First One Hundred Years of Christianity

Udo Schnelle (DrTheol, University of Goettingen) is professor of New Testament at the University of Halle-Wittenberg in Germany. His previous works have been highly acclaimed.James W. Thompson (PhD, Vanderbilt University) is scholar in residence at the Graduate School of Theology at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas.

• Contents1. On Writing a History of Origins1.1 History as Interpretation of the Present and the Past1.2 History and Method2. Definition and Demarcation of the Epoch2.1 Primitive Christianity or Early Christianity?2.2 The Chronological Framework3. Presuppositions and Contexts3.1 Hellenism as a World Culture3.2 Greco-Roman Culture3.3 Judaism3.4 The Political and Economic Situation in the Roman Empire in the First and Second Centuries CE4. The New Movement of Christ-Believers4.1 The Easter Events4.2 The Origin of Christology4.3 The Founder of a New Discourse and New Thinking5. The Jerusalem Church5.1 The Beginnings5.2 Groups and Persons5.3 Places: The Temple5.4 Conflicts5.5 Theological Institutions and Discourse5.6 Texts: The Passion Narrative5.7 The Theological Development of the Early Jerusalem Church6. Early Churches and Early Mission outside of Jerusalem6.1 Contexts: Mobility and Religious-Philosophical Variety in the Roman Empire6.2 Persons6.3 Groups: The Jesus Movement6.4 Lands and Places6.5 Competitors and Conflicts6.6 The Development of the Community's Own Cult Praxis and Theology/the First Forms of Institutionalization6.7 Texts6.8 The First Missionary Journey and the Mission to the Gentiles without the Requirement of Circumcision6.9 The Three Great Currents at the Beginning7. The Apostolic Conference7.1 The Initial Conflict7.2 The Essential Problem7.3 The Process7.4 The Result7.5 Interpretations of the Outcome7.6 The Incident at Antioch8. The Independent Mission of Paul8.1 Perspective, Process, and Conflicts8.2 Persons8.3 Structures8.4 External Discourse8.5 Internal Discourse8.6 Theology in Letter Form: The Pauline Letters8.7 Paul and the Development of Early Christianity as an Independent Movement9. The Crisis of Early Christianity around 70 CE9.1 The Deaths of Peter, Paul, and James and the First Persecutions9.2 The Destruction of the Temple, the Fall of the Jerusalem Church, and the Fiscus Judaicus9.3 The Rise of the Flavians9.4 The Writing of the Gospels and Pseudepigraphy as Innovative Responses to Crises10. The Establishment of Early Christianity10.1 A New Genre for a New Era: The Gospels10.2 The Synoptic Gospels and Acts as Master Narratives10.3 The Continuing Legacy of Paul10.4 Johannine Christianity as the Fourth Great Current (Stream)10.5 Jewish Christianity as an Abiding Power10.6 Perceptions by Outsiders11. Dangers and Threats11.1 The Delay of the Parousia11.2 Poor and Rich11.3 Controversies/False Teachers/Opponents11.4 Structures and Offices11.5 Conflicts with Judaism after 70 CE12. Persecutions of Christians and the Imperial Cult12.1 The Imperial Cult as a Political Religion12.2 Persecution under Nero12.3 Persecution under Domitian?12.4 Pliny and Trajan concerning Christianity13. Early Christianity as an Independent Movement13.1 The New Narrative and the New Language of the Christians13.2 New Perspectives about God13.3 Serving as a Model of Success13.4 Early Christianity as a Religion of the City and of Education13.5 The Major Theological Currents and Networks near the End of the First Century13.6 The Expansion of Early Christianity14. The Transition to the Ancient Church14.1 Claims to Power and Established Structures14.2 The Emergence of Another Message: Early Gnosticism15. Fifteen Reasons for the Success of Early ChristianityWorks CitedIndexes