Why Christianity Happened: A Sociohistorical Account of Christian Origins (26-50 CE)

Looking beyond theological narratives and offering a sociological, economic, and historical examination of the spread of earliest Christianity, James Crossley presents a thoroughly secular and causal explanation for why the once law-observant movement within Judaism became the beginnings of a new religion. First analyzing the historiography of the New Testament and stressing the problematic omission of a social scientific account, Crossley applies a socioeconomic lens to the rise of the Jesus movement and the centrality of sinners to his mission. Using macrosociological approaches, he explains how Jesus' Jewish teachings sparked the shift toward a gentile religion and an international monotheistic trend. Finally, using approaches from conversion studies, he provides a sociohistorical explanation for the rise of the Pauline mission.

Author: James G. Crossley
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Published: 11/03/2006
Pages: 248
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.83lbs
Size: 8.98h x 6.00w x 0.67d
ISBN: 9780664230944

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 12/01/2006 pg. 130

About the Author
Crossley, James G.: - James G. Crossley lectures in the Department of Biblical Studies at the University of Sheffield. His publications include The Date of Mark's Gospel: Insight from the Law in Earliest Christianity and Writing History, Constructing Religion.