Bryan M. Litfin

My main critique of this book is similar to the first: There's too much Christian activity for the level of Christian knowledge they have, and there's too little Christian knowledge for the updated setting. In the first it was somewhat believable that this was the first copy of the Old Testament (NT had water damage) and we were rediscovering from scratch. I got the sense the people lived in new developments and ancient ruins were rare, or avoided, or otherwise not relevant normally. Here though, the worldbuilding has been changed. Other countries still have ruins, and many people live in them. Including Rome, where some kind of church has survived. But somehow they can't manage a single copy of the New Testament. (They have additional OTs, which I'd really like to know how they managed. I've never seen an OT for sale. You want me to believe they all had water-damaged NTs attached?) Somehow that's enough for a mature community of Christians. I'm skeptical that the Old Testament is compelling enough all by itself to bring you remarkably close to adequate doctrine and faith. (And I'm pretty sure there was somewhere in the book where it was heavily suggested that it was enough for characters to receive salvation, despite knowing nothing of Jesus.)

Part of this is supposedly explained by demon-controlled bad guys trying to purge Christianity. (There was a New Testament around a generation ago.) It just strains credulity. I hear stories in the real world of POWs becoming Christians because they started to read the Bible pages being used as toilet paper, for goodness sake. I think the author either needed to go much further and destroy almost all traces of the ancient world, or just give up and admit that a decent number of copies of the most-published-book-of-all-time (both testaments!) have made it through.

I generally enjoyed the story, but the worldbuilding context just isn't quite cutting it for me.… (más)

Book Description: "If you’ve ever wondered what happened to the biblical characters after Acts—from the well-known Matthew to the lesser-known Bartholomew—then this book is for you. Join Dr. Bryan Litfin as he guides you through Scripture and other ancient literature to sift fact from fiction, real-life from legend. "

Whew! I wanted to finish one last book for June and I've finished this one with 40 minutes to spare!

I was immediately intrigued by the timeline at the beginning of this book, and once I began to read it, I realized this will make a great study book for the teens during our Bible time.

I had mixed reactions to the different stories in this book. The stories of the four gospel writers didn't really contain a whole lot of new-to-me information. Others, like those of Mary, Thomas, and Paul, were really informative and interesting. The report card at the end of each chapter seemed odd and out of place. Why is the author grading the individuals based on the veracity of rumors about them? It was just a weird addition.

Even with the interesting information offered on several of the figures, I didn't feel there were enough answers given on any of the characters to fit the promise on the back of the book, "Learn what really happened to your favorite characters." Something else that drove me mad is the author's use of weird terms like "Johannine", "Marian", and "Petrine." Nobody talks like that in a book written for the average Joe. Because the rest of the book is written for the average Joe, these "scholarly" adjectives were way out of place.

Overall the information was interesting---but don't get too excited. Aside from a couple assumed exceptions, the book doesn't really give any concrete answers at all.… (más)

I like "what-if" style fiction, and the idea of a future world needing to rediscover Christianity appealed to me. (The romance elements, not so much, but they were fine and didn't get in my way. Kind of sweet actually.) And it did successfully create a world needing to rediscover Christianity, complete with some rather disturbing fake gods, and underpinned by a combo of actual demonic activity and religion-as-political-power. A world just waiting for Christ to reappear.

On that level, this was great. My main critique is that the characters fall for God ("Deu") a little too hard, a little too fast, and a little too perfectly. They're translating one chapter at a time, from the Old Testament only. But they quickly decide God is very forgiving, and interested in your little prayers, and fall into a house church model. I frequently found myself thinking "Yes, you got that right, but you're behaving too Christian" or "How did you get that from just Genesis 1-3 and a couple Psalms (which is all that has been translated so far)?". The author needed to slow down the character development and/or speed up the translation to make it more believable.… (más)

What really happened after Acts?

If you’ve ever wondered what happened to the biblical characters after Acts—from the well-known Matthew to the lesser-known Bartholomew—then this book is for you. Join Dr. Bryan Litfin as he guides you through Scripture and other ancient literature to sift fact from fiction, real-life from legend.

Skillfully researched and clearly written, After Acts is as accurate as it is engaging. Gain a window into the religious milieu of the ancient and medieval church. Unearth artifacts and burial sites. Learn what really happened to your favorite characters and what you should truly remember them for.

Did Paul ever make it to Spain? Was he beheaded in Rome?
Is it true that Peter was crucified upside down?
Was the Virgin Mary really bodily assumed into heaven?

