-
The Triumph of Christianity
- Narrated by: Professor Bart D. Ehrman
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $34.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
How Jesus Became God
- The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a book that took eight years to research and write, leading Bible scholar Bart D. Ehrman explores how an apocalyptic prophet from the backwaters of rural Galilee crucified for crimes against the state came to be thought of as equal with the one God Almighty Creator of all things. Ehrman sketches Jesus's transformation from a human prophet to the Son of God exalted to divine status at his resurrection. Only when some of Jesus's followers had visions of him after his death - alive again - did anyone come to think that he, the prophet from Galilee, had become God.
-
-
How Jesus changed from the 1st the 4th Century A.D
- By Jacobus on 06-05-16
By: Bart D. Ehrman
-
Journeys to Heaven and Hell
- Tours of the Afterlife in the Early Christian Tradition
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: John Tefler
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From classics such as the Odyssey and the Aeneid to fifth-century Christian apocrypha, narratives that described guided tours of the afterlife played a major role in shaping ancient notions of morality and ethics. In this new account, acclaimed author Bart Ehrman contextualizes early Christian narratives of heaven and hell within the broader intellectual and cultural worlds from which they emerged.
-
-
New Hits Here. Not Repackaged Hits.
- By Adam on 06-19-22
By: Bart D. Ehrman
-
Heaven and Hell
- A History of the Afterlife
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd, Bart D. Ehrman - preface
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this “eloquent understanding of how death is viewed through many spiritual traditions” (Publishers Weekly, starred review), Bart Ehrman recounts the long history of the afterlife, ranging from The Epic of Gilgamesh up to the writings of Augustine, focusing especially on the teachings of Jesus and his early followers. He discusses ancient guided tours of heaven and hell, in which a living person observes the sublime blessings of heaven for those who are saved and the horrifying torments of hell for those who are damned.
-
-
It may not be what you expect
- By Library Bob on 05-25-20
By: Bart D. Ehrman
-
The Middle Ages Around the World
- By: Joyce E. Salisbury, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Joyce E. Salisbury
- Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Middle Ages was a time of major historical shifts and transformations. This amazing era reverberates with discoveries, innovations, events, and historical processes that are integral to the world we know now. In these 24 enthralling lectures, Professor Salisbury leads you on a sumptuous tour of this incredible historical epoch, making clear that the remarkable historical currents and advances of the Middle Ages unfolded not only in the West, but across the globe, from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East to Asia, the Americas, and beyond.
-
-
Truly World History
- By Julia Irzyk on 05-08-22
By: Joyce E. Salisbury, and others
-
Misquoting Jesus
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Richard M. Davidson
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When world-class biblical scholar Bart Ehrman first began to study the texts of the Bible in their original languages he was startled to discover the multitude of mistakes and intentional alterations that had been made by earlier translators. In Misquoting Jesus, Ehrman tells the story behind the mistakes and changes that ancient scribes made to the New Testament and shows the great impact they had upon the Bible we use today.
-
-
Understanding
- By P. J. Benyei on 01-11-12
By: Bart D. Ehrman
-
Jesus, Interrupted
- Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Jason Culp
- Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Picking up where Bible expert Bart Ehrman's New York Times best seller, Misquoting Jesus, left off, Jesus, Interrupted addresses the larger issue of what the New Testament actually teaches...and it's not what most people think. This is the book that pastors, educators, and anyone interested in the Bible have been waiting for, a clear and compelling account of the central challenges we face when attempting to reconstruct the life and message of Jesus.
-
-
Only 1 part: The book is only 6 hours long.
- By Michael D. Fleetwood on 03-20-12
By: Bart D. Ehrman
-
How Jesus Became God
- The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a book that took eight years to research and write, leading Bible scholar Bart D. Ehrman explores how an apocalyptic prophet from the backwaters of rural Galilee crucified for crimes against the state came to be thought of as equal with the one God Almighty Creator of all things. Ehrman sketches Jesus's transformation from a human prophet to the Son of God exalted to divine status at his resurrection. Only when some of Jesus's followers had visions of him after his death - alive again - did anyone come to think that he, the prophet from Galilee, had become God.
-
-
How Jesus changed from the 1st the 4th Century A.D
- By Jacobus on 06-05-16
By: Bart D. Ehrman
-
Journeys to Heaven and Hell
- Tours of the Afterlife in the Early Christian Tradition
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: John Tefler
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From classics such as the Odyssey and the Aeneid to fifth-century Christian apocrypha, narratives that described guided tours of the afterlife played a major role in shaping ancient notions of morality and ethics. In this new account, acclaimed author Bart Ehrman contextualizes early Christian narratives of heaven and hell within the broader intellectual and cultural worlds from which they emerged.
