Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
After the New Testament: The Writings of the Apostolic Fathers  By  cover art

After the New Testament: The Writings of the Apostolic Fathers

By: Bart D. Ehrman, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Bart D. Ehrman
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $33.90

Buy for $33.90

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

The writings that make up the New Testament stand at the very foundation of Christianity. But while Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and the other books of the New Testament are known to almost everyone, the writings that Christians produced in the decades that followed these earliest compositions remain shrouded in virtual anonymity. Who were the Apostolic Fathers? Why were they given that name? And what windows into the shaping of Christianity's canon, church hierarchy, and creed are opened for us with an understanding of works that include the letters of 1 Clement or Ignatius, the Didache of the Apostles, or the Letter to Diognetus?

These 24 lectures introduce what is considered the most important collection of post-New Testament writings. Although largely unknown and unread, these writings provide a treasure trove of insights into Christianity, and they are crucial to understanding the development of a religion that was shaped largely outside the pages of the New Testament itself.

From the struggle for power and the beginnings of church hierarchy to electrifying 19th-century discoveries, this course is an extremely useful addition to the shelves of anyone who is fascinated by the history of ancient Christianity and its evolution into the dominant religion it is today.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2005 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2005 The Great Courses

What listeners say about After the New Testament: The Writings of the Apostolic Fathers

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    236
  • 4 Stars
    54
  • 3 Stars
    15
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    8
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    213
  • 4 Stars
    46
  • 3 Stars
    13
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    206
  • 4 Stars
    45
  • 3 Stars
    17
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    9

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Wow! VERY disappointed. Was hoping for better

Would you try another book from The Great Courses and/or Professor Bart D. Ehrman?

Yes to the great courses - in fact, I have listened to several and have several more in my wishlist. My reviews of them have been favorable.

No to Ehrman. He is too subjective and far and away too repetitive. His theological, ideological and historical perspectives could have been stated in about half the time, which would make the actual material only take 1/4 of the time recorded.

In other words, he is awfully wrapped up in his own views and his (almost arrogant) take on history the early church and Christianity.

I understand that the church and Christianity was a theological and spiritual evolutionary process. There are certain paths taken that could have gone another direction - so state it once and move on. Not everyone is an impressionable, malleable college freshman who needs to be convinced that Prof. Ehrman's understanding is the only correct one.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Please, Modern scholar - stop this man before he teaches again!

What three words best describe Professor Bart D. Ehrman’s voice?

understandable, tolerable and average

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No - it would make a lousy movie - but the biased take is just fanciful enough to make it as a History Channel 'documentary'

Any additional comments?

Honestly - I cannot recommend this book to Christians, agnostics or atheists. It is so biased toward his 'Historical Jesus' claims that the authority or genuineness of any writings from the Church Fathers cannot come through untarnished.

Overall, I thought this was one of the worst Modern Scholar lectures I have ever listened to and I have listened to a lot from them.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Helpful, biased, informative, broad

I'm impressed with Ehrman's breadth, but his depth is lacking. He manages to give an overview of a vast range of topics, but he often selects narrow possibilities and makes them probabilities and then builds whole theories on them, without properly considering other options or acknowledging the potential flaws in his conclusions. But overall I enjoyed hearing his insights into the writings of the earliest Apostolic fathers and their impact on the development of early Christianity.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Typical Ehrmanish account of the Apostolic Fathers

Would you try another book from The Great Courses and/or Professor Bart D. Ehrman?

Definitely yes. I have tried a few Great Courses and found them to be very interesting and informative. I have read or listened almost all prof. Ehrman's popular books. At this point it feels that a lot of what he teaches is just presented in new packaging.

What aspect of Professor Bart D. Ehrman’s performance would you have changed?

I think he sometimes fall over his words and begins to 'uhm' especially when he says something that might be a bit controversial. It could be that speaking to an imaginative crowd could enhance his uncertainty.

Was After the New Testament: The Writings of the Apostolic Fathers worth the listening time?

Yes, though a lot seems to be ideas that I have come across in some of his other works. I hoped to learn more about the Apostolic Fathers than the brief summaries he would give of each book. That said, there are some very interesting comments and facts that made it worthwhile.

Any additional comments?

While not the best Great Courses lectures series, it is well worth the time to listen to.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Academically sterile and vague treatment of Christianity

As the title of my review states, this treatment of the early Christian church is vague and excludes common acceptances of doctrine and protocol doctrine. For example, he claims that Jesus was a follower of John the Baptist which is why he was baptized and this is just not supported by the Bible nor how any Christian denomination believes that relationship. There are so many statements that go completely against what is commonly believed and every vague statement makes it sound like these are facts and that the beliefs are in error. This is not a good course for a believer who wants a primer on the early church.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Intriguing and engaging

I found this lecture series to be a really helpful guide into early Christianity in terms of development of doctrine, hierarchy, and the rise of orthodoxy. While he may challenge certain people's faith through the lecture, I think the work is in the end a growing experience for both the believer and nonbeliever.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Very interesting topic, professor lacked

In comparison to other Great Courses I have listened to, I think that the Teaching Company could have found someone to do a better job. Not that Prof. Ehrman did a poor job - far from it! But performance was not outstanding, which I understood to be the main objective of the "great" courses.

He is extremely knowledgeable and does a great job of communicating many of the interesting relationships and points of significance in the documents.

However, he came across as very proud; quite puffed up, like so many academics, about himself and his interpretation of the ancient writing, which is so far superior to that of any to come before him. This, to me, took away from the content. Pity.

I may just have an allergy to inflated academics...so take what I say with a grain of salt.

Overall, good job!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Work

Personally it seems in unbiased. Good for people who want to expand on information without limiting history to their emotions and feelings.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I would like my money back if I can't download thi

What did you love best about After the New Testament: The Writings of the Apostolic Fathers?

Who knows??? Audible won't download it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of After the New Testament: The Writings of the Apostolic Fathers?

When will you download it?

Which character – as performed by Professor Bart D. Ehrman – was your favorite?

You should not sell something that can't be downloaded properly

Any additional comments?


Anyone else have this problem???

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome

Incredible book great detail and lots of history that I never knew.
Strengthen my faith.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Title is a slight misnomer

The author knows the Apostolic Fathers., but misunderstands the scholarship on the historical Jesus and dating of New Testament documents. He presents as near fact theories about textual criticism (although he didn't use the term) that were recognized as flawed and dated 30 years ago and builds his dating and theories on top of those. He routinely chooses his own terminology to drive a biased agenda, such as repeatedly claiming orthodoxy means "right opinion" (which is an interpretation of the term, not the definition) before slipping toward the end of the lecture series and calling it "right belief" which is closer but still lacking and slightly inaccurate, as orthodoxy means right worship/doctrine. That is simply one example. I've been pleased with the other two Great Courses I've listened to on theology and Christian history, a subject I teach myself, but this one came up lacking.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful