Becoming Christian: The Demise of the Jesus Movement

The evolution of Christianity as it is known today began in Antioch but as Becoming Christian reveals it had once been quite different. While most histories gloss over the earliest period of Christianity to begin with the Christian establishment this book uncovers the little-known history within the gap between 31 and 70 CE when the Jesus Movement was headquartered in Jerusalem under the authority of James bar Joseph the brother of Jesus and the apostles served as missionaries carrying the teachings of Jesus throughout Judea Galilee and Samaria. By the year 66 CE James and most of the apostles had died along with much of their teaching. Pauls spiritual Jesus had gained a foothold among Gentiles in Antioch and throughout the West including Rome where it finally blossomed into a powerful political hierarchy. No longer was Jesus humanity important to the church. With the death of James the original movement fell into disarray and split into factions each developing its own doctrines. Thus there arose numerous Christianities during the first two centuries many of which had become heretical. The Jesus Movement had now become irrelevant to the church and as Becoming Christian reveals by the third century it would be publicly eradicated for all time. Becoming Christian is a most welcome addition to a growing body of literature aimed at restoring the teachings of Jesus to their original Jewish context. Nancy Kuehl is a wonderful writer and first-rate researcher and this book is a major step forward in the quest to recover the historical Jesus and the true history of earliest Christianity. It is a truly eye-opening work that will be of great value to both Jews and Christians. --from the foreword by Jeffrey J. Butz Nancy Kuehls Becoming Christian is truly a landmark book for all those interested in the earliest history of the original followers of Jesus. These Nazarenes as they were called were the first followers of Jesus before the movement began to largely shed its Jewish roots. Building upon a solid foundation of recent scholarship Kuehl has written a fascinating and accessible history of this vital but too-oft forgotten or disregarded history of the Jesus movement. I recommend this book with pleasure and enthusiasm. --James Tabor author of Things Unutterable and Paul and Jesus. Nancy L. Kuehl a retired court reporter for the State of Texas is the author of A Book of Evidence: The Trials and Execution of Jesus and Henry Seale the Kings Bookseller as well as numerous biblical commentaries. Kuehl is a native of East Texas and lives in historic Nacogdoches. She holds degrees in ancient history English and political science from Stephen F. Austin State University.