Description
Book SynopsisThe Bible contains four Gospels which tell the story of Jesus of Nazareth. And yet, many more Gospels once existed. Who, then, determined which Gospels would, for the next two thousand years, serve as the main gateways to Jesus and his teaching? Recent books and films have traced the decision to a series of fourth-century councils and powerful bishops. After achieving victory over their rivals for the Christian name, these key players, we are now told, conspired to ''rewrite history'' to make it look like their version of Christianity was the original one preached by Jesus and his apostles: the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John became the prime tools for their re-sculpting of the Christian story, leading to the destruction of previously treasured writings like the Gospels of Judas, Mary, and Thomas. Are the four canonical Gospels, then, in the Bible as the result of a great, ecclesiastical conspiracy? Or does this explanation itself represent another ''rewriting of history'', th
Trade ReviewA short review cannot do justice to the depth and quality of this work. For anyone who has to deal with the issue of why we have the four canonical Gospels in some detail, this is essential material. ... This book is very good value for a hardback and is therefore to be highly recommended. * Mark Burkill, Churchman *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Drowning in a Sea of Gospels ; 1. The Proof is in the Papyri: Gospel Bestsellers from Egyptian Garbage Dumps ; 2. Silencing the Bishop, Part I: The Lonely Irenaeus ; 3. Silencing the Bishop, Part II: The Ugly Irenaeus ; 4. Irenaeus' 'Co-conspirators': Clement, Serapion, and a Canon-list-maker ; 5. 'Packaging' the Gospels: of Harmonies, Synopses, and Codices ; 6. Preaching and Teaching the Gospels: Justin Martyr and the Apostles' Memoirs ; 7. Justin's 'Co-conspirators': The Gospels as Public Documents ; 8. Some 'Proto-conspirators': Two Forgers and an Apologist ; 9. Some 'Co-proto-conspirators': The Apostolic Fathers ; 10. The Search for an 'Arch-conspirator': A Bishop, an Elder, and an Elderly Apostle ; 11. Who Chose the Gospels? ; Appendix: Dates of the earliest manuscripts of the canonical Gospels ; Glossary ; Index
