From Jesus to the Church : the first Christian generation

194 Pages·2014·2.26 MB·English

by  Craig A. Evans

From Jesus to the Church
From Jesus to the Church
The First Christian Generation
Craig A. Evans
© 2014 Craig A. Evans First edition
Published by Westminster John Knox Press
Louisville, Kentucky 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23—10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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Except as otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible,
copyright 1952 (2nd ed., 1971) by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the United States of America and used by permission, all rights reserved. Quotations
marked NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, are copyright © 1989 by the
Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are
used by permission, all rights reserved. Other versions briefly compared appear in the list of abbreviations.
Book design by Sharon Adams
Cover design by LeVan Fisher Design
Cover illustration: Ruins of the great synagogue of Capernaum, Israel,
by Zvonimir Atletic©shutterstock.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Evans, Craig A.
From Jesus to the church: the first Christian generation / Craig A. Evans.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 978-0-664-23905-3 (alk. paper) 1. Church history—Primitive and early church, ca. 30–600. I.
Title.
BR165.E93 2014
270.1—dc23
2013041175
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard
for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.
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For the Students and Faculty of Ben-Gurion University,
in appreciation and gratitude
Contents
Figures with Credits
Preface
Abbreviations
Introduction
Chapter 1: Did Jesus Intend to Found a Church?
Chapter 2: From Kingdom of God to Church of Christ
Chapter 3: James as Leader of the Jesus Community
Chapter 4: Phinehan Zeal and Works of the Law: What Paul and James Are
Really Saying
Chapter 5: Jerusalem Communities in Conflict
Chapter 6: The Church between Paul, James, and Ignatius
Appendix: Root Causes of the Jewish-Christian Rift: From Jesus to Justin
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
Index of Ancient Sources
Index of Modern Names
Index of Subjects
Figures with Credits
Figure 1.1. Community Compound at Wadi Qumran
Courtesy of Israelphotoarchiv©Alexander Schick bibelausstellung.de
Figure 1.2. Synagogue at Magdala
Photograph courtesy of Israelphotoarchiv©Alexander Schick bibelausstellung.de
Figure 1.3. Keys
Photograph courtesy of Israelphotoarchiv©Alexander Schick bibelausstellung.de
Figure 2.1. Sea of Galilee
Photograph courtesy of Israelphotoarchiv©Alexander Schick bibelausstellung.de
Figure 2.2. Capernaum
Photograph courtesy of Israelphotoarchiv©Alexander Schick bibelausstellung.de
Figure 2.3. Empty Tomb
Photograph courtesy of Israelphotoarchiv©Alexander Schick bibelausstellung.de
Figure 3.1. Pillar
Photograph courtesy of Israelphotoarchiv©Alexander Schick bibelausstellung.de
Figure 3.2. High Priest Inscription
Photograph courtesy of Anders Runesson
Figure 3.3. Kidron Valley
Photograph courtesy of Ginny Evans
Figure 4.1. The Negev Wilderness
Photograph courtesy of Ginny Evans
Figure 4.2. Qumran Cave 4
Photograph courtesy of Israelphotoarchiv©Alexander Schick bibelausstellung.de
Figure 4.3. Fragments of 4QMMT
Photograph courtesy of Israelphotoarchiv©Alexander Schick bibelausstellung.de
Figure 5.1. Temple
Photograph courtesy of Israelphotoarchiv©Alexander Schick bibelausstellung.de
Figure 5.2. Mansion