Strange Religion: How the First Christians Were Weird, Dangerous, and Compelling

How often do you think about the Roman Empire? For the last month, I’ve been thinking about it quite a bit! I was invited to participate in an early-access launch team for “Strange Religion,” which officially releases today.Nijay is an historian and NT scholar, and his book evidences careful scholarship. But he writes in an approachable way, and intentionally limits his “Christianese”—presumably to reach a wider audience, and to reinforce the book’s main premise. And that main premise is that Chrisianity emerged as a very strange kind of religion—one that felt unfamiliar, counterintuitive, and even dangerous in its ancient Roman context. By that same token, its strangeness is precisely what made it compelling, transformative, and ultimately explosive.Throughout the book, Nijay examines early Christian doctrine, worship, and practice against the backdrop of the pagan Roman Empire in which it was conceived—and the contrast is striking. Not only did the early Christians attribute universal supremacy to a crucified criminal; but they were also strangely oriented toward the future, and seemingly utopian in their familial posture and disregard for social status. Christians confessed belief in only one God—and oddly, they emphasized the importance of a personal, loving relationship with that God. Their religiosity was not merely outward and pragmatic; it was inward, and it centered around the heart. Moreover, all Christians had access to this one true God, regardless of their status or location. No priest but Christ was necessary for intercession, and Christ was made available to all. No temple was necessary for worship; the Holy Spirit now indwelled Christians bodily. No longer was ritual sacrifice a necessity; rather, the very lives of Christians were now understood as sacrifices to God (Rom. 12:1-2).While the book is certainly worth a read for non-Christians (especially history buffs with an interest in Ancient Rome and/or religion), Christian readers will uniquely benefit, and likely find their faith revitalized. Implicitly, the book also serves as a powerful warning to the modern Western church. As you read through it, it becomes clear that there are many ways in which the modern Western church looks much more like the power-hungry Roman Empire than it does the church envisioned by the New Testament. We would do well to reclaim the more radical, upside-down, and outright strange faith that was embraced (albeit imperfectly, as Nijay makes clear in a later chapter) by the earliest Christians.I don’t want to say too much more, in case you decide to read it for yourself. But I do highly recommend the book! Pick up a copy if you’re able.

In "Strange Religion: How the First Christians Were Weird, Dangerous, and Compelling," New Testament scholar Nijay Gupta provides a fascinating exploration of the early Christian church and how it stood out in the context of the Roman world. Drawing on extensive research and a deep understanding of early Christian history, Gupta illuminates the unique beliefs, worship practices, and way of life that set the first Christians apart from mainstream Roman society.Gupta divides the book into four main sections: Becoming Christian, What the First Christians Believed, How the First Christians Worshipped, and How the First Christians Lived. Through these sections, he demonstrates how the early church represented a radical departure from the religious norms of the time. Christians embraced monotheism, the promise of eternal life, and a faith that blended religion, philosophy, and morality in a way that other belief systems did not. They also lived out their faith in practical ways, forming tight-knit communities characterized by equality, love, and a commitment to following Jesus.While the early Christians' beliefs and practices made them compelling to many, they also rendered them dangerous in the eyes of the Roman power structure. By refusing to conform to societal expectations and challenging the traditional religious and social order, Christians faced suspicion, ostracism, and even persecution.Throughout the book, Gupta makes the ancient world come alive, drawing connections between the early church and contemporary Christian practice. He challenges modern readers to consider how the "weirdness" of the first Christians might inspire us to live out our faith more boldly and distinctively in our own cultural context.Although Gupta's writing is accessible and engaging, "Strange Religion" is thoroughly researched and includes extensive citations and references. The book serves as an excellent introduction to early Christian history and thought, providing valuable insights for both lay readers and those with some prior knowledge of the subject.In conclusion, "Strange Religion" is a thought-provoking and enlightening exploration of the early Christian church and its place in the Roman world. By highlighting the ways in which the first Christians were weird, dangerous, and compelling, Gupta invites readers to reflect on the transformative power of the gospel and the call to live as a distinct and countercultural community of faith.

This is very good presentation of the differences between the Romans thinking and practice of religion and the Christians. In Roman practice it was important to keep peace with the gods and in comparison Christians beliefs and practices appeared to be weird and superstitious.Dr. Gupta arranges the book in four parts: Part 1: Becoming Christian, Part 2: What the First Christians Believed, Part 3: How the First Christians Worshiped, and Part 4: How the First Christians Lived. In each part he shows how the Roman and Christian views differed by referencing primary and secondary sources on the subjects showing how they differed in regard to orthodoxy and orthopraxy, and relationship to the state/politics.This is a well written and documented book that held my attention and was hard to put down. I learned much about the Romans view of the gods and highly recommend it.

I really enjoyed this book and found it captivating. I appreciate the way the author immerses the reader in the Roman culture of the day when Christianity came on the scene, and how he shows what the Romans believed (placate the gods and secure their blessing) vs how the Christians were different. This book helped me picture how strange and different, and even dangerous, this new faith felt to the Romans. I especially appreciated his take on the story of Mary washing Jesus' feet with her tears and the context he gave to make this story come alive.The only reason I marked it down to 4 stars is that I wish the author would have talked more about what we should do with this information and how it applies to us today. The information is fascinating and makes the Bible come alive more to me now, but I want to know how it should change my life.

