How did Christianity begin, and what is the New Testament? What is the difference between studying the New Testament and studying the origins of Christianity, and why does that distinction matter? What are the most important historical, literary, and religious contexts that explain the emergence of the New Testament texts over the first and second centuries CE, and their collection in the fourth century? This course is a historical introduction to the early Christian movement: a Jewish sect that emerged in the context of the Roman Empire. We will use the methods of ancient history to examine texts composed by followers of Jesus in the first two centuries CE, along with aspects of material culture like the archaeological remains of relevant sites. Students will leave this course prepared to delve deeper into study of ancient Christianity, equipped with tools of analysis relevant to the study of Mediterranean antiquity more broadly.