The New Testament and Other Early Christian Writings: A Reader / Edition 2

by Bart D. Ehrman

Overview

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).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195154641
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	07/31/2003
Edition description:	REV
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	9.28(w) x 7.56(h) x 0.82(d)

About the Author

Bart D. Ehrman is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Widely recognized for his expertise in the textual criticism of the New Testament, he has published numerous books and articles on the literature and history of early Christianity, including his 1993 study The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture: The Effect of Early Christological Controversies on the Text of the New Testament (OUP). A popular teacher and lecturer, he is the editor of The New Testament in the Greek Fathers and co-editor of the Journal of Biblical Literature and New Testament Tools and Studies.

Table of Contents

PrefaceGeneral IntroductionEARLY CHRISTIAN GOSPELSThe Gospel According to MatthewThe Gospel According to MarkThe Gospel According to LukeThe Gospel According to JohnThe Gospel of ThomasThe Gospel of PeterThe Infancy Gospel of ThomasThe Secret Gospel of MarkPapyrus Egerton 2: The Unknown GospelThe Gospel of the EbionitesThe Gospel of the NazareansThe Gospel According to the HebrewsEARLY CHRISTIAN ACTSThe Acts of the ApostlesThe Acts of Paul and TheclaThe Martyrdom of PolycarpEARLY CHRISTIAN LETTERS ATTRIBUTED TO PAULThe Letter to the RomansThe First Letter to the CorinthiansThe Second Letter to the CorinthiansThe Letter to the GalatiansThe Letter to the EphesiansThe Letter to the PhilippiansThe Letter to the ColossiansThe First Letter to the ThessaloniansThe Second Letter to the ThessaloniansThe First Letter to TimothyThe Second Letter to TimothyThe Letter to TitusThe Letter to PhilemonThe Third Letter to the CorinthiansGENERAL EPISTLES AND OTHER EARLY CHRISTIAN WRITINGSThe Letter to the HebrewsThe Letter of JamesThe Letter of 1 PeterThe Letter of 2 PeterThe Letter of 1 JohnThe Letter of 2 JohnThe Letter of 3 JohnThe Letter of JudeThe Letter of 1 ClementThe DidacheThe Letter of Ignatius to the EphesiansThe Letter of Ignatius to the MagnesiansThe Letter of Ignatius to the TralliansThe Letter of Ignatius to the RomansThe Letter of Ignatius to the PhiladelphiansThe Letter of Ignatius to the SmyrneansThe Letter of Ignatius to PolycarpThe Letter of Polycarp to the PhilippiansThe Letter of BarnabasThe Preaching of PeterThe Fragments of PapiasEARLY CHRISTIAN APOCALYPSESThe Revelation of JohnThe Shepherd of HermasThe Apocalypse of Peter

Editorial Reviews

"At last! A coursebook that sets the New Testament documents in the context of other Christian literature from the same period. Ehrman's collection presents the New Testament in a truly 'historical' way and is a worthy companion to his The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. Ehrman's collection should obviate the need for professors of the New Testament to assign several books of documents for their courses."—Elizabeth A. Clark, Duke University

From the Publisher