After Jesus #01: The Birth Of Christianity, The First Twenty Years

Contrary to several popular works of Christian scholarship, historian Paul Barnett maintains that the first two decades of Christian history are hardly “lost years.” As he shows in this penetrating book, the period between Jesus and the earliest Christian texts is open to historical investigation, and he richly details the time and setting in which the church was born.

Writing in a very accessible style, Barnett provides an informative, reliable chronology of the years immediately following Jesus’ crucifixion. Just as importantly, he presents the historical sources, biblical clues, and other telling evidence that we have for accurately documenting this crucial period of time. Looking more widely, Barnett also surveys world events during Christianity’s first twenty years and notes their impact on life in the early church.

The Birth of Christianity: The First Twenty Years is Volume 1 of a trilogy titled After Jesus. Volume 2 is Paul and His Mission Churches, and Volume 3 is Finding the Historical Christ.

Author Bio

Paul Barnett (Ph.D., University of London) is retired Bishop of North Sydney, Visiting Fellow in History at Macquarie University, Senior Fellow in the Ancient History Documentary Research Centre, Macquarie University, Teaching Fellow at Regent College, Vancouver and Faculty Member Moore Theological College Sydney. He was also Head of Robert Menzies College, Macquarie University.

He is the author of some major commentaries on 2 Corinthians (Bible Speaks Today Series and The New International Commentary on the New Testament); 1 Corinthians: Holiness and Hope of a rescued people (Focus on the Bible); Mark: The Servant King, John: The Shepherd King, 1 Peter: Living Hope and Revelation: Apocalypse Now and Then (Reading the Bible Today), as well as a number of books on New Testament Background and the Historical Jesus such as After Jesus: The Birth Of Christianity, Is The New Testament History? (Revised 2004), Jesus and The Rise Of Early Christianity, The Truth About Jesus (Revised 2004), and Jesus And The Logic of History (New Studies In Biblical Theology).

Most recently he has produced three volumes in the After Jesus series; The Birth of Christianity: The First Twenty Years; Paul: Missionary of Jesus and Finding the Historical Christ: After Jesus.