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In the Fullness of Time: A Historian Looks at Christmas, Easter, and the Early Church
This engaging and beautifully written narrative sheds a brilliant new light on the life of Jesus and the courageous men and women who carried His message throughout a hostile empire. Full-color photos and illustrations.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1991
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177 people want to read
About the author
Paul L. Maier
59 books134 followersPaul L. Maier was an American historian and novelist. He wrote several works of scholarly and popular non-fiction about Christianity and novels about Christian historians. He was the Russell H. Seibert Professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University, from which he retired in 2011, retaining the title of professor emeritus in the Department of History. He previously served as Third Vice President of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
September 19, 2012
Recommended by a minister relative of mine as a resource on the historicity of Jesus, I had high expectations but was very disappointed. While it was a good novelization of the New Testament, which is a vast improvement over the painfully unreadable original, this book provides no new evidence for the actual existence of Jesus. The storyline of the first two parts of the book were almost exclusively imaginative fleshings-out of passages of the four gospels. References to extra-biblical resources throughout the book were simply re-phrasings of what has already been published concerning works such as Flavius Josephus' "Antiquities" and the writings of Eusebius, Tertullian and Origen, etc.
Biblical references to actual historical figures and events concurrent with the period are only evidence that the writers were aware of the political environment of the times in which they wrote. It does not follow that Jesus actually existed because the concurrent people and events existed. Even when the author admits that there are alternative explanations offered for this or that event, they are without exception summarily dismissed in favor of the preferred story line. Rather than providing evidence of the existence of a historical Jesus, all this book turned out to be was a cheerleading manual for the already convinced.
Biblical references to actual historical figures and events concurrent with the period are only evidence that the writers were aware of the political environment of the times in which they wrote. It does not follow that Jesus actually existed because the concurrent people and events existed. Even when the author admits that there are alternative explanations offered for this or that event, they are without exception summarily dismissed in favor of the preferred story line. Rather than providing evidence of the existence of a historical Jesus, all this book turned out to be was a cheerleading manual for the already convinced.
April 9, 2013
I really liked this book. It delves into the historical proofs of the bible and is very interesting. Also it gives more information about certain historical events than are written in the bible. A good book for the serious bible student.
March 5, 2022
Another reviewer pans Maier's book because it provides no "new evidence for the existence of Jesus." Perhaps that's because the old evidence is so solid. Something I learned that is fairly new is the 1972 discovery of an Arabic manuscript for Antiquities, the celebrated work by the Jewish historian Josephus. We've know about Josephus for much longer than this, of course. But in this relatively new discovery there is a far more likely reading of the famous passage about Jesus that seems to be free of overly zealous Christian interpolations:
"At this time there was a wise man called Jesus, and his conduct was good, and he was known to be virtuous. Many people among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. But those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive."
Other Jewish sources are not nearly so neutral, but they still attest to the historical fact that Jesus really lived. These hostile sources even agree that the tomb was found empty, but generally claim that the body was stolen, or offer other natural explanations.
The book is far more than a fleshed out rendering of the gospels and Acts in novel form, although Maier does a good job of taking us through these accounts with additional historical context, and keeping it very readable. Maier seems to be a conservative scholar, but his review of the life of Jesus and of early Christianity is not simple apologetics, nor does he accept everything in the biblical accounts at face value. What he does do is provide just enough historical background to show that accounts in the New Testament are generally aligned with what is known of history and archaeology. An interesting and instructive example is a stone inscription discovered in 1961 in Caesarea that references Pontius Pilate by name, giving his title as the Prefect of Judea. Prior to this, some skeptics had claimed Pilate was a made-up character, just as some have claimed Jesus did not exist. Even details like naming Pilate as a prefect (governor) and not procurator (as later historians inaccurately did) show that the gospel accounts are anchored in history.
I've always been drawn to early church history, so this book was right up my alley. I've always wanted to know as much as possible about what caused a small sect of first century Jews to abandon their age old observation of the Sabbath and to start gathering and worshiping on Sunday of all days. That historical fact alone is enough to give one pause.