-
-
New Hits Here. Not Repackaged Hits.
- By Adam on 06-19-22
By: Bart D. Ehrman
-
Heaven and Hell
- A History of the Afterlife
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd, Bart D. Ehrman - preface
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this “eloquent understanding of how death is viewed through many spiritual traditions” (Publishers Weekly, starred review), Bart Ehrman recounts the long history of the afterlife, ranging from The Epic of Gilgamesh up to the writings of Augustine, focusing especially on the teachings of Jesus and his early followers. He discusses ancient guided tours of heaven and hell, in which a living person observes the sublime blessings of heaven for those who are saved and the horrifying torments of hell for those who are damned.
-
-
It may not be what you expect
- By Library Bob on 05-25-20
By: Bart D. Ehrman
-
The Middle Ages Around the World
- By: Joyce E. Salisbury, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Joyce E. Salisbury
- Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Middle Ages was a time of major historical shifts and transformations. This amazing era reverberates with discoveries, innovations, events, and historical processes that are integral to the world we know now. In these 24 enthralling lectures, Professor Salisbury leads you on a sumptuous tour of this incredible historical epoch, making clear that the remarkable historical currents and advances of the Middle Ages unfolded not only in the West, but across the globe, from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East to Asia, the Americas, and beyond.
-
-
Truly World History
- By Julia Irzyk on 05-08-22
By: Joyce E. Salisbury, and others
-
Misquoting Jesus
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Richard M. Davidson
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When world-class biblical scholar Bart Ehrman first began to study the texts of the Bible in their original languages he was startled to discover the multitude of mistakes and intentional alterations that had been made by earlier translators. In Misquoting Jesus, Ehrman tells the story behind the mistakes and changes that ancient scribes made to the New Testament and shows the great impact they had upon the Bible we use today.
-
-
Understanding
- By P. J. Benyei on 01-11-12
By: Bart D. Ehrman
-
Jesus, Interrupted
- Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Jason Culp
- Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Picking up where Bible expert Bart Ehrman's New York Times best seller, Misquoting Jesus, left off, Jesus, Interrupted addresses the larger issue of what the New Testament actually teaches...and it's not what most people think. This is the book that pastors, educators, and anyone interested in the Bible have been waiting for, a clear and compelling account of the central challenges we face when attempting to reconstruct the life and message of Jesus.
-
-
Only 1 part: The book is only 6 hours long.
- By Michael D. Fleetwood on 03-20-12
By: Bart D. Ehrman
-
Jesus
- Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this highly accessible discussion, Bart Ehrman examines the most recent textual and archaeological sources for the life of Jesus, along with the history of first-century Palestine, drawing a fascinating portrait of the man and his teachings. Ehrman shows us what historians have long known about the Gospels and the man who stands behind them. Through a careful evaluation of the New Testament (and other surviving sources, including the more recently discovered Gospels of Thomas and Peter), Ehrman proposes that Jesus can be best understood as an apocalyptic prophet.
-
-
Less than perfection
- By Charles Wheeler on 07-23-21
By: Bart D. Ehrman
-
Lost Christianities
- The Battles of Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Matthew Kugler
- Length: 13 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The early Christian Church was a chaos of contending beliefs. Some groups of Christians claimed that there was not one God but two or twelve or thirty. Some believed that the world had not been created by God but by a lesser, ignorant deity. Certain sects maintained that Jesus was human but not divine, while others said he was divine but not human.
-
-
Excellent book, reader made some mistakes
- By NM to NY on 02-29-20
By: Bart D. Ehrman
-
After the Plague
- By: Simon Doubleday, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Simon Doubleday
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As the Black Death swept across Europe, killing up to a half of the population in certain areas, a young Geoffrey Chaucer came of age in England. While he and his family avoided the worst of the disease, all were shaped by its presence and impact on the British island. With expert Simon Doubleday, professor of history at Hofstra University, in After the Plague, examine medieval literature like The Canterbury Tales for firsthand accounts from minority voices not typically heard from in the period.
-
-
Interesting
- By Constance A. Mosher on 06-20-22
By: Simon Doubleday, and others
-
Truth and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Bart D. Ehrman
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dan Brown's immensely popular New York Times best-selling The Da Vinci Code is one of the most successful books of recent history. It has captivated millions the world over with its enthralling suspense and its provocative questions about the true nature of Jesus' life.
