Reviews
"The readings are most beneficial. Students are very interested in 'otherwritings'...An excellent reference book for professors."--Marianne Ferguson,Buffalo State College, "Exceptional selection of texts--perfect for a course centered inpre-Nicene Christianity."--Charles Bobertz, St. John's University, "Ehrman's shrewd chapter topics, along with his brief (but pithy) introductions enable good use of these 2nd and 3rd century texts which together well represent the breadth and variety of Christian beginnings. We now have a fresh and student-friendly set of resources for examination of earlyChristian literature 'after the New Testament.'"--Bob Gregg, Stanford University, "A good selection of primary texts--rather like a 'greatest hits' of earlyChristianity. The introductory remarks are helpful, too."--Jeffrey A. Trumbower,St. Michael's College, "An outstanding collection of relevant primary sources for courses on the history of early Christianity. Students found the texts exciting, readable (because of the modern translation), and informative. They also appreciated the helpful introductions to each section."--William Tabbernee,Phillips Theological Seminary, "This is a tremendous anthology of early church writings--will be ofbetter value to my church history class than previous anthologies."--MerrillHawking, Carson Newman College, "Ehrman's shrewd chapter topics, along with his brief (but pithy)introductions enable good use of these 2nd and 3rd century texts which togetherwell represent the breadth and variety of Christian beginnings. We now have afresh and student-friendly set of resources for examination of early Christianliterature 'after the New Testament.'"--Bob Gregg, Stanford University, "A judicious selection of 2nd/3rd c. writers that provides the studentwith both a balanced view of varieties of Christianity and sufficient textreadings for appreciation of the ancient context."--D.H Williams, LoyolaUniversity, "This is a tremendous anthology of early church writings--will be of better value to my church history class than previous anthologies."--Merrill Hawking, Carson Newman College, "An excellent selection of early Christian writings, organized logicallyaccording to types and themes. Indispensable for students of early Christiantheology."--Antonio Buens, Andrews University, "A wonderful text. It is a comprehensive and provocative collection of early Christian writings sufficient to induce even the most sleepy-headed reader to ask questions. Those who teach Christian history should welcome this anthology."--Lawrence Snyder, Western Kentucky University, "Excellent source readings for the 2nd and 3rd centuries of Christianity.Well-edited primary readings covering the major writers of this period. Coursesdevoted to this period will welcome this anthology."--Donald M. Lake, WheatonCollege, "This volume will be invaluable to teachers of early Christian history whohave lacked such a broad-ranging collection of key texts. It is likely to besufficient in itself for a college or seminary introduction to early churchhistory. Ehrman's selection of texts and of passages to excerpt is judicious,covering a wonderfully vast territory of topics with depth sufficient both tomap central issues and to allow students to explore more obscureregions."--Derek Krueger,The University of North Carolina, Greensboro, "This is a splendid anthology that should replace several others that have been in use during the past decades. It should be of tremendous benefit to teachers and students of the New Testament and Early Christianity."--Elizabeth A. Clark, Duke University, "An excellent Ante-Nicean primary source reader. The thematic approach is well thought out. A very useful text for a class on Christian origins."--Gaston Espinosa, Westmont College, "This is a splendid anthology that should replace several others that havebeen in use during the past decades. It should be of tremendous benefit toteachers and students of the New Testament and Early Christianity."--ElizabethA. Clark, Duke University, "[Ehrman's] collection presents a broad range of primary texts from the early years of Christianity, with as full a set of texts as possible within the restrictions of providing these works in a single volume. The texts deal with a range of significant issues within early Christianity, such asevangelism, persecution and martyrdom, apologetics, heresies, apocrypha/pseudepigrapha, church offices, liturgics and ethics, arranged according to the topics themselves rather than according to the categories of systematic theology....Ehrman has sought to include large selections: complete textswhen possible, and lengthy excerpts when not....In spite of having most of these texts in various editions I found myself excitedly looking through the selections for the intelligent topical arrangement, and looking forward to using this as a required textbook...." [this review takes up 2 fields;see below for conclusion], "Finally! Just what I have been looking for: a judiciously selected anthology with appropriate-length early texts."--Stephen Healey, University of Bridgeport, "This volume will be invaluable to teachers of early Christian history who have lacked such a broad-ranging collection of key texts. It is likely to be sufficient in itself for a college or seminary introduction to early church history. Ehrman's selection of texts and of passages to excerpt isjudicious, covering a wonderfully vast territory of topics with depth sufficient both to map central issues and to allow students to explore more obscure regions."--Derek Krueger,The University of North Carolina, Greensboro, "Each chapter begins with a sketch of the important historical aspects of the topic, and each individual text is introduced with brief comments concerning its historical context and significance. The topical introduction of each chapter is not a brief and passing mention, but rather anin-depth essay to the stated topic, with a brief bibliography before the primary text on good current titles for further reading. This reader is a welcome and needed addition to the increasing titles available on early Christianity, especially since it is not an anthology of secondary scholarlyopinion on the history of early Christianity, but provides the opportunity for students to become immersed in the primary sources themselves."--John Voelker, Marquette University, in the Journal of Early Christian Studies
Synopsis
The remarkable diversity of Christianity during the formative years before the Council of Nicea has become a plain, even natural, "fact" for most ancient historians. Until now, however, there has been no sourcebook of primary texts that reveals the many varieties of Christian beliefs, practices, ethics, experiences, confrontations, and self-understandings. To help readers recognize and experience the rich diversity of the early Christian movement, After the NewTestament provides a wide range of texts from the second and third centuries, both "orthodox" and "heterodox," including such works as the Apostolic Fathers, the writings of Nag Hammadi, early pseudepigrapha, martyrologies, anti-Jewish tractates, heresiologies, canon lists, church orders, liturgicaltexts, and theological treatises. Rather than providing only fragments of texts, this collection prints large excerpts--entire documents wherever possible--organized under social and historical rubrics. This unique reader's concise and informative introductions and clear and up-to-date English translations make it ideal for courses on the New Testament, Christian Origins, Early Church History, or Late Antiquity. It will also be of interest to anyone--student, scholar, and generalreader alike--interested in the entire range of early Christian literature from the period after the New Testament up to the writings of the so-called father of church history, Eusebius., The remarkable diversity of Christianity during the formative years before the Council of Nicea has become a plain, even natural, "fact" for most ancient historians. Until now, however, there has been no sourcebook of primary texts that reveals the many varieties of Christian beliefs, practices, ethics, experiences, confrontations, and self-understandings. To help readers recognize and experience the rich diversity of the early Christian movement, After the New Testament provides a wide range of texts from the second and third centuries, both "orthodox" and "heterodox," including such works as the Apostolic Fathers, the writings of Nag Hammadi, early pseudepigrapha, martyrologies, anti-Jewish tractates, heresiologies, canon lists, church orders, liturgical texts, and theological treatises. Rather than providing only fragments of texts, this collection prints large excerpts--entire documents wherever possible--organized under social and historical rubrics. This unique reader's concise and informative introductions and clear and up-to-date English translations make it ideal for courses on the New Testament, Christian Origins, Early Church History, or Late Antiquity. It will also be of interest to anyone--student, scholar, and general reader alike--interested in the entire range of early Christian literature from the period after the New Testament up to the writings of the so-called father of church history, Eusebius.
