Book Description
Lost for more than fifteen hundred years, the Gospel of Mary is the only existing early Christian gospel written in the name of a woman. Karen L. King tells the story of the recovery of this remarkable gospel and offers a new translation. This brief narrative presents a radical interpretation of Jesus' teachings as a path to inner spiritual knowledge. It rejects his suffering and death as a path to eternal life and exposes the view that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute for what it is - a piece of theological fiction. The Gospel of Mary of Magdala offers a fascinating glimpse into the conflicts and controversies that shaped earliest Christianity.
Customer Reviews:
interesting.......2007-09-22
very inetersting and informative - well wriiten - easy to follow with many historical references -loved learning something new - highly recommended -thank you.
The Gospel of Mary of Magdala.......2007-08-09
As with anything Karen L. King has written about Mary, it is a great read. Opens up a whole different scenario for women in the church.
Must reading for scholars of early Christianity.......2007-06-18
This is fascinating reading which will causes us to probe the boundaries of what is known about the Gospel and the early Christians (i.e., the Gnostics). Some cautionary notes that I would add are that we don't know how many people read the Gnostic gospels, who might have been influenced by them, or even why they were written in the first place.
Good presentation.......2007-04-05
The actual Gospel is rather short, but Karen took it apart and did a fine job of explaining each facet that the gospel touched on. The role of women, the Apostles' roles, and again showed proof (without stating it) that Jesus himself set us all up for the conflicts that followed his faithful. Namely that He preached one thing to the masses, and let others in on secrets. Thus setting up conflict between those that understood, and those who thought they understood.(The Gnostics versus the Orthodox).
Paul
Totally an eye opener.......2006-07-05
I love reading this book as it shows the mindset of christianity in its early stages. It is interesting after reading several gospels the irenias declared as heriesies you have to ask who qualified him to choose what gospels were right for the rest of us and which were not. Overall this book rocks and is very informative. If you as a christian who just likes to go to church and are not interested in where christianinty was then you will not like this book as it clearly goes against the version we grew up to believe is true. However if you want to know what the compitition was and a fresh glimplse in what the roman church tried to surpress in the few decades after the beath if Jesus then this book will be very intriging. I appoligize for my spelling.
Book Description
Together again with the only books they are coauthoring since the bestselling Left Behind series.
Before there was the tribulation, before the rapture, before there was a legacy that could be left behind, there was Jesus. John's Story tell His glorious, dramatic story. John's Story: The Last Eyewitness is told by the one whom Jesus called beloved. John, a once-broken man, was forever changed the moment he met the mysterious stranger from Nazareth, his heart opened by the One whom he discovered to be the Son of God.
At ninety years old, John is the last of the original twelve apostles still alive, the only one who was not martyred. Committed to spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ, he is called by God to write a gospel in order to set the record straight-as others were teaching that Jesus wasn't the Son of God. Recalling his time with Jesus, John brings to life the miracles and messages of the Man who would change the course of history.
The first in a series, John's Story: The Last Eyewitness is a remarkable and thrilling account of the life of the Man who came to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament and to save all of mankind. To bring deeper understanding to the story, each of the four books nclude the text of the corresponding gospel as an appendix.
John's Story illuminates the times of Jesus, His life, and His messages like never before. Using cutting-edge historical and academic research, as well as biblically based themes, they are first and foremost page-turning novels that could come only from the pens of Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins.
Customer Reviews:
It's fiction!.......2007-09-02
I have read the previous reviews of those with their heads and chests so puffed out they lose sight of the fact that this is FICTION; forgive me...but....with all these touted academic credentials tossed around...I can only come up with one word. "Duh."
It's a good read for those of us whom are not so anal and can relax and enjoy a fictional novel.
LaHaye and Jenkins again show their inability to tell a real story........2007-08-16
A good novel needs a good lead character. One that the reader can identify with or at least root for. In "John's Story", the title character is a rather unpleasant old man who spends much of the opening part of the book whining about, and shouting at, people with other religious beliefs. He does calm down after a while and starts writing his gospel, but that's no more exciting to read. He sits around talking about Jesus. This kind of filler makes up most of the book. A good novel also needs a plot. I'd estimate that less than 5 percent of "John's Story" is plot; the rest is filler. And it gets boring VERY quickly. Like in the neverending "Left Behind" series, Jenkins again proves his talent is not in storytelling, but in his ability to take a thin plot and pad it with filler into as many words as possible. It was so boring I was unable to finish it.
It's obvious that the authors didn't put much effort into the book. They knew their names on the cover would guarantee sales and wrote it for no other purpose than to make some quick money. It's not a novel as much as a long discussion of theology. And flawed theology at that. If you want to read about theology, find a nonfiction book. If you want to read a novel, don't read this one. It will bore you to tears.
They use the vehicle of fiction to help people understand the hardship and faith walk of the Beloved Apostle.......2007-06-06
Who was the last eyewitness to testify about seeing the miracles of Jesus with his or her own eyes? Regardless of the number of times one has read the New Testament, many have forgotten this key fact about John, the beloved disciple who wrote the Gospel of John, three Epistles and, finally, the book of Revelation on the Island of Patmos. JOHN'S STORY, by Left Behind authors Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, marks the first installment in The Jesus Chronicles, a four-book series that features each Gospel through the eyewitness author.
