Monday, June 5, 2017

A Narrative Account of Jesus’ Ministry Incorporating New Research

The Dawn of Christianity presents the story of the ministry of Jesus and the founding of the early church. The first chapters are devoted to the story of Jesus and his followers. After the death of Christ, the author focuses on the early church through the travels of the apostles and Paul.

The book reads like a good story. The author stays close to the Bible narrative, but includes recent finding from archaeology and science, particularly when the gospels were written. I found the discussions of the political situation most interesting. It’s amazing how much Jesus accomplished in such a short time, but the discussion of the politics shows that Israel was ripe for the ideas Jesus preached.

It was also very interesting to learn about the archaeological discoveries in the area that show what the temple was like. They also verify places mentioned in the Bible that many people believed were fabrications, or at least not as developed as they appear to be now that the ruins have been studied.

I found the early chapters the most interesting, particularly those about the last days of Jesus life. The author tells the story in a way that makes you see the events. He also reconciles the accounts from the gospels showing that they are more accurate than previously thought by some scholars. The later chapters about the early church are also informative, but mostly follow the Acts of the Apostles with some added political and historical perspective.

I highly recommend this book if you want a readable account of the New Testament incorporating the latest findings from science and archa
eology.


I received this book from BookLook Bloggers for this review.    

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