The Apocryphal Jesus

What this episode covers

Visit the episode webpage below to sign up to the Audible 30-day free trial to listen to full audiobooks for free! Title: The Apocryphal Jesus Series: #31 in The Great Courses: Christianity Categories: Christianity Author: David Brakke Narrator: David Brakke Publisher: The Great Courses Release date: 03-31-2017 Language: English Summary: The New Testament gives us 27 canonical texts - gospels, letters, and more - but these works are only a tiny fraction of the many volumes written about the life of Jesus, his family, and the apostles. This alternative body of literature falls under the category of "apocrypha", which means "hidden" or "secret", and it offers fascinating insights into the early Christian world. But these early Christian apocryphal works are more than historical curiosities. The canonical Bible is one of the most influential books in all of Western history, but you might be surprised to find out how many gaps and contradictions the New Testament contains. Much of what we know about Jesus today actually comes from these apocryphal sources, so The Apocryphal Jesus is your chance to learn the true breadth and depth of the early Christian world. Over the course of 24 revealing lectures, Professor David Brakke of The Ohio State University takes you on a tour of this world and surveys the major apocryphal works that have survived. From forged letters to newly discovered gospels, early Christian authors wrote reams of literature about Jesus, his family, and the apostles, drawing from an even larger oral tradition.

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