Jesus Christ Divided: Solving the Mystery of the New Testament

"Must read! Striking dive-in into the depths of the New Testament..." -Reedsy Discovery

"...intriguing, thought-provoking work on the historical and theological development of Christianity..." -BlueInk Review

"...a fascinating read for those interested in early Christian history." -IndieReader Reviews

"This thoughtful, scholarly work takes Biblical criticism in a unique direction..." -The Book Review Directory

"A well-written reinterpretation of early Christian history..." -Kirkus Reviews

"LaFond's enthusiasm is infectious. He lays out his ideas in the manner of a scholastic mystery... ably makes its case..." -Clarion Review

Breakthrough work on understanding the New Testament and the history of early Christianity. Two Gospels, each of great authority, competed. That is why the Gospel of John is different from the Gospels of Mark, Luke, and Matthew.

Modern scholars work from the presumption that Jesus and apostles could not have taught Christianity. So, texts that imply developed doctrine or Church are declared later than apostles. Thus, they discard any evidence that does not fit their theory, all but seven letters of Saint Paul.

Jesus Christ Divided challenges the scholarly assumptions by recovering the evidence that scholars discarded. Within the letters of Saint Paul are unobtrusive details that form a web of connections that permit the reconstruction of the order of their writing. In chronological order, the letters outline a coherent narrative that proves their authenticity and tells the story of the first schism. Because the story was hidden for 1,900 years, it could not have been manipulated.

The power of the story is that once we know it, we can easily see the evidence in the New Testament writings. We know why Saint Paul returned to Jerusalem, and why Titus was not welcome. We know why Barnabas and Paul split up, and why Paul called Peter a hypocrite. We discover why Paul was whipped at Antioch and fought with beasts in Ephesus- it was not over pagan idol worship. We discover why Paul wrote Romans, although he had not yet visited Rome.

Reveals without speculation: The secret identity of the Antichrist. The first schism. The identity of Saint Paul's opponents. The original doctrines of Christianity.

"Is Christ divided?" asks Saint Paul, rhetorically in 1 Corinthians. Now, we can answer his question, because his question was more than rhetorical. This book is a reset on early Christian history, and one of the most important books ever written on the New Testament.

Includes: Didache, Epistle of Barnabas, and Paul's Letter to the Laodiceans.

Author: Michael LaFond
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: 03/28/2014
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.84d
ISBN: 9781497504325

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 01/01/0001
Foreword 11/02/2021
BlueInk Review 11/10/2021
IndieReader 11/03/2021

About the Author
Michael LaFond is a lay scholar of comparative religion and the New Testament. He holds a degree in anthropology with focus on culture and linguistics. He has studied religion and the New Testament since 1993.

This title is not returnable