Listen free for 30 days
Listen with offer
-
Heresy
- Jesus Christ and the Other Sons of God
- Narrated by: Lalla Ward
- Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
£0.00 for first 30 days
Heresy
Buy Now for £12.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Summary
'Heresy is a brilliant book' - The Times
'Enthralling' - The Sunday Telegraph
‘In the beginning was the Word,’ says the Gospel of John. This sentence – and the words of all four gospels – is central to the teachings of the Christian church and has shaped Western art, literature and language, and the Western mind.
Yet in the years after the death of Christ there was not merely one word, nor any consensus as to who Jesus was or why he had mattered. There were many different Jesuses, among them the aggressive Jesus who scorned his parents and crippled those who opposed him, the Jesus who sold his twin into slavery and the Jesus who had someone crucified in his stead.
Moreover, in the early years of the first millennium there were many other saviours, many sons of gods who healed the sick and cured the lame. But as Christianity spread, they were pronounced unacceptable – even heretical – and they faded from view.
Now, in Heresy, Catherine Nixey tells their extraordinary story, one of contingency, chance and plurality. It is a story about what might have been.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
Listeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
How on earth could an ancient Greek word meaning 'choice' come to be used exclusively negatively to mean heresy? Catherine Nixey, expert in the darkening age of Late Antique religiosity, has all the answers, brilliantly resurrecting a teeming plurality of non-canonical, non-orthodox, and above all allegedly non-Christian ideas and practices with cool intellectual clarity and vivid literary skill. (Paul Cartledge, author of The Spartans and Thermopylae)
What listeners say about Heresy
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Susan
- 16-06-24
A Fascinating Expanded view of Early Christian History
This was an eye opening account of the world of early Christianity. It told stories of other christionities and explored the suppression of heresy.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- AmazonCustomer
- 13-03-24
Fascinating Historical Look at Biblical Evolution
Very informative and interesting learning the historical background to Christendom evolving as we understand/taught today especially all the stories left out of traditional church on Sunday school! Found the narration clear and just as good as previous book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- MikeM
- 31-03-24
Fascinating and eye opening
A complex historical narrative, well structured and with excellent narration, comprehensively reframing the early history of the orthodox Christian church.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gerri Harris
- 10-08-24
fascinating details and stories
the author makes it clear she is writing a historical work... not theological. she makes no judgement although she can't resit some verbal "raised eyebrows" which add to the fun. Brilliant .
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Eva Davison
- 04-06-24
very informative
It was very interesting to find out how the early Christians picked and chose which pieces of the gospels they wanted as the bible. Also distressing to hear of the treatment that the heretics received. Some of the content was I already was aware of but a good deal was new to me.
I enjoyed the content more than the delivery. The narrator's voice was a little too " Women's Hour" for me. Overall a good listen.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jen
- 28-10-24
Thought provoking
Having had a Christian upbringing and since rejected those ideas, I found this book enlightening, vindicating and, particularly some of the ideas about the Virgin Mary, mildly shocking. It vindicated my sense that the very rigid ideas that have shaped English history and society were not inevitable as it is tempting to think “what if”.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alex
- 08-04-24
Excellent book!
Really enjoyed the full content. Such an engaging way to tell the story. If only more history books were written with such passion! I very much loved the subtle dark humour infused throughout.. Each chapter had me gasping for more info. Also the narrator is Outstanding, it makes the narrative even more colourful and immersive. There's something quite special in her tone of voice, her texture, inflections and intonation. Exemplary in every way. There's a beauty in the English language when read and delivered properly. And those dramatic overtones she adds are a complete delight. By the way, she is also narrator for this book's companion The Darkening Age. I devoured both books in just one week!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 13-05-24
Clarity of writing
The historical perspective devoid of cynicism. It might seem heretical to even read this book it it offers a wider perspective and one that many Christians would benefit from.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall2 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rory I. C. Bremner
- 08-03-24
Fascinating history totally ruined by the narrator.
I was fascinated by this book but simply couldn’t get past the depressing pathos of the narrator. It is a shame such good a good book has been so spoilt.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- KK
- 12-03-24
Poor choice of narrator
I found the reading style rather staccato and unrelaxing. Sentences broken in a weird place. Would have preferred a deeper voice
She pronounces Don Quixote as “Don kwikxot” fgs
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful