Lost Christianities: Christian Scriptures and the Battles over Authentication

Overview

Course No. 6593

Join Professor Bart D. Ehrman in this fascinating 24-lecture exploration of early Christian groups and their sacred texts that didn’t make it into the Bible. Discover how diverse – and often conflicting – early Christian beliefs were before orthodoxy was established.

You’ll examine the Ebionites (Jewish Christians), Marcionites (who rejected the Old Testament), and Gnostics (with their secret spiritual knowledge), studying alternative scriptures like the Gospel of Thomas, Infancy Gospels, and Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles that nearly became part of the New Testament.

Video Lectures

01: The Diversity of Early Christianity (32 min)

Explore how early Christians disagreed on fundamental issues like Jesus’ nature and the number of gods.

02: Christians Who Would Be Jews (31 min)

Meet the Ebionites who practiced Judaism while accepting Jesus as a non-divine Messiah.

03: Christians Who Refuse To Be Jews (31 min)

Study Marcionites who believed the Old and New Testament gods were different beings.

04: Early Gnostic Christianity – Our Sources (30 min)

Learn about pre-1945 sources on Gnosticism before the Nag Hammadi discovery.

05: Early Christian Gnosticism – An Overview (31 min)

Understand Gnostic beliefs about the material world as evil and salvation through knowledge.

06: The Gnostic Gospel of Truth (31 min)

Analyze this poetic Nag Hammadi text celebrating Jesus’ “good news” of enlightenment.

07: Gnostics Explain Themselves (31 min)

Examine Gnostic attempts to reconcile their system with Jewish scriptures.

08: The Coptic Gospel of Thomas (31 min)

Study this collection of 114 sayings of Jesus without narrative or miracles.

09: Thomas’ Gnostic Teachings (31 min)

Decipher the Gospel of Thomas’ portrayal of Jesus as divine teacher rather than savior.

10: Infancy Gospels (31 min)

Explore accounts of Jesus’ childhood missing from the New Testament.

11: The Gospel of Peter (31 min)

Analyze this controversial fragment describing Jesus’ trial and resurrection.

12: The Secret Gospel of Mark (31 min)

Investigate the authenticity of this alleged “elite” version of Mark’s Gospel.

13: The Acts of John (31 min)

Discover legendary stories about the apostle John’s missionary work.

14: The Acts of Thomas (31 min)

Study this novel-like account blending Christian themes with ancient romance conventions.

15: The Acts of Paul and Thecla (30 min)

Examine the popular story of Thecla’s conversion through Paul’s preaching.

16: Forgeries in the Name of Paul (31 min)

Learn how later writers fabricated letters to make Paul seem more intellectual.

17: The Epistle of Barnabas (31 min)

Analyze this anonymous, anti-Jewish treatise mistakenly attributed to Barnabas.

18: The Apocalypse of Peter (31 min)

Explore this early tour of heaven and hell that inspired Dante’s Divine Comedy.

19: The Rise of Early Christian Orthodoxy (31 min)

Trace how certain beliefs became “orthodox” while others were condemned.

20: Beginnings of the Canon (31 min)

Understand why Christianity uniquely emphasized correct belief over practice.

21: Formation of the New Testament Canon (31 min)

Learn why it took 300 years to establish the 27-book New Testament.

22: Interpretation of Scripture (31 min)

See how proto-orthodox Christians battled over scriptural meanings.

23: Orthodox Corruption of Scripture (31 min)

Discover intentional changes made to biblical texts during copying.

24: Early Christian Creeds (31 min)

Study how statements like the Nicene Creed defined orthodoxy.