Unity and Diversity in the New Testament: An Inquiry into the Character of Earliest Christianity [Paperback]

James D. G. Dunn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 18, 2006

Unity and Diversity in the New Testament is a thorough investigation into the canon of the New Testament, and Christianity's origins. It assumes the reader is familiar with the basic question of who wrote the books, when, why etc and it moves on to look in detail at what were the various emphases in the gospel proclaimed by Jesus, Luke, Paul and John. It also examines primitive Christianity's preaching and teaching, confessional formulae, oral traditions, organisation and worship, concepts of ministry and community, and ritual acts. In the second half of the book, the author maps out the scope of the diversity he found in the fist half's investigation. Here he identifies and traces the major currents within the stream of first and second generation Christianity which includes a study of Jewish Christianity, Hellenistic Christianity, Apocalyptic Christianity and Early Catholicism. The book concludes with a consideration of the repercussions of such findings, for how Christians understand the New Testament, and what it means to be Christian, today. This new edition is further enhanced with the author's consideration of these same themes, 25 years after he first wrote about them. The final chapter is the authors "critical refinement" of the ideas and issues that remain relevant and important for any realistic theology of canon to be considered today.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

James Dunn was a lecturer in New Testament at the University of Durham until his recent retirement. He is the author of numerous best-selling books and acknowledged as one of the world's leading experts on New Testament study.

Product Details

• Paperback: 470 pages
• Publisher: SCM Press; 3 edition (January 18, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0334029988
• ISBN-13: 978-0334029984
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #169,050 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, April 24, 2001

By 

R. Michael Friends (Round Rock, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unity and Diversity in the New Testament: An Inquiry into the Character of Earliest Christianity (Paperback)

James Dunn's book, Unity and Diversity in the New Testament, is his endeavor to demonstrate the unity and diversity of first-century Christianity. He extends back into the New Testament to inquire whether we can speak of orthodoxy and heresy in early Christianity. He attempts to answer the question, "Was there a unifying strand in earliest Christianity which identifies it as Christian?" (page 6).

The book is divided into to main sections. In the first part, Dunn attempts to find the unifying strand in earliest Christianity, locating it in the " affirmation of the identity of the man Jesus with the risen Lord" (page 227). In this first part, Dunn examines the major kerygmata of the New Testament (of Jesus, Paul, Acts, John, Dunn seems to favor John), the primitive confessional formula (Dunn feels that early faith could be reduced to slogans), the role of tradition, the use of the Old Testament, the ideas of ministry, patterns of worship, sacraments, Spirit and experience, and Christology. Dunn shows a unity, Jesus, in each area he examined, while simultaneously illustrating the diversity of belief and practice.

In second part of the book investigates the diversity in early Christianity, with emphases on Jewish, Hellenistic, Apocalyptic Christianity, and Early Catholicism. Dunn shows that the center of unity here also exists in Jesus, "The unifying element was the unity between the historical Jesus and the exalted Christ" (page 369). He demonstrates that the early Christians accepted a wide range of beliefs and practices provided only that a connection to the human and exalted Jesus was established. This was all that orthodoxy embodied for early Christians, "there is no single normative form of Christianity in the first century" (page 373).

Dunn concludes the book with a chapter on "The Authority of the New Testament." Here he examines the diverse New Testament canon's role for Christians today. He makes a good suggestion that the canon limits the acceptable diversity of Christianity.

What first impressed me about this book was the breadth and at times depth of the material covered. Dunn has selected a wide range of topics to cover, it is a good collection of important issues with very good bibliographical references. Examples of sections that I found helpful are 16.1 "The role of tradition within Judaism," and 22 "Jewish Exegesis in the Time of Jesus," (page 82). These two sections contain good definitions and comparisons of Midrash, Halakah, Haggadah, Targum, and Pesher. The data presented in Section Two on the early sects was also excellent, I like the case for pre-gnostic thought existing in the first century.