As soon as I heard that Nijay Gupta was writing this book, I was intrigued and excited to dive into it. Since Christianity has been dominant in western culture for so long, it can be hard to understand what originally made Christianity stand out as unique: is it those things that our culture sees as “strange” today, or was it something different? In his introduction, Gupta suggests the latter may be true, saying, “I do think pop Christianity in the Western world often reflects a “chemically altered” version of the Jesus movement that has been manufactured for cheap refreshment” (p. 5). But, rather than critiquing the church of today, Gupta expertly unpacks what made the first Christians weird, compelling, and dangerous, and allows the reader to come to their own conclusions on what this means for us today.I particularly appreciate Gupta’s ability to write in such a way that makes this book both scholarly and accessible. On the one hand, he does an excellent job of utilizing primary sources, bringing readers into the first-century Greco-Roman world and guiding them to compelling conclusions about the early Christians. At the same time, Gupta appropriately makes use of modern-day references to help readers understand a world that we are thousands of years removed from. For example, in Chapter One when describing pax deorum (peace with the gods), he gives readers both a selection from Plautus’s Amphitryon, along with an explanation of how it was like the modern-day mafia (p. 15).I would highly recommend this book to all who have an interest in knowing more about early Christians and the world they inhabited, or who are seeking to reflect on the state of Christianity today. Again, Gupta doesn’t prescribe ways that the church today needs to change, but will cause readers to pause and consider how Christians today might better reflect the "strangeness" of those early Jesus followers. I am grateful for having read this book, and know it will be one I return to often!

WEIRD BUT WONDERFULI am reading New Testament Scholar Nijay K. Gupta’s new book “Strange Religion: How the First Christians Were Weird, Dangerous, and Compelling.”As expected from a scholar of Gupta’s calibre this book is well-researched and written.Tom Holland in books like Dominion has pointed out that the Christian values that underpin Western Culture are so profoundly Christian and widely accepted that we no longer realise they are Christian and how out of step those beliefs, values and behaviour were with the classic world. Gupta’s book takes us back to that classical world to show in sharp relief just how strange the first Christians were to the vast majority of the rest of the population of the Roman Empire.To your average Roman, Christians and their faith was at best bizarre and at worst downright subversively dangerous. Gupta point out just how different Christian beliefs, worship, values and lifestyle was when it seeped into the Roman Empire in the first and second centuries AD.Sometimes in order to see the details of a photograph more clearly you have to increase the contrast. I think this is what Nijay Gupta has done for us in this concise but engaging book. He has shown the contrast between the Roman World and the earliest expressions of the Christian faith and the result is we see primal Christianity more clearly.Who should read this? The easy answer would be every Christian who wants to understand the radical nature of their faith more clearly. I know as a working preacher I have taken copious notes which will certainly help me understand the text of the New Testament better and hopefully enrich my sermon.This book reminded me that these 1st century Christians were, weird but in a wonderful way. It also challenged and inspired me to try and follow Jesus in equally countercultural and subversive ways in the 21st century.In summary, add it to your Wishlist, get it and read it, you won’t regret it.

Nijay Gupta’s book, Strange Religion, How the First Christians Were Weird, Dangerous, and Compelling, is such a worthwhile read. Dr. Gupta provides insightful commentary on how the early church differed from the Roman culture, society, and its religious practices. His discussion illuminates how, in that time period and cultural setting, the early church and Christ followers, were conspicuous because their behaviours and practices were perceived to be weird, dangerous, and compelling, especially when contrasted with the larger community and the way Romans worshipped their gods. Gupta’s discussion is supported by extensive research and references. This book helps to provide a necessary and valuable context for interpreting and understanding the Biblical text. In addition, Dr. Gupta challenges the reader to reflect upon how our contemporary churches and Christ followers are perceived today, and whether they too are easily distinguishable from the world around them. I highly recommend this book.

Nijay has done it again! There are few writers I know of who write academic masterpieces in such a palatable way. Nijay is relational, and always compelling and informative. This book is no exception. He paints a vivid picture of the culture which the Church was birthed into. It’s helpful for us who seek to understand where we can from as a religion which has existed now for two millennia. As a foundation for Christianity, there is a base understanding of how we have differed from society since the inception of the Church, and it remains true of us today.If you’re questioning whether or not to read it, I say go for it! This book is important and timely. You won’t regret the investment!

"Strange Religion" is a compelling look at the earliest Christians as they would have appeared to the Roman culture that surrounded them. In this well-reasearched book, Gupta manages to write in a relatable and accessible manner, parting the curtain of history to reveal both Christian peculiarity as well Christian appeal. By allowing us to see the odd and the wonderful (while being clear-eyed about the flaws of) early Christians, Gupta shows how modern-day Christians could stand to become a little more...well...weird.