On a time period, say, from the death of Jesus to at least Constantine? (Further would be great!)  Edifies: a book that is not just dry objective history, but written by a man passionate and excited about his subject even if he does not agree with all the moves made? I understand that would make him a Christian (preferably protestant, if that affects the subject matter any; i.e. not giving me the "spiritual geneology" of Popes starting with Peter...) and I'm perfectly fine with that.
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One I enjoyed reading was "Foxes Book of Martyrs." It's a history of people who were martyred for the faith.  It provides some historical context, but most of all it tells personal stories of people who had deep convictions about what it means to be a Christian.
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Hayden, i am a religious studies major and among the things i am looking into right now is contemporary Christmas as compared to biblical Christmas.  it is so hard to know with the Christian bible if ppl mentioned are actually in it b/ of the translations..... as of yet, i have read nothing of Jeannette or Isabelle.\n\n**In its original form i have great respect for Christianity (although i am not Christian), but so many things have been lost and others picked up form diff cultures. the tree and the date are specifically from paganism. the snowman and such (wintery characters) actually originated here in the West. aside from the nativity scene which would be grossly incorrect historically, very little is taken from the bible.\n\n i would urge today's Christians to resume Christmas as it was intended. i think you have a beautiful faith and if you believe it to be from God then changing and adapting should not be necessary. moreover, Hayden may be slightly bold in the way he addresses his topics, but his challenges should only allow true Christians a chance to really learn their bible. It is a shame how much is believed by the majority of Christian ppl that is in fact untrue.\n\npeace and blessings to all\n\nps in response to your question....it was scriptural. and if you find anything interesting or if you'd like to see any of my research feel free to email me.
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The book is fictional so doesnt spread any false rumours about Christianity. Its a fictional story (albeit quite convincingly written)\n\nIf it was a non fiction book though it could cause quite a panic amongst the Christian community.\n\nI feel that the Chistian community are causing their own problems by feeling the need to slate what is, at the end of the day, a fictional story.  Their own insecurities are challenging their faith. Not Dan Browns work
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Thomas Jefferson apparently decided to come back to life after hearing that so many people nowadays are calling him a Christian. Not that I can blame him. I'd want to set the record straight, too.
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Hello, my friend. This book--"Mere Christianity"--and especially this bit about Christ's being either a lunatic or else the Son of God, was instrumental in my opening up to Jesus, simply on account of the fact that I had, for years, "respected" Jesus of Nazareth as a great teacher, ever ignoring the (what I then thought to be) creepier things he was quoted as saying in the Gospels (such as "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Light")...and Lewis, with this very simple and basic observation, blew my cozy little respect for Jesus of Nazareth out of the water.\n\nWhich did something to a door. Meaning, I then had to face the very choice that Lewis proposed in this book. In other words, I was either going to have to open the door all the way (and believe Christ was who he said he is) or else close it (and believe Jesus of Nazareth to be deranged and blasphemous).\n\nUltimately, I would say that I chose to believe that Christ is God's Son, but truly God gave me the knowledge that Christ is his Son (John 6:44)...and perhaps he gave me the gift of faith for the sole reason that I was seeking it.
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Like you the Gospel of Thomas would probably be at the top of the list.  I would add the Gospel of Mary and parts of the book of Epiphanius (specifically book 33 of The Medicine Chest).  I also skimmed the Malleus Maleficarum if that counts.\n\nInteresting Question, I hope you get some more answers.\n\nRegards,\nArmus
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This is what Dan Brown would have you believe, but there is no historical evidence to back him up.   In particular,\n\n1) The Council of Nicea (AD 325) did not even discuss the question of "canon" (that is, what belongs in the Bible)!!   In any case, well before this time there was widespread agreement on which books were accepted  (evidence going back to the early 2nd century).   There is NO evidence of authorities "inserting" or "removing" stuff.\n\n2) Not only did Constantine not foist his own view of the deity of Christ on others,  ALL those at this Council (representing the viewpoing of churches throughout the Roman world) agreed that Jesus was divine!   The only question was precisely how that idea was to be UNDERSTOOD.   \n\nAlso, contrary to various insinuations, the vote was not even close!   The Council of Nicea was almost unanimous in its final statement (two out of over three hundred disagreed... though again, they did NOT disagree that Jesus was divine!)
