How was the Kingdom of God, an ancient idea proclaimed in a new form by Jesus and by Saul of Tarsus (St. Paul), somehow forgotten and transformed into a religion revolving around the deification of Jesus?
This would seem to be a simple transition, yet it is this refocusing of the Kingdom of God onto the figure of Jesus that was to create Christianity.
And it was the endless magnification by Saul of Tarsus of Jesus as Son of God that was the source of Saul's further conviction that the Kingdom of God was imminent and guaranteed by the resurrection and glorification of Jesus; above all, that the identification of the believer with the dying and rising Christ, Son of God, was the key to immortality...
Accordingly, this book will attempt to explain the sequence of events in which the original belief of Jesus, John the Baptist and Saul of Tarsus in the imminent Kingdom of God - a transformation of the real world - was replaced by a belief in the dvinity of Christ Jesus, Son of God - the foundation of a universal Church, launched by the destruction of the Jewish temple and state in the Roman-Jewish war of 66-70.
Why was Jesus, described in the gospels as a preacher with a message of peace and love, executed by the Romans as "King of the Jews"? Why do the gospels play down the Roman involvement in Jesus' death and vilify the Jews as the chief culprits? Was there a connection between Jesus and the Zealot rebels whose various attempts to overthrow Roman domination eventually led to the destruction of Jerusalem? These are among the many interesting questions answered by Joel Carmichael in this thought-provoking book.
Carmichael notes that although thousands of books have been devoted to Christianity, no clear consensus has emerged among scholars regarding either the events of Jesus' life or the development of Christianity after his death. The reason for this confusion, says Carmichael, is a "combination of scarce data and willful speculation. The constant production of books is fueled by the widespread reluctance to accept as adequate those data that are uncontested." The Unriddling of Christian Origins sets the record straight by offering a purely secular account of the critical events and characters of early Christianity without recourse to theories, surmises, speculations and borrowings from other disciplines.
Part one, "Jesus Before Christ", examines the life of Jesus. Part two, "Christ After Jesus", studies the articulation of the Christian message after Jesus' death, focusing on the role of Saul of Tarsus (St. Paul) and the impact of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem on both the Jewish and the fledgling Christian communities. Carmichael puts special emphasis on the concept of the "Kingdom of God" which was fundamental to the teachings of Jesus, John the Baptist and Paul. He describes the ferment of political unrest and apocalyptic theological speculations that influenced the thinking of the earliest Christians and he delves into the intriguing relationship between the many jewisch sects of the time and the believers on Christ Jesus.
The Unriddling of Christian Origins is a fascinating, well-argued study, unique in its secular emphasis and controversial in its conclusions.
Joel Carmichael is an author, translator and polymath who has written numerous books not only on early Christianity but also on Russian history and Islamic Studies.