Book Reviews

David Dungan's

Constantine's Bible

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Summary

Full Review Below
Book Reviewed Our Rating
Title:
Constantine's Bible
Author:
David Dungan
Binding:
Paperback, 224 pages
Publisher:

Fortress: December, 2006
ISBN:
0800637909
List Price:
$17.00
Buy Now For: $11.56
 (30%)
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Review Date:
4 September, 2007
Reviewer:
J. P. Holding
We Recommend This Book

Recommended

Book Description:
"Dungan discusses how the scripture selection process worked, book-by-book, as he examines the criteria used–and not used–to make these decisions. Finally he describes the consequences of the emperor Constantine's tremendous achievement in transforming orthodox, Catholic Christianity into imperial Christianity."

Bookshop Summary:;
Excellent cure for scholarship of the Da Vinci Code sort that makes Constantine into Darth Vader.

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The Emperor Had No Clothes


A Review of David Dungan's Constantine's Bible

by
J. P. Holding
|

There's no need for an extended review here -- Dungan's given us a nice, easy to read look at the role of Constantine in the history of Christianity. Was he the Darth Vader who created Christianity? Far from it -- his role was more like that of an Ann Landers.

Perhaps Constantine's most important act was a passive one. Sources like Dan Brown say he collated the New Testament and essentially determined the canon. Dungan says at most, Constantine put a kibosh on canon development by ordering that 50 copies of the New Testament be made; and once that happened, who would dare add or subtract from what was copied? The thing is, Constantine placed the order but there's no sign he filled out the purchase request. He ordered the copies, not the content.

Beyond this, Dungan offers a primer on the formation of the NT canon; I didn't find a great deal that was new (indeed, nothing to add to our own essay on the canon but the bit on Constantine) but it's still an excellent source, right up there with Metzger and Patzia.

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