A Bounty of Books

The Dawn of Christianity: How God Used Simple Fishermen, Soldiers, and Prostitutes to Transform the World by Robert J. Hutchinson uses biblical and extra-biblical sources to historically trace the beginning of "the Jesus movement." Hutchinson starts from a bit before the birth of Jesus and goes through the Jerusalem council.

Each chapter is short and deals with one particular person or event in the formation of Christianity. The writing flows well and is easy to read and understand. There are numerous helpful end notes at the back of the book that provide either sources or more detail, some of which is very interesting.

There isn't really anything new in this book, but it does serve as a great introduction to an important topic for both believers and skeptics. It is organized and informative without going so deep into any one particular topic or scholarly controversy that someone new to the topic would become bogged down. Overall, I recommend The Dawn of Christianity to anyone interested in how Christianity was formed and took root.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookLook book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255