Bishop Eduard Lohse reviews the heart of the New Testament: the life of Jesus, the meaning of his cross and resurrection, and his message of love. He proceeds to outline the beginnings of the Christian church and highlight the distinctive characteristics of early Christians. Finally, he describes and characterizes the unique features of their basic writings-the letters and the gospels-which became a part of the church's book, the Bible. The First Christians is an invitation to focus on what the earliest Christians believed and proclaimed-according to the New Testament.

EDUARD LOHSE is Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Hanover, West Germany. He formerly taught New Testament at the University of Göttingen. Among his many works are Colossians and Philemon (Hermeneia-A Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible), The New Testament Environment, and The Formation of the New Testament.

M. EUGENE BORING is Professor of New Testament