Some will see nothing new in this book. After all, it's a story many of us grew up with and have known all our lives. But if you want a fair presentation of how Christianity got its start, with plenty of relevant historical detail, this is about as readable and informative as it gets. After all, many of us are happy without so-called "new revelations" and content to say simply, along with the hymn writer, "tell me the old, old story of Jesus and his love."
"At this time there was a wise man called Jesus, and his conduct was good, and he was known to be virtuous. Many people among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. But those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive."
Other Jewish sources are not nearly so neutral, but they still attest to the historical fact that Jesus really lived. These hostile sources even agree that the tomb was found empty, but generally claim that the body was stolen, or offer other natural explanations.
The book is far more than a fleshed out rendering of the gospels and Acts in novel form, although Maier does a good job of taking us through these accounts with additional historical context, and keeping it very readable. Maier seems to be a conservative scholar, but his review of the life of Jesus and of early Christianity is not simple apologetics, nor does he accept everything in the biblical accounts at face value. What he does do is provide just enough historical background to show that accounts in the New Testament are generally aligned with what is known of history and archaeology. An interesting and instructive example is a stone inscription discovered in 1961 in Caesarea that references Pontius Pilate by name, giving his title as the Prefect of Judea. Prior to this, some skeptics had claimed Pilate was a made-up character, just as some have claimed Jesus did not exist. Even details like naming Pilate as a prefect (governor) and not procurator (as later historians inaccurately did) show that the gospel accounts are anchored in history.
I've always been drawn to early church history, so this book was right up my alley. I've always wanted to know as much as possible about what caused a small sect of first century Jews to abandon their age old observation of the Sabbath and to start gathering and worshiping on Sunday of all days. That historical fact alone is enough to give one pause.
Some will see nothing new in this book. After all, it's a story many of us grew up with and have known all our lives. But if you want a fair presentation of how Christianity got its start, with plenty of relevant historical detail, this is about as readable and informative as it gets. After all, many of us are happy without so-called "new revelations" and content to say simply, along with the hymn writer, "tell me the old, old story of Jesus and his love."
November 19, 2023
A HISTORICAL STUDY OF JESUS’ LIFE, AND THE ORIGINS OF THESE FESTIVALS
Paul L. Maier wrote in the Preface to this 1991 book, “I am grateful that my trilogy----First Christmas, First Easter, and First Christians---met with generous a response among both readers and critics, here and abroad. The present volume combines all three books into a new edition, which is thoroughly revised, updated, and expanded. Information on the life of Jesus and the birth or Christianity is NOT limited to the New Testament. Many important events … come into sharper focus when history, archaeology, geography, and other disciplines shed their light on the Gospel accounts. In offering this evidence, these chapters aim to tell the UNfamiliar story of Jesus and Christianity by exploring the nooks and crannies of the past for old but overlooked evidence, new discoveries, and significant sidelights.”
He explains in the Introduction, “In dealing with Jesus and the rise of Christianity, this book will utilize all of these avenues into the past, as well as others. The wealth of information available from ancient history should, then, enrich our quest and help bridge the gap between what is secular and what is religious in biblical antiquity. Such an approach should yield a fourfold benefit: 1. History and its related fields give us a means by which the ‘check up’ on the Bible, to gauge its accuracy… 2. From these different perspectives, we can see the biblical events in sharper focus and greater dimension… 3. Problems in the biblical text can often be solved by recourse to the other ancient disciplines. 4. Gaps in the biblical record can often be filled in by correlating outside evidence from antiquity… Christmas, Lent-Easter, and Pentecost were chosen as the primary frames … [because] These are the three greatest Church festivals---great because they celebrate THE most crucial foundations of Christianity… Christians claim that all three extraordinary episodes occurred on a divinely arranged schedule ‘in the fullness of time.’”
