Brent Nongbri

American scholar of early Christianity and ancient manuscripts, known for the books 'Before Religion: A History of a Modern Concept' and 'God’s Library: The Archaeology of the Earliest Christian Manuscripts'; has served as a research professor at MF Norwegian School of Theology in Oslo.

This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.

  1. 1. God's Library

    The Archaeology of the Earliest Christian Manuscripts

    A concise investigation of how the earliest Christian manuscripts were discovered, traded, and studied, revealing how modern collecting practices, incomplete provenance, and the limits of paleographic dating shape narratives about Christian origins. Through case studies of notable papyri and codices, it traces their paths from archaeological contexts and the antiquities market into libraries and museums, clarifying what codicology can and cannot tell us. The book ultimately urges greater transparency, wider date ranges, and methodological caution when using these artifacts to make historical claims.