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Conclusions of After Jesus Before Christianity

Conclusions of After Jesus Before Christianity

Monday, February 28, 2022
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Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig

The last of the four Bible and Beyond Discussion studies of the HarperOne book After Jesus Before Christianity, focused on the 20^th chapter of the book, appropriately called “Conclusion.”  The discussion centered on the following issues: 1) The Anointed communities of the first two centuries do not suggest a nascent singularity called Christianity in their many structures of and for belonging; 2) The influence of empire is everywhere in the representation of life and practice in the early Jesus-group; 3) If we are to really think about what happened between two imperial moments–when the Roman Empire crucified an insignificant Galilean peasant and when the emperor Constantine favored emergent Christian practice about three hundred years later–we can no longer look for essences. There are no abstractions that determine the character of the period. Texts referenced include the Gospel of Mary which can be found in either A New New Testament (chapter 4 and 5) or here on gospel.net (including “The Gospel and Mary and Jesus”).