Explore the growth and expansion of Christianity in its first few centuries with the Ancient Christianity Collection. Survey the historical development of the four Gospels. Examine the important, and often overlooked, role that North Africa played in early Christianity. And read an authoritative account of its development in the Greco-Roman world.
Ancient Christianity Collection (3 vols.)
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Learn more about early church history with Faith of the Early Fathers (3 vols.).
Individual Titles
- The Gospel of the Lord: How the Early Church Wrote the Story of Jesus by Michael F. Bird
- Christianity in Roman Africa: The Development of Practices and Beliefs by J. Patout Burns Jr. and Robin M. Jensen
- The Jesus Movement and Its Expansion: Meaning and Mission by Seán Freyne
The Gospel of the Lord: How the Early Church Wrote the Story of Jesus
- Author: Michael F. Bird
- Publisher: Eerdmans
- Publication Date: 2014
- Pages: 736
In this book, through a distinctive evangelical and critical approach, Michael Bird explores the historical development of the four canonical Gospels. He shows how the memories and faith of the earliest believers formed the Gospel accounts of Jesus that got written and, in turn, how these accounts further shaped the early church.
Bird’s study clarifies the often confusing debates over the origins of the canonical Gospels. Bird navigates recent concerns and research as he builds an informed case for how the early Christ followers wrote and spread the story of Jesus—the story by which they believed they were called to live. The Gospel of the Lord is ideal for students or anyone who wants to know the story behind the four Gospels.
A balanced, comprehensive survey of the critical questions involved in studying the four Gospels.
Studying the Gospels is daunting for the beginner and difficult even for the seasoned scholar. Mike Bird here slices a path through the tangled mess of older hypotheses and offers clear guidelines for the way forward. . . . Everyone will profit enormously from wrestling with the issues presented here in a fresh and compelling manner.
—N.T. Wright, professor of New Testament and early Christianity, St. Andrews University
Carefully researched and engagingly written. . . . Michael Bird asks all the right questions about the New Testament Gospels—what they really are, why they even exist, why these four Gospels and not others—and then provides very sensible answers. Bird shows that the Evangelists tell the stories of Jesus’ life, teaching, and deeds because Christian faith ultimately is about following Jesus. Scholars and students alike will find new and refreshing ideas in this instructive book.
—Craig A. Evans, Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament, Acadia Divinity College
In The Gospel of the Lord Michael Bird treats with acute perception not only the ways in which the early church wrote the story of Jesus but also the ways in which modern scholars have reconstructed those earlier ways. The treatment is wide-ranging, thoroughly documented, evangelical, and eminently fair in its presentation of opposing points of view. Ideal as a required textbook for seminarians and as a compendium for all others engaged in the academic study of Jesus’ life!
—Robert H. Gundry, scholar-in-residence, Westmont College
Well-researched and well-written, this book is a delightful read from beginning to end. It contains both a state-of-the-art discussion of many complex Gospel issues and several creative suggestions for new ways forward. A great resource for studying the Gospels.
—Jonathan T. Pennington, director of research doctoral studies, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Michael F. Bird is lecturer in theology at Ridley Melbourne Mission and Ministry College in Australia. His previous books include Evangelical Theology: A Biblical and Systematic Introduction, Jesus Is the Christ: The Messianic Testimony of the Gospels, and Are You the One Who Is to Come? The Historical Jesus and the Messianic Question.
Using a combination of literary and archaeological evidence, this book portrays the development of Christian practices and doctrine in Roman Africa—contemporary Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco—from the second century through the Arab conquest in the seventh century.
In these pages J. Patout Burns and Robin Jensen—a doubly expert husband-and-wife team—skillfully reconstruct the rituals and practices of Christians in the buildings and spaces where they were performed, with illustrations from the archaeological remains.
What emerges is a rich, unprecedented vista on early Christian life in Roman Africa, including the development and practice of baptism and Eucharist, the election and ordination of leaders, marriage, burial, the great African concern for holiness, and much more.
An in-depth view of the important (and neglected) role of North Africa in early Christianity.
Robin M. Jensen is Luce Chancellor’s Professor of the History of Christian Art and Worship at Vanderbilt Divinity School, Nashville, Tennessee. She is also the author of Understanding Early Christian Art.
J. Patout Burns Jr. is the Edward A. Malloy Professor Emeritus of Catholic Studies at Vanderbilt University Divinity School. His other books include Cyprian the Bishop and War and Its Discontents: Pacifism and Quietism in the Abrahamic Traditions.
An authoritative account of the Jesus movement’s Greco-Roman and Jewish matrix and its development into the second century.
In this book Seán Freyne explores the rise and expansion of early Christianity within the context of the Greco-Roman world—the living, dynamic matrix of Jesus and his followers. In addition to offering fresh insights into Jesus’ Jewish upbringing and the possible impact of Greco-Roman lifestyles on him and his followers, Freyne delves into the mission and expansion of the Jesus movement in Palestine and beyond during the first 100 years of its development.
To give readers a full picture of the context in which the Jesus movement developed, Freyne includes pictures, maps, and timelines throughout the book. Freyne’s interdisciplinary approach, combining historical, archaeological, and literary methods, makes The Jesus Movement and Its Expansion both comprehensive and accessible.
Seán Freyne devoted his life to the study of Galilee and the early Jesus movement in its Galilean context. This book, completed shortly before his death, pulls together the insights of a lifetime. It is distinguished by its grounding in the archaeological realia of ancient Galilee, but it also contains a notable discussion of the sayings tradition and ranges on into the second century. A fitting capstone to a fine scholarly career.
—John J. Collins, Holmes Professor of Old Testament Criticism and Interpretation, Yale Divinity School
The most comprehensive and insightful study of the nature and realm of the Jesus movement that we have today. This volume by Seán Freyne is a must-read for students and scholars of Galilee and the contours of the early Jesus movement. . . . Freyne’s lifetime of scholarly research and learning is on full display in this tour de force.
—J. Andrew Overman, Harry M. Drake Distinguished Professor in the Humanities and Fine Arts, Macalester College
This book culminates a distinguished career studying the historical Jesus in Roman Galilee. Freyne guides readers expertly through the most recent archaeological and literary research in a fascinating and highly readable account that exhibits rare insight into the social and political world of Jesus and his earliest followers. . . . Highly recommended.
—Karen L. King, Hollis Professor of Divinity, Harvard University
The pinnacle of a life’s work, drawing together threads of much previous research to weave a matrix for the ministry of Jesus and the Christian mission into the second century. . . . A very significant final work by Seán Freyne.
—Elaine Wainwright, professor of theology, University of Auckland
Seán Freyne (1935–2013) was professor emeritus of theology at Trinity College, Dublin. His other books include Jesus, a Jewish Galilean: A New Reading of the Jesus Story and Texts, Contexts, and Cultures: Essays on Biblical Topics.
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