REL346.001
Advanced Studies in Biblical Research: Lost Christianities

Professor
Dr. Patrick Green
PGreen2173@aol.com

Office: 204 Manly Hall
Office Phone: 348-
Office Hour: TBA
Course number: 36858
Course: M 3:00-5:40
Location: 210 Manly Hall

About Online Readings

Some course readings are placed in a "secure" folder; you can only access these PDF files (Portable Document Format, that can be opened with the free Adobe Reader) by clicking each link and then entering your Bama User Name and Password. If you have difficulty accessing these readings, contact the instructor by email.

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Description

The course will examine a number of early Christian movements which did not make it into the “orthodox” fold. It will focus on their basic ideas, their social and political context, and the “scriptures” they produced. While it was once thought that the early church possessed a singular unity, that there was one Christianity from the first (as indeed the New Testament canon would lead us to believe), our study will show that there were many. Why didn’t these groups survive? Why were their scriptures repressed, even destroyed? What did they believe, and why was it so threatening? And how did the one orthodox church come to be? Ideally, a student should have had Religion 112, Introduction to the New Testament, before taking the course. However, it is not required. A section of the course will be devoted to an overview of basic New Testament scholarship. Three hours credit.

Syllabus

Spring 2007 Syllabus (PDF)

Books (required)

Ehrman, Bart D.,
Lost Christianities, the Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew
ISBN: 0195182499

Ehrman, Bart D.,
Lost Scriptures, Books that Did Not Make It into the New Testament
ISBN: 0195182502