter Bauer’s thesis on heresy and orthodoxy in early Christianity.
These discussions are based on our book, The Heresy of Orthodoxy: How Contemporary Culture’s Fascination with Diversity Has Reshaped Our Understanding of Early Christianity (Crossway, 2010).
You can find the prior three installments here, here, and here.
In this next video below, Andreas and I discuss the earliest complete list of New Testament books. For years, this was thought to be Athanasius’ Festal Letter of 367.
However, I have recently argued that a often-overlooked list … Continue reading...