In the first chapter, he states, “That Mary ever had to endure the rigors of this eighty-mile journey on the back of a jogging donkey while in a state of verry advanced pregnancy has been doubted by some scholars. Rome never required her subjects to return to their original homes for such enrollments, they claim, and Luke must have garbled his facts. But this view has been disproved by the discovery of a Roman census edict from 104 A.D. in neighboring Egypt, in which taxpayers who were living elsewhere were ordered to return to their original homes for registration. The Roans required such censuses every fourteen years.” (Pg. 4)
He acknowledges, “While Jesus may have been born as early as 7 B.C., such earlier datings for the Nativity would make him a little too old for the ‘about thirty years’ of age when he began his public ministry in 28-29 A.D. (Luke 3:23). Unfortunately, it is not possible to work back to any exact date for Jesus’ birth from any later information about his adult life.” (Pg. 25)
He notes, “many scholars set the date for the Nativity … in spring, because the shepherds were out in the fields, ‘keeping watch over their flocks by night’ at the angelic announcement (Luke 2:8), which would suggest lambing time. Only then, presumably, did shepherds bother to guard their flocks at night. In the winter, sheep would have been in the corral. This clue seems impressive enough, but it is by no means conclusive. In many of the rural districts of Palestine, the flocks were fed not in pens but had to forage for their food in both summer and winter. During the great winter snowfall of 1910-11 in Syria, hundreds of thousands of sheep died because snow covered the ground for weeks, interrupting their feeding. And a passage in the Jewish Mishnah states that some sheep pastured near Bethlehem were destined for sacrifice at the Temple in Jerusalem, and suggests that these flocks lay out in the fields all year long… And Christmastime visitors to Bethlehem today tell of seeing shepherds out in the fields with their sheep, their heads muffled against the chilly weather in colorful keffiyehs.’” (Pg.28-29)
He observes, “How much time elapsed between the adoration of the shepherds and the visit of the Magi is not known, but the mysterious men from the East do not seem to have arrived until after Jesus’ presentation at the Temple in Jerusalem, forty days after he was born. Unfortunately, little more is known of the Magi than of the shepherds. ‘We three kings of orient are…’ So the beloved Christmas carol begins, but already it has made at least three errors. First, how many Wise Men made the trip to Bethlehem is not known. And they were not ‘kings.’ And they did not come from as far away as the ‘Orient,’ that is, the Far East.” (Pg. 45)
He says, “At sundown, the Twelve gathered with Jesus for dinner in the upper room. But what they ate has been vigorously debated across the centuries since then, became the synoptic Gospels… state quite clearly that this was the Passover Seder or meal, whereas John insists that this was the day BEFORE the Passover. Numerous attempts have been made to harmonize these differences, some suggesting that the Passover may have been observed on two consecutive days that year, due to variant reckonings by the Pharisees and Sadducees, or by the Judeans and Galileans. Others claim that Jesus celebrated an intentionally early Passover, knowing what would happen the next day. Following the Johannine tradition, the Eastern Orthodox churches to this day celebrate holy Communion with regular leavened bread, whereas the Roman Catholic sacrament uses UN-leavened bread, wafers similar to what would have been eaten at a Passover mean. Lutherans and Anglicans generally follow the synoptic tradition also, while the rest of Protestantism uses either form. But there can be no doubt that the mind of every Jew at this time was focused on the Passover festival…” (Pg. 125-126)
Of Jesus’ trial where he was accused of blasphemy, he comments, “was it really blasphemy? Jesus’ claim to be Messiah was either true or false, and should have been examined in detail by Caiaphas. Yet even if it were proven false, the claim itself was not technically blasphemous… blasphemy technically occurred only when the sacred name of God… Yahweh—was uttered. Whether or not Jesus said it is not known, since the Gospels were written in Greek, but it seems he did not. The entire hearing, however, had violated so many other provisions in Jewish las that no technicality at this point would stand in the way of the high priest’s virtually directed verdict of Guilty in a surcharged emotional atmosphere.” (Pg. 139)
Of seeming inconsistencies in the resurrection accounts, he observes, “some critical scholars are equally mistaken in seeking to use these inconsistencies as some kind of proof that the resurrection did not take place, for this is an illogical use of evidence… Now, if such variations in the New Testament showed up ONLY in the resurrection accounts, then the problem would be far more serious than it is. But all four Gospels contain similar variations in relating previous episodes in the life of Jesus, so the account of the first Easter are simply more of the same.” (Pg. 180)
He refers to Josephus’s reference in the Antiquities [18:63-64], ‘He was the Messiah… for he appeared alive again on the third day,’ and states, “it is extremely unlikely that any non-Christian Jew could have written this statement---and Josephus did not convert---it is properly regarded as an early Christian interpolation today. In 1972, however, Professor Schlomo Pines … announced his finding of an Arabic manuscript with a different and probably original version of this passage, which states: ‘His disciples… reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive; accordingly, he was perhaps the Messiah…’ This is language a Jew might have written with less difficulty…” (Pg. 199-200)
This book will be of great interest to anyone studying Jesus’ life, and the origins of these festivals.
