Quillette Podcast Ancient Christianities: The First 500 Years
Nov 13, 2025
In this engaging discussion, biblical scholar Paula Fredriksen delves into her book on early Christianities, highlighting the rich theological diversity before the fourth century's Nicene Christianity. She reveals the complexities of reconstructing early heresies from competing narratives. Fredriksen discusses the groundbreaking Nag Hammadi discovery and its impact on understanding suppressed voices. The conversation also touches on the gradual separation of Christianity from Judaism and the philosophical debates surrounding the nature of God in early Christian thought.
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Plural Origins Of Christianity
- The surviving story of Christianity is shaped by fourth-century choices and imperial patronage.
- Paula Fredriksen argues there never was a single Christianity but multiple competing forms.
Heresy Known Through Its Accusers
- Most knowledge of early heresies comes from hostile denunciations by later church fathers.
- The Nag Hammadi discovery (1948) let scholars hear some suppressed voices directly.
Parallel Discoveries Reveal Diversity
- The Nag Hammadi finds are analogous to the Dead Sea Scrolls in revealing suppressed diversity.
- Late Second Temple Judaism and Christianity both display intense internal variety.
