From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians (1998)
From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians (1998) This PBS Home Video is an astonishingly fine 4-video Frontline masterpiece that integrates first-rate modern scholarship into a cohesive, credible account of Christianity's rocky, gradual emergence from Judaism. Paul, the Jewish Jesus sect based in Jerusalem, the impact of the Jewish Revolt, and the gradual sprouting of Christian seeds within the Roman Empire are seamlessly presented within a plausible historical context. Especially revealing is the environment within which stories were assembled into the Gospels--from Mark's initial, rather crude effort, to the sophistication and 'good news' thrust of Luke, decades later. Scholars criticize those who have been 'wrong-headed' to interpret literally narrative stories. Complemented by A&E's Christianity: The First Thousand Years and Who Wrote the Bible: Probing the Eternal Mysteries Behind the Origins of the Holy Scriptures. The PBS/Frontline web site on From Jesus to Christ has a series of superb essays that I have downloaded as essential class source material. Example: the role of women in the early Christian church.