Paul L. Maier wrote in the Preface to this 1991 book, “I am grateful that my trilogy----First Christmas, First Easter, and First Christians---met with generous a response among both readers and critics, here and abroad. The present volume combines all three books into a new edition, which is thoroughly revised, updated, and expanded. Information on the life of Jesus and the birth or Christianity is NOT limited to the New Testament. Many important events … come into sharper focus when history, archaeology, geography, and other disciplines shed their light on the Gospel accounts. In offering this evidence, these chapters aim to tell the UNfamiliar story of Jesus and Christianity by exploring the nooks and crannies of the past for old but overlooked evidence, new discoveries, and significant sidelights.”
He explains in the Introduction, “In dealing with Jesus and the rise of Christianity, this book will utilize all of these avenues into the past, as well as others. The wealth of information available from ancient history should, then, enrich our quest and help bridge the gap between what is secular and what is religious in biblical antiquity. Such an approach should yield a fourfold benefit: 1. History and its related fields give us a means by which the ‘check up’ on the Bible, to gauge its accuracy… 2. From these different perspectives, we can see the biblical events in sharper focus and greater dimension… 3. Problems in the biblical text can often be solved by recourse to the other ancient disciplines. 4. Gaps in the biblical record can often be filled in by correlating outside evidence from antiquity… Christmas, Lent-Easter, and Pentecost were chosen as the primary frames … [because] These are the three greatest Church festivals---great because they celebrate THE most crucial foundations of Christianity… Christians claim that all three extraordinary episodes occurred on a divinely arranged schedule ‘in the fullness of time.’”
In the first chapter, he states, “That Mary ever had to endure the rigors of this eighty-mile journey on the back of a jogging donkey while in a state of verry advanced pregnancy has been doubted by some scholars. Rome never required her subjects to return to their original homes for such enrollments, they claim, and Luke must have garbled his facts. But this view has been disproved by the discovery of a Roman census edict from 104 A.D. in neighboring Egypt, in which taxpayers who were living elsewhere were ordered to return to their original homes for registration. The Roans required such censuses every fourteen years.” (Pg. 4)
He acknowledges, “While Jesus may have been born as early as 7 B.C., such earlier datings for the Nativity would make him a little too old for the ‘about thirty years’ of age when he began his public ministry in 28-29 A.D. (Luke 3:23). Unfortunately, it is not possible to work back to any exact date for Jesus’ birth from any later information about his adult life.” (Pg. 25)
He notes, “many scholars set the date for the Nativity … in spring, because the shepherds were out in the fields, ‘keeping watch over their flocks by night’ at the angelic announcement (Luke 2:8), which would suggest lambing time. Only then, presumably, did shepherds bother to guard their flocks at night. In the winter, sheep would have been in the corral. This clue seems impressive enough, but it is by no means conclusive. In many of the rural districts of Palestine, the flocks were fed not in pens but had to forage for their food in both summer and winter. During the great winter snowfall of 1910-11 in Syria, hundreds of thousands of sheep died because snow covered the ground for weeks, interrupting their feeding. And a passage in the Jewish Mishnah states that some sheep pastured near Bethlehem were destined for sacrifice at the Temple in Jerusalem, and suggests that these flocks lay out in the fields all year long… And Christmastime visitors to Bethlehem today tell of seeing shepherds out in the fields with their sheep, their heads muffled against the chilly weather in colorful keffiyehs.’” (Pg.28-29)
He observes, “How much time elapsed between the adoration of the shepherds and the visit of the Magi is not known, but the mysterious men from the East do not seem to have arrived until after Jesus’ presentation at the Temple in Jerusalem, forty days after he was born. Unfortunately, little more is known of the Magi than of the shepherds. ‘We three kings of orient are…’ So the beloved Christmas carol begins, but already it has made at least three errors. First, how many Wise Men made the trip to Bethlehem is not known. And they were not ‘kings.’ And they did not come from as far away as the ‘Orient,’ that is, the Far East.” (Pg. 45)
