Lost Christianities: The Battle for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew

Rating:
Summary: A fascinating look at early Christian history
Review: With all the hype that early Christian sects have received due to the popularity of "The DaVinci Code" and other such books, it's nice to read a book that puts it all into perspective. Bart Ehrman does an excellent job of examining current historical evidence with an objective eye and painting an accurate picture of these early Christian groups. As a Christian, I was fascinated by the fact that there were so many disparate viewpoints, such as some Christians' beliefs that there is more than one God, that Jesus was human but not divine, that he was divine but not human, etc. It seems that people at the time were very busy at figuring out the nature of God and Jesus and trying to make sense of it all. What is ironic, though, is that Jesus preached a simple message of love and mercy, and humans had to complicate everything by over thinking things (as usual).

Ehrman presents all sides of the story without siding with either one. In fact, it's hard to decipher his own religious beliefs from reading the book, which means he does a good job of keeping it objective. Readers' reactions to the book will depend on their own personal beliefs. Some may become interested in some of the "lost" Christianities and become angry that they were suppressed and forgotten for so long. Others, like me, will come away from the book with a new perspective on Christianity once it's been placed in its historical context.

The book was obviously written for the masses, and not so much the academic crowd. The text was easy to read and never boring. In fact, I had a hard time putting it down once I started! I was riveted from beginning to end.