How Jesus Became Christian

How Jesus, a Jewish rabbi preaching the Torah and thinking of himself as the Messiah, came to be turned into Christ that is, a cosmic leader and core to a whole new religion (Christianity as we know it) that has
rejected Judaism to the point of fuelling anti-Semitism throughout its history? The question -baffling, we have to admit- is far from new. In fact, anybody interested enough in early Christianity should fully know by now how crucial in such a twist was, not only Paul's own mysticism but, also, the various political and social events that led to the success of his mystic interpretation over others, far more faithful to the rabbi's primeval message. Barrie Wilson then, no matter how interesting and deep, has nothing new to show more contribute here.

His answer, that he labels under the quite pompous name of 'Jesus cover-up thesis' (yes, it has a funny ring of conspiracy theory, which is unfortunate because it is an otherwise serious essay) just gathers for a wide audience the numerous arguments, both historical and theological, that have been brought over and over (ever since Paul preached!) to denounce such a betrayal and hijacking. Here we go again, then, learning how Paul and his followers have forged a cult of personality, stripping Jesus of its Jewishness and (ironically) granting him pagan features to turn him into something the poor Galilean would have not recognised.

Nothing new certainly. None the less, such great display of a broad erudition on the topic, brought thus brilliantly to lay readers, makes for a fascinating read. It's a very good page turner, widely accessible and with a clear argumentation, smoothly flowing from beginning to end even if too repetitive at times. A pertinent and very enjoyable book. show less

This is a long overdue review of a great new book. Wilson highlights the tension of Christianity’s founding movement, and asks the question: Was Jesus a Jew or a Christian? Paul’s brand of Christianity, especially, Wilson finds anti-Semitic, in stark contrast to the Gospel of Matthew and its reliance upon Torah. Paul, Wilson theorizes, hijacked Jesus for himself, turning Christianity into a Gentile religion.

Wilson’s portrayal of conflicting religions—the “Jesus movement” of the Jews, and the “Christ movement” of Paul—makes for fascinating reading. Paul experienced a mystical vision of the Christ, and everything he teaches flows from that deep, spiritual, ongoing connection between Christ and Paul. What used to be so show more simple became a complex theology, Paul’s message that all could be saved in Christ resounding throughout the Roman world.

Wilson discusses the book of Acts and its “revisionist history,” entwining Paul’s world with the Jesus movement as if they are one and the same, and concludes that there is simply no corroborating evidence for the Acts version. Instead, Paul’s letters betray an entirely different atmosphere. The Book of Acts invented history, and the version of Christianity we know today is better labeled “Paulinity.” The Jesus movement slowly faded away. In effect, the Jesus Cover-Up Thesis contends that early Christianity effectively killed off the historical Jesus. In the epilogue, Wilson encourages recovering the human Jesus and rediscovering his Jewish roots.

A thought-provoking and well-written book, definitely worth reading. show less

This is a good book on the split in the early Church. I think his portrayal of the Ebionites as Torah-observant Jews is somewhat misleading, though. Yes, they were Jews, but they had their own idea of what the "Law" was which was very deviant from first-century Judaism.