He says, “At sundown, the Twelve gathered with Jesus for dinner in the upper room. But what they ate has been vigorously debated across the centuries since then, became the synoptic Gospels… state quite clearly that this was the Passover Seder or meal, whereas John insists that this was the day BEFORE the Passover. Numerous attempts have been made to harmonize these differences, some suggesting that the Passover may have been observed on two consecutive days that year, due to variant reckonings by the Pharisees and Sadducees, or by the Judeans and Galileans. Others claim that Jesus celebrated an intentionally early Passover, knowing what would happen the next day. Following the Johannine tradition, the Eastern Orthodox churches to this day celebrate holy Communion with regular leavened bread, whereas the Roman Catholic sacrament uses UN-leavened bread, wafers similar to what would have been eaten at a Passover mean. Lutherans and Anglicans generally follow the synoptic tradition also, while the rest of Protestantism uses either form. But there can be no doubt that the mind of every Jew at this time was focused on the Passover festival…” (Pg. 125-126)
Of Jesus’ trial where he was accused of blasphemy, he comments, “was it really blasphemy? Jesus’ claim to be Messiah was either true or false, and should have been examined in detail by Caiaphas. Yet even if it were proven false, the claim itself was not technically blasphemous… blasphemy technically occurred only when the sacred name of God… Yahweh—was uttered. Whether or not Jesus said it is not known, since the Gospels were written in Greek, but it seems he did not. The entire hearing, however, had violated so many other provisions in Jewish las that no technicality at this point would stand in the way of the high priest’s virtually directed verdict of Guilty in a surcharged emotional atmosphere.” (Pg. 139)
Of seeming inconsistencies in the resurrection accounts, he observes, “some critical scholars are equally mistaken in seeking to use these inconsistencies as some kind of proof that the resurrection did not take place, for this is an illogical use of evidence… Now, if such variations in the New Testament showed up ONLY in the resurrection accounts, then the problem would be far more serious than it is. But all four Gospels contain similar variations in relating previous episodes in the life of Jesus, so the account of the first Easter are simply more of the same.” (Pg. 180)
He refers to Josephus’s reference in the Antiquities [18:63-64], ‘He was the Messiah… for he appeared alive again on the third day,’ and states, “it is extremely unlikely that any non-Christian Jew could have written this statement---and Josephus did not convert---it is properly regarded as an early Christian interpolation today. In 1972, however, Professor Schlomo Pines … announced his finding of an Arabic manuscript with a different and probably original version of this passage, which states: ‘His disciples… reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive; accordingly, he was perhaps the Messiah…’ This is language a Jew might have written with less difficulty…” (Pg. 199-200)
This book will be of great interest to anyone studying Jesus’ life, and the origins of these festivals.
December 29, 2018
Maier's book is the combination of three prior books: The First Christmas, The First Easter, and The First Christians. He uses a combination of biblical new-testament translations and early local sources from antiquity (writings such as Flavius Josephus' "Antiquities" and the Roman "Annals" as well as archaeological findings such as tablets inscribed with names and large ruins) to paint a picture of Jesus' birth, Jesus' early years through death and resurrection, and the time of the early Christian church from Pentecost through the end of Acts.
The book is best when it's a "good novelization of the New Testament" as another reviewer stated; the part summarizing Acts and Paul's travels really made me actually want to go back and read the non-gospel books, since when I first read them it was usually in parts and pieces with zero context and zero real background knowledge. Now, as an adult with a few more geographical and historical facts under my belt, I may be able to follow what's going on in the narrative.
The writing, I give 3 to 4 stars. But the photographs, mostly taken by Maier himself, are rather poor in quality... 2 to 2.5 stars in my opinion. Most are black and white, taken with a flash, creating odd shadows in places. Realizing now that the original books were published in 1971 through 1976, it makes more sense that the photos had that 70's feel to them... but the photos still frustrated me to no end while I was reading.
This compilation was published in 1991 or 1992. I would love to see an updated and revised edition that not only brought in any updated archaeological finds but also had better-lit, full-color photographs taken with modern equipment, with updated maps and illustrations and printed on glossy paper to truly bring out the beauty of these places and to provide more details in the panoramic shots and in the photos of the models.
