The Dangers of the Early Jesus Movement

The early Jesus movement was emerging as a symptom of wider socio economic upheaval or at least the perception of deeply felt crises. These social movements often took on what James has referred to as this millen area nor apocalyptic thinking, which was particularly widespread within that context of the time. And so John the Baptist and his movement is quite clearly, it seems, promoting this idea of a coming judgment when these things will happen. There's also, we find out from Josephus and also actually the book of Acts and the New Testament has references to a popular first century prophet known as the Egyptian who combined this idea of super natural intervention and an age to come with violence and aversion such as overthrowing the city