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The Triumph of Christianity

From Jesus of Nazareth to the Holy Roman Empire, explore the rise of Christianity.

The Triumph of Christianity is rated 4.7 out of 5 by 63.
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Rated 5 out of 5 by from I have no problem with Jesus but ¿his paternity I have no problem with Jesus but ¿his paternity It is no accident that he is associated with and associated with Women The Importance of the Great Courses is not that they impart information,although they do that, but that they present informed perspectives issuing from much research and thought. If I had thought that my declining years would be as busy as they have been I would have declined sooner, If I had expected that Covid and Arthritis instead of being a confinement would provide horizons as vast and as challenging it would be because I had not known the Great Courses which have proved one of the most seminal and productive years of my life. I could go on, Ehrmann and His courses is a very interesting is a very interesting individual because he has become an agnostic not simply because he has been presented with refutations from other disciplines, although in this course he reveals that he has taken account of issues raised by other discipline but because his own probing of his own discipline and inheritance has been vigilant and diligent. I cannot estimate the importance of his courses in this hectic decline, not because they are trivial because although I disagree with some of his premises it is because of his erudition not despite. The study of Philosophy awoke me, as Kant would say, from his slumbers and that it has done so has obliged me to consider the role of Christ in our Present dispensation. In a review of another course, which people found 'not helpful tried to explain the personal incentives that divided the course of my life. I wanted not to ask Why I came hither , But how, having home hither I could understand what life was about. Not Nihilism nor scepticism but a wish for a constructive explanation of how to cope with the diversity of encounters.. Ehrmann having come to scepticism asks the question and seeks to answer it. How does it come to pass that Jesus Christ from obscure origins has become the focus of the spiritual life of billions of Souls. I do not disagree in essence with his meticulous scholarship, but rather to impart what I made of his course given my own provenance. The provenance of a reviewer is of the essence, and what I have learned from the course is a matter of explanation. This figure has been the Catalyst of a millenniums old quest for intellectual authority for Ethics. It matters not, because we do not know what he taught in any precise terms< we can conjecture and speculate but the sources are too remote from the phenomenon, but this Jesus provided a spur, an incentive for finding a mode of therapy for the questions that can rack the human consciousness and Conscience, and what is interesting is that this spur, this incentive issued not from his intellect but the indelible impact of his personality, the stark cruelty of his death but I think that his Ethics constituted the first Communist Manifesto as preached on the Mount of Olives and that manifesto, his injunctions to love ones neighbour and Enemy have been obscured by the fact that the very word' love' have obfuscated his Meaning just as luther's conviction that the Eucharist was not a commemoration of a gesture at a meal, but an ethical immanence a currency of Spiritual Authority, Philo was the first I think that set out to reconcile classical Philosophy with Judaic Theology and to recognise that he could render the ideas latent in two languages as functions rather than concepts. Ehrmann in his inaugural lecture sets out the processes and the courses that set his mind on this spiritual and emotional tension and stress and he chose to characterise both his quest and the emotional pressure that such a quest entailed. I think we should record our debt that both the quest and the consequences and tr experience form the basis of this very personal course, a Modern Testament . He lays emphasis on Christ's Jewish Identity and it recalls to mind a remark made by Herman Wouk when e responded to two divines talking about the scope for personal advancement in their respective churches and faiths. 'One of our boys was Jesus Christ' I want to narrate once again a seminal moment of my life,..To do so requires that I also explain the circumstances and situation. My Father was German of Jewish antecedents, but a Physicist, and Agnostic and a refugee from Hitler's Germany but I want to link this anecdote with three other moments. I shall explain all four in advance. In the first case my Father, married to an Irish Catholic, was asked 'How a mixed marriage worked' by a friend whose own daughter was intending to marry a West Indian Methodist Minister. His reply remains with me as vividly as on the occasion at that dinner. 'Ours is not a mixed marriage. My wife and I are united Ethically, the rest is flummery, the ceremonial commemoration of a formula of words. One Christmas quite some time later we were to entertain a West Indian who was a sister to my Brother's best Man who was by some quaint function of circumstances a Methodist but a Scientist My Father asked her if she would wish to go to Midnight Mass? I remember the look of delight and joy on her face. I remember My father's words. 'To save you worrying about me sitting in a cold car I shall come in, I shall suspend my disbelief, but I hope it will not spoil your experience'. She assured him that it would not. My Fiance was an Agnostic but apparently an orphan and brought up in an Ursuline s Orphanage. Despite being an agnostic she attended Prime in the local abbey church, because she said it 'Integrated her cognition..' [Her singular degree had been in Physics, Physiology and Psychology ] It gives shape to my day, I love their Faith,.' Her Ph.D in the History of Art concerned a painting of Rembrandt despoiled by a later Artist but she traced its history and the circumstances of its change, but her conclusion was of interest. 