02/20/2017
Biblical historian Hutchinson (Searching for Jesus) draws on personal knowledge of the Holy Land as well as historical sources to craft a “narrative retelling of the founding” of Christianity, as documented by the New Testament and complementary secondary sources. Like a biography, the book paints a convincing portrait of Jesus. Architectural and archaeological details—about the Temple Mount, for instance—allow for vivid recreated scenes. Jesus’s last week of ministry and death take up roughly half of the book. The author draws in debates over topics such as how Jesus and various scholars have interpreted “the kingdom of God.” The alternation between storytelling and speculation is not always fluid, though, and passages of historical context can interrupt the narrative flow. Much the book recounts events from Acts and the Epistles, including Peter’s ministry and Paul’s missionary journeys, but doesn’t add much in the way of enlightening commentary. However, the additional information about early martyrdoms and the Council of Jerusalem is fascinating, and the endnotes (a timeline, a chart of who’s who in the Holy Land, and extensive notes) are invaluable. The hybrid style isn’t unequivocally successful, but the book inspires fresh wonder at how quickly this new religion took off. (Mar.)
Drawing upon the most recent discoveries and scholarship in archaeology and the first-century Near East, The Dawn of Christianity reveals how a beleaguered group of followers of a crucified rabbi became the founders of a world-changing faith.
How did Christianity truly come to be? Where did this worldwide faith come from? The Dawn of Christianity tells the story of how the first followers of Jesus survived the terror and despair of witnessing the one they knew to be the messiah-God's agent for the salvation of the world-suddenly arrested, tried, and executed. Soon after Jesus' death, his relatives and closest followers began hearing reports that Jesus was alive again-reports that even his most loyal disciples at first refused to believe.*
Using the most recent studies by top Christian and secular scholars, Robert Hutchinson, known for his popular books on Christianity and Biblical Studies, reconstructs all of the known accounts of these early resurrection appearances and follows the witnesses to the resurrection as they experience brutal persecution at the hands of zealots such as Saul of Tarsus and then become committed evangelists to the major population centers in Antioch, Damascus, Rome, and Athens-and ultimately across the world. A riveting thriller of the most improbable history-changing movement imaginable, The Dawn of Christianity brings to life the compelling story of the birth of Christianity.
Drawing upon the most recent discoveries and scholarship in archaeology and the first-century Near East, The Dawn of Christianity reveals how a beleaguered group of followers of a crucified rabbi became the founders of a world-changing faith.
How did Christianity truly come to be? Where did this worldwide faith come from? The Dawn of Christianity tells the story of how the first followers of Jesus survived the terror and despair of witnessing the one they knew to be the messiah-God's agent for the salvation of the world-suddenly arrested, tried, and executed. Soon after Jesus' death, his relatives and closest followers began hearing reports that Jesus was alive again-reports that even his most loyal disciples at first refused to believe.*
Using the most recent studies by top Christian and secular scholars, Robert Hutchinson, known for his popular books on Christianity and Biblical Studies, reconstructs all of the known accounts of these early resurrection appearances and follows the witnesses to the resurrection as they experience brutal persecution at the hands of zealots such as Saul of Tarsus and then become committed evangelists to the major population centers in Antioch, Damascus, Rome, and Athens-and ultimately across the world. A riveting thriller of the most improbable history-changing movement imaginable, The Dawn of Christianity brings to life the compelling story of the birth of Christianity.
The Dawn of Christianity: How God Used Simple Fishermen, Soldiers, and Prostitutes to Transform the World
The Dawn of Christianity: How God Used Simple Fishermen, Soldiers, and Prostitutes to Transform the World
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Editorial Reviews
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940171133474 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Nelson, Thomas, Inc. |
| Publication date: | 03/14/2017 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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