The Myth of Christian Beginnings

There is no original Christian faith, no native language, no definitive statement of the meaning of Christ for all times. That is the fundamental argument of this challenging book. vividly written and covering a great deal of evidence in a short space. Dr Wilken argues that if there has been any constant in the history of Christianity, it has been the reluctance of the tradition to give a place to change within the Christian experience. Most Christians have been willing to say that Christianity changes in some areas but in others remains the same. But why should we assume that some aspects of Christianity change while others do not? The apostolic age is a creation of the Christian imagination. There never was a Golden Age when the church was whole, perfect, pure-virginal. The faith was not purer, the Christians were not braver, the church was not one and undivided: In the light of this, Dr Wilken concludes that Christianity should forgo its preoccupation with the past and become a much more forward- looking movement.