Lost Christianities: Christian Scriptures and the Battles over Authentication, Part 1 & 2

Did you know that in the early centuries of Christianity, just after the death of Jesus, there was no "official" New Testament? These Christians held widely varied beliefs, some that seem outright bizarre when compared to modern Christianity. For example, in one of these scriptures, a malicious deity created the world. In another, there are 30 gods. In yet another, Jesus never really died at all. How did Christianity today evolve from all of these different and conflicting ideas into the faith it is today? In this course, Professor Ehrman expertly guides you through the scholarly efforts to recover as much about these early Christian groups as possible. You'll meet the Ebionites, who did not believe that Jesus was divine; the Marcionites, who believed that the Old Testament God and the God of Jesus were two separate gods; the Gnostics, who believed that there was one true God but also other deities; and many more. Most importantly, you will see that the struggles of early Christianity were mostly not against nonbelievers but, surprisingly, other Christians. Explore the fascinating texts of early Christianity, reading the very texts that early Christian groups considered to be the basis of their faith. Some are believed to be "pseudepigrapha," or forgeries written in the names of famous apostles, but others are considered to be lost books of the New Testament and fill in the gaps of the story of Jesus' life on earth. For example, is the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, which describes Jesus as a young boy, a serious historical work or mere fiction? Did Jesus have a twin