A History of the First Christians / Edition 1

by Alexander J. M. Wedderburn

Overview

This work provides a survey of the history of the earliest Christian church in the period up to the fall of Jerusalem. It concentrates on: the figure of Paul; judicious and critical use of information in the Book of Acts; Judaizing versions of Christianity; and the Johannine tradition. The approach steers a middle way between an over-simplified account which fails to warn students where scholarly opinion is divided, and an in-depth academic study which attempts to document and discuss every hypothesis. Wedderburn focuses on aspects of central importance: the changing shape of church life and developing Christianity in relation to the Roman Empire and to Judaism. This book seeks to draw together and make more readily accessible many new insights gained from an enormous range of recent scholarly studies in German and English, and places them in the context of a more general account.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780567084132
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	01/30/2004
Series:	Understanding the Bible and Its World
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.65(d)

About the Author

Alexander J. M. Wedderburn is Professor of New Testament in the Evangelisch-Theologische Facultat, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich.

Table of Contents

Foreword 1. Introduction When to Stop? A Fragmentary StorySources - The Pauline Letters - The Book of Acts 2. The First Beginnings Appearances of the Risen Jesus Regrouping in Jerusalem? Pentecost A Jewish Group? 3. Stephen and His Group 'Hebrews' and 'Hellenists' The Problem and It's Solution Stephen The Outbreak of Persecution 4. The Spread of Christianity Samaria Antioch Peter and Cornelius Peter 5. Paul-The Hidden Years The Pre-Christian Paul The Conversion of PaulreturbanBefore the Conference in Jerusalem 6. Agreement and Strife Pauline Chronology - Acts and galatians - An Absoloute Chronology 7. Paul the Missionary The Course of Paul's Missionary work The Nature of the Pauline Communities The Problems of the Pauline Communities The Collection 8. Judaizing Christianity James Writings of a Judaizing Christianity The Jerusalem Church 9. Pauline Christianity afetr Paul A Pauline School or Pauline Schools? 'Early Catholicism'? 10 Johanine Christianity 11. The Church in the Roman Empire Postscript Abbreviations Select Bibliography 1Primary Sources 2 Reference Work 3 Geberal Works on the History of Earliest Chrstianity 4 Other secondary Literature Index of Primary Sources Old Testament Other Jewish Sources New Testament Other Early Christian Literature and Gnostic Sources Other Graeco-Roman Literature and Sources Index of Authors (Secondary Literature) Index of Subjects

Editorial Reviews

'For some years students have lacked a good textbook on the first decades of
Christianity. Professor Wedderburn has now met that lack... He weighs the evidence and the debates with a judicious even-handedness. This is a book which is thoroughly accessible to those with little specialist knowledge, which will provide an authoritative guide to current debates on Christianity's beginnings and which, more important, will give a clearer grasp of the historical complexities of these beginnings.' James D. G. Dunn, Emeritus Lightfoot Professor of Divinity, University of Durham

Review International Review of Biblical Studies, vol 51, 2004/05

"For some years students have lacked a good textbook on the first decades of Christianity. Professor Wedderburn has now met that lack. His long term interest in the book of Acts, evidenced in a sequence of important articles, has now borne fruit in a masterly survey of these crucial years. He is thoroughly familiar with the relevant sources and the problems in evaluating them. He knows the present day scholarly debate intimately. And he weighs the evidence and the debates with a judicious even-handedness. This is a book which is thoroughly accessible to those with little specialist knowledge, which will provide an authoritative guide to current debates on Christianity's beginnings and which, more important, will give a clearer grasp of the historical complexities of these beginnings."

"For some years students have lacked a good textbook on the first decades of Christianity. Professor Wedderburn has now met that lack. His long term interest in the book of Acts, evidenced in a sequence of important articles, has now borne fruit in a masterly survey of these crucial years. He is thoroughly familiar with the relevant sources and the problems in evaluating them. He knows the present day scholarly debate intimately. And he weighs the evidence and the debates with a judicious even-handedness. This is a book which is thoroughly accessible to those with little specialist knowledge, which will provide an authoritative guide to current debates on Christianity's beginnings and which, more important, will give a clearer grasp of the historical complexities of these beginnings."

From the Publisher