The opening pages begin in Rome in 95 A.D. with the aging disciple almost 90 years old. He appears before the Emperor Domitian, who had a reputation for cruelty with Christians. The Emperor labels John a heretic and, before a huge coliseum crowd, sentences him to be boiled in oil. Manacled at his hands and feet, the Apostle is lowered into oil until he is kneeling. In the heat, his manacles soften and he boils to death, while the crowd watches and cheers. To everyone's surprise, Jesus works a miracle on the order of the Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego story. Thousands of people believe in Christ upon witnessing John's preservation from the boiling oil. Domitian is furious and wants John killed, but this is impossible because the sentence already has been carried out. Instead, the Emperor assigns the old Apostle to hard labor on the Island of Patmos.
>From this dramatic opening, the authors flash back to the previous year and the events in Ephesus, which motivated John to write his eyewitness account about Jesus. The rise of Gnosticism among the Ephesians is served to readers in the vehicle of John's stories about Jesus. Cerinthus leads a group of Christians into forming a Gnostic church that denies the power of Christ and promotes the idea that someone can work their way to heaven, which is a contrary message to the teachings of Jesus. This drives the elderly Apostle to write his stories with the help of his scribe, Polycarp.
After the creation of his Gospel, soldiers come one night and take John to Rome. At a chapter break, the story picks up with John working tirelessly on Patmos and his vision that becomes the book of Revelation. Some readers will be surprised to find the New King James Version Bible text for John's writings in the final third of this volume. It shortchanges expectations for a full-length novel, and instead they receive a novella-length story.
LaHaye and Jenkins have written a book true to the messages of Scripture. They use the vehicle of fiction to help people understand the hardship and faith walk of the Beloved Apostle. I found it to be a fascinating journey and recommend it wholeheartedly.
--- Reviewed by W. Terry Whalin
John's Story: The Last Eyewitness.......2007-05-30
Couldn't have been a better account of the happenings back then...just loved it...thanks!
Not What I Expected.......2007-05-22
This book wasn't what I expected. I truly wanted and expected John's story about his life, his thoughts and what he went through. This is basically a story about John at 95 years old writing his books of the Bible. I wanted to hear the stories first hand as if he were living it right then. I wanted more details about his stay at Patmos also. I just thought these two writers would above and beyond. Maybe they were rushed by their publishers. Maybe they are taking on too much by putting out too many books in a year. Or maybe they just aren't taking the time to do it right. I'm leery about buying the rest of the books in this series. This book was good but it wasn't as great as it could be. Just didn't live up to my expectations.
Book Description
An exhaustive study of Pauline Christology by noted Pauline scholar, Gordon Fee. The author provides a detailed analysis of the letters of Paul (including those whose authorship is questioned) individually, exploring the Christology of each one, and then attempts a synthesis of the exegetical work into a biblical Christology of Paul.
The author's synthesis covers the following themes: Christ's roles as divine Savior and as preexistent and incarnate Savior; Jesus as the Second Adam, the Jewish Messiah, and Son of God; and as the Messiah and exalted Lord. Fee also explores the relationship between Christ and the Spirit and considers the Person and role of the Spirit in Paul's thought. Appendices cover the theme of Christ and Personified Wisdom, and Paul's use of Kurios (Lord) in citations and echoes of the Septuagint.
"Anyone who has read even a smattering of Paul's writings recognizes early on that his devotion to Christ was the foremost reality and passion of his life. What he said in one of his later letters serves as a kind of motto for his entire Christian life: 'For me to live is Christ; to die is [to] gain [Christ]' (Phil. 1:21). Christ is the beginning and goal of everything for Paul, and thus is the single great reality along the way."
--From the Introduction
Customer Reviews:
Thorough And Compelling.......2007-09-26
Dr Fee had delivered on the subject of Christology. The Pauline texts that come to bear on the subject, are discussed narrowly. It is a very serious piece of scholarship, one which Dr Fee is well qualified for.
Simply wonderful.......2007-09-25
Fee has written a long, meaty book on Paul and Christology. It seems strange to realize it now, but about 100 years ago scholars such as Bousset, and others in the "history of religions" school, thought that early Christianity was hugely influenced by hellenistic ideas. Even by 1980, Dunn argued that Paul was the "'halfway house' between an early low Christology and the full-blown high Christology of John and Hebrews" (p 13).
Fee's very thorough and very well researched book provides a solid refutation of such arguments. In fact, from the very beginning, as Fee shows, Paul held a 'high' view of Christology.
That evidence would be 1 Thessalonians. This is the first epistle, and is dated to about 50 AD--a mere twenty years after the death of Christ. Already, Paul "breathes the perspective of Jewish monotheism..."the living God" and "the true God" reflect the language of such monotheism in Israel's long struggle against idolatry" (p 39). Paul regards Jesus as both son of God and coequal with God.
It's difficult to imagine a way to refute these arguments, given the careful textual detail Fee provides. In fact, this would be a terrific book to give to anyone questioning whether early Christianity is somehow different from the ideas held by Christians today.
