Contrary to several popular works of
Christian scholarship, historian Paul
Barnett maintains that the first two
decades of Christian history are
hardly "lost years." As he shows in
this penetrating book, the period
between Jesus and the earliest
Christian texts is open to historical
investigation, and he richly details
the time and setting in which the
church was born.
Writing in a very accessible style,
Barnett provides an informative,
reliable chronology of the years
immediately following Jesus'
crucifixion. Just as important, he
presents the historical sources,
biblical clues, and other telling
evidence that we have for accurately
documenting this crucial period of
time. Looking more widely, Barnett also
surveys world events during
Christianity's first twenty years and
notes their impact on life in the early
church.