-
-
A historian's approach to the Da Vinci code
- By John Mertus on 01-23-05
By: Bart D. Ehrman
-
England: From the Fall of Rome to the Norman Conquest
- By: Jennifer Paxton, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Jennifer Paxton
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England: From the Fall of Rome to the Norman Conquest takes you through the mists of time to the rugged landscape of the British Isles. Over the course of 24 sweeping lectures, Professor Jennifer Paxton of The Catholic University of America surveys the forging of a great nation from a series of warring kingdoms and migrating peoples. From Germanic tribes to Viking invasions to Irish missionaries, she brings to life an underexamined time and place.
-
-
Superb opus on Anglo-Saxon England as the formative years of the UK.
- By Mark Winters on 07-06-22
By: Jennifer Paxton, and others
-
The Black Death: New Lessons from Recent Research
- By: Dorsey Armstrong, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Dorsey Armstrong
- Length: 2 hrs and 43 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Black Death: New Lessons from Recent Research, celebrated medievalist Dorsey Armstrong shares the fascinating new story of this old pandemic—revealed by dedicated researchers working with 21st-century technologies and a knowledge of language and history that now provide input from all geographic areas of the medieval world. In seven engaging lectures, Professor Armstrong corrects explanations of the pandemic that are now known to be inaccurate and offers a more robust description of plague biology than has ever been known.
-
-
Excellent followup to original course
- By Douglas Vaughan on 05-27-22
By: Dorsey Armstrong, and others
-
Norse Mythology
- By: Jackson Crawford, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Crawford
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thor, Odin, Loki, Freyja, the Valkyries, Valhalla, Ragnarok — many of the places we encounter these and other names, places, and events from Norse mythology in daily life and pop culture are connected to the medieval sources in name only.
-
-
Brilliant Course
- By Frederik on 12-05-21
By: Jackson Crawford, and others
-
Charlemagne: Father of Europe
- By: Philip Daileader, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Philip Daileader
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Some say Charlemagne was a great king, while others believe the many atrocities committed under his reign make him the first in a line of political disasters throughout Europe. This debate has been going on for over a millennium.
-
-
Return of Prof. Daileader
- By EmilyK on 04-02-22
By: Philip Daileader, and others
-
The Rise of Modern Japan
- By: Mark J. Ravina, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Mark J. Ravina
- Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Noted Japan expert Professor Mark J. Ravina of the University of Texas at Austin covers the politics, economics, and culture of the island nation since World War II - a conflict that saw the end of Japan’s dream of regional conquest, which Professor Ravina calls Empire 1.0. The country’s postwar leaders radically changed course, renouncing a strong military to pursue Empire 2.0 - Japan as an economic colossus.
-
-
A great introduction to modern Japan
- By nonrachitect on 12-22-21
By: Mark J. Ravina, and others
-
God's Problem
- The Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question - Why We Suffer
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganzer
- Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In times of questioning and despair, people often quote the Bible to provide answers. Surprisingly, though, the Bible does not have one answer but many "answers" that often contradict one another.
-
-
A Great Original View of God, "A Must Read"
- By GARY on 02-12-13
By: Bart D. Ehrman
-
Jesus Before the Gospels
- How the Earliest Christians Remembered, Changed, and Invented Their Stories of the Savior
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Throughout much of human history, our most important stories were passed down orally - including the stories about Jesus before they became written down in the Gospels. In this fascinating and deeply researched work, leading Bible scholar Bart D. Erhman investigates the role oral history has played in the New Testament - how the telling of these stories not only spread Jesus' message but helped shape it.
-
-
An interesting idea.
- By Ryan on 03-23-16
By: Bart D. Ehrman
-
Forged
- Writing in the Name of God - Why the Bible's Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is often said, even by critical scholars who should know better, that “writing in the name of another” was widely accepted in antiquity. But New York Times bestselling author Bart D. Ehrman dares to call it what it was: literary forgery, a practice that was as scandalous then as itis today. In Forged, Ehrman’s fresh and original research takes readers back to the ancient world, where forgeries were used as weapons by unknown authors to fend off attacks to their faith and establish their church.
-
-
A Must for Bible Studies
- By Carole T. on 08-20-12
By: Bart D. Ehrman
Publisher's Summary
The growth of Christianity in the early centuries of the Common Era is one of the most extraordinary stories in world history. What began with a preaching day laborer and his dozen or so disciples soon grew to be the largest religion in the world, eventually taking over the entire Roman Empire. How did that happen? How was such a movement possible?
