The Birth of Christianity: The First Twenty Years
Overview
Contrary to several popular works of Christian scholarship, historian Paul Barnett maintains that the first two decades of Christian history are hardly “lost years.” As he shows in this penetrating book, the period between Jesus and the earliest Christian texts is open to historical investigation, and he richly details the time and setting in which the church was born.
Writing with accessible style, Barnett provides an informative, chronology of the years immediately following Jesus’ crucifixion. He presents the historical sources, biblical clues, and other telling evidence that we have for accurately documenting this crucial period of time. Looking more widely, Barnett also surveys world events during Christianity’s first 20 years and notes their impact on life in the early church.
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- Surveys world events during Christianity’s first 20 years
- Discusses the period between Jesus and the earliest Christian texts
- Provides an informative, chronology of the years immediately following Jesus’ crucifixion
- Early Christianity and the Study of History
- Time Borders and Christology
- World History and Christian History
- Mission to Greece: Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians
- Between Jesus and Paul (1): Paul’s Window (Galatians 1)
- Between Jesus and Paul (2): Luke’s Window (Acts 1–9)
- “Christians” in Antioch
- Earliest “Teaching”: The Influence of Peter
- Into the Land of Israel (a.d. 34-39)
- Between Jesus and Gospel Text
- A Collection Called “Q”
- Primary Gospel 1: Mark
- Primary Gospel 2: John
- Final Reflection: What Cannot Be Denied
Top Highlights
“From this we draw a significant conclusion, that Paul’s christology was well formed by the time his letters began appearing. This drives the formation of his christology back into the forties or, as we shall argue, earlier still into the thirties. Indeed, it is our thesis that Paul did not formulate the key elements of his christology but ‘received’ them from his predecessors.” (Page 2)
“My thesis is that the birth of Christianity and the birth of christology are inseparable, both as to time and essence. Christianity is christology. Certainly NT churches grew out of christological preaching and were characterized by christological worship. In time the texts of the NT would arise from christological conviction. Attempts to explain the rise of Christianity by sociological or psychological grounds are doomed to failure. Christ, or should we say christological conviction, was the engine that drove early Christianity.” (Page 8)
“Accordingly, the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth is to be dated to the Passover of 33.10” (Page 25)
“The boundaries for our study are, on the far side, the crucifixion of Jesus (dated to 33 [or 30]) and, on this side, Paul’s early westward missions (dated to ca. 48). The later marker was chosen since it ‘fixes’ the historic beginning of the new faith becoming the province of Gentiles. For practical purposes, then, we are speaking about Jewish Christianity of the thirties and forties, a span of twenty years, more or less. Nothing hangs on absolute precision.” (Page 9)
“Whatever the precise chronology it is striking that the figures chiefly associated with the death of Jesus each suffered significantly at about the same time. Pilate was dismissed in 36 and Caiaphas the following year. Herod Antipas was defeated in war in 36 and publicly humiliated by Vitellius in 37. As we will see, worse was to follow for the tetrarch. Meanwhile, Tiberius the emperor under whom Christ was executed, died March 16, 37.” (Page 30)
For a couple of decades the most radical critics have been trying to foster systematic skepticism regarding Christianity based on the 20 year gap between the death and resurrection of Jesus and the writing of the first New Testament documents. Paul Barnett shows that fair reading of the evidence provides us with far more information about those years than is sometimes thought. This is a must-read book for theology students and others who are troubled by the popularized skepticism of a small but vociferous group of radicals. The book is also useful for pastors who need to remember and teach that Christianity is a historically grounded religion.
—D. A. Carson, research professor, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Bound to become an excellent resource for Christians looking for a judicious, scholarly, and fair treatment of the history of early Christianity.
—Themelios
- Title: The Birth of Christianity: The First Twenty Years
- Author: Paul Barnett
- Publisher: Eerdmans
- Publication Date: 2005
- Pages: 240
- Christian Group: Evangelicals
- Resource Type: Topical
- Topic: Early Church