Disciples: How Jewish Christianity Shaped Jesus and Shattered the Church

by Keith Akers

A book about the disciples of Jesus would typically start with Jesus himself: first there was Jesus, then he had disciples. This book suggests a fundamentally different story: first there was a movement, then Jesus emerged as its leader. This movement was markedly different from both rabbinic Judaism and gentile Christianity. It became known to history as "Jewish Christianity"-Jews who followed both Jesus (as they understood him) and the Jewish law (as they understood it). These first disciples affirmed simple living, nonviolence, and vegetarianism, and rejected wealth, war, and animal sacrifices. Some two decades after Jesus was crucified, they split with their most famous missionary, Paul, over the issues of vegetarianism and eating meat from animal sacrifices. The history of Jewish Christianity takes our understanding of Christian origins into a completely new realm.

312 pages, Paperback

First published November 4, 2013

Reviews

[Bob Stocker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disciples by Keith Akers takes the realistic point of view that Jesus was a man of his times. Many of his ideas such as opposition to animal sacrifice, advocacy for nonviolence, and promotion of simple living were already prevalent before Jesus was born and continued to be espoused by Jewish Christian groups after his death.

Substantiating anything about the historical Jesus and his followers is challenging. Texts about the life of Jesus were written long after his death by authors who may have been less interested in historical accuracy than they were in advancing their own agendas. Some of the best sources on religious ideas at the time were written to denounce heresies. Akers has painstakingly analyzed available sources and developed a picture of early Christianity that is quite different from the Christianity practiced today.

[Lee Harmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I wish I had written this book. Speculative but convincingly argued, it strikes a perfect balance between reason and wonder, as it traces the evolution and demise of Jewish Christianity.

I have both curiosity and sympathy for the Ebionites, that early Jewish Christian sect which probably stemmed from the first Christians in Jerusalem, headed by Jesus’ brother James. Their disagreements with Paul, their emphasis on simplicity, and their primitive Christology have always intrigued me. But Akers pulls no punches in digging up the truth about the Ebionites and others. Some of their doctrine entices me, and some does not. For one thing, by the time you finish this book you may turn into a vegetarian … and life without bacon? No thanks, Keith.

In my studied opinion, Akers oversteps the bounds of reason only once–when he discusses the Talpiot tomb (the “Jesus tomb”) and its implications–but the thing is, his scholarship is so precise elsewhere that it makes me want to take a hard look at even this and see if there is really something to it! If it sounds like I’m gushing praise, it’s because this may be the most intriguing book I’ve read since discovering Paul Anderson’s Johannine studies. In a word: Disciples is simply brilliant, very highly recommended.

My one complaint is that it suffers from a scarcity of references, having no reference section or footnotes. The in-text references are not plentiful enough.

Apocryphile Press, © 2013, 298 pages

ISBN: 978-1-937002-50-3

[Kate Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Following up on his previous book The Lost Religion of Jesus, Keith continues his examination of Christianity in its earliest stages, presenting a very different view from what Christianity later became under Paul. This Jewish Christian movement, which practiced simple living, nonviolence and vegetarianism, has been completely lost, even though it represented what Jesus actually taught. Contemporary scholars of religion are mostly unaware of its existence, yet Keith's conclusions are based solidly on historical sources of the period. For more details, visit the author's blog at Compassionate Spirit.
Had Christianity stayed closer to its original vision, we would likely have a kinder world in which resources would be more equitably shared and no climate/environmental crisis would be looming on the horizon. The more people who are Christian read this book and begin to work for change in their churches, the better the future will be.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE best book on the Jesus Movement, also known as the Ebionites, where the Jewish Christians fit into the history of Judaism, and connections to earlier and later groups (Essenes, John the Baptist group including the Simon Magus and Dositheus sects).

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read extensively about early Christianity (Tabor, Pagels, Koester, Kloppenborg, etc.) and I have to say that this is the finest exploration of the early Christian movement and Christian vegetarianism that I've ever laid my hands on. Although I was already familiar with many of the concepts and texts referenced in Akers' masterful work "Disciples," I had not yet done a deep enough dive as it concerns the Homilies and Recognitions, which are truly the keys to unlocking the Ebionites' vegetarian tradition. This book forced me to do deeper research into the Clementine literature and other lesser known texts mentioned by Akers and I am forever grateful. Now I feel intellectually armed with far more ammunition to defend the historicity of Christ and his followers as vegetarians. I can't recommend this book enough!