Over the years, scholars have offered a variety of theories, including:
- The nature of Christianity as both exclusive and evangelical
- The single-handed efforts of the Apostle Paul
- The appeal of the Christian message for pagan audiences
- The conversion of the Roman emperor Constantine
While all of these theories may have been involved, the rise of Christianity nonetheless feels like an impossibility. Delve into this fascinating occurrence in The Triumph of Christianity. Taught by Dr. Bart. D. Ehrman, these 24 investigative lectures trace the exponential growth of Christianity, from its origins in a Jewish outpost of the Roman Empire to its spread throughout the entire Western world.
In this extraordinary course, you will investigate the historical events that led to such an astonishing feat. With the objective eye of a historian, Bart takes you through the ancient Roman world, offering analysis on what we can know for sure and what lies in the realm of myth. While Bart is careful to delineate history from religion, he walks you through a number of theological discussions and debates around the nature of Christ, salvation, “end times”, and more.
Along the way, you will meet the historical Jesus and other figures from the beginnings of Christianity; learn about the Acts of the Apostles as they spread the message far and wide; see how the apocalyptic message of Jesus transformed into a theology of salvation; and witness the development of a unified church. From the message of Jesus of Nazareth to the beginnings of a Christian Roman Empire, The Triumph of Christianity provides new insights into one of the most compelling stories ever recorded.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
More from the same
What listeners say about The Triumph of Christianity
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Matthew A Parsley
- 01-08-22
An expected historical perspective sans God
I was interested to listen to this lecture series in order to get some insights into the Roman environment during the beginning and growth of the church. While these were present in the lecture, they were few and far between the constant conjecture and supposition that apparently is the definition of the modern "historical view." It would make sense that skepticism would be required when reviewing the writings of mankind through the ages, however when discussing the claim of the Bible that it is the word of the one almighty God, the approach of skeptically backing into its history without establishing the potential of its divine authorship seems quite backwards. Flippant assumptions are made as the lecturer citing "scholars" fully deletes entire portions of the New Testament shortly before he makes profound statements such as "If only Paul would have given more detail" - ignorantly failing to recognize that that detail is present elsewhere. Many of his comments seem to have elementary mistakes such as claims of all the gospels being anonymously written when John identifies himself in the writing; failing to see the existence of basic Messianic threads in prophecy (Ultimately what prophecy is) of the Old Testament and instead proclaiming them only relative to the events of that time, and claiming quite profoundly that Jesus practiced Judaism and not Christianity - thus fully failing to recognize the division of the covenants and what Jesus life accomplished in the fulfillment of the law.
Not to spoil the lecture, but the lecturer's conclusion to how "Christian triumphed" is ultimately that "un-learned" Christians some how deceived millions in the Roman empire that miracles had existed. Of course is it implied heavily by the author/lecturer that the existence of such miracles would be ridiculous - thus turning Christians into con-artists instead of evangelists; Spreaders of a different kind of darkness instead of spreaders of light. I would assume that the author would have no issue giving an alternate title to the series as "The Great Deception of Christianity."
Ultimately, while I understand his approach in an attempt to maintain objectivity, an examination of the history of the Bible without first addressing whether its claim that the all-powerful God wrote it always falls flat as evidenced by nearly every book, television series, etc that takes the approach. If the One God wrote the Bible, then its claims of infallibility, being the source of truth, and being the way in which men should walk must be baseline to the understanding of its commands and history. If it wasn't written by the all-powerful God and was just written by men, then it is self-condemned by those same claims and should be avoided completely. That issue must be addressed and be part of a truly "objective" view of the Bible historically/scientifically/theologically. In ever case I've seen in scholarship, the Bible is simply viewed - as it is in this lecture - as a set of man-made principles that "won out" through citing the authority of an all-powerful God that, in the view of Scholarship, is a fairy tale. They then try to figure out the humanistic reason as to why it was successful while denying the Divine power of the message manifested in the lives of Christians. It seems like trying to understand the DNA that makes a person who he is while denying half of the proteins in the strand exist. No matter your efforts, you simply won't arrive anywhere near a true conclusion.
With all this said, I will listen to more of this author's lectures as he has done tremendous research regarding the first century church history as well as details surrounding the canonization of the New Testament. Some of what he says will prove inciteful as supplemental knowledge to the basic truths I see authored by the Creator in the Bible. Some of what he says will be another proof point of 1 Corinthians 1:21; 23-24 (A passage that the author says "really is" a writing of Paul by the way) For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save thos who believe.... To Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jack the Poetry Ripper
- 04-19-22
Wow
I prefer to listen to courses which are above education level. This one isn't. I have read enough second temple sources to notice large issues in the assumptions Barty Boy sells as fact.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- HP Woman
- 02-24-22
Poor narration. Couldn't listen.
