This work explains how the writings of the early Church emerged from communities which defined themselves in Judaic terms even as they professed faith in Christ. It shows, by examining a variety of texts, how the major figures of the New Testament reflect distinctly Judaic practices and beliefs, so that the early movement centred on Jesus can be seen as "Christian Judaism". Only with the Epistle to the Hebrews did the profile of a new and distinct Christian religion emerge.