'Perhaps Rembrandt would place greater value on this Painting altered as it was, so that although its market price was worthless the painting had so moved the viewer that he had been prompted to alter it, rather than to left it in a private collection being augmented in price but not in worth. The fourth . Encounter was in Russia in which a Russian Colleague was being persuaded not to attend a Reception at the Kremlin with his new bride. Let us not dwell on the reasons but in explaining his reasons the Professor said ' You see Institutions tend to lose sight of the original reason for their creation, The Kremlin's grasp on Communism is as slender as the Vatican's grasp of Christianity. It is power you see, It becomes a matter of corporate solidarity rather than principle This course resonates with me, my experience, my cultural interests, my profession,my love for the woman who, alas, was killed in the line of duty, because she inducted me into French life by iniatrice also into the physical aspects of love but in his inaugural lecture Ehrmann stressed that we should not forget the spiritual life of the individual in the ferment of Reason. If you love the Liberal Humanism, that was the culmination of Christianity, then you understand that 'Personal Ethics' and Aesthtics are at the core of this transformation of a society through the spiritual agency of Christianity and all the creative harvest that have been its cultural fruits. To understand this course, to appreciate this course you have to consider the Ethical, the Aesthetics, the Spiritual life of Faith that Christ engendered in so fa as we know, we have to be involved in the intellectual and spiritual ferment of a religion that independent of what institutions and power have wrought is also the Firmament of lives. The focus of Faith may change in identity, in concept, in language but not I suggest, and as Ehrmann suggests in transcendent function of Identity and conviction. The Ethics and the Aesthetics of Christianity flourish today, if not in the precise terms of the Book, then in the spiritual orientation of Conviction Christ represents a Catalyst in the spiritual focus of divinity, he was the fount of Western Civilisation but it was not doctrines, it was not power, it was not the Articles of the Faith but the passionate attachment of Ethics as a necessity of life and liberty, and how that catalyst operated, what it wrought, what it inspired and prompted is s spectacular as it is beautiful. When Christ said love your enemy it was an Ethical injunction Ehrmann featured in this inaugural lecture ''Dover Beach' by Matthew Arnold,, it was well chosen to announce his theme because Arnold encapsulated in the formula of Christianity what he called 'The Strictness of Conscience of Judaism and the Freedom of consciousness of Hellenism, but as well, as another figure in another Great Courses put it 'Roman Law' as Universal This plait of Culture, of a Civilisation that in the sense of Universal is Catholic not only in Aspiration but as it is articulated In institutions such as the United Nations and the World Health Organisation and as it was articulated by the powers that conducted the Nuremburg Trials. Whether Ethics, Justice and Law are uniquely Christian, but rather that Christianity has impacted on the entire world to create a persuasive image around which the Ethical and the Aesthetic can congregate, is another matter, but Christ, divine or not in paternity, is divine in consequence and Ehrmann's course traces how it happened. That is what my dad said, practised and believed devoutly and Ehrmann's course is currently urgently needed and must be understood if we are to retrieve Civilisation and the planet from the danger of ignorant armies clashing by the night of obscure doctrine and absurd affiliations. I believe that what Luther meant by the Eucharist, was the immanence of the Ethic, not a commemoration of a dinner, but the pervasive convictions on which we premise Life
Date published: 2025-02-01
Rated 3 out of 5 by from Professor is an agnostic atheist While there is some interesting historical context here, it is important to understand that the professor is an agnostic atheist and it is through this lens that he teaches.
Date published: 2024-07-05
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Gap filling Interesting, at times, captivating. The conclusions, by the very essence of the course, were missing some elements that included the influence on our society and culture of other religions and cultures. I realize this was not a course on comparative religions or culture and it simply left me wanting more.
Date published: 2024-01-18
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Excellent course! This is an excellent course for students of religious studies, religious history and Christianity. I learned a lot about Early Christianity. Professor is very knowledgeable on the subject and has a great classroom style delivery for an academic discourse. This is not the only course in Wondrium on history of Christianity, but pretty sure this is one of the best out there! I hope to check out more courses from this professor in future. Thanks!
Date published: 2024-01-14
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Outstanding I found this course outstanding. Prof. Erhman explains the origin and growth of Christianity, not from a tired out devotional aspect but from an historical perspective. His research, qualifications and delivery are difficult to match. Highly recommended.
Date published: 2023-06-02
Rated 4 out of 5 by from Very Educational The lectures were very well researched and explained. I learned from every lecture. The final lecture was an excellent summary of why, in part, we are today living in a divided world.
Date published: 2023-03-05
Rated 5 out of 5 by from A balanced view of "The Triumph of Christianity" This is at least the second course I have taken from Professor Ehrman. I very much enjoy his style of presentation. He does a remarkable job of presenting an even handed view of his subject matter. His lectures on how Christianity ultimately triumphed over paganism and what a remarkable achievement that was are well presented and supported. I learned a great deal from this course, including the two main reasons Christianity did prevail: its evangelical message and its exclusivity. I highly recommend this course.
Date published: 2023-02-18
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Very informative and enjoyable course. A well paced, captivating lecture style which filled in the gaps of my knowledge and understanding of the growth of the Christian church from its beginning. Throughout the 24 lectures a number of the sub topics, ideas etc were revisited and therefore reinforced which I found helpful.
Date published: 2023-02-13
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Overview

