I read the Da Vinci COde and thoroughly enjoyed it as did the author however this short book taught me far more about early Christianity then did Brown's best seller. The author managed to do this without disparaging Dan Brown's novel (which is a great read). He explains some fascinating facts about Jesus, ary Magdalene and Constantine and their roles in the formation of modern Christianity. This book is a must read for anyone who has read Dan Brown's book (and who hasn't) ( )

Like other works of Ehrman's I've looked into, places undue authority in the canonical Gospels as historical sources in the modern sense. In addition, here he dismisses arguments from silence vs Jewish social norm with reference to the absolute apocalypticism, cf Essenes [155-7]. Cit. Paul 157-8.Likewise, he dismisses the feminist view of Jesus’ subversion of social structure, and Schussler-Fiorenza specifically, with the absoluteness of Jesus’ apocalypticism. [151] But just a little farther on, Ehrman acknowledges that, while "the leaders of the original Christian community in Jerusalem appear to have been the core members of [Jesus'] (male) apostolic band. [165],” "[t]he apostolic band was evidently larger and more inclusive than the list of twelve men most people know about.” 1Cor. 11:4–6; Phil. 4:2. [167] Gal. 3:28 [168] contra 1Cor. 11:2–16 [169] Not that I was ready to believe Dan Brown, but neither do I just roll over for Ehrman's assertions.

"From the best-selling author of Lost Christianities and Lost Scriptures – An insightful and entertaining look at the truth behind one of the biggest blockbusters in recent publishing history.
“How much truth is there The Da Vinci Code? In some ways the question is raised by The Da Vinci Code itself, as it begins (on p.1 before the Prologue) with a list of items that it labels “FACT”, including.... the claim: “All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.”
But are they? I will not be dealing with art, architecture, or rituals. But I will be dealing with “documents.” And as we will see, even when Dan Brown strives to present facts (and indicates that he is providing facts accurately), he has played with the “facts”, so that many of them are, in actual fact, part of his fiction. It is the goal of my discussion to separate the fact from the fiction, the historical realities from the flights of fantasy, for anyone interested in knowing about the historical beginnings of Christianity, especially in the life of Jesus and the writings that make up the New Testament.”
-- From the Introduction"

Having read a lot of ancient history, particularly early Christian history, most friends and family, after reading The Da Vinci Code, inevitably ask me how much of it is true. I always refer them to this book. Ehrman is eminently rational and respectful in his critique. He doesn't slam Dan Brown, he simply points out where his claims are historically accurate and where they are way off base.

Not only is this an excellent assessment of the book, it is an amazingly accessible and interesting distillation of New Testament scholarship. Ehrman offers a brief history of Charlemagne and the Council of Nicea, discussions of many non-canonical gospels, and most importantly insight into how professional historians view and assess ancient texts as historical documents. This is the kind of information that EVERY member of the Christian religion should know, but most don't. ( )

The reason this has the tag of alternative is simplyh sloth on my part - so a search of my library will find books also *connected* to the genre.

Ehrman provides a sensible, rational and scholarly look at some of the claims made by Brown et al.

I've been looking to read a book that will give me the truths that I knew were missing from Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. I was cautious, though, as a lot of books out there have been written to back up Mr. Brown's claims.
Earlier this year, I read Bart D. Ehrman's other book, "Lost Christianities". I knew, from reading that book, that this author is a Historian and a Christian. So, upon finding this book, I was thrilled, as I knew I could trust this author to give me the *real* facts!
And, I wasn't disappointed.
A lot of this book is a repetition of what Mr. Ehrman had written in "Lost Christianities", but it is still very good. He debunks Mr. Brown's false claims and gives you the history to back up what he's saying.
Highly recommended. ( )

A really great answer to The DaVinci Code - not a religiously based answer, but one based on historical evidence. If the author is Christian or nonChristian, it is never revealed, but he does enlighten his readers on specifically the questions posed and the claimed "truths" in the popular fiction book. In short, I would take anything Dan Brown writes with a huge bag of salt, and despite his disclaimer that all the works of art, architechture, documents, etc are real and as he describes them, I would not trust one letter of it unless it was indpendantly verified. I would not believe his description of The Mona Lisa unless it jived with another independant source.

The book also serves as a great introduction to early Christianity during Jesus's time through Constantine. ( )