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Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Ludemann's critical examination of "holy scripture and its authority" is a meticulous historical investigation of early Christianity that seeks "to direct attention once again to Jesus." General readers may find the extensive documentation intimidating; but the argument is accessible, and the documentation is tucked away in notes. Beginning with Lessing's insight that the New Testament was a work of the Catholic Church and Lessing's claim that we may draw our own conclusions about Jesus, Ludemann sets about to welcome the heretics of primitive Christianity back into the Christian community as valuable human witnesses to the human Jesus. A heretic is one who makes a choice, and Ludemann notes that this was done on all sides in the processes of canonization by which the New Testament was formed, just as it must be done by contemporary Christians who would draw conclusions for the present from historical reconstructions. No doubt, some readers will be put off by Ludemann's assertion that the Bible is the word of human beings, not the word of God. Steve Schroeder
Midwest Book Review
In Heretics, Gerd Ludemann argues that the time from the first Christian communities to the end of the second century was not a period of great harmony, but was defined by the struggles of various Christian groups for doctrinal authority. Drawing on a wealth of data, Ludemann asserts that the losers in the struggle actually represented Christianity in its more authentic, original form. Since Orthodoxy has been defined by the victors in this struggle, it is the silenced alternative views that have been labeled "heretical". Ludemann's findings are important as well as liberating for understanding both Christianity and the Bible. Readers will gain a new understanding of Jesus and the early church from this compelling and controversial book. Heretics is a model of historical scholarship and theological investigation. Indeed, the first recorded clash and conflict over doctrinal propriety took place in the Jerusalem Christian community when Paul sought a cessation of the practice of circumcision and the abolition of certain dietary prohibitions. The subsequent debates regarding the nature of God, the definition of what would be come reliable scripture, the theology and doctrines of Christianity would rage around the rim of the Mediterranean and result in schism, conflict, commissions, and conferences. Heretics is the informative history of those fascinating times.
See all Editorial Reviews
Ludemann's critical examination of "holy scripture and its authority" is a meticulous historical investigation of early Christianity that seeks "to direct attention once again to Jesus." General readers may find the extensive documentation intimidating; but the argument is accessible, and the documentation is tucked away in notes. Beginning with Lessing's insight that the New Testament was a work of the Catholic Church and Lessing's claim that we may draw our own conclusions about Jesus, Ludemann sets about to welcome the heretics of primitive Christianity back into the Christian community as valuable human witnesses to the human Jesus. A heretic is one who makes a choice, and Ludemann notes that this was done on all sides in the processes of canonization by which the New Testament was formed, just as it must be done by contemporary Christians who would draw conclusions for the present from historical reconstructions. No doubt, some readers will be put off by Ludemann's assertion that the Bible is the word of human beings, not the word of God. Steve Schroeder
Midwest Book Review
In Heretics, Gerd Ludemann argues that the time from the first Christian communities to the end of the second century was not a period of great harmony, but was defined by the struggles of various Christian groups for doctrinal authority. Drawing on a wealth of data, Ludemann asserts that the losers in the struggle actually represented Christianity in its more authentic, original form. Since Orthodoxy has been defined by the victors in this struggle, it is the silenced alternative views that have been labeled "heretical". Ludemann's findings are important as well as liberating for understanding both Christianity and the Bible. Readers will gain a new understanding of Jesus and the early church from this compelling and controversial book. Heretics is a model of historical scholarship and theological investigation. Indeed, the first recorded clash and conflict over doctrinal propriety took place in the Jerusalem Christian community when Paul sought a cessation of the practice of circumcision and the abolition of certain dietary prohibitions. The subsequent debates regarding the nature of God, the definition of what would be come reliable scripture, the theology and doctrines of Christianity would rage around the rim of the Mediterranean and result in schism, conflict, commissions, and conferences. Heretics is the informative history of those fascinating times.
See all Editorial Reviews
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Inside This Book Citations: This book cites 73 books | 10 books that cite this book Explore: Citations | Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Key Phrases - SIPs: church historiography, earliest community Key Phrases - CAPs: New Testament, Old Testament, Jewish Christians, Jesus Christ, Gentile Christians (more) Browse Sample Pages: Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | In |