Reading List
The Pals often mention books that are neat and also good and sometimes show up on the show. Sometimes, more stuff comes up in the Discord, too.
| Title | Author(s) | About |
|---|---|---|
| The Complete Gospels: Annotated Scholar's Version | Robert J. Miller, ed | The Complete Gospels includes all twenty of the known gospels from the early Christian era, clearly presented for the scholar, student and general reader alike. The new Scholars Version translation captures the full spirit and vitality of the original texts.
This gospel picture of early traditions and Christian origins gives the reader a fresh and exciting glimpse into the world of Jesus and his followers. Informative and highly-readable introductions, essays, notes, and annotations make this work a remarkably comprehensive one-volume library of all gospel texts. |
| New Testament Apocrypha: More Noncanonical Scriptures | Tony Burke, ed and Brent Landau, ed | Compilation of little-known and never-before-published apocryphal Christian texts in English translation
This anthology of ancient nonbiblical Christian literature presents informed introductions to and readable translations of a wide range of little-known apocryphal texts, most of which have never before been translated into any modern language. An introduction to the volume as a whole addresses the most significant features of the writings included and contextualizes them within the contemporary study of the Christian Apocrypha. The body of the book comprises thirty texts that have been carefully introduced, copiously annotated, and translated into English by eminent scholars. With dates of composition ranging from the second century CE to early in the second millennium, these fascinating texts provide a more complete picture of Christian thought and expression than canonical texts alone can offer. |
| New Testament Apocrypha: More Noncanonical Scriptures (Volume 2) | Tony Burke, ed | A compilation of apocryphal Christian texts, many translated into English for the first time, with comprehensive introductions.
This second volume of New Testament Apocrypha continues the work of the first by making available to English readers more apocryphal texts. Twenty-nine texts are featured, including The Adoration of the Magi and The Life of Mary Magdalene, each carefully introduced, copiously annotated, and translated into English by eminent scholars. These fascinating texts provide insights into the beliefs, expressions, and practices of a range of Christian communities from the early centuries through late antiquity and into the medieval period. |
| Old Testament Pseudepigrapha: More Noncanonical Scriptures | (contributors) | This work stands among the most important publications in biblical studies over the past twenty-five years. Richard Bauckham, James Davila, and Alexander Panayotov’s new two-volume collection of Old Testament pseudepigrapha contains many previously unpublished and newly translated texts, complementing James Charlesworth’s Old Testament Pseudepigrapha and other earlier collections.
Including virtually all known surviving pseudepigrapha written before the rise of Islam, this volume, among other things, presents the sacred legends and spiritual reflections of numerous long-dead authors whose works were lost, neglected, or suppressed for many centuries. Excellent English translations along with authoritative yet accessible introductions bring those ancient documents to life for readers today. |
Dan McClellan's Recommendations
| Title | Author(s) |
|---|---|
| A History of the Bible | John Barton |
| Introduction to the Hebrew Bible | John J. Collins |
| The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings | Bart Ehrman |
| God: An Anatomy | Francesca Stavrakopoulou |
| The Bible With and Without Jesus | Amy-Jill Levine & Marc Zvi Brettler |
Anne Theriault's Recommendations
| Title | Author(s) |
|---|---|
| Jesus Wars | Philip Jenkins |
| Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy | John Julius Norwich |
| The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus | Amy-Jill Levine |
| Gender-Play in the Hebrew Bible | Amy Kalmanofsky |
| Dancing Girls, Loose Ladies, and Women of the Cloth: The Women in Jesus' Life | F. Scott Spencer |
Tony Burke's Recommendations
- Tony Burke, ed. (with Brent Landau, 2017). New Testament Apocrypha: More Noncanonical Scriptures. 3 vols. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2017–2023 (with contributions from Janet Spittler and others). (vol 1, vol 2, vol 3)
- Tony Burke. Secret Scriptures Revealed. A New Introduction to the Christian Apocrypha. London: SPCK and Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2013.
- Bart Ehrman. Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
- Andrew Gregory and Christopher Tuckett, eds. The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Apocrypha. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015.
- Brandon Hawk. Apocrypha for Beginners: A Guide to Understanding and Exploring Scriptures Beyond the Bible. New York: Rockridge Press, 2021.
- Philip Jenkins. The Many Faces of Christ: The Thousand-Year Story of the Survival and Influence of the Lost Gospels. New York: Basic Books, 2015.
