The Marketing of Christianity: The Evolution of Early Christian Doctrine

from The Institute for Cultural Research

Excerpt:
Is it really possible that the first followers of Jesus, who valued their beliefs so highly that they were prepared to suffer martyrdom for their sake, would allow manifestly pagan elements to slip in? If so,
given the depth of their faith, we shall surely be able to draw some interesting conclusions as to the nature and quality of human belief. In this monograph, again taking Christianity as a case history, we shall discuss the extent to which the personalities of the first followers of Jesus, and the environment in which they were working may have helped to shape the faith we regard today as Christianity.