It is a standard canard that Jews were always monotheists and that Christians, whose movement began with Jewish believers in Jesus, followed suit. But is this true? First, we must clarify our terms before proceeding to look at early beliefs. "Monotheism" (or "one god-ism") can indicate a belief that there is only one God. But …
Continue reading Did Early Jews and Christians Believe in Multiple Gods?
As a historian and writer, I rely on many sources both old and new in my unending attempt to understand the first-century Roman world. Among the most valuable primary sources for this period is the Jewish historian Josephus. All modern historians of this period rely on at least two of his essential works: the Antiquities …
It may come as a surprise to many, but Christianity, if we define it as a religious movement intentionally separate and distinct from Judaism, is not apostolic. Let me state my thesis a bit more fully and then provide the evidence. First, to remind readers of the obvious, all of the apostles were Jews. Historically, …
Did Jesus instruct his Jewish listeners and disciples that the Torah, or Jewish law – the first five books of modern Bibles, traditionally attributed to Moses – was rendered irrelevant with his coming? There are certainly no unequivocal statements by Jesus in the gospels that say so. Yet many Christians from ages past until today …
Most people understand that Christianity grew out of Judaism. Jesus was Jewish. So were Peter, James, John, and Paul. So were the many other named and unnamed initial believers who hailed from Palestine and from the Greek-speaking world. But as followers of Jesus began to invite non-Jews to join their movement, questions immediately arose about …
Continue reading Early Christianity’s Uneasy Relationship with the Torah, Jews, and Judaism
David Christian Clausen 