After Jesus, Before Christianity

A Historical Exploration of the First Two Centuries of Jesus Movements

By: Erin Vearncombe, Brandon Scott, Hal Taussig, The Westar Institute

Narrated by: Cindy Kay

Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's Summary

From the creative minds of the scholarly group behind the groundbreaking Jesus Seminar comes this provocative and eye-opening look at the roots of Christianity that offers a thoughtful reconsideration of the first two centuries of the Jesus movement, transforming our understanding of the religion and its early dissemination.

Christianity has endured for more than two millennia and is practiced by billions worldwide today. Yet that longevity has created difficulties for scholars tracing the religion’s roots, distorting much of the historical investigation into the first two centuries of the Jesus movement. But what if Christianity died in the fourth or fifth centuries after it began? How would that change how historians see and understand its first two hundred years?

Considering these questions, three Bible scholars from the Westar Institute summarize the work of the Christianity Seminar and its efforts to offer a new way of thinking about Christianity and its roots. Synthesizing the institute’s most recent scholarship - bringing together the many archaeological and textual discoveries over the last 20 years - they have found: 

• There were multiple Jesus movements, not a singular one, before the fourth century
• There was nothing called Christianity until the third century
• There was much more flexibility and diversity within Jesus’s movement before it became centralized in Rome, not only regarding the Bible and religious doctrine, but also understandings of gender, sexuality and morality.

Exciting and revolutionary, After Jesus, Before Christianity provides fresh insights into the real history behind how the Jesus movement became Christianity. 

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

©2021 Erin Vearncombe, Brandon Scott, Hal Taussig, The Westar Institute (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

Excellent and informative

Every scholar or theologian looking to learn more about early Christianity and early Jesus movements needs to read this book. It is incredibly informative and delves deeper into familiar topics and thoroughly explores ones I had never heard. The way each topic is presented was very beneficial for someone looking at these topics from an academic perspective as the sources are clearly given for further reading, which I found very helpful. I greatly appreciate the honesty with which the hypothesis is stated, as well as how the authors are forthcoming with certain misunderstandings and gaps in knowledge that have caused divisions in the past. The performance was wonderful and engaging and I think I may listen to it again now that I'm done!

thought provoking

glad to have listened. scholarship always is a place of many life giving discoveries and land mines! but loving Jesus and the way(s) he leads us to live serving each other is light!

A new essential resource

An excellent resource for anyone studying the history of early Christianities. I highly recommend it.

Informative & Important!

A book for our times. Unlike the negative reviewer, one doesn’t have to be woke to benefit from this scholarship. I recommend it highly.

Ancient texts speak for themselves

Encyclopedic in scope, rigorous referencing, careful scholarship. Listened three times; now I'm reading the book.