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From Jesus to Constantine: A History of Early Christianity cover art

From Jesus to Constantine: A History of Early Christianity

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

Step back to Christianity's first three centuries to see how it transitioned from the religion of Jesus to a religion about Jesus. How did a single group from among many win the struggle for dominance to establish the beliefs central to the faith, rewrite the history of Christianity's internal conflicts, and produce a canon of sacred texts – the New Testament – that supported its own views?

These 24 lectures provide a fresh and provocative perspective on how a movement of perhaps only 20 lower-class followers of a Jewish apocalyptic preacher crucified as an enemy of the state grew to include nearly four million adherents in only 300 years. Professor Ehrman looks at the faith's beginnings, starting with the historical Jesus, Jewish-Christian relations, the way Paul and other Christians spread the new faith, hostility to the Christian mission, internal struggles within the faith, and the formation of traditional Christianity as we know it today.

Christianity argued its ancient roots by retaining the Jewish scriptures and arguing that it was, in fact, the fulfillment of what those scriptures had promised. Throughout these lectures, Professor Ehrman challenges old misconceptions and offers fresh perspectives on aspects of Christianity and its roots that many of us might have thought we already understood. By offering you a scholar's perspective on the origins of what Professor Ehrman describes as the most important institution in Western civilization, this engaging course will increase your understanding of Christianity today.

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

©2004 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2004 The Great Courses

What listeners say about From Jesus to Constantine: A History of Early Christianity

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  • Dan
  • 09-01-2021

Worthwhile and fascinating

This is a solid course that demystifies the first few centuries of Christianity. It 'fills in the gaps' between the gospel accounts and Constantine, something that I feel safe saying most people don't learn much about, even in Christian education. As an atheist I sometimes find it hard to care about what one theology says versus another but the historical importance is undeniable.

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worth the time investment.

I enjoy these lecture series. This has given me new views for my Biblical studies.

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Wonderful

Excellent course by Dr Ehrman I am not a Christian but enjoyed becoming more informed about the historical issues and the way it has shaped the world as we know it

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An excellent introduction to the topic

This is a very interesting scholarly examination of a very critical time in the formation of the Western civilisation. This series examines how one man's life and death became the pivotal moment around which the ancient world moved irrevocably away from paganism and towards something new and untried. You don't need to be a Christian to enjoy this series of lectures. If you are curious about how the classical world morphed into the medieval, then this is a compelling and fascinating series to listen to. I think this series is as thought-provoking for Christians and for non-Christians. For example, the birth of Islam is really captured in this moment of history too: Islam almost certainly would not have been developed without the monotheistic theology developed by the early Christians. I thoroughly enjoyed this series.

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Digestible

As someone who hasn’t studied the history of Early Christianity before, I found this a very useful starting point. Ehrman is concise and entertaining; he seems to include nothing superfluous, and he summarises and reiterates his findings in ways that made them easier for me to remember. I felt that he strung this complex history together cohesively. He doesn’t comment on the specific impacts of Christianity on Western Civilisation—he just focuses on its early formation. He’s inspired me to now research and consider how Western Civilisation and beyond has been shaped by the emergence and persistence of Christianity.

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