How Jesus Became God

This careful book starts where the 'historical Jesus' accounts ends and lays out how this absorbing story continued for centuries. Candid and direct, it unfolds what often seem to be the unnecessarily complicated controversies that divided early Christians in a fair and understandable manner. --Harvey Cox, Hollis Research Professor of Divinity at Harvard Ehrman writes with vigor and clarity, but above all with intellectual honesty. He demystifies a subject on which biblical scholars too often equivocate. Both believers and non-believers can learn much from this book. --John J. Collins, Holmes Professor of Old Testament at Yale Bart Ehrman has made a career of zeroing in on some of the most difficult questions at the intersection of faith and history. --Boston Globe Ehrman writes very personally, especially in the beginning, and this approach draws the reader into a subject that is littered with curves and contradictions... This fascinating discussion will engage--and provoke--a wide audience. --Booklist How did ancient monotheism allow the One God to have a 'son'? Bart Ehrman tells this story, introducing the reader to a Jewish world thick with angels, cosmic powers, and numberless semi-divinities. How Jesus Became God provides a lively overview of Nicea's prequel. --Paula Fredriksen, Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, and author of Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews HOW JESUS BECAME GOD makes the most astonishing and complex topic in the history of Christianity accessible to every reader, and offers a clear and balanced discussion of how various Christians-and non- Christians-see Jesus.--Elaine Pagels, professor of religion at Princeton University and author of The Gnostic Gospels Ehrman's book raises questions that should interest us all... [and] represents a genuine conversation among informed scholars. --Christian Century In this lively and provocative book, Ehrman gives a nuanced and wide-ranging discussion of early Christian Christology. Tracing the developing understanding of Jesus, Ehrman shows his skills as an interpreter of both biblical and nonbiblical texts. This is an important, accessible work by a scholar of the first rank. --Michael Coogan, Harvard Divinity School lecturer and editor of The New Oxford Annotated Bible