Fee also has some very interesting chapters on Jesus being regarded as the Jewish Messiah from the beginning and on the development of the idea of the Trinity, which Fee argues he finds good evidence for in Paul's writings.
I became interested in earliest Christianity after reading Larry Hurtado and Martin Hengel. Fee makes use of the writings of both authors. Anyone also interested in this period will want to pick up their books as well.
Very Very Good Book.......2007-09-14
Pauline Christology: An Exegetical-Theological Study
I really enjoyed this book and i learned allot. A must have for christians
Gordon Fee Has Done It Again.......2007-07-27
I. H. Marshall's assessment of Professor Gordon Fee's new book is much to the point. "Gordon Fee has done it again! Having given us the standard work of Paul's understanding of the Holy Spirit, he has now filled a surprising gap in Pauline studies by writing a remarkably comprehensive and detailed account of Pauline Christology." To this Paul Achtemeier adds: "Thoroughly researched, comprehensive, and wide-ranging, this solid study is arranged in such a way that it is useful not only for its impact pointing as it does to the coherence of Paul's christological thought but also for its careful exegetical studies of individual passages" (both from the dust jacket).
As for methodology, while acknowledging that a narrative approach to Paul's christology possesses some benefits, Fee opts for the combination of exegetical Analysis of passages and a theological Synthesis of the materials, the same structure as his earlier work on the Spirit in Paul. The Analysis is discernibly more technical than that of God's Empowering Presence, and for that reason it is likely to be less appealing to non-specialists in the field. Consequently, some readers anyway may want to reserve this segment of the book as a commentary on the individual passages without necessarily poring over the details in a cover to cover reading. However, the Synthesis lightens up and makes for easier sledding. Indeed, this portion of the book is not only theologically rich but devotional in tone. In any event, as a specialist in Paul I value the attention to detail, along with the various chapter appendices serving as compendia of the relevant passages, especially the wisdom texts, which are not so readily available.
The investigation yields expected results from an evangelical scholar such as Fee, who is fully supportive of Paul's "high christology." In summary: (1) Christ is the preexistent and eternal Son of God (King of Israel). (2) As "equal with God," Jesus is Lord in the "fully loaded" sense of the term (= Yahweh). (3) He is the incarnate redeemer (savior). (4) He possesses divine prerogatives and attributes, such as God's glory and faithfulness. (5) He shares in divine activities and purposes, including creation, forgiveness and resurrection. (6) He is a member of the "proto-Trinity." (7) He has now been exalted on high at God's right hand and given the name above all names. (8) To him prayer may be addressed. (9) He is an object of worship, to whom Paul is completely devoted. (10) Ultimately, every knee will bow to him and every tongue confess that he is Lord. In contending for such theologoumena, Fee is not content to fall back on orthodox assumptions regarding Christ's person, but rather the materials are examined methodically and microscopically with the aid of the best of contemporary scholarship. And the aggregate of the evidence is overwhelming: Paul had a very high christology indeed!
The only really surprising aspect of Fee's book is his categorical denial of any wisdom christology in Paul. His motivation is laudable enough: as personified wisdom, Christ is not to be reduced to a creature. With this I thoroughly agree, but it is not necessary to dispense with every potential allusion to wisdom in order to maintain this conviction. As for the Jewish materials, I would concur that Paul does not derive his conception of Christ from Wisdom of Solomon or Sirach. Rather, any pre-Pauline precedents would be provided by the wisdom materials of the Old Testament. Nevertheless, the Second Temple texts do provide important context for Paul, a context which is not to be dismissed lightly.
All in all, the bottom line is that Professor Fee's book is the most thorough and compelling account of Paul's christology to date and is nothing short of a great achievement. It is sure to remain the standard in the field for some time to come, and I am certain I will return to it repeatedly in my own research.
Magisterial Pauline Christology.......2007-07-25
Dr. Fee has done it again. His scholarship is breathtaking: he examines all of the current literature, has a wide knowledge of the history of discussion on this topic, and has a nuanced understanding of the texts he examines. I was impressed by his work on Colossians, an area of my own research. For lay persons who are interested in this type of work, Dr. Fee has included English translations of the Greek and Hebrew which will make it more accessible to the non-specialist
I was sceptical about his claim about there being no major work dealing with this topic; upon further research, I am convinced.
Dr. Fee does a masterful job in demonstrating how kurios=YHWH of the Septuagint becomes kurios=Lord Jesus Christ in the Pauline corpus. His discussion of the echoes of the LXX in Paul is masterful and comprehensive.
Anyone doing work in this area will have to work with and respond to Dr. Fee. This is one of the works that every pastor as well as scholar should have on their shelves.
Average customer rating:
- Calculations are only as good as your numbers
- Pants on fire?
- Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
- Very Interesting
- History as Science Fiction
|
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
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ASIN: 2913621058 |
Book Description
Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.
Customer Reviews:
Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03
Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.
Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19
Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09
There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.
For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.
Very Interesting.......2007-03-07
It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.
History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10
Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.
I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.
Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.
Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.
I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.
