This textbook provides a balanced, critical overview of the history, literature, and religious diversity of Early Christianity.

Delbert Burkett is Seynaeve Professor of Christian Origins at Louisiana State University. He has written or edited a number of books and articles on Jesus, the New Testament title 'Son of Man', and the Synoptic Gospels. He has received several teaching awards and a major research grant. He is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature and was elected to the Society for New Testament Studies.

Part I. Historical and Religious Background: 1. Introduction; 2. Jews among Greeks and Romans; 3. Basic Second Temple Judaism; 4. Varieties of Second Temple Judaism; 5. Jewish hopes for the future; 6. Hellenistic religion, philosophy, and world-view; 7. An overview of early Christian history; 8. The making of the New Testament; Part II. Jesus and the Gospels: 9. Introduction to the Gospels; 10. The synoptic problem; 11. The Gospel of Mark; 12. The Gospel of Matthew; 13. The Gospel of Luke; 14. The Gospel of John; 15. The apocryphal Jesus; 16. The quest for the historical Jesus; Part III. Acts: 17. The book of Acts; Part IV. Pauline Christianity: 18. Paul, his letters, and his churches; 19. Gentiles and the law (1): Galatians; 20. Gentiles and the law (2): Romans; 21. Problems of church life: 1 Corinthians; 22. Problems of church life: 2 Corinthians; 23. The imminent parousia: 1 and 2 Thessalonians; 24. Prison Epistles (1): Philippians and Philemon; 25. Prison Epistles (2): Colossians and Ephesians; Part V. Judaic Christianity: 26. Judaic Christianity; 27. The letter of James; 28. The Didache; Part VI. Gnostic Christianity: 29. Gnostic Christianity; 30. The Gospel of Thomas; Part VII. Proto-Orthodox Christianity: 31. Proto-Orthodox Christianity; 32. Conflict in the church (1): pastoral epistles; 33. Conflict in the church (2): Jude and 2 Peter; 34. Conflict in the church (3): Johannine Epistles; 35. Conflict in the church (4): letters of Ignatius; 36. Conflict in the church (5): 1 Clement; 37. Relation of Christianity to Judaism (1): Hebrews; 38. Relation of Christianity to Judaism (2): Epistle of Barnabas; 39. Conflict with the Roman world (1): 1 Peter; 40. Conflict with the Roman world (2): Revelation; Appendixes: Appendix 1. Lucian on sacrifices; Appendix 2. The Essenes; Appendix 3. Jewish messianic hopes; Appendix 4. Divine humans and their births; Appendix 5. Apotheoses; Appendix 6. Miracle stories in the ancient world; Appendix 7. The Infancy Gospel of Thomas; Appendix 8. The Gospel of Peter; Appendix 9. The Didache; Appendix 10. Selections from the Gospel of Thomas; Appendix 11. Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans 1-9; Appendix 12. Selections from 1 Clement; Appendix 13. Selections from the Epistle of Barnabas; Appendix 14. Conflict with Rome.