Who Made Early Christianity?

July 27, 2015
Gager, a professor of religion at Princeton, tackles the long-held belief that the apostle Paul was an anti-Jewish Christian in this scholarly and well-researched volume, part of a series of lectures under the direction of the American Academy of Religion. To support his claim that Paul was, in fact, a loyal Jew whose words have been misconstrued by an anti-Jewish Christian imagination, Gager paints a portrait of the social, religious, and historical milieu in which Paul lived. Beginning with Paul's writings, which until very recently have been viewed as Christianity's go-to text for anti-Jewish thought, Gager asserts that when Paul's letters are read in their appropriate context, a startlingly different image of Paul's agenda emerges. To accomplish this task, Gager presents a host of contemporary historians' opposing views and either validates or deconstructs them piece by piece, always with a strict adherence to facts and historical context. While some might argue with his interpretation of certain passages, Gager provides copious, informative footnotes to back up his points and provide outlets for further inquiry. His clear and thorough journey, taking scripture into account as well as other relevant texts and artifactsâincluding works by both Jewish and Christian historiansâwill engage and impress any student of Abrahamic history.

May 15, 2015

There is a particular understanding of the apostle Paul and the Early Church period that includes these elements: Paul turned away from Judaism, became a Christian, and both was the founder of Christianity and the originator of Christian anti-Judaism. Further, as Christians became more numerous in the early centuries, Judaism dwindled and became less relevant, such that Jews had little influence on and association with Christians. Gager's (emeritus religion, Princeton Univ.) book offers what was originally a series of lectures based on texts from early Judaism and insights from recent research on Paul to show that the above understanding is largely inaccurate. Gager notes that Paul understood himself to be a Messianic Jew to the end of his life, and that Christianity, as a religious movement separate from Judaism, only developed well after he died. Also, Judaism stayed active and thriving in the early centuries, and it continued to have significant influence on Christianity. VERDICT This well-written and well-researched book will be an excellent resource for readers with an interest in Paul and ancient Judaism.--John Jaeger, Dallas Baptist Univ. Lib.

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