In this "compulsively readable exploration of the tangled world of Christian origins" ( Publishers Weekly ), religious historian James Tabor illuminates the earliest years of Jesus' teachings before Paul shaped them into the religion we know today. Historians know virtually nothing about the two decades following the crucifixion of Jesus, when his followers regrouped and began to spread his message. It was during this period of time that the apostle Paul joined the movement and began to preach to the Gentiles. Using the oldest Christian documents that we have--the letters of Paul--as well as other early biblical sources, James Tabor reconstructs the origins of Christianity. The result is a fascinating examination of sharply competing ideas about the significance of Jesus and his teachings. Tabor boldly argues that the familiar figures of James, Peter, and Paul disagreed fiercely over everything from the meaning of Jesus' message to the question of whether converts to the Jesus movement must first become Jews. Tabor shows how Paul separated himself from Peter and James and introduced his own version of Christianity, which would continue to develop independently of the gospel message that Jesus preached to become the religion we know today. "One of the few books willing to push back assumptions.

and give rise to new perspectives and stories" ( Huffington Post ), Paul and Jesus gives us a new and deeper understanding of Paul as it explores the fascinating period of history when Christianity became the religion we recognize today.