Sacred Editors

Sacred Editors: Christianity

From the Gospels of Thomas and Mary to the Book of Revelation, this volume traces how a diverse and chaotic swirl of early Christian texts became a single Bible. It explores battles over canon, translation, and authority—revealing how bishops, emperors, and scribes shaped Christian Scripture as much as apostles and martyrs.

Christianity Book Cover

Read the book online below, or purchase a print or Kindle edition:

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction: Framing the Story
  2. Prologue: Who Edits God?
  3. Interlude A: Before the Beginning – Jewish Textual Traditions

    4. Part I: The Battle for the Word

  4. Chapter 1: The Chaos Before the Canon
  5. Chapter 2: The First Cut – Politics at Nicaea
  6. Chapter 3: Canon Wars – Hippo, Carthage, and the Books on the Edge
  7. Chapter 4: Book Burnings and Buried Scrolls
  8. Chapter 5: Before the Bible – A Chorus of Competing Voices (Capstone)

    9. Part II: Translating the Divine

  9. Chapter 6: Misquotes and Mistranslations
  10. Chapter 7: The Vulgate War – Jerome’s Bible
  11. Interlude B: What Islam Preserved
  12. Chapter 8: Tyndale and the Fire
  13. Chapter 9: The Printing Press and the Fight for Standardization
  14. Chapter 10: Locked in Language – The Power and Peril of Translation (Capstone)

    15. Part III: Silenced Voices and Canon Conflicts

  15. Chapter 11: The Missing Gospels and the Women Erased
  16. Interlude C: The Women Lost
  17. Chapter 12: The Editors’ Toolbox
  18. Chapter 13: The Council That Sealed the Deal – Trent
  19. Chapter 14: Canon Closed – At What Cost? (Capstone)

    20. Part IV: Constructed Roots and Living Debates

  20. Chapter 15: The Illusion of Unity
  21. Interlude D: The Other Bibles
  22. Chapter 16: Reclaiming the Fragments
  23. Chapter 17: When the Scrolls Spoke Again
  24. Chapter 18: Canon in Abrahamic Faiths Today
  25. Chapter 19: Interpretation and the Inheriting Eye (Capstone)
  26. Conclusion and Reflection
  27. Research Methodology

    28. Appendices

  28. Appendix A: Timeline of Canon, Councils, and Translation
  29. Appendix B: Global Christian Canons
  30. Appendix C: Lost, Buried, and Banned - A Guide to Non-Canonical Texts
  31. Appendix D: Archaeology and Material Culture
  32. Appendix E: Significant Translations, Authors, and Impact
  33. Appendix F: Brief Biographies of Key Scholars
  34. Appendix G: Scripture in Popular Culture