15 Leading Scholars Explain, How, Why and When Christianity Separated From Its Jewish Roots

WASHINGTON - Jan. 31, 2014 - PRLog -- When exactly did Judaism and Christianity become two separate faiths? Had the process already begun in the decades following Jesus’ crucifixion, or did it take centuries for the first serious and inexorable divisions to appear? Or is it the case that Judaism and Christianity share so much in common that they, in fact, remain joined at the hip?

In answering these questions, Partings: How Judaism and Christianity Became Two, the latest offering in the Biblical Archaeology Society’s popular series, traces the compelling and often muddled history of Judaism and Christianity through their formative years, from the shared background of first-century Judaism to the diverse interactions and experiences of Jews, Christians and Jewish-Christians under centuries of Roman rule.

More than a dozen chapters, written by the world’s foremost scholars in early Judaism and Christianity, including James D.G. Dunn, Margaret H. Williams, Shaye J.D. Cohen, and James H. Charlesworth, among others, tell the story of a complex and evolving “parting of the ways” that occurred in different ways in different places and at different times. Additional chapters explore specific events and groups that shaped this history, such as the Christian change of the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday, the enigmatic Christian sympathizers with Judaism known as Godfearers, and the mysterious Torah-observant Christian sects of Ebionites and Nazoraeans.

An excellent resource for students and scholars alike, Partings presents in a manner both accessible and engaging the most recent scholarship on how these two major world religions went their separate ways. In addition to extensive citations, the book includes more than 60 images illustrating this tumultuous history, as well as informative maps detailing the many sites and regions where the shared histories of the two faiths unfolded.

To learn more about Partings: How Judaism and Christianity Became Two, visit the Biblical Archaeology Society store (http://store.bib-arch.org/) today at www.biblicalarchaeology.org/store, or call 1-800-221-4644 x2.