This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
Book Description
Contrary to popular belief, we do not have to be perfect to do God's work. Look no further than the twelve disciples whose many weaknesses are forever preserved throughout the pages of the New Testament. Jesus chose ordinary men - fisherman, tax collectors, political zealots - and turned their weakness into strength, producing greatness from utter uselessness. MacArthur draws principles from Christ's careful, hands-on training of the original twelve disciples for today's modern disciple - you.
Customer Reviews:
Twelve Gracious Apostles.......2007-09-27
In discovering the lives of the Lord's apostles, I found the nuances and tidbits very original and insightful. I however differed with MacArthur's title, for in his own MacArthur Bible, he describes them as 'gifted men'.
As I recall, it was Ephesians 2, which refers to the church being built on the foundation of the apostles.
So it was with special care not to upset this privileged position that I set out to glean from their lives what MacArthur had presented.
A good subject and marketable to the majority of 'unskilled' Christians, who have a 'thing' about apostles, most likely describes this effort.
very good book.......2007-05-22
This book is very good. It made me look at Jesus in a whole new way. He was doing everything for them to make them what they became. I strongly recomend this book to everyone that wants to learn about Jesus.
Subtly Calvinistic.......2006-10-05
Be prepared before you delve into the particulars of the lives of those 12 men whom Christ chose to be His disciples. MacArthur's Reformed Presbyterianism manifests itself on page 12 ( paperback edition )when he states: " They ( being the 12 disciples ) represented the true Israel of God --- a genuinely repentant and believing Israel."
This is the trademark of Calvinism/Reformed Theology, Replacement Theology, otherwise, known as Supersessionism. According to MacArthur and others of his denominational persuasion, all promises and blessings given to Abraham and his seed were rescinded by God and given unconditionally to the Church under the New Covenent. This is promugated by MacArthur in spite of the numerous prophesies found in Ezekiel, Zechariah, Romans, and Revelation regarding the restoration of a Jewish homeland and an ultimately repentant people; also, in spite of the scriptural fact that Paul recognizes in I Corinthians 10:32 to " give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the Church of God. "
God has certainly not cast aside the nation of Israel forever.They are likened to the adulterous wife, repudiated, but ultimately to be purified and restored, as pictured in the book of Hosea. The invisible Church is comprised of believers who put their trust and faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, just as God is preserving those remnant of the Sons of Abraham until the Kingdom Age is ushered in by Christ himself.
To be truly credible, MacArthur should have clearly stated his predisposition to liken the Church - established by Christ when Peter made his historic confession and thus coming to fruition at Pentecost - as the replacement entity for the Abrahamic Covenant.
One should prayfully be reminded that God will " Bless them that bless thee " - referring, of course, to the wholly gracious and unconditional promise made to Abraham and his descendants.
Informative and interesting.......2006-05-05
Many times when we get into non-fiction books we just don't think it will be an easy read. This book really gives great information about the 12 disciples and does it in a way that makes you want to keep reading to find out more. I would recommend this book to anyone that is interested in learning but has problems with most of your textbook types of material. I enjoyed this book and learned a good bit as well.
Twelve Ordinary Men Review.......2006-03-28
John MacArthur presents a thorough and interesting description of the disciples Jesus picked to complete his work on earth. Never before have I read such valuable information about the disciples individually and collectively in one place. Way-to-go MacArthur.
Book Description
In this classic work, Wayne A. Meeks analyzes the earliest extant documents of Christianity—the letters of Paul—to describe the tensions and the texture of life of the first urban Christians. In a new introduction, he describes the evolution of the field of New Testament scholarship over the past twenty years, including new developments in fields such as archaeology and social history.
Customer Reviews:
Information Galore.......2006-03-18
Very up-to-date information, thoroughly discussed and analyzed. The book is laid out by subject, so it's easy to go back and find information. It is basically a complete description of the Roman World of Paul's time, right down to the tiniest detail that we have available. The only downside is the sheer density of it. But if you can muck your way through it, this book is simply groundbreaking in its analysis of the world that Christianity was born into.
Excellent!.......2005-10-16
I wouldn't write a sermon without it! Great insight to the world and social condition of the early Church. I find that it helps bring the then and there to the hear and now.
An Excellent Introduction to New Testament Sociology.......2004-07-18
Biblical scholar Wayne Meeks wrote the first edition of THE FIRST URBAN CHRISTIANS in the mid 1980's. He collected not only scriptural information, but also historical and sociological information to reconstruct the world of the earliest Christians. At the time it was considered to be groundbreaking research. Today this work is considered by many to the standard bearer of sociological studies concerning first century Christians.
Meeks studies the earliest Christian communities established by St. Paul. Meeks acknowledges that in the minds of most people, the first Christians were poorer peasant and agrarian people, but the reality is probably different. While the gospel may have been first preached in such settings, the faith started in urban areas and spread first from one city to another, then to the countryside. While Meeks does mention many of the early Christian leaders in his work, his primary focus is on the writings of St. Paul and the day to day life behind these writings, since historically these writings are the earliest Christian sources.
