Synopses & Reviews
Barrie Wilson is Professor of Humanities & Religious Studies at York University in Toronto. A specialist in early Christian origins, this is his first book intended for a general audience. Building on contemporary critical scholarship, it addresses some of the major puzzles he has identified in teaching biblical studies over a twenty-year period. An award-winning educator, his previous academic books focused on textual interpretation. How Jesus Became Christian looks at how one of the world's great religions prospered and grew at the cost of another and confronts a fundamental question about religious history: Who was Jesus Christa Jew or a Christian?
How did a young, well-respected rabbi become the head of a cult that bears his name, espouses a philosophy that he wouldn't wholly understand and possesses a clear streak of anti-Semitism that has sparked hatred against the generations of Jews who followed him? Wilson seeks the answer by recreating the Hellenistic world into which Jesus was borna theologically cacophonous world guided by Greek philosophies, oriental religions such as Mithraism, and the Egyptian cults of Isis and Osiris. He looks at the rivalry between the "Jesus movement," led by James, informed by the teachings of Matthew and adhering to Torah worship, and the "Christ movement," headed by Paul, which shunned the Torah.
Wilson suggests that Paul's movement was not rooted in the teachings and sayings of the historical Jesus, a man Paul never met, but solely in Paul's mystical, idealized vision of Christ. Wilson goes on to show how Paul established the new religion through anti-Semitic propaganda, which ultimately crushed the Jesus Movement. This is a provocative, well-written religious history about the core differences between Christianity and Judaism. "Wilson, professor of religious studies at Toronto's York University . . . helpfully surveys the political, social and religious contexts of ancient Palestine, demonstrating that the religion of James, the brother of Jesus, was much closer to the religious practice of Jesus himself, but that the followers of Paul suppressed Jesus' teachings in favor of their own leader . . . Wilson's instructive book introduces important questions about early Christianity for those unfamiliar with the debates about the historical Jesus."Publishers Weekly "Wilson, professor of religious studies at Toronto's York University . . . provokes new thoughts about Jesus' identity. Taking up where Robert Eisenman left off in James, the Brother of Jesus, Wilson calls his argument the Jesus Cover-Up Thesis and claims that the religion of Paul displaced the teachings of Jesus so that Paul's preaching about a divine gentile Christ covered up the human Jewish Jesus. Wilson helpfully surveys the political, social and religious contexts of ancient Palestine, demonstrating that the religion of James, the brother of Jesus, was much closer to the religious practice of Jesus himself, but that the followers of Paul suppressed Jesus' teachings in favor of their own leader. Wilson challenges the veracity of the book of Acts, arguing that the followers of Paul created these tales to support the heroic character of their founder in his quest to establish a new religion. Wilson's instructive book introduces important questions about early Christianity for those unfamiliar with the debates about the historical Jesus."Publishers Weekly
Review
Winner of the Joe and Faye Tanenbaum Prize in History
Shortlisted for the Cundill Award
“Wilsons How Jesus Became Christian represents a much-needed sea change in our understanding of how one moves from the historical Jesus to the religion called Christianity. It is beyond doubt one of the most significant works on early Christianity to appear in decades. It is bound to stir controversy, but Wilsons sober and carefully documented assessment of the evidence is as challenging as it is compelling. Wilson writes with an engaging style, accessible to the nonspecialist while thoroughly academic in quality. Jews, Christians, Muslims, and secularists will all find much of fascination and value in this provocative and important work.”--- James D. Tabor, chair of the department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and author of The Jesus Dynasty
"Barrie Wilson has produced a significant and sensational work of scholarship. And it is truly religious dynamite."-Canada's Globe and Mail
“Wilsons learned foray into the great debate over Christian origins is to be heartily welcomed. Agree or disagree, the eager reader will be gripped---and at times possibly shocked---by the authors bold investigation of one of the greatest mysteries of all time: How did the Christianity of the earliest Church become the orthodox “churchianity” of the mid-fourth and all succeeding centuries?”--- Tom Harpur, author of The Pagan Christ
“Wilson, in an immensely readable and and informative book, has put the pieces together in a compeling way to reveal a startling conspiracy. This conspiracy is soundly developed out of real historical evidence...the suppression of Jesus real message and his real Jewishness in favor of Pauls message about a Christ for the Roman world, the remarkaby successful cover-up story provided by the Book of Acts, and the roots of the anti-Semitism endemic to the new religion of Christianity....A groundbreaking and highly controversial work that is sure to provoke considerable attention.”---Patrick Gray, professor at York University and Toronto School of Theology
"Provokes new thoughts about Jesus' identity. Wilson helpfully surveys the political, social and religious contexts of ancient Palestine, demonstrating that the religion of James, the brother of Jesus, was much closer to the religious practice of Jesus himself, but that the followers of Paul suppressed Jesus' teachings in favor of their own leader. Wilson's instructive book introduces important questions about early Christianity for those unfamiliar with the debates about the historical Jesus."—Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
“Jesus was thoroughly Jewish. Mary, his mother, was Jewish and Judaism was the religion he practiced throughout his life. Jesus’ teachings focused on the important Jewish issues of the day…But, what happened? How did Jesus the Jew become a Gentile Christ?”
