History of Early Christianity: Religion, Culture, Identity

This comprehensive textbook presents the history of early Christianity from its beginnings to the time of the Second Judean Revolt against the backdrop of the social and historical developments of the early imperial period. Markus Öhler offers a thorough overview of the historical, social, and religious contexts of the Jesus movement in Judea and the various forms of Christian communities and traditions in the Greco-Roman world. From this foundation Öhler reconstructs the origins and trajectory of the Jesus movement, beginning with the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth and the events immediately after his death. Attention is given to the different forms of early Christianity in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria as well as the developments in Syrian Antioch. Special emphasis is placed on the presentation of the ministry of Paul of Tarsus and the social structure of the assemblies of Christ-believers founded by him. An item of central importance for the reconstruction of further developments is the ongoing debate about the significance of the Torah for Christian identity formation. The increasing confrontations with forms of state power are dealt with as well as the further processes of change within early Christianity up to 135 CE. Thus, a coherent overall picture emerges, which is suitable both as an introduction to the history of early Christianity and as a stimulus for further research.

Markus Öhler is Professor for New Testament Studies at the Faculty for Protestant Theology, University of Vienna, Austria.