Nicholas Perrin
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Perrin is a scholar of New Testament
and early Christianity
. He is currently Associate Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College
, Illinois
. Perrin is an expert regarding the Gospel of Thomas
and is proponent of the theory that Thomas is dependent on Tatian's
Diatessaron
.
In addition to his scholarly work on Christian origins and the Gnostic Gospels
, Perrin has authored a number of popular lay introductions to works such as the Gospel of Judas
and Gospel of Thomas
. In 2007 Lost in Transmission was published as a response to Bart Ehrman's popular Misquoting Jesus
dealing with issues of textual criticism
of the New Testament.
Perrin has presented papers to a number of academic societies including the Society of Biblical Literature
and Evangelical Theological Society
. In 2008 Perrin delivered a public lecture on the historical Jesus
at the University of Georgia
.
Popular
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
and early Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. He is currently Associate Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College
Wheaton College (Illinois)
Wheaton College is a private, evangelical Protestant liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago in the United States...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. Perrin is an expert regarding the Gospel of Thomas
Gospel of Thomas
The Gospel According to Thomas, commonly shortened to the Gospel of Thomas, is a well preserved early Christian, non-canonical sayings-gospel discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in December 1945, in one of a group of books known as the Nag Hammadi library...
and is proponent of the theory that Thomas is dependent on Tatian's
Tatian
Tatian the Assyrian was an Assyrian early Christian writer and theologian of the 2nd century.Tatian's most influential work is the Diatessaron, a Biblical paraphrase, or "harmony", of the four gospels that became the standard text of the four gospels in the Syriac-speaking churches until the...
Diatessaron
Diatessaron
The Diatessaron is the most prominent Gospel harmony created by Tatian, an early Christian apologist and ascetic. The term "diatessaron" is from Middle English by way of Latin, diatessarōn , and ultimately Greek, διὰ τεσσάρων The Diatessaron (c 160 - 175) is the most prominent Gospel harmony...
.
In addition to his scholarly work on Christian origins and the Gnostic Gospels
Gnostic Gospels
The Gnostic Gospels are a collection of about fifty-two texts supposedly based upon the ancient wisdom teachings of several prophets and spiritual leaders including Jesus, written from the 2nd to the 4th century AD. These gospels are not part of the standard Biblical canon of any major Christian...
, Perrin has authored a number of popular lay introductions to works such as the Gospel of Judas
Gospel of Judas
The Gospel of Judas is a Gnostic gospel that purportedly documents conversations between the Disciple Judas Iscariot and Jesus Christ.It is believed to have been written by Gnostic followers of Jesus, rather than by Judas himself, and probably dates from no earlier than the 2nd century, since it...
and Gospel of Thomas
Gospel of Thomas
The Gospel According to Thomas, commonly shortened to the Gospel of Thomas, is a well preserved early Christian, non-canonical sayings-gospel discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in December 1945, in one of a group of books known as the Nag Hammadi library...
. In 2007 Lost in Transmission was published as a response to Bart Ehrman's popular Misquoting Jesus
Misquoting Jesus
Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why is a book by Bart D. Ehrman, a New Testament scholar at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The book introduces lay readers to the field of textual criticism of the Bible. Ehrman discusses a number of textual variants that...
dealing with issues of textual criticism
Textual criticism
Textual criticism is a branch of literary criticism that is concerned with the identification and removal of transcription errors in the texts of manuscripts...
of the New Testament.
Perrin has presented papers to a number of academic societies including the Society of Biblical Literature
Society of Biblical Literature
The Society of Biblical Literature, founded 1880, is a constituent society of the American Council of Learned Societies , with the stated mission to "Foster Biblical Scholarship"...
and Evangelical Theological Society
Evangelical Theological Society
The Evangelical Theological Society is a professional society of Biblical scholars, educators, pastors, and students with the stated purpose of serving Jesus and his church by advancing evangelical scholarship. It was established in 1949 in Cincinnati. The number of members in 2005 was over 4,200...
. In 2008 Perrin delivered a public lecture on the historical Jesus
Historical Jesus
The term historical Jesus refers to scholarly reconstructions of the 1st-century figure Jesus of Nazareth. These reconstructions are based upon historical methods including critical analysis of gospel texts as the primary source for his biography, along with consideration of the historical and...
at the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
.
Selected works
Academic Works- "Recent Trends in Gospel of Thomas Research (1991-2006): Part I, The Historical Jesus and the Synoptic Gospels" in Currents in Biblical Research. 2007; 5: 183-206
- Questioning Q (Mark GoodacreMark GoodacreMark Goodacre is a New Testament scholar and Professor at Duke University's Department of Religion. He has written extensively on the Synoptic Problem; that is, the origins of the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke...
and Nicholas Perrin, eds.; Downers Grove , Ill. : InterVarsity; London : SPCK, 2004). - Thomas and Tatian: The Relationship between the Gospel of Thomas and the Diatessaron (Academia Biblica 5; Atlanta : Society of Biblical Literature; Leiden : Brill, 2002).
Popular
- Lost in Transmission: What We Can Know about the Words of Jesus (Nashville: Thomas Nelson: 2007)
- Thomas: The Other Gospel (London, SPCK; Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox: 2007).
- The Judas Gospel(Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006)
- “No Other Gospel,” in Christian History and Biography 96 (2007), 27-30.
External links
- Faculty Page
- http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/AuthorDetail.asp?CreatorID=3328&name=Nicholas_PerrinBiography at Thomas NelsonThomas Nelson-American public officials:*Thomas Nelson, Jr. , American Revolutionary War leader; signer of Declaration of Independence; governor of Virginia...
Publishers] - An Interview with Nicholas Perrin on the Gospel of Thomas (1 of 3)