The book is best when it's a "good novelization of the New Testament" as another reviewer stated; the part summarizing Acts and Paul's travels really made me actually want to go back and read the non-gospel books, since when I first read them it was usually in parts and pieces with zero context and zero real background knowledge. Now, as an adult with a few more geographical and historical facts under my belt, I may be able to follow what's going on in the narrative.
The writing, I give 3 to 4 stars. But the photographs, mostly taken by Maier himself, are rather poor in quality... 2 to 2.5 stars in my opinion. Most are black and white, taken with a flash, creating odd shadows in places. Realizing now that the original books were published in 1971 through 1976, it makes more sense that the photos had that 70's feel to them... but the photos still frustrated me to no end while I was reading.
This compilation was published in 1991 or 1992. I would love to see an updated and revised edition that not only brought in any updated archaeological finds but also had better-lit, full-color photographs taken with modern equipment, with updated maps and illustrations and printed on glossy paper to truly bring out the beauty of these places and to provide more details in the panoramic shots and in the photos of the models.
February 24, 2018
I truly enjoyed the book. It was very readable without being too highbrow or scholarly, even thou Dr. Maier is a scholar in the field. The idea is to put the events of Christmas, Easter, and the early church into context of time and place. He uses extra-biblical references to make many of the points. He is also careful to not say too much or too little based on the evidence available. I recommend for anyone interested in this type of thing.
February 7, 2019
This book gives more information about the Bible accounts without being overwhelming. It rounds out the Bible histories with outside sources and gives some proofs for knowing the Bible is true. It is certainly readable for the layman and very interesting.
May 1, 2025
Very interesting and complete description of Christmas, Easter, and the actions of the early church told from the perspective of a Christian historian citing Biblical and contemporary pagan sources, together with the available archeological evidence.
March 25, 2013
Reading this reminded me of the feeling I had while reading Acts through for the first time as a teenager. It is like a wonderful adventure novel building towards a denouement and then Acts 28 just ends. It just left me hanging there. Paul is still alive and did not die for another ten years? Paul Maier uses various archeological, historical, geographic and internal Biblical references to fill in the gaps and weave the New Testament into something of a unified story with some novel qualities. Along the way he convincingly demonstrates the historicity of the New Testament. A small part of that historicity is show in the weaknesses of the characters, and the very human way in which they behave, and their honesty in writing their accounts, which became part of the New Testament. To use Paul Harvey's saying - this is kind of "The rest of the story" of the New Testament. I was a bit disappointed in a few places because I felt (from reading Josh McDowell's "Evidence That Demand's a Verdict" years ago) that more history or clarity could be made. However, McDowell's work has a slightly different object, and went deeper into many issues. Maier's book is faster to read and a bit more of a a historical novel. I have heard that many believe that Paul did indeed go to Spain and have a fourth missionary journey, but have never pealed that back. This is the first time I have looked at any evidence of that. It helped me fill in what happened after Acts 28 - something I have wanted to know since 1980. Now it is time to fill in more of that church history. I will start "Eusebius - The Crunch History", edited by Maier.
May 17, 2010
The author, a Professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University, states in his introduction that of all religious beliefs in the world, none have more thoroughly based themselves on history than Judaism and Christianity. "Christianity...... threaded its origins into the very warp and woof of the past, becoming itself part of history's fabric. For that reason, it has also been held to much more stringent standards of critical evaluation than any other world religious system. This however, was the price it gladly paid for having solid historical credentials."
From this introduction Professor Maier goes on to use geography, archaeology, history, economics, meterology and several other disciplines to look at three separate aspects of the Christian faith: The First Christmas, The First Easter, and The First Christians (Pentecost and the Spread of Christianity in the 1st century A.D. )
The book is very informative and well-written.
From this introduction Professor Maier goes on to use geography, archaeology, history, economics, meterology and several other disciplines to look at three separate aspects of the Christian faith: The First Christmas, The First Easter, and The First Christians (Pentecost and the Spread of Christianity in the 1st century A.D. )
The book is very informative and well-written.
January 15, 2012
Paul Maier is a truly gifted lecturer. I've had the pleasure of watching two of his videos and if I lived anywhere near Western Michigan University, I'd sneak into the back of his classroom (he is a member of the history faculty there) on a regular basis - he has a gift for making the First Century A.D. accessible.
