Jesus & the Rise of Early Christianity: A History of New Testament Times [Hardcover]

Paul Barnett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1999

The pathway to understanding the New Testament leads through the vibrant landscape of the first-century Greco-Roman world. The New Testament is rooted in the concrete historical events of that world. In Jesus & the Rise of Early Christianity Paul Barnett not only places the New Testament within that world of caesars and Herods, proconsuls and Pharisees, Sadducees and revolutionaries, but argues that the mainspring and driving force of early Christian history is the historical Jesus. We cannot understand the rise of Christianity apart from this Jesus, the messiah of Israel and the spiritual and intellectual impact he had on his immediate followers and those who succeeded them. From his intimate acquaintance with the sources, the evidence and the problems of New Testament history, Barnett offers fresh insights. His telling of the story skillfully avoids the encumbrance of extraneous details and side journeys. From the brith of Jesus to the founding of the messianic community, from the rise of Paul's mission to the Gentiles to the writing of the Gospels, Barnett offers a comprehensive account of the movement that would change the face of world history. Jesus & the Rise of Early Christianity is a comprehensive survey of New Testament history that will meet the needs of students and teachers of the New Testament. In its engagment with contemporary scholarship and its emphasis on the propelling role of the historical and risen Jesus in the rise of Christianity, it provides a timely rejoinder to current revisionist exploration of Christian origins.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Barnett, Anglican Bishop of North Sydney, Australia, seeks to put Jesus back into the story of the early Church's development, in contrast to recent titles that discuss primitive Christianity with only a sociopolitical approach to its founder. Or, rather, it is Barnett's aim to put Christ back into the story: he maintains that it was the Christ of faith, not the mere historical Jesus, who provided the dynamic impetus for the formation of the Church. This providential approach to the early Church, based on Barnett's conviction that "God lay behind this history," unfortunately does not engage other New Testament scholarship or Jesus Studies materials. Rather, he concentrates his efforts solely on biblical text. If the tome were intended as an overall New Testament commentary, it would succeed in its intimate, detailed study of Scripture (especially regarding the Gospels and Acts), but since Barnett here is trying his hand at meta-history, his neglect of the voluminous secondary literature is a glaring omission. Students, particularly those with a similar faith perspective, will find Barnett's account easy to digest, with a user-friendly organization and straightforward writing style that is all too rare in biblical studies. However, scholars and non-Christians will likely be frustrated by Barnett's refusal to even debate social and political interpretations of the Church's origins. (Nov.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Barnett (Ph.D., London University), was until his retirement Anglican bishop of North Sydney, Australia. He remains a visiting fellow in ancient history at Macquarie University (Sydney, Australia) and research professor at Regent College (Vancouver, British Columbia). He has written several books. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 500 pages
• Publisher: InterVarsity Press (November 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830815880
• ISBN-13: 978-0830815883
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,206,402 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and Insightful, March 7, 2010

By 

G. Kyle Essary (Melaka, Malaysia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jesus & the Rise of Early Christianity: A History of New Testament Times (Kindle Edition)

This review is actually a summary statement on the value of Barnett's three books on NT origins:

Jesus & the Rise of Early Christianity: A History of New Testament Times

The Birth of Christianity: The First Twenty Years (After Jesus, Vol. 1)

Paul, Missionary of Jesus: After Jesus, Vol. 2

I've read a good number of books on the rise of Christianity, yet this book excels in blending interaction with critical/liberal scholarship, rigorous historical analysis and readability. The book is interesting enough that it keeps you reading it. Many books on the rise of Christianity, or "historical" Jesus studies will tend to get bogged down on debates that are meaningless to the overall themes of the gospels, or to the historical discussion of early Christianity. Barnett is able to deal quickly and adequately with some of the more minor critiques, while addressing the major critiques with gusto.

If you are interested in an introduction to the earliest church history, then please read this trilogy. If you are already familiar with the material and are interested in how one can present this information in a way that is both entertaining and insightful, then please read these three fine books on the rise of Christianity.

22 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars About Time, April 18, 2000

By 

Rev. Charles Vesely (Townsville, Queensland, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jesus & the Rise of Early Christianity: A History of New Testament Times (Hardcover)

Paul Barnett has written a timely book. There has been much written in recent times about how Jesus and history cannot be ever matched. Barnett who is faithful to the Bible and to history has brought the two together. It is a refreshing approach after the various ultra liberal writers publishings, which seem to just rubbish every aspect of faithful Biblical belief.

this book is a must for every Biblical and theological scholar, and for the faithful Christian who feels that the ultra liberal writers are under-mining their faith.

13 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a good introduction or refresher, December 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Jesus & the Rise of Early Christianity: A History of New Testament Times (Hardcover)

This book does a good job of supplying basic background for a better understanding of the New Testament. NT history,social and cultural, is clearly set out. The genres (gospel,epistle etc.)are discussed and correctives are provided to balance the baleful influence of the 'Jesus Seminar' yahoos. Good, modern, conservative evaluations, not fundamentalist knee-jerk reactions.