The path from Jesus to Christianity is not as straight as we might think. White takes a historical approach, looking at the individual books of the New Testament in the sequence in which they were actually written. He explores what these books divulge about the disagreements, shared values, and unifying mission of the earliest Christian communities. He digs through layers of archaeological excavations, sifts through buried fragments of largely unknown texts, and examines historical sources to discover what we can know of Jesus and his early followers. It is this early, hidden history that shaped Christianity as it grew from an errant, messianic movement to a state religion and then a world religion. White shows how the early debates spurred the evolution of Christianity as we know it. He delves into the arguments over how to understand Jesus as both human and divine, the role of women in the church, the diversity of beliefs among Christian communities, the Gnostic influences, and the political disputes that raged over which books would ultimately be included in the New Testament.

pt. 1: The world of the New Testament. Entering the world of Jesus -- Religion and society in the Roman world -- Judaism at home and abroad. -- pt. 2: The first generation: sectarian beginnings. The historical figure of Jesus -- Before they were Christians : the beginnings of the Jesus movement -- Paul : his life and significance -- Paul : the Aegean mission -- pt. 3: The second generation: birth pangs and new horizons. The first Jewish revolt and its aftermath -- Sectarian tensions and self-definition : Gospel trajectories -- Accommodation and resistance : a footing in the Roman world. -- pt. 4: The third generation: from sect to church. Christology and conflict : the beginnings of normative self-definition -- With the voice of an apostle : a new generation of leaders -- Legitimacy and order : a new scrutiny -- pt. 5: The fourth generation: coming of age in the Roman world. Networks of faith : literary trajectories and regional trends -- The dilemma of diversity : delineating heresy and orthodoxy -- Closing ranks : the New Testament takes shape.