In The Triumph of Christianity, you will trace the story of Christianity from its origins in a Jewish outpost of the Roman Empire to its spread throughout the entire Western world. Taught by Dr. Bart. D. Ehrman, these 24 investigative lectures provide new insights into one of the most compelling stories ever recorded.

About

Bart D. Ehrman

After his crucifixion, Jesus' disciples came to believe he'd been raised from the dead and made a divine being. What had seemed like defeat became for them the ultimate cosmic victory.

INSTITUTION

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Bart D. Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He received his MDiv and PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary. He has written or edited more than 30 books, including six New York Times bestsellers: Misquoting Jesus; God’s Problem; Jesus, Interrupted; Forged; How Jesus Became God; and The Triumph of Christianity. He has also received several teaching honors, including the John William Pope Center Spirit of Inquiry Award and the UNC Students’ Undergraduate Teaching Award.

By This Professor

How Jesus Became God
854
The New Testament
854
Lost Christianities: Christian Scriptures and the Battles over Authentication
854
The Triumph of Christianity
854
The Greatest Controversies of Early Christian History
854
The Triumph of Christianity

Trailer

The Christian Conquest of Rome

01: The Christian Conquest of Rome

Your course begins with a broad view of the Christian world. Delve into the scope of Christianity today, and reflect on how it spread from the earliest followers of Jesus to the largest religion in the world. Preview a few theories for Christianity’s success, which you will unpack in the coming lectures.

24 min
Pagan Religions in the Roman World

02: Pagan Religions in the Roman World

To understand the spread of Christianity, you first must understand the world it grew out of. The majority of Romans were “pagan,” a slippery term that generally refers to the many polytheistic religions of the ancient world. Explore the nature of religion and religious practices in the pre-Christian Roman world.

32 min
Judaism in the Roman World

03: Judaism in the Roman World

Not everyone in ancient Rome was a pagan, of course. The Christian faith began as a sect within Judaism. Jesus himself and his early followers were all Jews; so to properly understand Christianity, we must understand Judaism in the Roman world. Delve into ancient Israel to review the beliefs and practices of Jesus’s contemporaries.

35 min
Christianity in the Roman World: An Overview

04: Christianity in the Roman World: An Overview

Christianity’s success stems from its similarities to and differences from other religious practices. Survey the doctrines that separated Christianity from Judaism, including a sense of exclusivity—the belief that one must belong to the Christian community to the exclusion of other religions and cultic practices.

29 min
The Life and Teachings of Jesus

05: The Life and Teachings of Jesus

Go back to the very beginning of Christianity to explore the life of the historical Jesus. Here, you will analyze not only the man and what he preached, but also the Gospels and other sources of information that have transmitted the life of Jesus to us today. Find out what historians can tell us about the real facts of his life.

30 min
The Beginning of Christianity

06: The Beginning of Christianity

Jesus is the wellspring of Christianity, but the Christian religion is built on more than the life of one man. Meet the disciples and discover how their views shifted from an apocalyptic belief that they were in the end times to an understanding of salvation because of Jesus’s sacrifice. Witness the transition from Christ to a Christian movement.

30 min
The Earliest Christian Missions

07: The Earliest Christian Missions

Take a deep dive into the Book of Acts, which is one of the most important texts recounting the spread of Christianity. And meet Paul, who, next to Jesus himself, is arguably the most important figure in the history of Christianity.

29 min
The Conversion of Paul

08: The Conversion of Paul

Continue your study of the Apostle Paul and reflect on his importance to the early Christian movement. After recounting the story of Paul’s conversion, you will review what the historical evidence tells us about the life of Paul. Bart then walks you through Paul’s conclusions about Christianity.

31 min
Paul: The Apostle of the Gentiles

09: Paul: The Apostle of the Gentiles

In this third lesson on the Apostle Paul, you will discover how Paul took his message to the gentiles, whose conversions were instrumental in the triumph of Christianity. Review Paul’s theology as recounted in many of his New Testament letters, including his letters to the Corinthians and the Romans.

30 min
The Christian Mission to the Jews

10: The Christian Mission to the Jews

If Jesus was a Jew, why didn’t most Jews accept him as the Messiah? Instead, why did so many pagans convert? In this lesson, you will dive into the Jewish perspective on Christianity and the Messiah. Consider the nuance between the Jewish and Christian understanding of Jesus.

