Product Description

FROM JESUS TO CHRIST: THE FIRST CHRISTIANS, explore the life of Jesus and the movement he started – challenging familiar assumptions and conventional notions about the origins of Christianity. The film traces Jesus’ life and focuses on the events that occurred after his death and on the men and women who were his first followers and whose belief, conviction, and martyrdom created a major movement that transformed the Roman Empire.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #77208 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-08-24
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, Surround Sound, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 120 minutes

Amazon.com
Becoming a Christian at the beginning of the first millennium was a sure-fire way to get transplanted to the outer fringe of society and expose oneself to an unprecedented level of intolerance. Times were harsh and this rising renegade sect of Judaism had more then their share of obstacles to overcome. These men and women were forced to wrestle with their Jewish faith and traditions and confront the Romans and their "zero tolerance" policy during the Pax Romana, while facing infighting among the various Christian sects about how to interpret and understand the teachings of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Frontline's From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians is not a tale of joy, peace, and acceptance but of the perseverance of the early Christians, whose daily lives were shaded with conflict as they struggled to practice and spread their newfound faith.

From Jesus to Christ recounts the life of Jesus Christ, the events that occurred after he died, and the hardships his first followers faced while teaching his message. The story is told not from a religious angle per se, but is effectively presented in a historical, sociological, and humanistic manner by today's leading New Testament academics. Drawing on the latest, and often controversial, historical evidence and interviews, the documentary vividly transports the viewer back to the times of the Christians whose belief, conviction, and martyrdom would create the movement that would turn the Roman Empire upside down in the next three centuries. --Rob Bracco

Customer Reviews

From Jesus To Christ
This boxed, four-tape set is the finest set on the transformation of a localized Jewish sect to the religion that we call "Christianity" today. The series covers the first 300 years of the development of Christianity. The series is a thoughtful, well-researched presentation with spectacular cinemegraphic transitions between interview-style narratives and on-location film. There is so much information imbedded in the film that it takes several viewings to get it all out. Further, there is a website which contains hundreds of pages of support material. This is an fantastic series produced by "Frontline".

From Jesus to Christ
I enjoyed the video from start to finish. It does a great job of describing the events that led to the formation of the Christian religion from a fragment of the Jewish faith. I especially enjoyed the fact that it uses the testimony of several theological scholars from distinguished schools such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Duke, among others. This video helped to explain a lot of the questions I had regarding the formation of the faith. It is a must see for anyone curious of the roots and struggles of early Christianity.

The Jesus Movement
"From Jesus to Christ- The First Christians" follows the growth of the early church from the death of Christ to the conversion of Constantine some three hundred years later. Changing attitudes about Jesus and Christianity, from both inside and outside the movement, are examined . Jesus' ministry and death are briefly examined, but in the context of a Jewish culture that was oppressed by Rome.

This is not a faith based program, as the scholars do not debate the divinity of Christ. However, it was a fascinating look at the times in which Jesus lived, taught, and died. I especially enjoyed the information about the young church in Jerusalem. Looking at the facts surrounding the "Jesus Movement" only served to strengthen my faith.