Overview

Jesus' preaching was first and foremost about simple living, pacifism, and vegetarianism; he never intended to create a new religion separate from Judaism. Moreover, Jesus' radical Jewish ethics, rather than a new theology, distinguished him and his followers from other Jews. It was the earliest followers of Jesus, the Jewish Christians, who understood Jesus better than any of the gentile Christian groups, which are the spiritual ancestors of modern Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox churches. In this detailed and accessible study, Keith Akers uncovers the history of Jewish Christianity from its origins in the Essenes and John the Baptist, through Jesus, until its disappearance into Islamic mysticism sometime in the seventh or eighth century. Akers argues that only by really understanding this mysterious and much misunderstood strand of early Christianity can we get to the heart of the radical message of Jesus of Nazareth.

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9781930051263

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* Other scholars have explored this field and several significant studies have been published, but none of them has the impact this one has...Akers presents nothing less than an entire recasting of Christian origins, as well as a whole new conception of Christianity. - from the foreword by scholar Walter Wink Other scholars have explored this field and several significant studies have been published, but none of them has the impact this one has.... - scholar Walter Wink

Author Information

Keith Akers is also the author of Vegetarian Sourcebook: The Nutrition, Ecology and Ethics of a Natural Foods Diet.

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