The narrator sounded like a high-pitched man and was uneasy to listen to. I stopped listening and marked it as finished.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Customer
- 12-01-21
Went by too fast! Wish there were more
Only complaint is that I wish there were more lectures! Dr Ehrman presents a complicated and often sensitive subject in an even handed and easily understandable way.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- George duffy
- 12-28-21
Powerful & Compelling
Wow. That final chapter was breathtaking. It was a brilliant summary taking in the strengths and weaknesses of Christianity and created reflection and philosophical self re-examination. Every chapter builds to this stunning climax. Excellent!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Dennis Geoffroy
- 12-02-21
Unbiased look at how Christianity came to dominate
Extremely engaging perspective of the rise of Christianity. The author explains his perspective as an agnostic atheist but doesn't push it down your throat amd so he remains largely unbiased.
Even as a Christian (albeit a liberal open minded one) I appreciate his secular explanation for how Christianity came to dominate), I think his view could work in congruence with the idea that the rise of Christianity had a divine influence.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Erin Isom
- 06-29-22
more like 50 starts!
I had chills the last 20 minutes. I can't unknow this now. Thank you for sharing your brilliance
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- MCV
- 06-15-22
skip final lecture.
this is a interesting look at the early growth of Christianity from a secular perspective. I just advise you skip the final lecture. it's basically a steep nose dive into leftist propaganda. if you like modern politics forced into a history course then you may like it. I just think it was completely inappropriate. the rest though is great.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Alena Amato Ruggerio
- 05-16-22
Enjoyable
Bart Ehrman is brilliant and this is a fascinating course about a significant point in world history and religion.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Starwheel
- 04-29-22
The Triumph of Professor Bart D. Ehrman
Once again Professor Erhman delivers profound wisdom, insight and experience in his lectures. Every session is interesting and compelling.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- placidhead
- 05-02-22
Ehrman Great as Always
Professor Ehrman has lots of these lecture series (all on overlapping subject matter) in The Great Courses catalogue. they're all worthwhile, easy to listen to, well researched and well presented - though if you're going to listen to several of them, be prepared to hear the same jokes recycled over and over again. But other than that this series is money well spent.
If you enjoy this series, then you'll probably also enjoy The Darkening Age by Catherine Nixey, and also The Scientist in The Early Roman Empire (I think that's what it's called) by Richard Carrier. Both books focus on the social and intellectual consequences of the triumph of Christianity.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Dennis Sommers
- 04-20-22
… In as far as it goes …
This is really rather dumb: who is this guy talking to? There is no triumph of Christianity.
His account of the rise of the church seems pretty unexceptionable on the whole: there are gaps between Paul and Acts, and many scholars do acknowledge the inauthenticity of those ‘Pauline’ epistles the lecturer cites, but opposition to this opinion is equally strong and well argued. What is more generally understood, however, s that, assuming Paul ever made it to Athens, the philosophic tradition there was well in decline. Yes they called him a babbler and rightly too, because it took another several centuries for Christianity to integrate with and adopt the best of classical thinking; Cicero, Plato etc, and the best Christian theologians have usually taken onboard the best of secular thought. This author is right to emphasise the ethical value in zJudaism, but the elephant in his room is Islam, which doesn’t get a single mention!
It was Islam that carried forward those aspects of classical philosophy - sciences, Aristotle etc - and even numerals - without which the world as we know it could not have developed as it did.
Of course there is intolerance, corruption and power politics in western Christian tradition - not to mention some of the worst aspects of Paganism- but that’s the world as it is.
This could and should have been a lot more valuable than it is if this author had been less America-centric and less afraid of offending his audience by including the immense contribution of Islam to western culture.
It used to be the fashion to teach that harmony as we understand it developed through monastic practice, but this myth was exploded generations ago, so that if Bach, Mozart etc had never lived and worked, their equivalents would have.
Anyway, this useless speculation is what utterly soils this course, so enough!!!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- mcsmall
- 02-20-22
Fascinating Lectures
A well researched and interesting series of lectures from a leading scholar on early Christianity.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 12-21-21
informative and interesting
I really enjoyed this book. I have studied this subject before, but I this insightful and informative. I have just bought his book on the New Testament.