Customer Reviews

From Jesus to Christianity: How Four Generations of Visionaries & Storytellers Created the New Testament and Christian Faith

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I received a preview copy of this just-published book from the publisher. Ignore the opening remarks by Publisher's Weekly (they show a lack of depth and understanding) - this great book is for everyone from religious scholars to the curious amongst us. The book provides historical and cultural context for a group of books we today call The Bible. You will gain appreciation and understanding of the religion and of the Jesus movement whether you are a practicing Christian or an interested historian. Whereas Dan Brown's Da Vinci code weaves some interesting fiction, L.M. White's book gives us a tangible explanation for how Christianity grew from a Jewish offshoot movement into one of the world's great religions. Fascinating reading for anyone interested in history, religion or politics.

There is a fundamental failing common to books about Jesus that appears to be almost unavoidable: the author tends to bring personal religious prejudices to the process. Some seek to cause the reader to see Jesus in a particular positive light, and others strive to marginalize him as a mere speck in history, but throughout that, religious undercurrent is constantly running. Imagine my surprise, then, when I opened L. Michael White's extraordinary work From Jesus To Christianity and discovered that he managed to maintain his integrity as a historian. New Testament is used liberally throughout the book as a reference, but surely there is little else in existence that claims more authenticity when it comes to telling of the life, times and teachings of Jesus.

Starting with the trials and travels of Paul, Professor White analyses the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles. He examines the most likely places and times where various letters were written and why. He explains by the evidences and even the form of the structure of the individual letters the purpose, for whom they were intended, and even by whom they may have been carried to their destination.

Next he approaches the gospels in a manner you may never have seen before. For starters, he presents them in the most likely order in which they may have been written. Then he explains the geographic and social context in which they came to life.

Over all, this is the most extraordinary book I have ever read of its type. Professor White has created a volume that every serious student of Christianity should read carefully to get a clearer understanding of the time, geography, and the social setting in which the New Testament and all its stories came into being. As a practicing Christian, I personally found that this greater understanding was a comforting reinforcement to my personal faith.

From Jesus to Christianity is a well-written and organized look at the first four generations of what started as "the Jesus Movement" and eventually became the Christian religion. White writes clearly about what is often an extremely confusing subject, the years during which orthodoxies became heresies and then orthodoxies again with sometimes bewildering speed.

I especially appreciated the tables which White provides summarizing the information available about the books of the New Testament and some of the early Christian leaders. These provide a handy reference point to which to turn when the intricacies of some doctrinal points become too complex to follow easily.

From Jesus to Christianity will allow Christians and non-Christians alike to gain a better understanding of the early years of that faith, and a better appreciation of the lives of those early men and women who labored so mightily to help that faith survive.

This is a BIG book, both in size and in information provided and a bargain at the price. It offers the reader a sweeping view of how the vairous eyewitnesses to Jesus of Nazareth took what they learned from Him, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, grew the Christian Church. Michael White, who holds the Ronald Nelson Smith Chair in Classics and Christian Origins at the University of Texas at Austin, has written what ought to be a standard reference on every Christian's bookshelf. . Moreover, lots of people are reading it; it is one of the best-received new Christian books for 2004.

The author presents the Biblical world at the time of Christ's birth, with all of the social and religious factions that contributed to the climate in which He healed, taught, called disciples and began the movement that is Christian faith. For those who want a less than one page, but scholarly, account of groups such as the Pharisees, Saducees, Essenes and the Zealot party, White's book offers them all, in one easy to use reference.

I especially like the tables and outlines, both of familiar works such as Luke and Acts but also of some of the books that did not make it into the Bible, such as the so-called Gospels of Thomas and Peter. In his review of such non-canonical works, White helps us better understand some of the conflicts that shaped the Early Church. Decisions made then have been normative for how the majority of Christians understand our belief, down until today. If you want to know why the Christian Church has emphasized what we have about Jesus, for example, then the chapter called "Christology and Conflict" is essential reading.

