"‘Monumental and eye-opening’ Reza Aslan
'A revelation […and…] an intellectual triumph' Irish Independent
'[A] massive achievement' Spectator
‘Refreshingly readable' Guardian
For the past two thousand years, Christian tradition, scholarship, and pop culture has credited the authorship of the New Testament to a select group of men: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Paul. But the truth is that these individuals did not write alone. In some meaningful ways they did not write at all.
Hidden behind these named and sainted individuals are a cluster of enslaved coauthors and collaborators, almost all of whom go uncredited. They were responsible for producing the earliest manuscripts of the New Testament. They took dictation, sometimes editorialising in the process, and polished and refined the final manuscripts. When the Christian message began to move independently from the first apostles it was enslaved missionaries who undertook the dangerous journeys across the Mediterranean and along dusty Roman roads to move Christianity from Jerusalem and the Levant to Rome, Spain, North Africa and Egypt. Finally, when these texts were read aloud to new audiences of curious potential converts, it was educated and trained enslaved workers who performed them – deciding whether a statement was sincere or sarcastic; a throwaway remark or something central to be emphasised. Their influence in the spread of Christianity and making of the Bible was enormous, yet their role has been almost entirely overlooked until now.
Filled with profound revelations for reading and understanding the gospels themselves, God’s Ghostwriters is a groundbreaking and rigorously researched book about how enslaved people shaped the Bible, and with it all of Christianity. It’s also an intimate portrait of lives not often considered by history, and a reckoning with the motives and methods of the early Christians as they spread their message across the ancient world."
"This superbly taught course is a must-have for inquisitive Christians.
As Christians, we profess to believe in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come, but what exactly does this mean? In this fundamental course, you will explore the origin, context, and meanings of the Christian beliefs about the afterlife.
What happens after we die? Over the centuries, this question has been tackled by theologians, artists, and philosophers alike. In this course you will join one of Catholicism''s leading theologians in exploring this question from a Christian perspective.
You will explore the words of Jesus, the Gospels, the Apostles Peter and Paul, and the visions in the apocalypse of John. Many of their statements can seem ambiguous and opaque. Under the expert guidance of celebrated theologian Prof. Candida Moss, you will come to understand the most important passages in the New Testament.
In this journey into the afterlife, you will explore the New Testament''s descriptions of the afterlife, visions of heaven, and prophecies of divine punishment. You will also gain a contextual understanding through ancient theology, science, and the words of the church fathers. What does it mean to be saved and sanctified? What is the evidence for purgatory and hell? When will the last judgment take place? Discover the answers to these questions and more in this essential course.
This course is part of the Learn25 collection and includes a free PDF study guide."
