A review of the book 'God's Ghostwriters: Enslaved Christians and the Making of the Bible' written by Candida Moss.
Filled with profound revelations for reading and understanding the texts themselves, God’s Ghostwriters written by Candida Moss is a groundbreaking and rigorously researched book about how enslaved people shaped the Bible, and with it all of Christianity. It’s also an intimate portrait of lives not often considered by history, and a reckoning with the motives and methods of the early Christians as they spread their message across the known world.
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Coming up: A review of the book 'God's Ghostwriters: Enslaved Christians and the Making of the Bible' written by Candida Moss.
Namaste Friends. My name is 'Shinil Subramanian Payamal' and you are listening to the Historylogy podcast.
Before I proceed, a full disclosure: This book was bought with my own money and not been provided to me by the author or publisher.
Little bit about the author:
Candida Moss is the Edward Cadbury Professor of Theology at the University of Birmingham, UK and a Research Associate at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University.
Moss graduated from the University of Oxford, received her advanced degrees from Yale University, and was on the faculty of the University of Notre Dame prior to becoming a chaired professor at the University of Birmingham.
She is the award winning author or co-author of seven previous books. She lives in New York.
Let me read a brief description of the book:
The untold story of how enslaved people created, gave meaning to, and spread the message of the New Testament, shaping the very foundations of Christianity in ways both subtle and profound.
For the past two thousand years, Christian tradition has credited the authorship of the New Testament to a select group of men: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Paul. But hidden behind these named and sainted individuals are a huge number of unnamed, enslaved coauthors and collaborators. Their influence on the spread of Christianity, the development of foundational Christian concepts and the making of the Bible was enormous, yet their role has been almost entirely overlooked until now.
Filled with profound revelations for reading and understanding the texts themselves, God’s Ghostwriters is a groundbreaking and rigorously researched book about how enslaved people shaped the Bible, and with it all of Christianity. It’s also an intimate portrait of lives not often considered by history, and a reckoning with the motives and methods of the early Christians as they spread their message across the known world.
Some of things I found interesting in this wonderful book:
1. The author has dedicated an entire chapter for the “Story of Jesus” titled “Rereading the Story of Jesus” which is bound to raise quite a few eyebrows.
QUOTE
In the Gospel of Mark, the earliest of the canonical Gospels, Jesus’ story begins on the banks of the River Jordan. There he appears amid the mass of disillusioned young men who were looking to John the Baptizer for direction and purpose. At this juncture—before descending into the water for baptism—his only identity was that of acolyte. He is otherwise marginal and, in ancient terms, almost nameless.
UNQUOTE
2. In the same chapter mentioned above, the author talks about how Jesus met his end on the cross.
QUOTE
As familiar as crucifixion might seem, the horror of it is lost on modern readers. Crucifixion was engineered to create maximum amount of pain and suffering as a spectacle for others to watch. Among humans (for the Romans sometimes crucified dogs), scourging and crucifixion, the tortures endured by Jesus, were reserved for enslaved people as well as traitors who, through their actions, had fortified the rights of a freeborn person.
UNQUOTE
3. In the “Introduction” section of the book, Ms. Moss has mentioned the following in the last paragraph.
QUOTE
It is not just enslaved work that made the Bible possible: it is enslaved personhood that gave it meaning and brought it to life. Though stories were shared by Jesus’ followers in marketplaces, dining rooms, crossroads, and porticoes, it was the writing of letters and Gospels that allowed the Jesus story to move and grow. At every step in this process—from the inscription of texts, to their movement to other parts of the Mediterranean and beyond, to their copying, and their performance and interpretation in Christian gatherings—enslaved people were present, playing a variety of essential roles in the rise of Christianity. In so doing, they have shaped the world we occupy today. It is time that they move from the margins of the page to its center.
UNQUOTE
Overall, "God's Ghostwriters" is a significant contribution to the fields of biblical studies and history. It challenges us to rethink the origins of our sacred texts and the voices that have shaped them. Moss’s work is an invitation to engage with the Bible in a more nuanced and inclusive way, recognizing the profound impact of those who have historically been sidelined in the story of Christianity. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersections of faith, history, and social justice.
I give this book 4.5/5.
The book is available in Hardcover and Paperback versions and also in Kindle and Audible formats. But at the time of recording this book review, it is not available in Audible format on Audible.in. I have given the respective buy links in the show notes. Please check them out for the latest prices.
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