The First One Hundred Years of Christianity

“Udo Schnelle, one of Germany’s leading New Testament scholars, has produced a comprehensive account of the growth and development of early Christianity. Thoroughly at home in all the relevant ancient texts and in critical dialogue with contemporary scholars, Schnelle sets the development of the church against the complex background of Greco-Roman and Jewish culture. He carefully traces the ways in which communities of Jesus believers grew and produced their distinctive literature. This is a rich and rewarding resource for serious students of early Christianity, particularly useful for introducing English readers to a wealth of German scholarship.”—Harold W. Attridge, Sterling Professor of Divinity, Yale Divinity School 

“This immense undertaking is no light survey but a wide-ranging, comprehensive assessment of most of the major questions and issues in contemporary scholarship with regard to the transition from charismatic movement to Early Christianity. It takes balanced and well-informed positions on disputed issues. Rather than an introduction for beginners, it is a treasury of scholarship and interpretation for those who want more.”—Carolyn Osiek, Charles Fischer Professor of New Testament, emerita, Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University 

“There is no better New Testament scholar active in Europe today than Udo Schnelle, whose penetrating account of the first hundred years of early Christian history has now been ably translated into English by James Thompson. Highly recommended as both a textbook and a reference volume.”—John T. Fitzgerald, University of Notre Dame 

“Professor Schnelle’s distinguished career in New Testament scholarship and theology provides the foundation for this substantial history of Christianity’s first hundred years. Eschewing fads and popularizing the byways of noncanonical gospels, Schnelle makes the case for the deserved success of Jesus’s followers in establishing an independent religious movement that originated with the person, ministry, and teaching of Jesus. This movement’s new vision of God, salvation, and conduct in community was key to its success, as was the crucial role played by written texts and education.”—Pheme Perkins, Joseph Professor of Catholic Spirituality, Boston College 

“Written clearly and judiciously, this up-to-date integration of early Christian history and theology will be of interest to all students of the beginnings of Christianity and the formation of the New Testament. This succinct volume should instantly become a standard textbook and the go-to book for all interested students, teachers, and pastors. Thanks go to Baker Academic and James Thompson for making this important book available in English.”—M. Eugene Boring, I. Wylie and Elizabeth M. Briscoe Professor of New Testament Emeritus, Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University 

“This translation makes Udo Schnelle’s monumental scholarship about the formative period of early Christianity available to English-speaking audiences. The book outlines the origins of the Jesus movement and its rapid development within the multifaceted matrix of the ancient Greco-Roman world and early Judaism. It is clear in its structure, solid in its argumentation, and broad in its scope, while still remaining attentive to important details. Benefiting from Thompson’s sensitive and competent translation, Schnelle’s sweeping depiction of the past will find the approval of many biblical scholars. I highly recommend this work as a comprehensive and trustworthy textbook for graduate classes in early Christianity/New Testament.”—Christian A. Eberhart, professor and program director of religious studies, University of Houston