Udo Schnelle begins with some appropriate reflections on the writing of ‘history’, beginning with the salutary reminder that the past is only available to us as interpretation of the present, and an interesting preference for frühes Christentum over Urchristentum. Chapter iii sets the historical context with helpful sections on Hellenism, the Greco-Roman religious movements, the chief philosophies, Judaism and the political, social and economic situation in the Roman Empire in the first and second centuries ad. For example, he makes the important point that the Greek and Roman religions, including the mystery religions, differed from early Christianity above all at two points: (1) they had no central revelatory writings, and (2) they had no comprehensive and deliberately planned recruitment policy (p. 44). And he concludes with the salutary reminder that early Christianity did not have its own history but also developed within the history of others.

One might think that the story of Christianity begins with Jesus and his ministry in Palestine. But Schnelle takes his starting point as the Easter event(s), and although he refers briefly, for example, to the twelve and the role of Peter before Easter, and later gives a brief treatment of the Gospels (ch. x), he leaves the question rather hanging: did Christianity begin with Jesus, or (only) with what his disciples made of him? On the key issue of Jesus’ resurrection and the empty grave he fairly concludes that the truth content of the event cannot be demonstrated historically, but neither can it be denied. But it is certain that the Easter events released a creative process of interpretation (p. 100). Schnelle stresses that the interpretation which Jesus’ disciples gave to what had happened would not have been acceptable to Judaism – a rather odd denial of all that Paul in particular stood for, but understandable in the light of further developments.

A rather cool summary of the religious experiences which were such a mark of the first Christian communities begins the treatment of the Jerusalem community. Somewhat surprisingly he thinks that the circle of twelve disciples had only a brief meaning after Easter (p. 116), but justifiably attributes the significance of the concept of ‘Apostle’ to Paul and Luke. Nor does he fail to note with regard to Junia (Romans xvi.7) that ‘already before Paul there was a woman apostle’ (p. 120). He justifiably notes that the later hostility of the Jewish leadership to the new movement was rooted in and continuous from the beginning. He also notes the importance of the Hellenists of Acts vi–vii, justifiably concluding that ‘the whole Pauline mission is not thinkable without the work of this group’ (p. 147). Finally he notes the significance of the early Christological titles, the evidence clearly indicating the emergence of a distinctive and creative community and movement.

Schnelle describes the early mission and communities as practising the message of Jesus and illustrates it with reference to various passages including the coming again Son of Man and Jesus the miracle worker, but is content simply thus to indicate the influence of the Jesus tradition without going into it further. He refers to the places where the earliest Christian mission spread and makes a good if inevitably brief case for a continuing mission in Galilee before the more natural focus on Antioch and (immediately) Rome. A section on competition and conflict starts somewhat curiously with the Baptist movement, followed by persecution under Agrippa i and Claudius. Of longer term interest is the section on the development of cult praxis, the beginnings of institutionalisation, the formation of tradition and the beginning of the formulation of the Jesus tradition (Q). With reference to Paul's first missionary journey, Schnelle justifiably comments on the decisive alteration that it made to emerging Christianity, and the chapter concludes by noting the three great currents in Christianity's beginnings – the Jerusalem community, (curiously) the Jesus movement, and Antioch and Paul, with the suggestion of a fourth (the Gospel of Thomas) justifiably dismissed.

Chapter vii, on the apostolic council, notes the differences between Acts xv and Paul's own account in Galatians ii. But I would have preferred more discussion of the motivation for the differences. To what extent was Luke softening the image of Paul and of the degree to which his Gentile mission was independent of Jerusalem? And more should surely be made of Luke's omission of the Antioch incident (Galatians ii.11ff.), of the issue of whether Paul lost out in his stand against Peter, and of the consequences for Paul's further mission (referred to only briefly at the beginning of chapter viii).

Chapter viii focuses on Paul's mission, noting that the communities that he established were something new within the ancient world, both sociologically and theologically, open to individuals of all ranks, all races and all callings (p. 269). The external discourse, with Judaism and imperial Rome, is balanced by an inner discourse with pneumatic enthusiasm, strong and weak. But the shocking evidence of the Jewish opposition to Paul and the failure/denial of Paul's attempted rapprochement in the collection for Jerusalem underline the extent of disunion at the end of Paul's career. After a brief treatment of Paul's letters, the chapter closes with a justified evaluation of the distinctive contribution which Paul made to the early Christian movement.

A brief chapter ix covers the first great crisis of Christianity – the death of Peter, Paul and James and the first persecutions, the destruction of the Jerusalem temple, the ruin of the Jerusalem community and the fiscus Judaicus. It closes by developing the thought that the writing of the Gospels and the pseudepigraphical epistles were an ‘innovative way of overcoming the crisis’, with the closing thought that

Chapter x starts with brief studies of the Synoptic Gospels and Acts as definitive accounts of Jesus – though I still missed a clearer focus on the impact made by Jesus’ own ministry – followed by a somewhat similar study of the impact made by Paul in Acts and the deutero-Paulines. The turn to the Johannine literature allows a helpful discussion of 1 John and docetism, and of John's Gospel as (intriguingly) ‘the first introduction to Christianity’ (p. 360), giving a wholly new perspective on the Christ event. Arguably the most important sections are on ‘Jewish Christianity as a continuing power’ (p. 366), stranded between the Gentile churches and Judaism, but still evident in several New Testament documents including Revelation as also Didache.

Subsequent chapters cover the delay of the parousia, rich and poor, controversy and false teaching, structures and officers, discussions with Judaism after 70 (ch. xi), and persecutions and the Caesar cult (ch. xii). Most interesting is ch. xiii, ‘Early Christianity as an independent movement’, looking at the new speech and ‘God model’ (binitarian) of the Christians, ‘service as a model of success’, and the diverse networks in early Christianity and their theological and historical significance especially in reference to Paul. The decision to stop at 130, after a brief treatment of 1 Clement and Ignatius and early Gnosis (ch. xiv), is understandable but leaves the story at a very uncertain stage, with the canonical weight of what were to be recognised as the New Testament documents still far from resolved, and the confrontation with Gnosticism still at a very early stage. And an intriguing final chapter (xv) nominates the fifteen grounds for the success of early Christianity – though, once again, I would have expected more emphasis to be given to the impact made by Jesus himself, his ministry, death and resurrection.

Overall, this volume could be an excellent text book, or volume two at least, for any course on the beginnings of Christianity, a very good example of how a historical study of the period should be undertaken.