After Jesus Before Christianity: New Discoveries

Findings from the Westar Institute's Christianity Seminar

Created by: Shirley Paulson
Instructor on Early Christian Texts

What Will I Learn?

• Find thought-provoking insights regarding the earliest years following Jesus before the formal Church was established
• A new understanding of the way the contemporary world influenced the followers of Jesus
• How this deep dive into the first two centuries helps us understand the Bible better
• Taking the opportunity to ponder our own relationship to antiquity in general and the Jesus movement specifically

Requirements

• Students with some familiarity with the New Testament will find that experience useful, but it is not necessary.
• Students with some knowledge of the history of Christianity will find that information useful, but only by comparison with the new and earlier material we will cover. The knowledge of Christian history is not a prerequisite for this course.

Target audience

• People who want to understand the origins of Christianity more fully
• People who are comfortable with a challenge to traditional assumptions
• Enthusiastic but untrained Bible readers
• Historians who especially enjoy the Christian element of antiquity
• Spiritual seekers