Topics in the book include the urban environment of Pauline Christianity, social life of the early Christian community, the formations of churches, conflicts, rituals, and how belief shaped the lives of the early Christians. The book also has an index to help with information on specific subjects and a scriptural reference index for people who need to use the book for a quick reference for study or preparation of preaching.
Meeks has a scholar's attention to detail and provides a great deal of information in this work. He also has the reader in mind. Knowing that the work will be read both by scholars, students, and those interested in a deeper knowledge of scripture, the work is informative and readable.
While the information in the book is no longer new, it is still current. Students and those wishing further study will find Meeks' copious notes as well as his bibliography helpful for further study.
A good early look..........2004-05-13
Wayne Meeks, professor of Biblical studies at Yale, looks at the world of the first century Christian church in this book, 'The First Urban Christians'. He has a follow-up volume, 'The Origin of Christian Morality', that progresses into the world of the second century Christian church. Together these volumes give a rare insight into the earliest development of the church -- as so many denominations take as their authority the actions, decisions, and conventions of this time (as they understand them), a look at the formative years of Christianity (and later Christendom) is valuable indeed.
This book looks at social description of early Christianity, bringing in history, politics, sociology and philosophy in various degrees. Meeks is looking for the 'ordinary Christian' in the early church, something he claims we do not often find in the scriptures or other writings of the time. This requires that we know as much as possible about the general cultural setting in which early Christians found themselves, as their writings and practices handed down to us constitute a response, if not directly then at least indirectly, to their times.
Despite the pastoral setting of many of the gospel stories and parables, Christianity was largely an urban phenomenon in its earliest days (as would be true of most any sect or cult that would grow in early times -- it would take root in and transfer by movement between cities; indeed, Antioch, one of the major cities of the time, was where the term Christian was first coined). Meeks looks at the issues of city growth, from village to city to empire (it is no mistake that the Roman Empire derived its name from a city). Urban Judaism had unique traits that are examined here as influential in early Christianity. Meeks also explores different issues such as the role of women in urban society, mobility issues and the kinds of interconnections people in cities would make, intra-urban and inter-urban.
After this examination, Meeks continues to look at specifically church-related issues in urban, Pauline Christianity. These include the various rituals such as baptism and eucharist, governance and hierarchy issues in the early church (very different from later, imperial Christianity), and patterns of belief -- remember, this is a time when there was not only no set canon of scripture, but no creeds formulated yet, either. Meeks also explores briefly the unknown and controverted rituals -- how did the early Christians marry (or remarry)? How did they bury and mourn their dead (for we know it was of concern to many early Christians that people were dying prior to the return of Christ)?
Meeks provides ample footnoting citations, a generous bibliography of secondary sources (35 pages of this!), and indexes of biblical references, modern authors, and subjects. This is an excellent text for study and reference, and gives good insights into a world we take for granted often that we understand (due to our familiarity with the New Testament scriptures), yet really is foreign in time and space.
A clear look at the society of the first century........1999-01-11
Meeks takes a look at the first Christians from a perspective rarely found in typical Christian Bible dictionaries, encyclopedias, and commentaries. The strength of this work lies in the fact that Meeks is specifically unveiling the social customs and mores of the first century. Especially helpful are his discussions on the living and working conditions of the first Christians.
Since we are nearly 2000 years removed from the social context on the early church, a book such as this helps us to see what we have been missing.
Book Description
Bart Ehrman, author of the highly popular Truth and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code and Lost Christianities, here takes readers on another engaging tour of the early Christian church, illuminating the lives of three of Jesus' most intriguing followers: Simon Peter, Paul of Tarsus, and Mary Magdalene. What do the writings of the New Testament tell us about each of these key followers of Christ? What legends have sprung up about them in the centuries after their deaths? Was Paul bow-legged and bald? Was Peter crucified upside down? Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute? In this lively work, Ehrman separates fact from fiction, presenting complicated historical issues in a clear and informative way and relating vivid anecdotes culled from the traditions of these three followers. He notes, for instance, that historians are able to say with virtual certainty that Mary, the follower of Jesus, was from the fishing village of Magdala on the shore of the Sea of Galilee (this is confirmed by her name, Mary Magdalene, reported in numerous independent sources); but there is no evidence to suggest that she was a prostitute (this legend can be traced to a sermon preached by Gregory the Great five centuries after her death), and little reason to think that she was married to Jesus. Similarly, there is no historical evidence for the well-known tale that Peter was crucified upside down. Ehrman also argues that the stories of Paul's miracle working powers as an apostle are legendary accounts that celebrate his importance. A serious book but vibrantly written and leavened with many colorful stories, Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene will appeal to anyone curious about the early Christian church and the lives of these important figures.
Customer Reviews:
and what did I learn ..........2007-08-22
Yep we get it, its hard to figure out exactly what happened 2000 years ago. So why write a book about it?
Sorry Prof., I've got to think your classes are snoozers not shockers. (but then I don't live in the bible belt.}
A MUST READ FOR SEMINARY STUDENTS.......2007-06-28
Whether one agrees with Erhman or not this is a fascinating read. He is a scholar who knows the Fundamentalist mind (with Moody Bible Institute in his background), and he takes the biblical text very seriously. He's a great writer and this book is easily accessible to the one who is not a professional.
