First Century

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.

Rev. Dr. Stephen De Young, creator of the popular The Whole Counsel of God blog and podcast, traces the lineage of Orthodox Christianity back to the faith and witness of the apostles, which was rooted in a first-century Jewish worldview. The Religion of the Apostles presents the Orthodox Christian Church of today as a continuation of the religious life of the apostles, which in turn was a continuation of the life of the people of God since the beginning of creation.

The Titus Diary is the story behind the letters to the Thessalonian churches. Reading the letters of Paul is often dry, devoid of context and separated from the story which led to the letters being written. In this account of the apostle Paul's second missionary journey, told through the eyes of Titus, listeners accompany Paul as he travels throughout Asia Minor and Greece. They see his struggles, the persecution and the suffering which Paul and Silas endured to bring the gospel into Europe.

EARLY CHRISTIANITY IN THE FIRST CENTURY: Jesus’ Witnesses to the Ends of the Earth offers an in-depth exploration of the early days of Christianity, as it emerged and spread throughout the known world. This comprehensive and insightful book delves into the historical and cultural context of the time, examining the birth of a new faith that would change the course of human history. From the humble beginnings of Jesus’ ministry and the miraculous events of Pentecost to the rapid growth of the Christian movement, this volume paints a vivid portrait of the first-century believers who were ...

The Apocalypse of Abraham (התגלות אברהם, Hitgalut Avraham) is an ancient Jewish apocalyptic text believed to have been written between 70 and 150 CE. While the surviving manuscripts are in Old Slavonic, it is widely accepted that the original composition was in a Semitic language, evident from the presence of Hebraisms throughout the work. This newly translated version of the Apocalypse of Abraham (Kindle format) is released to gather some preliminary feedback from my readers. If you prefer a printed text, it is included in "Unheard Voices of Hebrew Kings and Prophets" - a ...

"Hamilton's novel centers on a fascinating, little-known figure from history - Elisabeth Samson emerges as intriguing and distinctive. An intriguing fictionalization of circumstances with an ample romantic angle. Hamilton's prose style is warm, even, and voice-driven." - The BookLife Prize In the 18th century Dutch plantation colony of Suriname, where wealth is measured by the number of slaves one owns, the educated Free Negress Elisabeth Samson, owner of several flourishing coffee plantations, desires the one thing her wealth cannot buy: a legal marriage with her consort, a White colonial ...

An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of the Scriptures. Explore this biblical text that serves as a bridge from the Gospels to the Epistles, and introduces the birth of the Christian church and the experiences of its leaders as they spread the good news of salvation by faith from the Jewish to the Gentile communities. The entire text of the Bible are presented with intermediate commentary that includes the background, context, and exposition of each passage. Organized as twenty-seven sequential and individual Bible studies that are each intended for about 30 minutes of personal Bible ...

War Transformed provides insights for those involved in the design of military strategy, and the forces that must execute that strategy. Emphasizing the impacts of technology, strategic competition, demography, and climate change, Mick Ryan uses historical and contemporary anecdotes to highlight key challenges faced by nations in a new era of great power rivalry. Just as previous industrial revolutions have advanced societies, the nascent fourth industrial revolution will have a similar impact on how humans fight, compete, and build military power in the twenty-first century.

The author, due to the circumstances of his serious study of the Bible, and opportunities to teach it for now over 50 years, has long regarded it as his favorite book of the Bible, and the one that he’s studied the most.At this stage of life, it now rings similar to Matthew, Peter’s epistles, Revelation, and James, all written about the same time, all dealing with persecution of Christians by unbelieving Jews, all dealing with an imminent judgment coming on Old Covenant Israel, and all dealing with the passing away of an old heavens and earth, AND the inauguration of the new heavens and...

INTO THE AMERICAS (A novel based on a true story) is a gritty, real-life adventure based on one of history’s greatest survival stories. It was inspired by the diary entries of young English blacksmith John Jewitt during his time aboard the brigantine The Boston and also during his sojourn at Nootka Sound, on North America's western seaboard, from 1802 to 1805. Written by father-and-son writing team Lance & James Morcan (authors of The World Duology and The Orphan Trilogy), INTO THE AMERICAS is a tale of two vastly different cultures – Indigenous North American and European civilization ...

Deep in the Vatican archives, a treasure was recently discovered. A document purporting to be written by the Magi themselves has surfaced in recent years. You likely have not even heard about this even though the translator published his work in 2010 while defining a valid chain of custody with references to this work before the fifth century perhaps as far back as the second. The find has been all but silenced as it demonstrates the Vatican knew the wise men were holy, sagacious kings (yes kings!) who originated in the Far East beyond India from the land of the Garden of Eden and never ...

The Christian church of the early centuries spread throughout much of Asia, Africa, and Europe, spoke many languages, was situated within diverse cultural settings, and had varied worship practices; yet it maintained a vital unity on core teachings. In The Global Church - The First Eight Centuries: From Pentecost through the Rise of Islam, author Donald Fairbairn helps listeners understand both the diversity and unity of the church in this pivotal era.

Although most people acknowledge that Jesus was a first-century Jew, interpreters of the Gospels often present him as opposed to Jewish law and customs—especially when considering his numerous encounters with the ritually impure. Matthew Thiessen corrects this popular misconception by placing Jesus within the Judaism of his day. Thiessen demonstrates that the Gospel writers depict Jesus opposing ritual impurity itself, not the Jewish ritual purity system or the Jewish law.

They were long-shot underdogs and if they were to survive, they needed a miracle.The armies of Islam had swept like wildfire into the Iberia peninsula. By the beginning of the 9th century, King Alfonso’s Kingdom of Asturias was one of a couple of enclaves of Christianity remaining in Espania. It was the year 814 and King Alfonso II had just received word that Charlemagne, the Frankish conqueror and protector of the Catholic Church, was dead. Alfonso’s small northern kingdom was no match for the Caliphate of Cordoba which had orchestrated a vast economic revival known as the Andalusian ...

In the twilight of the apostolic age, with Jerusalem in ruins and the last of the eyewitnesses passing from the world, a deep and dangerous schism fractures the heart of the Christian faith. The Two Churches (c. 71-96 AD), the thirteenth volume in the sweeping 1st Century House Churches series, plunges readers into the critical decades where two competing models of the church—one visible and powerful, the other hidden and persecuted—vie for the soul of the fledgling movement. In Rome, the trauma of Nero’s persecution has forged two divergent paths. The influential Clement, a man who ...

Effective expository sermons communicate the timeless truths of the ancient parables to the modern listener. This book proceed in the following manner:•Chapter II will review the necessity of defining and interpreting the parables in their cultural and theological context.•Chapter III will review the literary nature of the parables and guidelines that the 21st Century preacher might follow in order to interpret and effectively preach them.•Chapter IV will include the steps for the 21st Century preacher to translate the 1st Century parable into a 21st Century context. Here, the parable...

This book pulls no punches. We have been lied to about the origins of the New Testament, the Church, and the historical record. But what really happened? The Second Crucifixion of Jesus peels back layers of historical development to reveal the original message the Romans and the Roman Catholic Church never wanted us to see. Evidence from the Bible, contemporaneous histories, and the Dead Sea Scrolls, is meticulously documented – but presented in a narrative that anyone can follow.

It's time to start over from zero. What happened to the Western church? Why are we losing the generation under thirty and reaching so few nonbelievers? In Church Zero, Peyton Jones examines one of our biggest problems: squeezing our leaders into a mold that cuts their hair and drains away their commando strength. Scripture lays out a leadership model that worked explosively in the first century.

2025 Kindle Book Review Awards Semifinalist — Literary Fiction A Legacy Written in Blood and Pearls… Blood for Pearls: 1498 – The First American Genocide is a powerful, emotionally searing historical novel based on real events that forever changed the Americas. Set during the third voyage of Christopher Columbus, this epic tale explores the brutal birth of the pearl trade in the Caribbean and the catastrophic consequences for the Indigenous and African peoples of the New World.In 1498, Columbus arrives on the fabled Pearl Coast—what is now Venezuela—and discovers the tiny island ...

n the smoldering heart of a fallen city, a dark apostle's vengeance sets the stage for the ultimate test of faith. Rome, 64 AD. The Great Fire has ravaged the capital, and a paranoid Emperor Nero needs a scapegoat. At the venomous whisper of Simon Magus—a sorcerer nursing a decades-old grudge against the apostles—Nero finds his victims: the city’s small but steadfast community of Christians. Accused of "hatred of the human race," the followers of the Way are marked for annihilation. As the first generation of leaders—including the apostles Peter and Paul—are dragged to the ...