Overview
The 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', this time by a group of modern academics? Who Chose the Gospels? takes us to the scholarship behind the headlines, examining the great (and ongoing) controversy about how to look at ancient books about Jesus. How the four Biblical Gospels emerged into prominence among their competitors is a crucial question for everyone interested in understanding the historical Jesus and the development of the Christian church.
Full Product Details
Author: C. E. Hill (Professor of New Testament Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, FL)
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Dimensions:
Width: 13.40cm
, Height: 1.70cm
, Length: 20.30cm
Weight: 0.364kg
ISBN: 9780199640294
ISBN 10: 0199640297
Pages: 308
Publication Date: 05 April 2012
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: To order
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.
Reviews
`For those willing to examine the documentary evidence, there is no better guide than this book by Charles E. Hill. Hill is meticulous, even-handed, careful to distinguish between historical datum and speculation and a good writer to boot. Not many books that are so informed are such a pleasure to read.' D. A. Carson `A lively, engaging, and authoritative account of the origins and early history of the fourfold gospel.' Andrew Gregory, University of Oxford `Compelling...accessible and lively...a valuable book.' Church of England Newspaper
<br> Interesting and appealing...Hill's presentation of early Christian sources is informative, easy to follow for the layman, and offers a much needed counterbalance in scholarship. It cogently argues for the early ascendancy of the four canonical Gospels and lacks the sensationalism that pervades many recent studies of early Christianity. --BYU Studies Quarterly<p><br>
