The second volume of this notable trilogy, Beginning from Jerusalem covers the early formation of the Christian faith from 30-70 c.e. After outlining the quest for the historical church (parallel to the quest for the historical Jesus) and reviewing the sources, Dunn follows the course of the movement stemming from Jesus "beginning from Jerusalem."
Dunn opens this book with a close analysis of what can be said of the earliest Jerusalem community, the Hellenist, the mission of Peter, and the emergence of Paul. In the second part, Dunn focuses solely on Paul - the chronology of his life and mission, his understanding of his call as apostle and the character of the churches which he founded. The third part traces the final days and literary legacies of the three principal figures of first generation Christianity: Paul, Peter and James, brother of Jesus. Each section includes detailed interaction and the most important of the vast wealth of secondary literature on these matters.
