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Revised and expanded from the original German. What is the earliest Christian text? Paul’s letters were written before any other Christian texts, even the gospels, and the earliest text of all is 1 Thessalonians. This new English translation is both intelligible and true to the meaning of the original Greek text. In the accompanying commentary, Lüdemann engages critically with the theology of the early Paul, including Paul’s virulent attacks on circumcision and other Jewish practices. Readers desiring a more in-depth study will find detailed appendices on Pauline chronology and later letters. Gerd Lüdemann is Professor of New Testament at the University of Göttingen, Germany, Director of the Institute of Early Christian Studies, and Founder and Director of the Archive Religionsgeschichtliche Schule at the University of Göttingen. He has also served as Visiting Scholar at Vanderbilt Divinity School in Nashville, Tennessee, and as co-chair of the Society of Biblical Literature Seminar on Jewish Christianity. His many books include What Jesus Didn't SayThe Resurrection of Jesus, The Great Deception, The Unholy in Holy Scripture, and Heretics: The Other Side of Early Christianity.