From the Introduction: "Historians do their best to reconstruct past events based on surviving evidence, but history is not an empirical science that can establish high levels of probability based on assured results obtained by repeated experimentation. History is as much art as science" (xiv).
From Chapter 7: "Has there ever been a Christian figure as controversial as the apostle Paul? It was a new understanding of Paul's letters that led Martin Luther to split from the Catholic Church, leading to the Protestant Reformation and a division within Christendom that continues down to our own day. Churches of all description continue to wrangle over Paul's teaching: some insist that his writings oppose women in the ordained ministry, while others argue just the opposite. . . . Debates over Paul--and over who can claim him--are not, however, a product of the modern age: they go all the way back to New Testament times. . . " (89).
Seminary students are not educated until they're read stuff like this--and not just to laugh and snicker and poke holes. Calvin Theological Seminary, where I was given the boot ("My Calvin Seminary Story") sends students out without seriously interacting with such literature. Here is a good book to seriously explore.
ALL ABOUT JESUS'S CLOSEST FOLLOWERS.......2007-06-27
Professor Bart Ehrman has written another engaging and insightful book on early Christianity. He examines three of Jesus's most influential followers through the lens of historical perspective, the bible, and early external writings. He shows great insight in the influence each of these figures had on the history of the Western world. Did you ever think about the fact that the historical Peter had to have been an illiterate peasant who spoke Aramaic and it is impossible that he wrote perfect Greek Epistles that applied more to the later church than the 1st century? We must understand that Paul never met the historical Jesus and barely mentions any history of the real man, instead evidence points to the fact that he was the one who began the "Christ" myth. All the gospels and outside sources agree that Mary Magdalene was the first to witness the empty tomb or the risen Jesus, that makes her the first Christian and the pivot point that began the Christian religion. Buy this book for an education on these three figures and what we can really know about them and their impact on Christianity and Western Civilization. Curious minds will not be disappointed.
EXCELLENT ACCOUNT ACCOUNT OF MARY MAGDALENE.......2007-05-08
WONDERFUL WAY TO UNDERSTAND THE LIFE OF MARY MAGDALENE
As always, Ehrman gets you thinking.......2007-04-04
Bart Ehrman has written a number of analyses of early Christian church writings, trying to help the reader to understand historical context and how this shaped what was included, and excluded, from scripture. In Peter, Paul and Mary Madalene, he keeps up this tradition. His discussions of reading the books of the New Testament horizontally, as opposed to vertically, to show the contrasts between them, should be required reading. Such highlighting may offend literalists, but that is the nature of religious discourse if questioning is not allowed. Finally, Ehrman's writing style makes such reading easy to do. On top of being easy to read and well-informed, Ehrman is genuinely funny. Comments regarding, for example, the six people in the English speaking world who have not yet read The Da Vinci Code come at you from nowhere and help to keep everything moving and entertaining as well as enlightening.
Customer Reviews:
Kalas at his best........2006-01-14
Whether you are interested in the aspostles, Kalas' writing or looking for a good solid Sunday School lesson, then you have found the book for you. I actually met Kalas several years a go and if you are at all familar with any of his writings, than let me say he is the person you read in his writings.
This book focuses on the disciples and Kalas uses his typical style of hitting the subject matter from a unique angle that surely engages and causes one to think "out-side the box".
If you are looking for a deep rooted, long winded study on all the disciples, then you may find yourself disappointed. If you are looking for a quick grasp and overview of the disciples or a great Sunday School lesson material, then you've found EXACTLY what you're looking for.
And if Sunday School material is what you're after and you are unfamilar with Kalas, take time to read ANY of his books. They are truly in every sense of the word...GREAT! I use his books often in group studies and they never fail to open eyes and create much discussion.
Book Description
Paul's life was never dull. First appearing in the New Testament as a violent enemy of Christ, Paul later went on to not only put his faith in the risen Lord but to pen thirteen letters of the New Testament--in the midst of being beaten, shipwrecked, snakebitten, imprisoned, and chased out of town. Let Charles Swindoll be your guide as you travel down the road to Damascus with Paul and discover the passion for Jesus that drove this hero of the faith.
Customer Reviews:
Paul: A Man of Grit and Grace.......2007-02-16
Charles Swindoll, gives an exellent expose' of the man Saul of Tarsus. His conversion and the affect it had on him, that lasted for the rest of his life. The continual conflicts, trials, and troubles he endured.
Swindoll, also does a great job of filling in between the lines, from other text, and how we can learn from the examples of Pauls great, faith, strength and courage.
A Thoughtful Presentation of Paul .......2006-08-25
Chuck Swindoll is one of my favorite writers, though I am not in agreement with all of his theology. But this work on Paul is outstanding.
Before reading this work on Paul, I had read several other volumes on Paul, and Swindoll gave me another perspective on Paul that I have greatly appreciated--the devotional touch to this work. As a pastor, I find this work to be encouraging. Swindoll writes with a pastor's pen. And I love that.
I especially recommend this work to all conscientious pastors.
