From Jesus to the Church: The First Christian Generation

Craig A. Evans

Jan 2014 · Westminster John Knox Press

About this ebook

This study traces the tumultuous history of the very first followers of Jesus. Specifically, author Craig A. Evans looks at how a chain of events from 3-7 CE--beginning with Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem and subsequent crucifixion and ending with the destruction of the temple—led to the separation between the followers of Jesus and other Jews. Topics include the following: 1) whether Jesus actually intended to found the Christian Church; 2) the ways in which Jesus’s proclamation of the “Kingdom of God” relate to the Christian Church; 3) the role of James, brother of Jesus, in the new movement in Jerusalem; 4) the tension between James and Paul in the matter of law and works; 5) the conflict between the families and followers of Jesus and those of the high priest Annas before the destruction of the temple; and 6) the aftermath of the Jewish rebellion, whereby the Church moved away from its Jewish roots. An appendix further explores the reasons behind the rift between the Jesus movement and the synagogue.

About the author

Craig A. Evans is an esteemed, internationally recognized biblical scholar, author, and a regular guest on TV documentaries. He is John Bisagno Distinguished Professor of Christian Origins at Houston Theological Seminary. He was formally Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Acadia Divinity College. Before coming to Acadia, Evans taught at Trinity Western University in British Columbia for twenty-one years, where he directed the graduate program in biblical studies and founded the Dead Sea Scrolls Institute. He is the author or editor of more than fifty books and hundreds of articles and reviews. Evans has lectured at Cambridge, Oxford, Durham, and Yale. He also regularly lectures and gives talks at popular conferences and retreats on the historical Jesus, archaeology, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Bible.