Why Christianity Happened

A Sociohistorical Account of Christian Origins (26-50 CE)

James G Crossley author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Westminster/John Knox Press,U.S.

Published:3rd Nov '06

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Why Christianity Happened cover

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.

ISBN: 9780664230944

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

248 pages