Bart Ehrman, Lost Christianities

I've just received an announcement of Bart Ehrman's new book. The publisher's publicity is reproduced below:

LOST CHRISTIANITIES: The Battles for Scripture and Faiths We Never Knew
by Bart D. Ehrman

ISBN: 0-19-514183-0; 336pp.; $30.00; Date of Publication: October 2003


LOST CHRISTIANITIES examines the recently rediscovered lost books, along with others that were marginalized but recognized for centuries. Ehrman considers how the twenty-seven books of the New Testament came to be accepted as canonical Scripture, discussing the battles that raged between "proto-orthodox Christians"—those who eventually compiled the canonical books of the New Testament and standardized Christian belief—and the groups they denounced as heretics and ultimately overcame. Who belonged to this proto-orthodox Christian group, on what grounds did they make their selections, and when? This is a fascinating exploration of the nature of these early conflicts, what was at stake, what the opposing views were, how the parties involved conducted themselves, what strategies they used, and what literature they revered, copied and collected while despising, rejecting, and destroying others. LOST CHRISTIANITIES is broken down into three major parts. The first, “Forgeries and Discoveries,” looks at several literary texts, from a legendary account of Thecla, a female companion of the apostle Paul to a Gospel claiming to be written by Judas Thomas, supposedly Jesus’ twin brother. The second, “Orthodoxies and Heresies,” considers broad social phenomena including groups such as the Jewish-Christian Ebionites to “Gnostics.” And finally, “Winners and Losers,” which considers the conflicts that raged amongst the different groups which eventually led to the twenty-seven books taken to be sacred, inspired, and authoritative.

The implications for modern-day Christianity are astounding. Had the New Testament taken a different form, it is possible the people in the Western world might still be worshipping the ancient gods of Greece and Rome. The effects and impacts on the evolution of civilization are deeply tied to the rise of Christianity. LOST CHRISTIANITIES will provoke rethinking, advocate educating oneself on one’s beliefs, and trigger immense controversy.

Bart D. Ehrman (M.Div., Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary) is the Bowman and Gordon Gray Professor of Religious Studies at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to dozens of book reviews and more than 20 scholarly articles, he has written or edited eleven books, including most recently Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium (Oxford University Press, 1999) and The Apostolic Fathers for the Loeb Classical Library (Harvard University Press, coming in 2003).