THE TRIUMPH OF CHRISTIANITY

Why did Christianity succeed? Beginning with Jesus’ death in the early first century up through the conversion of Emperor Constantine and its aftermath in the fourth century, Ehrman will answer a question that has both puzzled and fascinated faithful Christians, their detractors, and armchair historians alike. Bart D. Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and is the author of more than twenty books.

Regardless of the lecture topic, audience venue, or media outlet, there is one research question that Ehrman is asked about more than any other: Why did Christianity succeed?

The traditional religious answer proffered by Christians is that this was God’s plan, of course. But this is a faith claim not an historical explanation. As with any great story, the historical reality is both surprising and fascinating. How did a small band of Jesus’ followers—illiterate peasants from the backwaters of the Roman Empire proclaiming that an executed enemy of the state was in fact God’s messiah—eventually destroy the massively influential and ubiquitous pagan religions of their world within 400 years? Why did stories about this particular miracle worker gain followers when such stories were rampant in the ancient world about other teachers and wonder workers? And what was unique about the Christian message that converts found so compelling? Beginning with Jesus’ death in the early first century up through the conversion of Emperor Constantine and its aftermath in the fourth century, Ehrman will answer a question that has both puzzled and fascinated faithful Christians, their detractors, and armchair historians alike.

Bart D. Ehrman is one of the most renowned and controversial Bible scholars in the world today. A master explainer of Christian history, texts, and traditions, his work continues to drive debate among supporters and detractors alike. Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and is the author of more than twenty books, including the New York Times bestselling Misquoting Jesus; God's Problem; Jesus, Interrupted; and Forged. Ehrman has appeared on Dateline NBC, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, CNN, the History Channel, and top NPR programs, and he has been featured in Time, the New York Times, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and more.