In this exciting volume, Riley reveals that from the beginning there was not just one true Christianity, but many different Christianities. United by passionate allegiance to Jesus as Hero, these early, doctrinally diverse Christianities have led to the development of many different kinds of Christian churches among us today. Riley shows that early Christianity harbored major doctrinal differences about all aspects of Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and divinity.  This book provides not only a whole new understanding of the nature of earliest Christianity, but it also conveys a vital message for today about what Christian faith is really about. Riley reveals the authentic character of Christianity as inherently pluralistic and tolerant of diverse ideas while passionately centered in Jesus.

One Jesus, Many Christs: The Truth About Christian Origins

Religion & Spirituality

Riley, Gregory J.

Christian Books & Bibles

Harpercollins

In One Jesus, Many Christs Gregory Riley reveals that there was not just one true Christianity, but many different Christianities from the very beginning. United by passionate allegiance to Jesus as hero, these early, doctinally diverse Christianities have led to the development of many different kinds of Christian churches among us today. Riley shows that early Christianity harbored major doctrinal differences about all aspects of Jesus' life, death, resurrection and divinity.
An expert on the historical context in which Christianity arose, Riley illuminates the Greco-Roman world of the early Christians, a world steeped in heroic ideals. Jesus was embraced as a new and compelling hero that one could follow into a whole new life of caring community and transcendant hope. Riley boldly asserts that it was only as Christianity became the religion of the empire that the myth of the Apostles' Creed was created, thereby promulgating the illusion that the Apostles had gathered together and agreed upon a core set of doctrines essential to the Christian faith. But the reality is that doctrinal orthodoxy was not an issue for the early Christians. Rather, they focused, in quite varied ways, on following Jesus as a model for living.
This book not only provides a whole new understanding of the nature of earliest Christianity, but it also conveys a vital message for today about what Christian faith is really about. Riley reveals the authentic character of Christianity as inherently pluralistic and tolerant of diverse ideas while passionately centered in Jesus.

HarperOne

In this powerful and persuasive work trailblazing historian Gregory Riley traces the origins of Christianity beyond its familiar sources in Judaism and in the Hebrew Bible. journeying off the beaten path, Riley reveals other, lesser-known sources -- elements of Greek philosophy and science, Zoroastrianism, and the religions of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. "From the very beginning," writes Riley, "there were several varieties of Christians." The differences were greater, perhaps, than those seen in the Christianity of today. Dozens of sects arose in different cities of the first-century Greco-Roman world, all claiming to be the religion of the risen Christ. Ultimately, these early, doctrinally disparate Christianities led to the present-day diversity of the Church.
Moving from the origins of Christianity to understanding Christianity, this remarkable book guides the reader through five major areas at the core of Christian faith.
<ol>
<li>The rise of monotheism.</li>
<li>The subsequent development of Christian Trinitarianism.</li>
<li>The evolution of the Devil and eschatology.</li>
<li>The development and the consequences of the concept of body and soul for humans.</li>
<li>The meaning of Jesus as savior.</li>
</ol>
In straightforward, accessible prose, Riley shows how an enriched understanding of Christianity can uncover new truths and new pathways to faith. Likening the history of Christianity to a great river, Riley illustrates the ebb and flow of the relationship between God and humanity over the centuries. There are contributions from each side, divine and human, in a relationship that stretches over thousands of years, from before the dawn of writing to the time of the early Christians, and beyond.
The River of God is an original and masterly exploration of how the beliefs and experience of early Christianity evolved among its early adherents. Weaving historical, theological, scientific, and social developments and insights, Gregory Riley distills the history of Christianity into a superbly readable volume that has profound implications for both its present and future.

The River of God: A New History of Christian Origins

History

World

In this exciting volume, Riley reveals that from the beginning there was not just one true Christianity, but many different Christianities. United by passionate allegiance to Jesus as Hero, these early, doctrinally diverse Christianities have led to the development of many different kinds of Christian churches among us today. Riley shows that early Christianity harbored major doctrinal differences about all aspects of Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and divinity. This book provides not only a whole new understanding of the nature of earliest Christianity, but it also conveys a vital message for today about what Christian faith is really about. Riley reveals the authentic character of Christianity as inherently pluralistic and tolerant of diverse ideas while passionately centered in Jesus.

One Jesus, Many Christs : How Jesus Inspired Not One True Christianity, but Many

Fortress Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Riley, Gregory J.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Riley, Gregory J.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Riley, Gregory J.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

One Jesus, Many Christs: The Truth About Christian Origins

One Jesus, Many Christs: The Truth About Christian Origins

The River of God: A New History of Christian Origins

One Jesus, Many Christs : How Jesus Inspired Not One True Christianity, but Many