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Its just a fiction, an ordinary novel.\nThe Truth Of The Matter:\n\nBrown can be challenged in at least two areas: (1) There are things he claims to be historical which, in fact, are not historical at all; and (2) he completely misrepresents biblical history. Let us briefly consider these two points:\n\n(1) There are things Brown claims to be historical which, in fact, are not historical at all. A primary case in point is the Priory of Sion, an organization that is at the very heart of Brown's story, and which, if proven to be based on bogus history, undermines the entire infrastructure of Brown's theory. This organization is said to guard the secret of Jesus' marriage to Mary Magdalene. It is claimed to have been founded in Jerusalem in 1099 by a French King. The organization is believed to be watching over Jesus and Mary's descendants, and waiting for the perfect time to reveal its secret to the world. Because of constant threat of danger from the Roman Catholic Church, the organization has allegedly hidden its message in literature, paintings, and even architecture such that only learned people can decipher the meanings.\n\nBrown makes the following assertion regarding this organization on page one of The Da Vinci Code: "The Priory of Sion—a European secret society founded in 1099—is a real organization. In 1975 Paris's Bibliotheque Nationale discovered parchments known as Les Dossiers Secrets, identifying numerous members of the Priory of Sion, including Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Leonardo da Vinci." The question is: Are these parchments reliable?\n\nAs a backdrop to answering this question, allow me to point out that Brown obtained much of his information on the Priory of Sion from a book entitled Holy Blood, Holy Grail, by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln. In this book we find a dependency on the above–mentioned parchments which allegedly prove that Jesus married Mary Magdalene, had a baby named Sarah, and, following Jesus' death on the cross, Mary relocated to a Jewish community in France. Their descendents were French allegedly royalty.\n\nNow, here is the big problem with all this. These parchments are completely bogus. Historically, in 1953, a Frenchman named Pierre Plantard spent time in jail for fraud. In 1954 he founded a small social club named the Priory of Sion. The purpose of the club was to call for low–income housing in France. The organization dissolved in 1957, but Plantard held on to the name. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Plantard put together a number of bogus documents which "proved" the Jesus–Mary Magdalene theory, with French royalty being their descendants. Plantard claimed that he himself was one of the descendents of this couple.\n\nSome time later, a friend of the French president found himself in legal trouble and Plantard ended up being called to testify in the case. While under oath, the judge asked him about these documents about Jesus and Mary Magdalene, and he admitted he made the whole thing up. An associate of Plantard's also conceded that Plantard made the whole thing up. All this has been thoroughly documented by several French books and a BBC special.2
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Yes I like this... it just sounds more...TRUE somehow. Nobody who currently professes to be a Christian is truly Christ like...we all have our own prejudices, phobias, hatreds.... SINS. We can only aspire to be like Him and therefore Christianism fits the circumstance better. You should call the Pope or something.
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Given the results of the midterm elections, and given the fact that large groups of American evangelical Christians seem to have changed voting patterns and abandoned Republican candidates, I'd nominate David Kuo's book, _Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction_.\n\nIt was on the NY Times Bestseller list the month before the elections, and even folks who don't read much heard about this book, since it got mass media coverage.
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Lanani has eloquently provided the right answer and has earned the points.  That said, I would just like to elaborate a bit further:  Despite "Christian" protestations to the contrary, Catholics, like Baptists, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, etc are ALL Christians.  Despite whatever problems we all may have with the Catholic Church, keep in mind for more than a thousand years they were the Catholics were the ONLY Christians around. If you were Christian, you WERE Catholic.  Nuff said.  \n\nAdditionally, the Catholic Church you love to hate on are the ones who put together the Bible you love to quote from.  THEY picked which gospels went in (there were more than 4 to choose from, you know) and which ones to keep out.  They compile the letters of Paul, and they added in the Revelation of John.  The Catholic Church has picked exactly which words you take literally and choose to live from, every day.  So smarten up.\n\nSecondly, to the two people who said she shouldn't change but he should, um, why is that?  What's with the arbitrary decision making there? Not that either way is right or either way is wrong, that's not for me to say, but how can one be right and one be wrong?\n\nFinally, to all those who ripped on her grammar and spelling, lol.  Some of you did it cleverly and some crudely, but I think you all got your point across.  That's just how it is these days, so chill.\n\nHope this helps--\nJ.
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The pagan Emperor Constantine edited the bible to it's present state in the 4th century and I believe that's when the made the title official.  This is also the time they decided that his birthday is December 25th.  Even the Catholic church agrees that the councils and edits happened.  I am always highly amused by the fact that a pagan ultimately decided what is in the Catholic bible.
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Interesting fiction.\nEntertainment.\nCompletely challenges my religion but I don't care. \nPerhaps a grain of truth.\nThese rumors didnt' just begin with DaVinci Code.\nIt's been ongoing gossip since the crucifiction\nThere must be a grain of truth to it.\nIf not, it's interesting.  \nGet's people interested in discussing religion.  \nI see no problem with Jesus being married and having children. \nWhy would he have not?  \nThe bible completely skips a majority of his life when marrying and having children would be the normal thing to do at the ages skipped.  \nWhy leave those years blank?  \nIs it true?\nWho knows?  Who cares?\nIt's just interesting.  \nNot offensive.
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Well, that would require a 100 page essay to list all the differences, and a major history language.\n\nBoth would be preferred , at least by me, over Roman Orthodox, but I would say Coptic would be closer to what the church was like after Jesus' death/Resurrection.
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The Da Vinci Corrode - An Opinion Piece by Schneb\n\nI am amazed at how gullible people are at believing the so-called "facts" that this book brings up. Out of thin air! 80 gospels written!? And Constantine only chose 4, then corrupted them? First, including all the false gnostic gospels, there was hardly a quarter of that amount. Second, Constantine had nothing to do with the Canon of scripture.\n\nDon Brown states through the main character that it was the council of Nicea that voted to say that Jesus was God--and that it was a "close vote". Yeah, a close vote of 316 to 2. Wow, how close. Funny, though, a few months ago they discovered in Megiddo, the oldest Christian church dating back to the 2nd century. 100 years before the council of Nicea did their "close vote", we see a mosaic dedication that reads, "dedicated to the God Jesus Christ". This belief was confirmed by the 2nd century writings of Ignatius, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Irenius and Clement of Alexandria (again, 100 years before Nicea).\n\nAnd then he has the gall to say there were true gospels in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Man, this guy is delusional. There is not ONE mention of Jesus in ANY of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Yet people are eating this nonsense up.\n\nMary was Jesus' mother, and He told John, while on the cross, to take her into his home and take care of her. Mary Magdalene was there as well. If they were married, Jesus would have provided for her as well. Do you think after the resurrection that Jesus would have known that Mary M. was pregnant with their child? Yet, when He spoke to her, she called Him "teacher", not "husband", and neither spoke of activity in the womb. A little common sense is needed here.\n\nIf you don't want to believe, then say so. But don't base it on ignorant revisionist history like the Da Vinci Code. Looks like the world is all ready for the coming deception...\n\n2 Thessalonians 2:11-12\nFor this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
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what kind of sick f*ck does something like that? for a "born again christian, a compassionate conservative, a uniter - not a divider" he sure seems hell bent on destroying just about everything. but, i guess the idea of the biblical apocalypse might be something he'd like to bring on.
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Question\nI'm trying to find on the Internet information of saint George his birth and death and other important dates through his history can you help please Tracey amas \n\n\nAnswer\nThis answer is posted on behalf of Philip.\nAlmost nothing at all is known about the person who we now call St George. He was a Roman, but we don’t know where in the Empire he came from. Not do we know when he was born. We do know he was probably of noble origins, and that he was put to death on 23 April 303, under orders from the Emperor Diocletian, in Nicomedia. Diocletian ordered a persecution of the Christians . The Roman soldier we now know as St Sebastian was also killed during Diocletian’s persecutions. I would suggest looking online using a search engine, for the search phrase ‘Diocletian persecution Christian’. This will give you much valuable background information about the times that St George lived in, even though it won’t tell you anything much in detail about the man himself.\n\nAnd that is really all that is known about St George.\n\nDuring the Middle Ages a mythology grew up around him, and many stories date from this late time period, but they have nothing much to do with the man as an historical figure. If you are interested in this side of things, then you could do a web search, and put in the search phrase ‘St George mythology’.