So begins Barrie Wilson in How Jesus Became Christian where Wilson confronts one of the simplest questions of religious history and yet one that anyone rarely thinks about: How did a young, well-respected rabbi become the head of a cult that bears his name, espouses a philosophy that he wouldn't wholly understand and possesses a clear streak of anti-Semitism that has sparked hatred against the generations of Jews who followed him? Colorfully recreating the Hellenistic world into which Jesus was born – a theologically cacophonous world filled with a panoply of Greek philosophies, oriental religions such as Mithraism and the Egyptian cults of Isis and Osiris -- Wilson brings the answer to life by looking at the rivalry between the "Jesus movement" led by James, informed by the teachings of Matthew and adhering to Torah worship, and the "Christ movement," headed by Paul which shunned Torah.
Wilson suggests that Paul's movement was not rooted in the teachings and sayings of the historical Jesus, a man Paul actually never met, but solely in Paul's mystical vision of Christ,. Wilson’s persuasively then goes on to show how Paul established the new religion through anti-Semitic propaganda which ultimately crushed the Jesus Movement. Sure to be controversial, this is an exciting, well-written popular religious history that cuts to the heart of the differences between Christianity and Judaism. How Jesus Became Christian looks at how one of the world's great religions prospered and grew at the cost of another and focuses on one of the fundamental questions that goes to the heart of way millions worship daily: Who was Jesus Christ --a Jew or a Christian?
For more information please visit www.barriewilson.com.
Synopsis
Sure to be controversial, this is an exciting, well-written popular religious history that cuts to the heart of the differences between Christianity and Judaism, to the origins of one of the world's great religions and, ultimately, to the question of who Jesus Christ really was--a Jew or a Christian.
Synopsis
In How Jesus Became Christian, Barrie Wilson Ph.D. confronts one of the simplest—yet undiscovered—questions of religious history: How did a young, well-respected rabbi become the head of a cult that bore his name, espoused a philosophy he wouldn't wholly understand, and possessed a clear streak of anti-Semitism that has sparked hatred against the generations of Jews who followed him? Vividly recreating the Hellenistic world into which Jesus was born, Wilson looks at the rivalry of the "Jesus movement", informed by Matthew and adhering to Torah worship, and the "Christ movement," headed by Paul which shunned Torah. Suggesting that Paul's movement was not rooted in the teachings of historical Jesus, but a mystical vision of Christ, he further proposes Paul founded the new religion through anti-semitic propaganda, crushing the Jesus Movement. Sure to be controversial, this is an exciting, well-written popular religious history that cuts to the heart of the differences between Christianity and Judaism. How Jesus Became Christian looks at how one of the world's great religions prospered and grew at the cost of another and focuses on one of the fundamental questions that goes to the heart of way millions worship daily: Who was Jesus Christ --a Jew or a Christian?
About the Author
BARRIE WILSON is Professor of Humanities & Religious Studies at York University in Toronto. A specialist in early Christian origins, this is his first book intended for a general audience. Building on contemporary critical scholarship, it addresses some of the major puzzles he has identified in teaching biblical studies over a twenty-year period. An award-winning educator, his previous academic books focused on textual interpretation.