This book provides an introduction to the history of Christianity as seen through the lens of the conflicts between the Gentile and Jewish followers of Jesus in the early years of the faith. The authors, both scholars of Church history, offer a detailed examination of the social and cultural factors that shaped the development of Christianity in the first few centuries of the Common Era. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.