Catalog Search Results
1) Bible lands
Author
Series
Publisher
A.A. Knopf
Pub. Date
1991.
Language
English
Description
Photographs and text document life in Biblical times, surveying the clothing, food, and civilizations of a wide variety of cultures, including the Israelites, Babylonians, Persians, and Romans.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
The New Testament Book of Revelation is not the only apocalypse narrative from the first centuries of the Common Era. In this lecture, you'll explore the content and theology of several other Christian apocalypses and consider why the Revelation to John made it into the canon while the many other apocalypses did not.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Not all apocryphal works have survived, and many of the ones we have today exist only as fragments. Survey several important fragments and lost gospels - how we discovered them and what they say - to gain a fascinating glimpse of early Christian beliefs and controversies that we would not know about otherwise.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
The letter is one of the most important forms of Christian communication, from the New Testament letters of Paul through today's Papal addresses. In the early Christian world, apocryphal letters abounded, many of them forged. Examine the content of some of these letters, including ones purportedly written by Jesus.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Much of what we know about Jesus today comes from apocryphal sources rather than the Bible. The Apocryphal Jesus is your chance to learn about the early Christian world from a variety of sources-many of which have been considered heretical. Over 24 revealing lectures, Professor Brakke explores the stories and ideas that shaped the foundations of early Christian thought and influence us even today.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Although the New Testament was codified in the fourth century, apocryphal books continued to be written into the Middle Ages. Round out the course by surveying the later Christian apocrypha and witness the way the creative flourishing of Biblical writing continued through the Middle Ages and even into the present.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
The New Testament tells us Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to the apostles before ascending into heaven. While the canonical gospels left Jesus' words a mystery, many apocryphal writers filled in the gaps. Examine several of these dialogic gospels to learn what Jesus told his followers after the resurrection.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Not all of Jesus' words come directly from the canonical gospels. These words - known as "agrapha" - come from numerous sources: books of the New Testament other than the gospels, the works of early Christian authors such as Origen, and alternative manuscripts of the New Testament gospels. Examine several of these sources to gain new insights into Jesus.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
The term "apocrypha" comes from the Greek and means "hidden" or "secret." The apocryphal writings of early Christians have a reputation for being heretical because they are not part of the New Testament's 27 canonical books. But as you will learn in this first lecture, these early Christian writings have contributed greatly to Christian culture and doctrine.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
In the early centuries, Christianity became a Roman religion, which created awkwardness given that the Roman Pontius Pilate crucified Jesus. Find out how certain apocryphal texts - including the Gospel of Nicodemus, also known as the Acts of Pilate - dealt with this problem by recasting Pilate as a sympathetic figure and, ultimately, a Christian saint.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Each of the surviving apocryphal acts of the apostles make one apostle its hero, but they don't disparage the other apostles. However, the Pseudo-Clementine texts present a dramatic fight surrounding the early Church. This theological mess may pose a problem for historians, but it is nonetheless an important piece of early Christian literature.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
The gospel writers recorded much of Jesus' life, but they also acknowledged that they didn't record everything. Much of what he said is recorded in so-called "dialogic gospels," accounts of Jesus in lengthy conversations with one or more of his disciples. Study three of these unique works and gain new theological insight into Christianity.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Jesus designated Peter as the founder of the Church, which arguably makes him one of Christianity's most important disciples. The Gospel of Peter, however, adds some complexity to Peter's story - and it reframes the story of the Crucifixion to help make Christianity more compatible with the politics of the Roman Empire.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2021.
Language
English
Description
In a departure from traditional assumptions about Jesus's youth, examine evidence suggesting that Joseph and Jesus were actually farmers. Learn of the strife and violence that consumed Galilee at this time, surrounding bloody peasant revolts against Rome, events that would undoubtedly have impacted Jesus's family. Also consider where Jesus may have learned the Torah and become a rabbi.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2021.
Language
English
Description
Consider how both prophesy and miraculous signs figured in the birth of Jesus, and why it was essential that Jesus be born in Bethlehem. Grasp the tensions within the story related to Mary's immaculate conception. Note how Matthew and Luke explained the journey to Bethlehem, and the ways in which their Gospels serve to frame Jesus's birth with a divine purpose.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2021.
Language
English
Description
Follow the arc of Solomon's life, as he reorganizes his kingdom and develops trade, making the kingdom wealthy and powerful. Examine archaeological finds that may be traceable to Solomon's reign. Then learn about the design and building of Solomon's magnificent Temple, based in the architectural form of a Greek "megaron." Witness the fortunes of the temple and the trials of Solomon's rule.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
How did Christianity get to India? Did Thomas really travel across the Middle East and preach the gospel in South Asia? Historians debate these questions and more, but regardless of the literal truth, the Acts of Thomas provides spiritual guidance about humanity's place in the world and challenges us to liberate ourselves.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2021.
Language
English
Description
Learn how accounts of Jesus's life spread through oral tradition following his death, forming source material for the Gospels along with early Christian writings. Examine the question of who wrote the Gospels, and how they originated in Christian communities that sought scripture and liturgy for their worship. Note the key differences between the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Many of the apocryphal gospels were essentially novels written during the early Christian era, and they were filled with adventurous tales of shipwrecks, necrophilia, self-mutilation, and other wild stories. Dive into the Acts of John to consider this fascinating genre of literature and what it offered audiences of the time - as well as historians today.
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