The book of Acts ends at chapter 28. But its characters lived on.

From the Back Cover
What really happened after Acts?

If you’ve ever wondered what happened to the biblical characters after Acts—from the well-known Matthew to the lesser-known Bartholomew—then this book is for you. Join Dr. Bryan Litfin as he guides you through Scripture and other ancient literature to sift fact from fiction, real life from legend.

Skillfully researched and clearly written, After Acts is as accurate as it is engaging. Gain a window into the religious milieu of the ancient and medieval church. Unearth artifacts and burial sites. Learn what really happened to your favorite characters and what you should truly remember them for.

Did Paul ever make it to Spain? Was he beheaded in Rome?
Is it true that Peter was crucified upside down?
Was the Virgin Mary really bodily assumed into heaven?
The book of Acts ends at chapter 28. But its characters lived on.

Contents
Table of Contents:

Introduction
1. Matthew: biblical and post-biblical evidence
2. Mark: biblical and post-biblical evidence
3. Luke: biblical and post-biblical evidence
4. John: biblical and post-biblical evidence
5. Mary: biblical and post-biblical evidence
6. Thomas: biblical and post-biblical evidence
7. James : biblical and post-biblical evidence
8. Other Apostles: a miscellany of other figures, including Timothy, Titus, and Andrew
9. Peter: biblical, post-biblical, and archaeological evidence
10. Paul: biblical, post-biblical, and archaeological evidence
What Do We Actually Know?

Praise for After Acts
"Writing

As always, in non-fiction, including religious non-fiction, I look for an author who has done his research and cited his sources. In this case, I have absolutely no complaints. Every assumption made in the book is thoroughly sourced and readers are pointed towards these sources explicitly, including a short description of how to locate more difficult to find ancient sources. I love a good footnote, too, and this one does not disappoint. The information itself is fascinating, and the writing is superb.

Entertainment Value

Obviously, this is a case where an interest in the subject matter is going to be necessary in order to enjoy the book. Personally, I found the book to be engrossing. Because of my years (and years and years) of Christian education, sometimes I get a bit smug with my knowledge of the Bible. I was pleased to find that there was so much more to be learned from other ancient sources about what happened in the lives of the Apostles after the Bible ends. I also thoroughly enjoyed the background and historical information on the writers of the gospels and how they actually experienced Christ and came to write His story.

Overall

This is a crucial read for anyone with a knowledge of the Bible, but without a firm grasp on church history. It provides information on a level accessible to the general reader, but backed with sources and citations for further study that would benefit a more academically inclined reader as well. I learned so much, which is the highest praise I can give any book, and is especially meaningful when it involves my faith.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy to review!"

Reviewed by Julie Golden, March 18, 2015

"After Acts: Exploring the Lives and Legends of the Apostles by Bryan Liftin is a very enjoyable work. Though scholarly it is written in a tremendously accessible way so that the student as well as the casual reader can both get something from this.

The author chooses those attributed as Gospel and Epistle authors as well as other biblical characters and tries to mind fact and legend, though sometimes not solving and still leaving questions, but offering a satisfying exploration.

One item I liked was the report card at the conclusion of each chapter where a grade from A-F was posted to help determine what is likely a hard fact, and what is mere legend."

Reviewed by Peter Ackerman, Jan 9, 2015

"We all love a good mystery, don’t we? What happened? How did it happen? Why did it happen?

All of those questions and more are addressed in After Acts, Exploring the Lives and Legends of the Apostles by Dr. Bryan M. Litfin.

Over the years, I have heard many versions of the lives of these giants of the early church, but many stories were contradictory and some just didn’t make sense. It’s all very confusing to a layperson, but Dr. Litfin does a masterful job by researching and interpreting all the various writings through the centuries to come to some pretty solid conclusions.
I especially appreciated the “Report Card” at the end of each chapter, listing each tradition or story and then grading each one on its merits. For example, in the chapter on Mark, the author gives an A to the tradition that Mark used Peter’s memories for the gospel that bears his name. But the information that Mark was the first bishop of Alexandria earns a D for lack of solid evidence.

I enjoyed this journey through ancient manuscripts and each explanation of the stories and traditions they represent. This book would be enjoyed by anyone wanting reliable evidence of what happened after Acts.

Moody Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Reviewed by Carol Weeks, Jan 24, 2015… (más)