"In the Fullness of Time" continues this tradition. Maier has basically consolidated 3 other books into one larger volume (with a few changes) and he discusses the first Christmas, the first Easter and the ministries of the early Apostles, especially Paul and Peter.
Maier does a great job of bringing actual documentation that supports the stories...
Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2012/...
"In the Fullness of Time" continues this tradition. Maier has basically consolidated 3 other books into one larger volume (with a few changes) and he discusses the first Christmas, the first Easter and the ministries of the early Apostles, especially Paul and Peter.
Maier does a great job of bringing actual documentation that supports the stories...
Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2012/...
April 13, 2009
This was an interesting book for me.
You can certainly tell at times that this single book is the combination of three prior books, but it doesn't interrupt the flow that much.
I definitely enjoyed when the author took a skeptical point of view to religious traditions and when he also simply stated that no factual evidence exists for a topic and/or question.
This book infuses many early historical works to provide a broader picture of the main events of Christianity, and was surprisingly enjoyable to read as a history book.
You can certainly tell at times that this single book is the combination of three prior books, but it doesn't interrupt the flow that much.
I definitely enjoyed when the author took a skeptical point of view to religious traditions and when he also simply stated that no factual evidence exists for a topic and/or question.
This book infuses many early historical works to provide a broader picture of the main events of Christianity, and was surprisingly enjoyable to read as a history book.
April 30, 2013
Highly recommend!! Great history lots of stuff not covered on the four commentaries I read. This book is full of great history for someone to read the gospels and acts as anything other than the work of history is beyond me. And I encourage them to read this book if they four it. Maier makes clear how historical these books ate by addressing the three key areas of the faith; the birth of Christ, the death/resurrection of Christ and the spread of the early church.
Find a copy of this book and use it! Great resource!!!!
Find a copy of this book and use it! Great resource!!!!
May 25, 2011
Paul Maier is an excellent historian. In the fullness of time takes the historical angle to the Jesus story. Lots of background information, archeological evidence and apologetics surrounding the narrative but it's woven into it so well that you hardly notice all the facts and figures. I recommend it for the theological library to read every year or so as a refresher!
January 20, 2012
A fun read. Paul Maier isn't trying to "prove" Christianity, he's just trying to put events in the Bible into historical context with pictures of current sites, quotes from other historical sources and geographical data. It actually made me consider traveling to many of the sites in the future. This book's easy conversational style of presentation also makes me want to read his historical novels.
April 22, 2013
This is a very good all around historical look at the places and events surrounding Jesus and the early days of Christianity. It gives an excellent account of the people and places without sounding like a text book. Would recommend to any Christian wanting a deeper understanding of the history of our faith.
June 10, 2013
I thought the third part read less like a "historical evidence" book than a general recap of Paul's journeys according to the Biblical record. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's a stark contrast to the rest of the book (and what the book is supposed to be).
Still, excellent book by all accounts, and the first two sections really make up for the lackluster third.
Still, excellent book by all accounts, and the first two sections really make up for the lackluster third.
February 26, 2015
I've heard Dr. Maier speak several times and he is always good. This book is a little dated with all the new discoveries and developments since it was written. It would be helpful for him to update the book because it would be even more impressive and helpful - finding evidence to support Christianity from historical, non-Christian and even anti-Christian sources.
April 4, 2016
I only checked it out for the sections on Easter and Christmas. I loved both: they were fascinating and held some really neat information, some that I had read elsewhere and new information as well. Recommended! I had to turn it back in, but will eventually read the last section. Each sections are stand alone books in themselves; this edition however, had been combined.
July 25, 2024
With (above)
December 28, 2003
December 28, 2003
February 27, 2009
A historical look at Christianity. I would recommend this for Christians or others who want to learn the history of the early church.
March 6, 2011
Great book so far! Filled with information I never knew!
December 16, 2010
brings the New Testament context to life
December 1, 2012
Great historical background concerning the central events of the Christian faith.
January 31, 2015
Dr. Maier does an excellent job of examining what can be known about these major Christian holidays, using sources sacred and profane. Worthwhile reading and highly recommended!
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