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Did Jesus Exist?, April 2012
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Jesus, Interrupted, February 2010
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Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene, May 2006
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Truth and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code, March 2006
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Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene
Bart Ehrman
The Followers of Jesus in History and Legend
Oxford University Press
May 2006
Featuring: Peter; Paul; Mary Magdalene
304 pages ISBN: 0195300130 Hardcover
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Historical | Non-Fiction Religion
Bart Ehrman, author of the highly popular Truth and Fiction
in The Da Vinci Code and Lost Christianities, here takes
readers on another engaging tour of the early Christian
church, illuminating the lives of three of Jesus' most
intriguing followers: Simon Peter, Paul of Tarsus, and Mary
Magdalene. What do the writings of the New Testament tell us about each
of these key followers of Christ? What legends have sprung
up about them in the centuries after their deaths? Was Paul
bow-legged and bald? Was Peter crucified upside down? Was
Mary Magdalene a prostitute? In this lively work,
Ehrman separates fact from fiction, presenting complicated
historical issues in a clear and informative way and
relating vivid anecdotes culled from the traditions of these
three followers. He notes, for instance, that historians are
able to say with virtual certainty that Mary, the follower of
Jesus, was from the fishing village of Magdala on the shore
of the Sea of Galilee (this is confirmed by her name, Mary
Magdalene, reported in numerous independent sources); but
there is no evidence to suggest that she was a prostitute
(this legend can be traced to a sermon preached by Gregory the
Great five centuries after her death), and little reason to
think that she was married to Jesus. Similarly, there is no
historical evidence for the well-known tale that Peter was
crucified upside down. Ehrman also argues that the stories
of Paul's miracle working powers as an apostle are legendary
accounts that celebrate his importance. A serious book but vibrantly written and leavened with many
colorful stories, Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene will
appeal to anyone curious about the early Christian church
and the lives of these important figures.
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