Yo, Dear consumer, Fellow.......2005-02-05
oh yeah, this book is wonderfull. Turned me into something like a Pauline. It gives great illustrations and its quite a good read; what I really got out of it was how Swindoll shows you a real person. Not just Paul the Apostle, not just him as one of the sons of judaism of that time, no beyond that. The man that we read about that filled his letters with so much understanding and knowledge, to be flesh. You read this book and I guarantee you, it will change how you look at him and Christ, and especially what kind of peoples Christ uses. from a man you read of in Acts through Philemon as a character into a man that struggled with his faith and had to take a shower at the end of the day just like all of us. Oh yes, it is really great, I encourage anyone to tear into this mug, and I hear its one of many books- so I really am encouraged to pick up one of Swindoll's other books. Hes a magnificent writer. 5 starsies all the way.
Paul: A Man of Grit and Grace.......2005-01-29
The author is probably a great guy personally, but his writing falls very short. The book does not even address Paul's views on the role of women, or on homosexuality--two areas where people of our times need guidance. It seems as if the author wanted to be "politically correct" and not offend anyone.
He doesn't even address, with any authority, the conflict between Paul and Barnabas over John Mark. He just basically says they should have worked it out. I was completely disappointed in the book.
Another Masterpiece by Swindoll!.......2004-07-08
Swindoll's book on the Apostle Paul is the 6th in a series of Bible characters and in my humble opinion, the best character study so far.
Among the important points Swindoll covers include:
1. Biblical examples of people who waited long period of time before being used greatly by God.
2. An independent spirit does not please God - He much prefers the humble and broken-hearted.
3. Exceptional work is preceded by extended waiting and 4 principles for trusting God while waiting in the shadows (this alone was worth the price of the book).
4. While boasting about our weakness is not popular in today's culture, life is about God, not us!
5. 3 perspectives to have when in a strong disagreement.
6. Sometimes turnmoil, hardship, and persecution means you are in the middle of God's will.
7. 4 excellent points to consider for powerful preaching.
8. Be careful of letting your subjective experiences be your ultimate guide in life - God's Word is much more reliable!
9. Effective ministry and opposition go hand in hand.
10. Patterns of behavior and observations about heroes who stand up while everyone sits down.
11. 4 anchors to hold on to during stormy times.
12. 7 exhortations for faithful service.
The points above are only a few of the many encouragements you will get from this gem of a book! Having read several of Swindoll's books, this one may be my personal favorite!
Read and be encouraged in the Lord and hang tough like the Apostle Paul did!
Highly recommended.
Average customer rating:
- The Disciples After Calvery
- Perfect book for beginning Chistians 1-3 yrs.
- The Twelve Apostles of Christ
- The Twelve Apostles of Christ.
- Taking a Stab at Apostolic History
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The Twelve: The Lives of the Apostles After Calvary
Bernard Ruffin , and
C. Bernard Ruffin
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ASIN: 0879739266 |
Customer Reviews:
The Disciples After Calvery.......2007-02-22
I had always wondered what happened to the Disciples after Calvery and this book was very enlightening and an easy read. It cleared up a lot of questions I had.
Perfect book for beginning Chistians 1-3 yrs........2006-01-14
This book is a fast and easy read, perfect for beginners (1-3 years) who have studied some of the bible/new testament and start asking "who were they?" questions. It's not too long of a book, I read it in under a week, and it's a "pass along" book for a friend. (I would never pass along a book I thought bad or boring). Book is not a heavy end all on the subject, but answers enought questions and legends/historical footnotes to put a pretty good idea of what might have happened to the twelve we read about in the NT.
The Twelve Apostles of Christ.......2004-08-28
_The Twelve: The Lives of the Apostles After Calvary_ is an interesting book by a Catholic author, C. Bernard Ruffin. It catalogues the lives, travels and evangelical exploits of the twelve apostles from the New Testament, the writings of the Fathers and various apocryphal historical novels. The first problem about writing about the apostles, as Ruffin explains, is to differentiate between "the disciples," "the apostles" and "the Twelve." Disciple refers to any full-fledged follower of Christ and especially to the seventy (or seventy-two) missionaries sent to the villages of Judea during Christ's lifetime. Apostle refers to a special office within the Church that was instituted by Christ to officially declare the Gospel and later on ordain bishops, deacons and presbyters. "The Twelve" encompasses the twelve men explicitly named in the Gospels as those whom Jesus called and taught during his lifetime in this world. A number of saints in Christian history, notably St. Paul, have attained the status of "apostle" or "equal to the apostles" even though they were obviously not in Christ's original entourage. Ruffin does not address the issue of why twelve were called, but it is obviously an Old Testament metaphor of the Twelve Tribes of Israel who originated from Jacob (Israel) and his twelve sons. A problem exists in identifying exactly who the Twelve were because many of them went by multiple names and many figures in the New Testament shared the same name. Ruffin provides an authoritative list: Peter, Andrew, James the Greater, James the Less, John, Philip, Bartholomew (a.k.a. Nathaniel), Thomas, Matthew, Simon, Jude (a.k.a. Thaddeus), and Judas Iscariot whose place was later filled by Matthias. James the Greater and James the Less are both to be distinguished from James the Righteous who was Bishop of Jerusalem and author of the Epistle of James. Most suffered martyrdom for Christ having lived lengthy lives spreading the Gospel of Christ, except for John who died of an illness in old age. Peter of course founded the episcopacy of Rome and Andrew at Constantinople. Many were active in Judea, Syria, Asia Minor, Egypt, Greece and Rome. Some of the apostles are held to have traveled as far as Britain, Iran/Persia, Ethiopia, Armenia, Scythia/southern Russia, Spain, India and even China and Southeast Asia. The most extensive traditions exist regarding "Doubting Thomas." He is reputed to have traveled to the Punjab region of India, southward along the Malabar Coast and onward to what is today Burma and Malaysia. Thomas is considered the founder of the Indian Orthodox Church dating back to the first century. Ruffin examines the status and motives of Judas and what made him a traitor to Christ. More space in this book is devoted to Peter than to the other apostles and in some instances Ruffin argues for an interpretation of the New Testament accounts of Peter in order to justify papal supremacy over the Church. However, this book remains an excellent, easy to read introduction to early traditions regarding the apostles and their mission to the ends of the earth.
