Evaluating historical evidence, this book defends early Christian orthodoxy from the legacy of New Testament criticism: the modern 'orthodoxy of diversity'.
Beginning with Walter Bauer in 1934, the denial of clear orthodoxy in early Christianity has shaped and largely defined modern New Testament criticism, recently given new life through the work of spokesmen like Bart Ehrman. Spreading from academia into mainstream media, the suggestion that diversity of doctrine in the early church led to many competing orthodoxies is indicative of today's postmodern relativism. Authors KAstenberger and Kruger engage Ehrman and others in this polemic against a dogged adherence to popular ideals of diversity.
KAstenberger and Kruger's accessible and careful scholarship not only counters the 'Bauer Thesis' using its own terms, but also engages overlooked evidence from the New Testament. Their conclusions are drawn from analysis of the evidence of unity in the New Testament, the formation and closing of the canon, and the methodology and integrity of the recording and distribution of religious texts within the early church.
- ISBN10 1844744469
- ISBN13 9781844744466
- Publish Date 16 July 2010 (first published 9 June 2010)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 3 August 2021
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher SPCK Publishing
- Imprint Apollos
- Format Paperback
- Pages 224
- Language English