The period of early Christianity can only be understood in light of the burgeoning Christian movement’s internal diversity and against the background of the religious world of Greco-Roman antiquity. In this introductory textbook on the period, leading New Testament scholar Markus Öhler offers a reconstruction of the beginnings of early Christianity from the events surrounding Jesus of Nazareth to the Bar-Kokhba uprising in the year 135.
Öhler begins by orienting the reader to the methods, resources, and long-standing scholarly discussions essential for the study of early Christianity. He then proceeds chronologically through the period, covering the activities of Jesus of Nazareth and his first disciples, the spread of the Christian movement during the first century, the establishment of early Christian communities in Palestine, Syria, Asia Minor, and Greece, and developments in Christian theology, practice, and community formation at the beginning of the second century.
Including a number of tables and charts, and with suggestions for further reading provided in each chapter, the central aim of the book is to place the era of early Christianity in the horizon of social and contemporary history normally classified as the early imperial period. This placement enables the distinct characteristics of early Christian traditions and communities to become visible in a new way, and also offers fresh insights into the changing relationship of incipient Christianity to ancient Judaism and the surrounding society during the period. As a result, Öhler advances a comprehensive picture of early Christianity that takes seriously the movement's dynamics, developments, and contexts.