The Twelve Apostles of Christ........2004-08-20
_The Twelve: The Lives of the Apostles After Calvary_ is an interesting book by a Catholic author, C. Bernard Ruffin. It catalogues the lives, travels and evangelical exploits of the twelve apostles from the New Testament, the writings of the Fathers and various apocryphal historical novels. The first problem about writing about the apostles, as Ruffin explains, is to differentiate between "the disciples," "the apostles" and "the Twelve." Disciple refers to any full-fledged follower of Christ and especially to the seventy (or seventy-two) missionaries sent to the villages of Judea during Christ's lifetime. Apostle refers to a special office within the Church that was instituted by Christ to officially declare the Gospel and later on ordain bishops, deacons and presbyters. "The Twelve" encompasses the twelve men explicitly named in the Gospels as those whom Jesus called and taught during his lifetime in this world. A number of saints in Christian history, notably St. Paul, have attained the status of "apostle" or "equal to the apostles" even though they were obviously not in Christ's original entourage. Ruffin does not address the issue of why twelve were called, but it is obviously an Old Testament metaphor of the Twelve Tribes of Israel who originated from Jacob (Israel) and his twelve sons. A problem exists in identifying exactly who the Twelve were because many of them went by multiple names and many figures in the New Testament shared the same name. Ruffin provides an authoritative list: Peter, Andrew, James the Greater, James the Less, John, Philip, Bartholomew (a.k.a. Nathaniel), Thomas, Matthew, Simon, Jude (a.k.a. Thaddeus), and Judas Iscariot whose place was later filled by Matthias. James the Greater and James the Less are both to be distinguished from James the Righteous who was Bishop of Jerusalem and author of the Epistle of James. Most suffered martyrdom for Christ having lived lengthy lives spreading the Gospel of Christ, except for John who died of an illness in old age. Peter of course founded the episcopacy of Rome and Andrew at Constantinople. Many were active in Judea, Syria, Asia Minor, Egypt, Greece and Rome. Some of the apostles are held to have traveled as far as Britain, Iran/Persia, Ethiopia, Armenia, Scythia/southern Russia, Spain, India and even China and Southeast Asia. The most extensive traditions exist regarding "Doubting Thomas." He is reputed to have traveled to the Punjab region of India, southward along the Malabar Coast and onward to what is today Burma and Malaysia. Thomas is considered the founder of the Indian Orthodox Church dating back to the first century. Ruffin examines the status and motives of Judas and what made him a traitor to Christ. More space in this book is devoted to Peter than to the other apostles and in some instances Ruffin argues for an interpretation of the New Testament accounts of Peter in order to justify papal supremacy over the Church. However, this book remains an excellent, easy to read introduction to early traditions regarding the apostles and their mission to the ends of the earth.
Taking a Stab at Apostolic History.......2003-01-28
Bernard Ruffin has written a delightful explanation of the history of each of the twelve apostles. I found this book to be very easy to read. The topic, however, is a bit difficult to grasp considering the question of the reliability of many of the source documents upon which Ruffin must rely.
Several apocryphal works are cited in support of Ruffin's chronicle of the Apostles' lives. The validity of the story depends upon the reliability of the source documents. To that end, there is much in this book that is speculation. We simply are not in a place to accurately judge these apocryphal works, except to say that the early Church Fathers (for reasons of their own) did not adopt these works into the canon of the New Testament. Because the rule of canonicity excludes these works, they must be looked at with some hesitance.
Ruffin makes this point himself. The value in his work is its honesty in this regard. Ruffin reports merely what has been set forth in these apocryphal works. He makes no judments about their reliability because his intent is to simply report what they say. In short, whether they are reliable or not is not Ruffin's focus nor can he be faulted for not coming to definite conclusions.
This being said, I find that this work is more of a chronical of what has been said before. Its value is that Ruffin has put these materials in one handy reference for the reader. This being his goal, he has succeeded marvelously.
I recommend this work to anyone interested in the question of "What happened to the Twelve?" You won't be disappointed.
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