White also talks about the teachings of such Early Church leaders as Marcion. No, we don't hear much about Marcion in the 21st century congregation, but the four issues he brought to the discussion are still with us: Emphasis on Paul's letters as the only true or normative Christian theology; rejection of the Old Testament; insisting only on Luke's Gospel to know the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth; emphasis on the proper or "original manuscript" of scripture. Such tendencies to narrow-down and obscure the impact of the Gospel, although rejected by the Early Church, continues to influence some misguided Christian thought today.

Moreover, White gives a good overview of how we went from house-churches to buildings that were specifically set aside for use as churches. (I really enjoyed that part of the book, complete with photos and floor plans of recent archeological discoveries).

This work is filled with outstanding footnotes and references for further reading. It could be the start of much exploration into not only what made the Early Church "tick" but also what makes the present-day church what it is.

If you find this review helpful you might want to read some of my other reviews, including those on subjects ranging from biography to architecture, as well as religion and fiction.

If you have never read the New Testament, read it long ago, or only sampled around in it in no organized way, this book is for you. It will have you read the NT books, and some of the non-canonical works, in historical order and in light of the various controversies and agendas they reflect. White really knows his stuff, and he nicely demonstrates the gradual consolidation of the NT canon, and the orthodox consensus it represents. The NT can seem to be something of a hodge-podge of overlapping Gospels and epistles, but there are good reasons why it is like it is.

Whether the author has in a few cases over-imposed his explanatory scheme on the material is a matter for Biblical scholars to debate, but I found this to be a very plausible account. If you follow White's presentation and read the works as he discusses them, you will spend a few weeks, at least, working your way though the book; but it will be well worth the investment. Be aware, though, that this is an extended and serious argument, not a popularizing superficial treatment that you can read with one eye on the TV. The book is tightly written, and you will have to pay attention. Even so, I found myself losing the thread once in a while and having to go back and re-read a section.

Committed Christians of conservative stripe may be made uncomfortable here and there, but there is no need for that. This kind of historical reconstruction exists at right angles to the spiritual content of scripture, and to the leap of faith that believers must be willing to make in any case. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in NT writings, from whatever perspective.

From Jesus to Christianity is the best introduction to the New Testament and Christian Origins that I've seen. He pulls together a library of primary texts and scholarship into a work remarkable for its coherence and clarity. Forget such hack pseudo-historians as Dan Brown and read this. White has studied with the best, and his knowledge of sociology and archaeology shines through, setting this book apart from others that have a much more static approach to history. If you are an interested undergrad or a graduate student that has not studied the New Testament from a critical perspective, this book is perfect. Even if you do have some knowledge of the field, it will certainly fill in the gaps.

Library Matters

BOOK REVIEW
L. Michael White. From Jesus to Christianity: How four generations of visionaries and story-tellers created the New Testament and the Christian faith. Harper/Collins. 2004. For the past few years, I have been interested in the early years of Christianity, particularly how did the transformation of the Jesus movement into the established church take place? In From Jesus to Christianity I found many answers. Designed as a textbook for university students, the book presents an historical view of the time from Jesus' death to the establishment of a universal church, as told through the individual books of the New Testament, presenting them in chronological order rather than our familiar organization. He also presents writings of contemporary historians, like Josephus, as well writing from the early Christians. He includes many of the "lost books" like the Gospel of Thomas, the Apocrypha of Paul and Zecla and the Didache. He develops his story from the early letters of Paul and the gospels to the heresies of the fourth century.

Three aspects of the book illuminated my understanding of the times.
The importance of the Jewish revolt against Rome and the subsequent destruction of the temple. The political environment, the constant revolt against Rome, played a critical role in the development of Christian and Jewish movements. Particularly valuable is the presentation of developments in contemporary Judaism.
The organization of the gospels, the letters of Paul, and other early Christian writing along a historical timeline, with the gospels all written after the letters of Paul. White goes into agonizing detail about the various theories of dating the New Testament books, which is important for seminary students, but I skipped much of that.
The inclusion of charts for all the writings delineate not only, individual manuscripts, but also profiles of political and economic conditions of the times; thus setting the writings into context.

