April D. DeConick

Fakes, Forgeries, and Fictions

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Are apocryphal Christian texts fakes and forgeries? Were they intentionally written to deceive Christians? Do they contain facts or fictions? Why were they composed? These are old questions that today's experts on apocryphal literature have taken up anew in this edited volume. The answers are as varied as the stories themselves, from intentional fakes meant to deceive like the fragment known as the Gospel of Jesus' Wife, to honest attempts to capture ongoing religious revelation like the Revelation of the Magi. This volume is a valuable contribution to how we understand authorship of ancient Christian texts, whether we define them as fakes or the real deal.”

Marcion

History & Biography

“If you have ever questioned the stories about the violence of God found in the Old Testament, Litwa's reexamination of the early Christian theologian Marcion offers some answers. This book is a much-needed corrective to two thousand years of mistreatment and mischaracterization of Marcion as the archenemy of Christianity when, in fact, Marcion was the original framer of the New Testament as the gospel of the wholly good God. Read on!”

New Testament Apocrypha, vol. 1

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“A treasure trove of early Christian writings dating from the second century onward. Created by Tony Burke and Brent Landau as a supplement to more traditional collections of apocryphal literature, this book contains amazing stories from the Christian imagination about Jesus and other biblical characters whose legends were popular witnesses to the Christian faith in late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Many of the texts introduced and translated here are being made available to us for the first time. A must-have collection.”

New Testament Apocrypha, vol. 3

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“A treasure trove of early Christian writings dating from the second century onward. . . . Many of the texts introduced and translated here are being made available to us for the first time. A must-have collection.”

What Jesus Learned from Women

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Could Jesus really learn anything at all, let alone from women? What a sparkling question! James McGrath reveals to us in a brilliant historical journey that indeed Jesus was a human being who the Scriptures tell us time and again learned from the women in his life. This went beyond the normal socializing of boys by their mothers, to include showing Jesus how structural injustices disadvantage (and even ravage) the poor, the sick, foreigners, and women. Beautifully written to engage our imaginations and to remind us that if Jesus listened and learned from women, well, perhaps modern Christians bent on keeping women submissive and scholars intent to dismiss feminist critique ought to listen to them too.”

Who Do People Say I Am?

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Jesus seen through many eyes, heard through many voices. That is what this terrific book by Vernon Robbins is all about. Robbins sets the more commonly known representations of Jesus in the Bible alongside lesser-well-known portraits of him found in texts like the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary, the Gospel of Judas, and the Acts of John. . . . Robbins's careful attention to historical detail and his accessible style make this the best book available on the subject of Jesus and the Gospels.”