Contemporary Christians usually suppose that Christianity is quite congenial to the democratic ideals that are the basis of free, open Western societies. Among these ideals is freedom of religion, which encourages a broad tolerance for different belief systems. Nonetheless, a careful examination of core Christian beliefs and the history of Christianity reveal little tolerance for thinking or acting outside the orthodox Christian tradition. In this enlightening analysis of key New Testament texts, historian of early Christianity Gerd Lüdemann discusses the inherently intolerant attitude that has characterized monotheistic belief systems generally and Christianity in particular. As Lüdemann points out, Christianity evolved within the context of the pluralistic Roman Empire, which generally allowed separate belief systems as long as political allegiance to the Roman state was never questioned. Ironically, Christians inherited their essential intolerance from Judaism, whose first commandment is the expression of a jealous God: "I am the Lord your God.... Thou shalt have no other gods before me." After Christianity became the state religion of Rome, tolerance disappeared and did not reappear on the world stage until the European Enlightenment of the 18th century. Besides the discussion of these issues, Lüdemann presents a textual analysis in five chapters of some of the letters in the New Testament. In each case he translates the letter, presents textual commentary, and demonstrates how the text reflects Christian intolerance of heretics and nonbelievers. In conclusion, Lüdemann suggests that attempts to harmonize Christianity with the democratic ideal of tolerance cannot really work because there is a logical contradiction.

In Jesus After Two Thousand Years, New Testament historian Gerd Ludemann analyzed the four traditional gospels, plus the more recently discovered Gospel of Thomas and apocryphal literature, to ascertain which of the alleged words and actions of Jesus can be judged authentic. Now in this companion volume, Ludemann takes the same historical-critical approach to the Acts of the Apostles. Together these two in-depth studies lay the groundwork for a factually accurate history of primitive Christianity. Although many books have been published on the Acts of the Apostles, Ludemann's work is unique in its emphasis on establishing reliable historical facts. Other scholars have delved into Acts to discover the author's theology and the purpose of his writing. By contrast, Ludemann examines each individual section of Acts to detect whatever tradition may lie behind it. Where possible, he offers a reasoned judgment on the historical value of every event and action described in this early Christian text. For everyone with a desire to know what really happened in the earliest days of the Christian church, this volume is indispensable.

New Testament scholar Gerd Ludemann continues his exploration of the life and teachings of Paul in this groundbreaking monograph, which synthesizes the research of his four previous books on Christianity's leading apostle. As the subtitle of the present work makes clear, Ludemann comes to the conclusion that Paul should be considered not only Christianity's most influential proselytizer but in truth deserves the title of founder of the religion that ostensibly originated with Jesus of Nazareth. Though other scholars have previously made the point that Paul's interpretation of the Christian message actually obscured the original teachings of Jesus, Ludemann goes further. His painstaking historical research shows that Paul created the major tenets of the Christianity we know today and that his theology - an original synthesis of Hebrew and Greek belief systems - differs significantly from what we now know the historical Jesus to have preached.
Based on a life-changing vision of the risen Christ, Paul naturally made his belief in the resurrection of the crucified Jesus the centerpiece of his interpretation of this new religion. But Ludemann contends that however sincerely motivated he was, in the final analysis we must judge Paul's belief as self-deception. Paul never knew Jesus and he had only a passing acquaintance and an often-strained relationship with Jesus' apostles. As a result, he was not in a position to accurately represent Jesus' teachings. Through the accidents of history and his dynamic personality, his evangelizing efforts to the non-Jewish population of the Roman Empire succeeded, whereas the mission of other leading apostles (for example, Peter and James) to a mainly Jewish audience failed. Thus, Paul's version of Christianity, not Jesus', captured the public imagination and eventually became the dominant religion of the West. In another book, Ludemann has called this historical accident The Great Deception. Here he shows that the deception began as self-deception within the deeply conflicted personality of Paul of Tarsus, the former Pharisee and zealous persecutor of the fledgling Christian sect whose dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus transformed him into its greatest promoter.
This brilliant exegesis, based on twenty-five years of research, by a leading New Testament scholar with an unwavering commitment to historical accuracy presents a message rarely heard from any pulpit but one that churches can no longer honestly ignore.

It is widely recognized by New Testament scholars that many of the sayings and actions attributed to Jesus in the gospels cannot be factually traced to him. The gospels, written many decades after the death of Jesus, are composites of hearsay, legends, and theological interpolations, reflecting the hopes and beliefs of the early Christian community more than the actual teachings of the Galilean prophet.
Despite these difficulties, Gerd Ludemann shows in this fascinating analysis of early Christian documents that the tools of historical research can succeed in reaching at least a close approximation of some of the original words and deeds of Jesus. Unique in its comprehensiveness, Jesus After 2000 Years covers the canonical gospels, as well as the more recently discovered Gospel of Thomas and apocryphal Jesus traditions. Ludemann concludes with a short life of Jesus in which he pieces together in narrative form what can be known about Jesus based on the historical evidence. Also included is an index of all authentic sayings and actions of Jesus. For all those with an interest in Christian origins, this volume is an invaluable resource.