White's book divides the times into four generations:
The first "generation" (30-70 C.E.) saw the death of Jesus, the rise of Paul and the end of the Jewish revolt against Rome. In the second (70-110 C.E.), tensions developed between the Jesus followers and Judaism, a separation that became permanent in the third generation (110-150 C.E.). Jesus' followers broke away from their Jewish roots and began to develop their own institutional identity. During that time many versions of the Jesus story were written, primarily focusing on his divinity. Finally, by the fourth generation (150-190 C.E.), Christianity had assumed an integral role in the social and intellectual context of the Roman Empire. During this time various doctrines concerning Jesus' divinity, accounts of the Resurrection, and other tenets of faith developed.

I really enjoyed reading this book, despite the fact that is pretty dry.

I did not find this book to be dry at all. L. Michael White does a good job at surveying the origins of Christianity into the 3rd century AD.

I like how he incorporates into the discussion some of the early Christian writings that did not make it into the New Testament, though he does not always explain why they were invariably excluded. It would have been helpful to add a discussion of the criteria early Christians used in determining which writings were authoritative in matters of faith and practice (even if those criteria varied from community to community).

I also would have appreciated more of an explanation why Thomas could not have made a missionary trip into India. Even if we acknowledge that the Acts of Thomas is largely a work of historical fiction, that does not rule out the possibility that this work of fiction is based on the historical fact of Thomas having made an excursion into India.

Also, White dates many of the New Testament books to the first half of the second century when some of these books just as easily could be assigned 1st century dates.

White is also more skeptical of the Pauline authorship of Colossians, Ephesians, and 2 Thessalonians than seems warranted by the evidence. He tries to say that the writer of Colossians was deliberately copying Paul's style, but something like that must be awfully hard to prove.

In addition, White is doubtful that Paul could have been responsible for writing the Pastoral Epistles (1 and 2 Timothy, Titus) it on the grounds that Paul would not have shown the concern for correct teaching and hierarchical church structure as these epistles do. He feels that this was more of a concern of the 2nd century Christian literature.

But Paul does show concern for these things in the undisputed Pauline writings (1 Corinthians, Galatians).

Also, Dr. White makes much of Thomas touching the risen Christ in John 20 as evidence that John is refuting docetic doctrine. But a close reading of John 20 will disclose that the text never says that Thomas touched Christ's pierced side, only that he was invited to do so.

In short, though I might differ with Dr. White on areas where liberals and conservatives would normally disagree anyway, I found the book to be interesting and stimulating, and not boring at all.

I write this review for a specialized audience. As an EFM mentor of 7 years, I highly recommend this book as background and supporting reading for Years 2 and 3. It contains a wealth of information covered in these years as well as lots of additional information about many of the documents that did not make ther final cut into the New Testament. White covers his material in very clear prose and relies heavily on boxes to summarize complex material. This should be invaluable in your EFM studies. So, I recommend getting this book and using it throughout year two and in the beginning of year 3.

To the general public, I do issue a caveat related to this book. This is not a book about Jesus. It is a book about the environment in which Jesus lived and about the growth of the Jesus movement through the first two centuries. It is NOT a Bible commentary, although it is a great companion for Bible study.

My advice is to IGNORE the Publishers Weekly critique. Dr. White has written an absolutely wonderful text. It it NOT tedious, but it is clear - especially for an "educated layman" such as I. I do agree with another reviewer that some of Dr. White's arguments could have been developed more fully, but bibliographies are provided and the text moves at a very nice pace. I have read several texts on the subject, and this is clearly the best in my opinion.