Forgery and counterforgery : the use of literary deceit in early Christian polemics /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:Ehrman, Bart D.
Imprint:Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, ©2014.
Description:x, 628 pages ; 25 cm
Language:English
Subject:
Format: Print Book
URL for this record:http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/13218295
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ISBN:9780199928033
0199928037
Notes:Includes bibliographical references (pages 549-574) and indexes.
committed to retain from JKM Seminaries Library 2023 JKM University of Chicago Library
Summary:A comprehensive study of early Christian pseudepigrapha. Ehrman argues that ancient critics-- pagan, Jewish, and Christian-- understood false authorial claims to be a form of literary deceit, and thus forgeries. Ehrman considers the extent of the phenomenon, assesses the criteria ancient critics applied to expose forgeries and the techniques forgers used to avoid detection. Shining light on an important but overlooked feature of the early Christian world, Ehrman explores the possible motivations of the deceivers who produced these writings, situating their practice within ancient Christian discourses on lying and deceit.