The Heresy of Orthodoxy

Evaluating historical evidence, this book defends earlyChristian orthodoxy from the legacy of New Testament criticism: themodern "orthodoxy of diversity."Beginning with Walter Bauer in 1934, thedenial of clear orthodoxy in early Christianity has shaped andlargely defined modern New Testament criticism, recently given newlife through the work of spokesmen like Bart Ehrman. Spreading fromacademia into mainstream media, the suggestion that diversity ofdoctrine in the early church led to many competing orthodoxies isindicative of today's postmodern relativism. AuthorsKostenberger and Kruger engage Ehrman and others in thispolemic against a dogged adherence to popular ideals ofdiversity.Kostenberger and Kruger's accessible andcareful scholarship not only counters the "Bauer Thesis" using itsown terms, but also engages overlooked evidence from the NewTestament. Their conclusions are drawn from analysis of theevidence of unity in the New Testament, the formation and closingof the canon, and the methodology and integrity of the recordingand distribution of religious texts within the early church.