The contributors of the volume draw on cognitive and social science, suggesting fresh ways of approaching Christian origins and early Judaism. Its multidisciplinary and radically new perspective to its subject matter is highly relevant for all scholars of religion.

Petri Luomanen, Ph.D. (1996) in Theology, University of Helsinki, is an Academy Research Fellow at the University of Helsinki. He has published widely on the Gospel of Matthew, early Jewish Christianity and second-century Christianity, including A Companion to Second-Century Christian 'Heretics' (Brill, 2005; co-edited with Antti Marjanen).
Ilkka Pyysiäinen, Ph.D. (1993) in Comparative Religion, University of Helsinki, is an Academy Research Fellow at the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies. He has published widely in the cognitive science of religion including How Religion Works (Brill, 2001).
Risto Uro, Ph.D. (1988) in Theology, University of Helsinki, is University Lecturer of New Testament Studies at the University of Helsinki. He has published widely on early Christianity and Gnosticism including Thomas: Seeking the Historical Context of the Gospel of Thomas (Continuum, 2003).