Establishes the criteria by which it is possible to distinguish the inauthentic from the authentic sayings and actions of Jesus, and then shows which quotes and deeds can be regarded as factual. This book caused an uproar in Germany and nearly cost the author his job!

Using both canonical and noncanonical primary texts, L demann (history and literature of early Christianity, U. of G ttingen) presents evidence that the resurrection was not a historical event and argues that this conclusion leaves little basis for Christian faith as currently defined. He offers new translations of early Christian texts and evaluat

Die forschungsgeschichtliche Untersuchung behandelt historiographisch und systematisch-theologisch Kontroversen zwischen den Marburger Theologen Rudolf Bultmann und Rudolf Otto zur theologischen Hermeneutik und Exegese. Im Zentrum stehen die unterschiedlichen Analysen der synoptischen Tradition zur Person und zum Wirken Jesu von Nazareth. Auf der Folie neukantischer Referenzmodelle sowie von Fragestellungen der Religionsgeschichtlichen Schule werden die alternativen theologisch-hermeneutischen Modelle beider Theologen aufgezeigt, ebenso die unterschiedlichen Verstandnisse der Person Jesu in dieser Konsequenz. Analysen von Nachlassmaterial, erganzenden Archivalien und einschlagigen Veroeffentlichungen beider Theologen vermitteln ein plastisches Bild ihrer Auseinandersetzung im Zenit des theologischen Umbruchs im beginnenden 20. Jahrhundert und ihre Hintergrunde.

Paul's letters were written before any other Christian texts, even the gospels. And the earliest text of all is `1 Thessalonians'. This new English translation is both intelligible and true to the meaning of the original Greek text. In the accompanying commentary, Ludemann engages critically with the theology of the early Paul, including Paul's virulent attacks on circumcision and other Jewish practices. Readers desiring a more in-depth study will find detailed appendices on Pauline chronology and later letters.

Biblical historians have long held that the New Testament abounds in sayings incorrectly attributed to Jesus. In order to assemble as complete a collection of authentic sayings as possible, they have, for the most part, been intent on seeing how the sayings deemed authentic are connected to one another, and attempting to picture their specific contexts. In What Jesus Didn't Say, Gerd Ludemann flips the coin and focuses on the inauthentic words of Jesus-not only those thought to be clear inventions, but also sayings that exhibit noteworthy alterations to their original form and intent. For his selection, he uses sayings that: are attributed to Jesus after his crucifixion presuppose a pagan rather than a Jewish audience involve situations in a post-Easter community reflect the editorial influence of the author According to Ludemann, the sheer abundance of inauthentic Jesus-sayings demonstrates that, soon after his sudden and dramatic death, he became the centre of a new faith. From the very beginning, Christians imagined what answers Jesus would offer to the questions that arose among them. When the words they recalled no longer seemed adequate, they revised or invented new sayings to suit the existing situation.

This is a critical account of the state-of-the-art of scholarship in earliest Christianity, and where and how it should move forward. It offers an authoritative account of contremporary scholarship and evaluates the work of all major scholars in the field, from Britain, America and around the world, as well as a critical analysis of all the published writings in Early Christianity over the last twenty-five years of the 20th century. The author evaluates all the contributions and defines the most significant areas for future research.

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 Ludemann 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 Luedemann is Professor of New Testament at the University of Gottingen.

The Bible is the most widely translated book in the world, and its influence is immeasurable. Nonetheless, according to Gerd Ludemann, its use by Christians is highly selective.

He asks, "What about those parts of the Bible that contain God's command to exterminate whole peoples or those texts which demonize other faiths?" Ludemann explores these issues, illuminating this "dark side" of the Bible. 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 and, in response, points to the person of Jesus and his example.

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.

Were the resurrection appearances real physical events - or nothing more than grief-induced hallucinations? What does it mean to say, Jesus rose from the dead? Dissatisfied with what he regarded as evasive answers given by theologians and scholars about the nature of the resurrection of Jesus, Gerd Ludemann here subjects the New Testament traditions to a thorough investigation. In particular, Ludemann is concerned with the story of the empty tomb and the subsequent appearance stories first related by Peter. Ludemann's startling and somewhat radical conclusions have created a stir in Europe. This book, written for nonspecialists, presents Ludemann's provocative conclusions. Readers will find a positive, albeit a revolutionary, new way of viewing the resurrection.