In 9,"Jesus is the Son of Man," (page 35) Dunn argues that the Son of Man title grew out of a conviction of the early church, and was a distinctive theology in early Christianity. The expression also occurs in three Jewish apocalyptic works, Daniel, 2 Esdras, and 1 Enoch, although there it is applied to non-human or superhuman figures. The term also appears in some Qumran texts. There is much more debate on the titular use of Son of Man then Dunn gives credit. It's lack of use by Paul is may have been due to its awkwardness in Greek (it works better in Aramaic), and not necessarily a divergent Christology.

The title Son of God (page 45) is found in Dead Sea Scrolls, 4QDanA, and is mentioned by Dunn. The siglum 4Q246 also contains Son of the Most High. Dunn states that the title "came to full flower within the widening mission of Hellenistic Jewish Christianity." If this titles appear in the Qumran texts, wouldn't they have closer ties with Palestinian Jewish Christianity?

Dunn presents his arguments well, and I coincide with him on most issues and with his conclusion. It is one of the better books I have read in New Testament studies, I found all of it interesting. I still feel that in the end I have been short changed with Dunn's findings. Intuitively, I feel there should have been more unifying the early Christians. By claiming Jesus alone to be the unifying force is a not far removed from claiming all early Christians believed in Christ, and therefore shared a common name.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars So, they lied to me in Sunday School!, February 19, 2001

By 

The Rev. Dr. Daniel J. G. G. Block - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unity and Diversity in the New Testament: An Inquiry into the Character of Earliest Christianity (Paperback)

For the pensive and discerning reader, struggling through Professor Dunn's compact and rich text can be as significant an event, as reading Luther's "Introduction to Romans" turned out to be for Wesley. Certainly for those of us who attended traditional, conservative and orthodox Christian seminaries, this text can be an eye-opener. Similarly, for the laity whose spiritual guides graduated from such seminaries, this book can be liberating.

Contrary to what many of us learned in seminary (and others have simply assumed through denominational hubris), Dr. Dunn goes to great lengths to demonstrate -- from the canon of the New Testament, itself -- that there is no historically-mandated, one, proper way to be a Christian. Bishops and Church Councils may declare what they wish to declare, but often those declarations are simply not supported by the experience of the earliest Christians, as recorded in the New Testament. In one, bold move Professor Dunn minimizes both the teaching magisterium of Rome, and the most confrontive claims of the Protestant traditions.

Quoting extensively from Scripture, Professor Dunn demonstrates that: (1) there was not one expression of the Gospel, but several within the earliest Christian communities; (2) the confessional formulae and their settings for proclamation varied; (3) that the concept and structure of ministry varied widely among the earliest Christians; (4) that the structure and practice of worship was not unified; (5) that different Christian communities experienced the Spirit of the living God in different ways; and (6) that while all of the early Christian communities were unified by centering their lives and proclamations around the risen Christ, all of the early Christian communities did not understand the risen Christ in the same way. In short, Professor Dunn shows us that the earliest Christians were unified in their devotion to the risen Christ, but greatly diverse in the way that they experienced his presence among them, and told his story to the world.

Living in an era when denominational antagonisms are too often glossed over by a thin veneer of polite ecumenicity, reading Professor Dunn's book can be a humbling experience. Buy two copies of this book: one for yourself, and one for your least favorite, pompous member of the clergy

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book reveals the 1st century Christian scene, November 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Unity and Diversity in the New Testament: An Inquiry into the Character of Earliest Christianity (Paperback)

While this is a scholarly work, it is also accessible to the lay reader. I highly reconmmend this book to those who want the real and sometimes untold story of how we have acquired our present day beliefs. The book clearly shows that not so much unity existed as I was taught in Sunday school and from the pulpit. The book raises the question as to whether diverity is necessarily damnable. This is a critical point for members of groups like the church of Christ. Books such as this might someday help christendom to heal itself.