Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles: Studies in Chronology

Religion & Spirituality

Lüdemann, Gerd

Christian Books & Bibles

London : SCM Press

What Really Happened to Jesus

SCM Press

This book is about Gnostic prayrs, hymns and other material from the beginnings of Christianity, The authors were branded heretics and thrown out of the church. However, many documents of Gnostic spirituality have survived and have become more accessible especially since the spectacular discoveries at Nag Hammadi in Egypt in 1945. At the centre of Gnostic spirituality stands the question of what it is to be human: 'Who were we? What have we become? Where were we? Into what have we been thrown? Whither are we hatening? What are we freed from> What is birth? What is rebirth>' These key questions can be taken as a programme of the religious feelings of Gnosticism. Here they are illustratd y texts which, perhaps een more than contemporary material from the mainstream church, convey the feeling and the imagination of believers from a long time past. They give a lively impression of how Gnostics fely about the world, and with their shimmering images and poetic symbols attest their unique religious creativity. Gerd Luedemann is Professor of New Testament and Director of the Institute of Early Christian Studies at the University of Goettingen. Matina Janssen was his academic assistant.

Suppressed Prayers: Gnostic Spirituality in Early Christianity

History

Luedemann, Gerd

Janssen, Martha

World

It is widely recognised that many of the say ings attributed to Jesus in the Gospels do not go back to hi m, but have been influenced by the early church. This study calls for rigorous treatment of the Gospels & provides a rad ical conclusion '

Great Deception: And What Jesus Really Said and Did

Gerd Ludemann argues that the time from the first Christian communities to the end of the second century was not a period of great harmony, but was defined by struggles by various groups for doctrinal authority. Drawing on a wealth of data, he asserts that the losers in the struggle actually represented Christianity in its more authentic, original form. Since Orthodoxy has been defined by the victors in this struggle, it is the silenced alternative views that have been labeled "heretical". Ludemann's findings are important as well as liberating for understanding both Christianity and the Bible. Readers will gain a new understanding of Jesus and the early church from this compelling and controversial book.

Heretics: The Other Side of Early Christianity

Westminster John Knox Pr

According to the commonly held view, early Christianity was a time of great harmony, and heresy emerged only at a later stage. To the contrary, Gerd Ludemann argues that the time from the first Christian communities to the end of the second century was defined by struggle by various groups for doctrinal authority. Drawing on a wealth of data, he asserts that the losers in this struggle actually represented Christianity in its more authentic, original form. Orthodoxy has been defined by the victors in this struggle and it is they who subsequently silenced alternative views and labeled them heretical. Ludemann's findings are important as well as liberating for the understanding of both Christianity and the Bible. Readers will gain a new understanding of Jesus and the early church from this compelling and controversial book.

Westminster/John Knox Press

Dissatisfied with what he regarded as evasive answers given by theologians and scholars about the nature of the resurrection of Jesus, Gerd Ludemann subjected the New Testament traditions to a thorough investigation. In particular, Ludemann was concerned with the story of the empty tomb and the subsequent appearance stories first related by Peter. Ludemann reaches surprising and somewhat radical conclusions. This book, written for nonspecialists, presents Ludemann's provocative conclusions. Readers will find a positive, albeit revolutionary, new way of viewing the resurrection.

What Really Happened to Jesus: A Historical Approach to the Resurrection

The Bible is the most widely read and translated book in the world, and its influence is immeasurable. Nonetheless, according to Gerd Ludemann, its use by Christians is highly selective. Ludemann asks, what about those parts of the Bible that contain God's command to exterminate entire peoples or those texts which demonize other faiths? He focuses first on the practice of Holy War and then on the anti-Judaism of New Testament writings. He also tackles the question of how, given this destructive side of Scripture, we can continue to be Christians. In response, he points to the person of Jesus and his example.

The Unholy in Holy Scripture: The Dark Side of the Bible

What historical realities lie behind the birth of Jesus and the description of the Holy Family by the evangelists? In this book, controversial New Testament scholar Gerd Lüdemann investigates all of the references to Jesus' birth and the Holy Family in the writings of the earliest church and rival Jewish sources. He discusses what the New Testament Christmas stories set out to say, reconstructs the traditions used in them, and answers the question of what really happened at Jesus' birth.Anti-Christian polemic stigmatized Jesus as a child born out of wedlock and branded his mother a sinner. The Christian myth of the virgin birth, Professor Ludemann argues, maintains the structures of stigmatization, denying the right of women to sexual and cultural self-determination. Instead of taking Mary seriously as a woman of our time and therefore also taking seriously women in our time, he says, many churches today continue to ignore the often damaging consequences of the myth of Mary for believing men and women.Gerd Lüedemann is Professor of New Testament at the University of Gottingen.

Virgin Birth?: The Real Story of Mary and Her Son Jesus

Trinity Press International

This book is about Gnostic prayers and hymns from the beginning of Christianity. The authors of these hymns and prayers were branded as heretics and thrown out of the church. However, many documents of Gnostic spirituality have survived, sometimes handed down by the polemical reports of the church fathers. These documents have become especially accessible since the spectacular discoveries at Nag Hammadi in 1945.

Janssen, Martina

Worship & Devotion

UNKNO

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Books by Lüdemann, Gerd

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Lüdemann, Gerd. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles: Studies in Chronology

What Really Happened to Jesus

Suppressed Prayers: Gnostic Spirituality in Early Christianity

Great Deception: And What Jesus Really Said and Did

Heretics: The Other Side of Early Christianity

Heretics: The Other Side of Early Christianity

What Really Happened to Jesus: A Historical Approach to the Resurrection

The Unholy in Holy Scripture: The Dark Side of the Bible

Virgin Birth?: The Real Story of Mary and Her Son Jesus

Suppressed Prayers: Gnostic Spirituality in Early Christianity