The Beginnings of Christianity as an Integral Part of Early JudaismCross-file under New Book. You can download it for free at the link.Jesus and his first followers were Jews who never intended to form a new religion apart from Judaism. The so-called “parting of the ways” between Jews and Christians was long and by no means monolinear. Rather, it was a complex process that stretched over five hundred years, occurring in different places at different speeds and under a variety of circumstances. What we today call the “beginnings of Christianity” was in fact an integral part of multifaceted Judaism.
See also Early Judaism and the Beginnings of Christianity: Common Roots and the Parting of the Ways (Kohlhammer, 2026; open access).
By Markus Tiwald
Professor of New Testament
Faculty of Catholic Theology
University of Vienna
January 2026
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