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Early Christians in Disarray: Contemporary LDS Perspectives on the Christian Apostasy

Noel B. Reynolds (Editor), Provo Utah: the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies and Brigham Young University Press, 2005, softbound.

Early Christians in Disarray takes a fresh look at the apostasy of the early Christian church. The strength of the book lies in its use of recent research on manuscripts written during the first few centuries of Christianity.

According to Noel Reynolds, the book's editor, most LDS scholars and leaders previously understood the Christian apostasy based on the findings of Protestant scholars who provided a seemingly endless array of evidences of apostasy in Christian history. The reliance on Protestant writers produced a heavy emphasis in LDS accounts of the apostasy on the late medieval corruption of the Catholic Church-describing it as a time of severe spiritual darkness and intellectual backwardness. Eric Dursteler, one of the contributors to the book, claims there is a lack of support for this emphasis in both the scriptures and in more recent research.

In the 1960s, notable LDS historian Richard L. Bushman observed that religion scholars had become too dependent on Protestant and anti-Catholic writers and challenged them to look afresh. He said that while noting the various changes to the doctrines and ordinances of the early Christian church is helpful, it is not enough because it focuses on the effects rather than the actual causes of the apostasy.

"It is as if you were to approach the aftermath of a car wreck," said Reynolds. "You can conclude from the debris, the twisted metal frame and shattered glass that an accident occurred. But you would not say that the broken and shattered parts caused the accident. Likewise, all the doctrinal changes, the subsequent corruption, and the centuries of religious strife may be good evidence that an apostasy occurred but may not be the cause of the apostasy."
"Since the classic LDS treatments of this topic were written, an enormous amount of new material and new scholarship has been made available," said Reynolds.

Thus, Early Christians in Disarray enables readers to better understand when and why the apostasy actually took place.

The Greek term apostasia, as used in the New Testament, means rebellion or coup in which traditional bonds of loyalty to leadership are rejected. In the Old Testament, apostasy or rebellion against God consisted specifically of the breaking of covenants that men had made with Jehovah. The apostasy, therefore, refers specifically to internal problems and not something imposed from the outside.

Contents:

Noel B. Reynolds, "What Went Wrong for the Early Christians."

Eric R. Dursteler, "Inheriting the "Great Apostasy": The Evolution of Mormon Views on the Middle Ages and the Renaissance"

Richard Bennett, "A World in Darkness": Early Latter-day Saint Understanding of the Apostasy, 1830-1834

John W. Welch, "Modern Revelation: A Guide to Research about the Apostasy"

James E. Faulconer, "The Concept of Apostasy in the New Testament"

John Gee, "The Corruption of Scripture in the Second Century"

D. Graham and J. Siebach, "The Introduction of Philosophy into Early Christianity"

David L. Paulsen, "The Doctrine of Divine Embodiment"

Noel B. Reynolds, "Nature v. History, and the Decline of Covenant in Early Christian Thought"

Appendixes

Barry Bickmore, "Guide to Important Christian Documents and Writers from the Early Church to the Reformation."

Barry Bickmore, "The Christian Councils and their Creeds"

Noel B. Reynolds, "New Testament Evidences of Apostasy in the First-Century Church."

Ryan Christensen, "Bibliographical Note on LDS Writings on the Apostasy."

Index

Noel B. Reynolds is a former executive director of the Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts and Director and Director of the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, Brigham Young University. He is a professor of political science. At BYU he has previously served as the associate academic vice president for undergraduate studies, the associate academic vice president for university education, and chair of the Department of Philosophy. He has contriubuted to and authored numerous articles and books.

Title: Early Christians in Disarray: Contemporary LDS Perspectives on the Christian Apostasy

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