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Bart Ehrman, author of the highly popular Truth and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code and Lost Christianities, here takes readers on another engaging tour of the early Christian church, illuminating the lives of three of Jesus' most intriguing followers: Simon Peter, Paul of Tarsus, and Mary Magdalene. What do the writings of the New Testament tell us about each of these key followers of Christ? What legends have sprung up about them in the centuries after their deaths? Was Paul bow-legged and bald? Was Peter crucified upside down? Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute? In this lively work, Ehrman separates fact from fiction, presenting complicated historical issues in a clear and informative way and relating vivid anecdotes culled from the traditions of these three followers. He notes, for instance, that historians are able to say with virtual certainty that Mary, the follower of Jesus, was from the fishing village of Magdala on the shore of the Sea of Galilee (this is confirmed by her name, Mary Magdalene, reported in numerous independent sources); but there is no evidence to suggest that she was a prostitute (this legend can be traced to a sermon preached by Gregory the Great five centuries after her death), and little reason to think that she was married to Jesus. Similarly, there is no historical evidence for the well-known tale that Peter was crucified upside down. Ehrman also argues that the stories of Paul's miracle working powers as an apostle are legendary accounts that celebrate his importance. A serious book but vibrantly written and leavened with many colorful stories, Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene will appeal to anyone curious about the early Christian church and the lives of these important figures.
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Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene: The Followers of Jesus in History and Legend Bart D. Ehrman OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene Also by Bart D. Ehrman Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration, Fourth Edition (with Bruce M. Metzger) Truth and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, Third Edition A Brief Introduction to the New Testament The Apostolic Fathers: Volumes I and II Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew Lost Scriptures: Books That Did Not Make It into the New Testament Christianity and Late Antiquity, 330–450 CE: A Reader (with Andrew Jacobs) The New Testament and Other Early Christian Writings: A Reader, Second Edition Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium After the New Testament: A Reader in Early Christianity The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture: The Effect of Early Christological Controversies on the Text of the New Testament PETER, PAUL, and MARY MAGDALEþE THE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS Iþ HISTORY AþD LEGEþD Bart D. Ehrman 2006 Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Copyright © 2006 by Oxford University Press, Inc. Published by Oxford University Press, Inc., 2006 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, wi