Why Christianity happened : a sociohistorical account of Christian origins (26-50 CE) /
Author / Creator: | Crossley, James G. author |
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Edition: | 1st ed. |
Imprint: | Louisville, Ky. : Westminster John Knox Press, c2006. |
Description: | xv, 232 pages ; 23 cm. |
Language: | English |
Subject: | |
Format: | Print Book |
URL for this record: | http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/6203756 |
Summary: | 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. |
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Physical Description: | xv, 232 pages ; 23 cm. |
Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 177-224) and indexes. |
ISBN: | 9780664230944 (alk. paper) 0664230946 (alk. paper) |