Christ's Resurrection in early Christianity

Markus Vinzent's book examines how belief in Christ's resurrection developed across early Christian literature, arguing it was not the universal foundation of the movement but became central through Pauline influence and later second-century debates.

Vinzent surveys a wide range of patristic and early Christian writings (beyond the New Testament) and highlights many texts that lack explicit resurrection belief, such as the Didache and Shepherd of Hermas.

He explores the role of Marcion in popularizing a Pauline theology that emphasized resurrection and suggests canonical gospels and other texts were shaped in response to these debates.

The book reconsiders dating and reception of key texts, proposing that theology often drove story formation rather than straightforward transmission of eyewitness traditions.

It offers a major re-evaluation of how the New Testament and early Christian doctrines were formed.