E. A. Judge

The Birth of Christianity

History & Biography

“Did the early churches lose their grip on the figure of Jesus as he had seen himself? . . . Such a slippage often feeds the critical imagination and may indeed now be thought integral to it. But is there an actual gap in the tradition? What is the primary (as distinct from secondary) evidence for the way it developed? Paul Barnett tackles these questions as a trained and experienced historian who is engaged with the contemporary debate. He lays out the relevant data in a clear form that stimulates fresh thought.”

The Earliest Christian Artifacts

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“A landmark study, clearly explained, cautious, yet intriguing. Why the experimental, indeed pioneering, exploitation of the book form (actually more awkward than dignified rolls)? Why try out punctuation and spacing? Why the novel signal for words given divine meaning? Why convert the word 'cross' itself into the earliest image of Christ? The many unknown Egyptian scribes prove more independent, yet more of a common mind, than had earlier been thought.”