From Jesus to Constantine: A History of Early Christianity

Course Overview

Uncover the riveting story of the early formation of the Christian religion and learn how this faith grew from 20 followers to 2 billion.

Did the ancient Jews of Jesus’ time always believe in a single, all-powerful God? How did breaking away from their Jewish roots make Christians more vulnerable in the Roman world? What were the origins of what we now consider the distinctively Christian liturgical practices of baptism and the Eucharist?

As these 24 lectures show, the answers are quite surprising. Professor Ehrman takes you back to Christianity’s first three centuries to explain its transition from the religion of Jesus to a religion about Jesus. He introduces you to lost Christianities and their sacred writings, many of which were originally proscribed or destroyed, only to be rediscovered in modern times.

You’ll learn how a single group from among many won the struggle for dominance, which allowed it to establish the central beliefs of 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. Additionally, you’ll examine Christianity’s beginnings, Jewish-Christian relations, hostility to the Christian mission, and internal struggles within the faith.

These lectures provide an engaging experience that will enhance your understanding of Christianity today, offering a scholar’s perspective on the origins of what Professor Ehrman describes as the most important institution in Western civilization.

Video Lecture List

1. The Birth of Christianity

• 32 min
• This lecture introduces essential issues for understanding how Christianity began, grew away from its Jewish roots, and ultimately became the most important religion of our civilization.

1. The Religious World of Early Christianity

• 31 min
• An overview of the pagan, polytheistic religions that dominated the early world, alongside Judaism, the religion of Jesus and his followers.

1. The Historical Jesus

• 30 min
• Examines the life of Jesus of Nazareth, using references both outside the New Testament and within the Gospels.

1. Oral and Written Traditions about Jesus

• 31 min
• Explores how anonymous authors recorded traditions about Jesus that had circulated orally, and the modifications in retelling.

1. The Apostle Paul

• 31 min
• Details the conversion of a Jewish Pharisee based on a visionary experience of the resurrected Jesus and his missionary work.

1. The Beginning of Jewish-Christian Relations

• 30 min
• Discusses how Christianity started as a sect within Judaism yet quickly became a separate religion.

1. The Anti-Jewish Use of the Old Testament

• 31 min
• Investigates how early Christians claimed Jewish Scriptures for their own when diverging from many laws within them.

1. The Rise of Christian Anti-Judaism

• 31 min
• Explores the historical conditions leading to the rejection of Judaism by many Christians.

1. The Early Christian Mission

• 31 min
• Examines how Christianity became a world religion that garnered attention and respect from Roman society.

1. The Christianization of the Roman Empire

• 31 min
• Discusses the swift spread of Christianity and its integration into the upper echelons of Roman government.

(…Continued through all 24 lectures)