Christian Beginnings by M.S. Enslin
Morton Scott Enslin's book "Christian Beginnings" is about exactly what the title says. It deals with how Christianity came about, but it goes back much farther than Jesus Christ. Most information that deals with the beginning of Christianity starts out with Jesus and his followers, but Enslin does not get to that until Chapter 10, which is in part II of the book. The first part looks at the rule of Herod and an understanding of Judaism. While these are not specifically Christian in nature, they had to do with the beginnings of Christianity and they must be understood before the rise of Christianity is understood. The first part of the book talks about this understanding of what happened before Christianity came about, and the second part of the book is more familiar to Christians and those that have heard various teachings of the Christian religion. The second part of the book deals not only with Jesus, but also with John the Baptist, and talks about how the Church actually developed. This, however, is tied in with the information that is provided in the first chapter about Herod, Judaism, and the Maccabean Revolt. This is important for any who study Christianity. While the Christian religion, or what we today call the Christian religion, would not have been termed as such without Jesus Christ, there were many more dealings with God that came about before Jesus was born. Judaism was the chief religion, and many believe that Christianity and Judaism are the same, but there are important differences. However, it is easy to see how Christianity came from Judaism in many ways. This is the main point of the book - showing how much of Christianity came from the religion that was around at the time, but also that much of it was developed from what Jesus Christ said and the understanding of those that followed Him when He walked on the Earth. Enslin's book tells a very detailed story that aids in not only an understanding of Christianity, but where it came from as well.
