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The History of the Bible: The Making of the New Testament Canon

By: Bart D. Ehrman, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Bart D. Ehrman
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Summary

What different kinds of books are in the New Testament? When, how, and why were they written? And why did some books, and not others, come to be collected into what Christians came to consider the canon of scripture that would define their belief for all time? With these 12 lectures, get a fast-moving yet thorough introduction to these and other key issues in the development of Christianity. Designed to deepen the understanding of both Christians and non-Christians alike, this lecture series takes as its perspective the historical, rather than the theological, issues behind the development of the Bible. And it's an illuminating perspective, indeed, ranging across issues of language, oral history, the physical limitations of spreading the written word at a time when the printing press lay far in the future, and, of course, the theological forces that were shaping Christianity, molding a commonly accepted canon from the various expressions of the faith spreading across the ancient world. Professor Ehrman recreates the context of the times in which the canon was being assembled so that you can understand what the message of each written work would have meant to ancient Christians. You'll come to see how the diverse books of the New Testament were gathered together into the form we now know, whether it's the four canonical Gospels (whose authorship was only attributed by later Christians), the book of Acts, the 21 Epistles, or the book of Revelation (sometimes called the Apocalypse of John).

These lectures are a compelling introduction not only to the development of the Christian canon, but to all of the forces that would play a role in early Christian history.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2005 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2005 The Great Courses
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What listeners say about The History of the Bible: The Making of the New Testament Canon

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Very interesting

I didn't think I'd enjoy this as much as I did. Very fascinating to learn about what happened after Jesus and how Christian s became what we know today.
Narrative was engaging and not boring and with sufficient gravitas on important points. It's more a history lesson than preaching so good for those who are interested in that side rather than Christian doctrine.

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Bart Ehrman is a great speaker

His lecturers are better than his books as theu let his speaking style and interest in thebsubject come through more. couldnt recommend this weries enough as it is nice and fast paced giving a good overview.

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Good stuff

Clear, to the point and very informative. Perfect as a start to an objective Bible study.

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Immensely helpful

Bible studies have left many questions, this book has answered more than I hoped for.

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Clear and easy listening

I was looking for a history of the New Testament that isn’t hugely biased for or against it, but focusing on the sources we have available to us. Hard to say whether or not this is the case because most have a bias of some kind. However, this made a very informative listen that kept me interested right to the end, clear and lacking jargon. The speaker has plenty of expression and is clearly very interested in the material himself. Would certainly recommend as a place to begin the journey of learning biblical history. Looking forward to listening to some of his other lectures.

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Engaging presentation

Professor Bart Ehrman delivers both clear and entertaining lectures on a subject that could seem dry. I believe even people without a particular interest in the history of Christianity can enjoy this course.

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Very interesting

An excellent and informative course that completely changed how I understand the importance of the New Testament. 5*

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Interesting as ever from Dr Ehrman

This is an interesting collection of lectures from the foremost scholar of early Christianity.Scholarly yet accessible.

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Excellent

Excellent class from Bart Erhman about the New Testament and its importance in the Western civilization. As atheist its important to know and study the so called "sacred" texts.

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An important and objective overview

Well argued ands=6,9??2÷@@@! clearly delivered. A far bit of overlap with the later book "The historical Jesus" but still enough different content to remain interesting and informative.

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