archibald

Hi,

I am looking for a good source for the above topic. I'm not entirely unfamiliar with it, from reading other's comments and looking online, but I'm in the mood for snuggling up with a good book, or two.

I fully realize than one, or two books will not provide adequate knowledge or perspective.

I am tempted by Ehrman's 'Lost Christianities', but I am thinking it may not go into enough depth and may only tell me the general things I am already somewhat familiar with?

I prefer meatier reads, but at the same time, not entirely impenetrable to the non-scholar.

Thanks, in anticipation.

A.

mountainman

The Evolution of Christs And Christianities (or via: amazon.co.uk) by Jay Raskin.

archibald

Thanks mm,

That sounds interesting. Maybe though...... a bit speculative:

'Raskin nevertheless admits many of his reconstructions "are problematical because we have no outside evidence for them." He counters, however, that "if we do not assume that such earlier narratives existed, we are left with a multitude of narratological problems....." (p.36)'

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...eeratidiscb-20

For me, if someone in the early or emerging 'orthodox' church takes the trouble to suppress heresies, and by doing so exposes what they may have been (I'm aware that these texts are as open to corruption as the ones they are discussing) then this is....harder...than speculating about narrative.

DCHindley

If you want the cultural & historical situation in which Christianity developed, try Emil Schürer (if that doesn't work, try Schurer or Schuerer), The Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ (old ET, 19th century, 4-5 volumes, but amazingly cheap - $25 - from someplace like Christian Book Distributors). A newer one, much updated, came out in 4 volumes in the late 1970's and thru the 80s, but does not appear to be in print at this time (not even in paperback), but it should be available in a good public library.

Philip Schaff (late 19th century) wrote a multi volume History of the Church that is pretty good, but like the old Schürer is a bit dated.

Helmut Koester (also try Köster) wrote Early Christian Gospels (1990) that is a very detailed examination into that "the" gospel was and what passed for written expositions of it.

For a more speculative but highly nuanced interpretation of the culture and history in which Christianity developed, try any book by John Dominic Crossan, particularly Birth of Christianity (90's-00's).

Fun ... fun!

DCH

DrZoidberg

Even though you just mentioned it, I think Lost Christianities is great. Either way, it's always good to read several books on the same subject matter, to give you an insight in what various perspectives there are.

archibald

Yes. And I've been giving it some more thought, and looking at reviews and so on, and I think I may go for that one.

Btw, thanks to everyone who made a suggestion.

aa5874

If you want to find out about "early christianities" then just read the books that were written by the EARLY CHRISTIANS.

Read "First Apology", and "Dialogue with Trypho" by Justin Martyr, "To Autholycus" by Theophilus of Antioch, "A Plea for the Christians" by Athenagoras, and "The Apology" by Aristides.

I really don't know if Irenaeus was an early Christian but his writings appear to be fraudulent or heavily manipulated.

Christianity as related to Jesus Christ appear to have started in the 2nd century.

DrZoidberg

The problem with reading only the text is that you lose context.

mountainman

At some stage when you feel prepared and up to the task, there is of course the horse's mouth, that is of course Mr E. This is not Ed but Eusebius's monumental "History of the Church" = "Historia Ecclesiastica". You will find the text of this book in various translations around the net. At the end of the day any serious researcher into "Early Christianity" needs to read though this work by Eusebius, since it is openly acknowledged by almost all parties that it is the only source of Early Christian History in existence.

My recommendation is to keep a few of those airliner "sick bags" nearby just in case the tension and drama and utter bullshit get too much for the stomach to bear.