30 min
Early Christianities

11: Early Christianities

When Christianity spread like wildfire through the Roman world in the 2nd and 3rd centuries of the Common Era, numerous groups considered themselves true followers of Jesus. From “Jewish Christians” to Marcionites to Gnostics, examine the variety of Christian religions in the centuries after Jesus.

27 min
Reasons for Christianity’s Success

12: Reasons for Christianity’s Success

The fundamental question of this course is: How did a group of 20 or so illiterate disciples grow into the largest religion in the Roman world? Two reasons you will explore here are “exclusivity” and “evangelism.” Because one must be a Christian to find salvation, Christians believed it was important to convert as many as possible, and once a person converted, they had to abandon their other religious practices.

29 min
Miraculous Incentives for Conversion

13: Miraculous Incentives for Conversion

How did the early Christians succeed with their evangelism? How did they convince so many people that not only was their faith true, but that others should abandon their religions? Walkthrough several possibilities, including the multitude of alleged conversion-producing miracles.

28 min
The Exponential Growth of the Church

14: The Exponential Growth of the Church

One of the most vexing questions for the rise of Christianity was how quickly it happened. Crunch the numbers to see an exponential explosion of growth over 300 years, in which several million people converted to Christianity. Then consider the political implications of this rapid growth.

26 min
Early Opposition to the Christian Message

15: Early Opposition to the Christian Message

We have numerous stories of Christian persecution by the Roman Empire, but these stories are rife with misunderstandings and misinformation. Here, you will reflect on the political context of Christianity within the Roman world. Using the Book of Acts and other historical texts as your guide, see what it was like to be an early Christian.

28 min
Imperial Persecution of the Early Christians

16: Imperial Persecution of the Early Christians

While there were no empire-wide persecutions of Christians in the 1st and 2nd centuries, Christianity had grown enough by the middle of the 3rd century that it posed an occasional threat to imperial Rome. From Nero to Pliny the Younger, examine the relationship between Roman politics and the growth of Christianity.

26 min
Early Christian Apologists

17: Early Christian Apologists

Shift your attention from physical persecutions of Christians to the verbal jousting that led to popular animosity in the first place. Review some of the intellectual charges against early Christian beliefs, and then learn about the defense of those charges (“apologetics”). Along the way, you will sharpen your understanding of Christian theology.

26 min
Major Imperial Persecutions of Christians

18: Major Imperial Persecutions of Christians

Following the rapid growth of Christianity, major state-sponsored persecutions against Christians began in the middle of the 3rd century, when pagans began converting in droves. Explore Rome’s Crisis of the Third Century, a very bad time indeed, and see how the empire’s troubles played out against the Christians.

28 min
The Conversion of Constantine

19: The Conversion of Constantine

Beyond the work of Paul, the conversion of the Roman emperor Constantine is one of the most significant moments in the history of Christianity. Recount the story of the emperor’s life and what led him to become a committed Christian. Examine several differing accounts of what happened.

26 min
Did Constantine Really Convert?

20: Did Constantine Really Convert?

Though Constantine is widely recognized as the first Christian emperor of Rome, the famous story of his conversion nevertheless has its skeptics among historians today. Did he actually convert, or did he merely adopt the Christian religion as a savvy political move? Take a look at what the historical evidence says about Constantine’s sincerity.

28 min
Constantine’s Interactions with the Church

21: Constantine’s Interactions with the Church

Round out your study of the Roman emperor Constantine, here with a detailed look at his relationship with the church. Find out about the Edict of Milan, which declared Christianity a legal religion, and then examine other controversies of church and state within the Roman Empire.

28 min
Imperial Christianity after Constantine

22: Imperial Christianity after Constantine

Although Constantine did not make Christianity the official state religion, the church nonetheless grew exponentially in the years following his conversion. Trace the last gasps of paganism under the emperor Julian the Apostate, a short-lived ruler whose death cleared the way for Christianity to grow unimpeded.

26 min
The Beginnings of a Christian Roman Empire

23: The Beginnings of a Christian Roman Empire

Following the death of Julian the Apostate, every Roman emperor was Christian. Here, you will find out about the rule of Theodosius and the ongoing battles between Christian apologists and their persecutors. Consider the nature of the state and its relationship to religion. How and when can the state compel its subjects?

26 min
The Triumph of Christianity: Gains and Losses

24: The Triumph of Christianity: Gains and Losses

In this final lecture, you will analyze the winners and losers of Christianity’s triumph, which is not always a triumphalist narrative. What are some of the cultural impacts of Christianity? How did it affect social views and practices? How do historians weigh the victory of Christianity over the Western world?

29 min