A Chronological Revision of the Origins of Christianity

33 CE, the time of Jesus’ crucifixion, is one of the most important turning points in Western history. In spite of this, some major problems with the origins of Christianity have persisted throughout the centuries. The best-known of these is the strange relationship between Jesus and his follower Paul who, in his letters to the first Christian communities, remains silent on Jesus’ teachings, his spectacular deeds, his relatives or his home base Galilee. It is also remarkable that the Gospel of Mark, which was the first manuscript to tell the story of Jesus’ life and execution, was written about 40 years after the events.
Independent of traditional biblical scholarship, Vermeiren has studied not only the Bible but also the other relevant written sources on the subject, primarily the Dead Sea Scrolls and the works of the Jewish historian Josephus.
Through a combined reading of all available sources Vermeiren takes the reader on a spectacular journey into Roman-occupied first century Palestine, and brings to light an entirely different beginning of Christianity from what the New Testament and the Christian churches would have us believe. He brings forward a revolutionary theory that not only settles the Paul problem and the issues of chronology, but also shows an early Christianity that is the result of purely human purpose and effort.
This theory might be a decisive step in demythologizing Christianity. It’s an eye opener for the interested layperson, and a serious challenge for the churches, for biblical scholars and for academic historians alike.