About the Author

Gregory Riley, Ph.D., educated at Harvard University, is professor of NewTestament and Early Christianity at the Claremont School of Theology in California and the author of the acclaimed One Jesus, Many Christs.

Reviews

Several recent books have sought to demonstrate the influence of Greek and Roman thought on the origins of Christianity, but Riley (New Testament and Early Christianity, Claremont Sch. of Theology) gives us one of the best. His arguments are far more balanced and substantiated than those in Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy's The Jesus Mysteries (LJ 7/00), for example. Riley states that Christianity was not produced by preceding and/or contemporaneous religious ideas, which he calls "the river of God." However, he points out that for Jesus and his disciples there was "a vast store of ideas and traditions that they used to form their unique expressions of religious truth." Beginning with a discussion of why the "Israel only" model (i.e., the idea that Christianity drew only from Judaism) is incorrect and insufficient, he moves in subsequent chapters to discuss the sources for and ideas about such core concepts as one God, the Devil, the soul as separate from the body, and the need for a Savior. His last chapter contains his summary of how Greek and Roman religious ideas affected Christianity and how recognizing this can lead to a more complete understanding of Jesus and his message. This volume will become one of the most important books on the subject. Recommended for any public or academic library. David Bourquin, California State Univ., San Bernardino Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

In what is now a rather commonplace argument, Riley (One Jesus, Many Christs) contends that Christianity originated from the tremendous theological diversity of Near Eastern religions and that its origins cannot be explained or understood adequately by simply emphasizing its roots in Judaism, as he claims conventional scholarship has done. He proposes instead a threefold model of genealogy, punctuated equilibrium and the "river of God" to investigate Christian origins. First, he examines Christianity's genealogy, examining all the branches of its family tree to locate the sources of ideas such as the Devil, body and soul, and monotheism. Second, he argues that Christianity evolved by embracing certain ideas that would ensure its survival and rejecting others that did not contribute to its longevity. Finally, in an unoriginal manner, Riley uses the image of a river to demonstrate the diversity of religious traditions that have flowed into Christianity as well as the variety of traditions that have developed within Christianity itself. But Riley's book is plagued with problems. His subtitle is misleading, for he doesn't offer a new history of Christian origins; acknowledging and emphasizing the religious diversity upon which Christianity depended has been a standard approach for more than a decade. Riley also passes along some inaccuracies. Plato never equated the Good with God, and Aristotle probably would be horrified to learn that his Unmoved Mover is God. Riley's pedestrian prose and lack of originality combine to steal the zest from what otherwise could have been an exciting book. (Aug.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.