Early Christians in Disarray
Contemporary LDS Perspectives on the Christian Apostasy
This book takes a fresh look at the apostasy of the early Christian church. Most Latter-day Saint scholars and leaders previously based their understanding of the Christian apostasy on the findings of Protestant scholars who provided a seemingly endless array of evidences of apostasy in Christian history.
Since the classic treatments of this topic were written, many newly discovered manuscripts written during the first Christian centuries have come to light, giving a clearer picture of what the early Christian experience was like. Drawing on this material, LDS scholars today are able to shift the focus of study to the causes of the apostasy rather than the effects.
This volume of essays reports new research by several LDS scholars in different fields. They identify common myths and misconceptions about the apostasy and promote better understanding of when and why the apostasy occurred.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Introduction: What Went Wrong for the Early Christians?
Inheriting the "Great Apostasy": The Evolution of Latter-day Saint Views on the Middle Ages and the Renaissance
A World in Darkness — Early Latter-day Saint Understanding of the Apostasy, 1830–1834
Modern Revelation: A Guide to Research about the Apostasy
The Concept of Apostasy in the New Testament
The Corruption of Scripture in Early Christianity
The Introduction of Philosophy into Early Christianity
Divine Embodiment: The Earliest Christian Understanding of God
The Decline of Covenant in Early Christian Thought
Appendix A: Guide to Important Christian Documents and Writers for the Early Christian Church to the Reformation
Appendix B: Christian Councils
Appendix C: New Testament Evidences and Prophecies of Apostasy in the First-Century Church
Appendix D: Bibliographical Note on Latter-day Saint Writings on the Apostasy
Citation Index
Subject Index
Publication Information
Publication Year: 2005
Language: English
ISBN 13: 978-0934893022
Page Count: 418
Price: $ 19.95
Imprint: Brigham Young University Press