Bock takes you on a tour of the new claims as well as the controversial writings, examining their origins and comparing them with traditional sources.

Does salvation include the physical body or just the soul?ĭarrell L.Did Judas betray Jesus because of evil intent or a request by Jesus?.Is orthodoxy a by-product of third-century or fourth-century theologians?.Is Jesus truly a divine Savior or just a teacher of wisdom?.Now revolutionary questions about the Christian faith are being raised as a result of these findings: Much of the controversy stems from a library of ancient texts found at Nag Hammadi, Egypt. Perhaps you've heard the recent buzz about 'alternative Christianities' and 'new gospels.' Speculations have shown up in magazines, documentaries, popular fiction, and even on the big screen. A thorough refutation of Walter Bauer and the 'new school of early church interpretation' answers many questions raised by these deconstructionists, and Bock does this all with the skill necessary to make the text accessible to those without familiarity of the Gnostic teachings he often refers to. Many Gnostic texts are illuminated by short in-text vignettes describing their content, impact and provenance, along with longer articles bringing out the true content of these often heretical writings. Bock cuts those strings to set the reader free from theological baggage, pop Christianity and secular reporting of stories that are supposed to shake Christianity to its core.īy contrasting scripture and writings from the early church fathers with gnostic writings, the author delineates what early Christianity looked like, what Gnosticism is, and theories of where it came from. Big-name revisionist historians such as Elaine Pagels, Bart Ehrman and Marcus Borg sell thousands of copies of their books by pulling the subtle strings of doubt many uninformed Christians still have attached to their faith. Darrell Bock turns his literary guns on the new textual criticism cropping up surrounding early Christianity and it's contemporary ideological competitors.

The Missing Gospels by Darrell L. Bock