The Rise of Christianity

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The Rise of Christianity
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Jesus the Man

• He was born of Jewish parents
• He worshipped as a Jew
• He was baptized by John, an apocalyptic
  preacher
• He taught from the Jewish text the Bible
• He was not an insider Pharisee or Sadducee
• He died a Jew - INRI

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Who Was He?

• We are not sure when he was born
• We have no idea what he looked like
• We have no idea what he sounded like
• We have nothing written by him
• We know almost nothing of his youth
• He ministered for only a couple of years
• We are not sure when he died

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His Teachings

• They were informal stories parables
• He taught in the open air
• He taught mainly around Galilee
• He never claimed divinity
• He was called Messiah or Christos
• The Anointed One
• He had a reputation as a miracle worker
• A message of gentleness humility

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His World

• Judea in the time of Herod was a troubled
  backwater province of the Roman Empire
• Paganism was fading and mystery regions were on
  the rise - Mithraism
• Born under Augustus died under Tiberius
• Jewish Messianic writings were common
• There were prophecies to fulfill

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Judaism in His Time

• Pharisees Believed in following the law to the
  fullest extent and developed a set of oral laws
  to achieve this
• Sadducees Emphasized worship in the temple and
  the importance of sacrifice
• Essenes Separation from the impure world in
  preparation for the apocalypse
• Fourth Philosophy encouraged active resistance
  to Roman rule The Zealots

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His Followers

• Mostly people of the Galilean countryside
• The poor
• The hungry
• The sick
• The oppressed
• The have-nots
• The 12 Apostles

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Jesus as Rebel

• He was an outsider not a member of the priestly
  classes
• His message was inflammatory and disturbing to
  those in power
• He was potentially a dangerous man both
  politically and spiritually
• He had to be eliminated

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His Death

• Brought before the Sanhedrin he was found guilty
  of blasphemy and sentenced to death
• Only the Roman governor could impose the death
  sentence
• The Romans were very concerned with rebellion
  within the provinces
• Jesus was crucified as a common criminal and
  rebel

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The Jesus Movement

• His death should have ended his message
• His resurrection changed everything
• They must explain the death and resurrection
• What does this all mean?

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The Spread of Christianity

• Probably did not spread from one source
• Many centers with different disciples
• Some focused on his death others on his teachings
• Some favored keeping Jewish law, the Torah
• Some wanted to open the religion to gentiles

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Early Christianities

• It was not a unified movement
• The Disciples were probably dispersed
• It spread to many areas with many languages and
  customs
• Some branches had a hierarchy others didnt
• Its early rate of growth is spectacular

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The Growth of Christianity
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Growing Pains

• There was tremendous diversity in practice and
  dogma
• There were early struggles over who would control
  the direction of the church
• What was the place of the gentile?
• What was the role of women?
• What do we believe???

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What do We Believe?

• Different churches had different beliefs
• They emphasized different teachings
• What was important about Jesus?
• Was it his life or his death?
• Different environments produced different Gospels.

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Paul

• He was a Pharisee
• Originally persecuted Christians
• Has a conversion experience
• Became the main apostle to the gentiles
• Concentrated on the cities

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Pauls Ministry

• Paul travels the major trade routes of the Roman
  Empire establishing churches
• He communicates via letters Epistles
• His message is apocalyptic Jesus is returning
  soon
• Paul writes in Greek
• His message is Christ crucified

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Jewish or Christian?

• Paul is opposed to holding to the Torah
• Early converts became Jews
• Christs message is for all of mankind
• Holding to the Torah will limit the appeal
• Circumcision for males
• This might explain the number of female converts
  vs. male

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Peter and Paul

• Because of the tension over observance of the Law
  the missions are divided
• Peter will minister to the Jewish communities
• Paul will minister to the gentile
• Paul concentrates on the Aegean Basin
• (40 50 CE) Corinth, Ephesus, Macedonia
• Peter goes to Rome

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The Pax Romana

• Pauls missionary work coincides with the period
  of rapid growth of the Roman Empire
• He trains and dispatches other disciples
• - Titus, Timothy, Junia, Priscia
• Paul intends to go to Spain but is arrested and
  brought to Rome
• Peter and Paul are both martyred (64 CE)

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Pauls Message

• Jesus death and resurrection hold the key to
  understanding salvation
• The second coming is very near apocalyptic
• His writings will become the beginning of the New
  Testament

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The Gospels

• The early knowledge of Jesus was in the form of
  stories the oral tradition
• The earliest written record appears in around 70
  CE Marks Gospel
• Not biographies they are individual authors
  interpretations of the meaning of Christs
  message
• Each Gospel depicts Jesus in a different way

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Mark

• One of the synoptic gospels (Matthew Luke)
• We dont know who wrote it
• After the 1st Jewish revolt
• Probably writing for Jews away from Judea

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Matthew

• Written by a Jewish Christian 80 90 CE
• Squarely within the Jewish heritage
• Traces Jesus heritage
• Jesus as teacher
• Blames the Pharisees
• Adds to the resurrection story

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Luke

• Written by a physician?
• Also wrote Acts
• Companion of Paul?
• The birth story
• Full of joy
• We can survive

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John

• The spiritual gospel
• Written 90 110 CE
• Jesus as heavenly wisdom
• Jesus speaks in long monologues
• Written in a time and place of great tension
  between Jews and Christians

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The New Testament

• 27 Manuscripts or texts
• The Four Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
• Early Christian communities had many gospels
• There was a need for only one canon
• Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon, suggested four
• The choice was not arbitrary
• These seem to be the most popular among the
  Christian communities as a whole

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The Apocrypha

• Early Christian communities had many gospels
• Gospel of Thomas (Coptic)
• Gospel of Peter
• Gospel of Mary Magdalene
• Gospel of Truth
• Gospel of Judas
• Infancy gospels, narrative gospels, sayings

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Other Sources

• There are only 2 pagan references to Jesus and
  they are brief Pliny the Younger and Tacitus.
• One Jewish reference Flavius Josephus, former
  Jewish general who wrote a history of the Jewish
  people at that time. It doesnt add anything to
  the story
• Q (quellesource) used by Matthew and Luke
  contains mostly the sayings of Jesus
• It may be the oldest source but we dont have it

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The New Testament

• The choice was not arbitrary
• These were popular with a majority of the
  Christian communities
• They needed a consistent set of beliefs
• They represented diversity
• They shared one key element
• The Passion and Death of Christ

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Persecution

• Early persecutions were sporadic and local
• First mention of persecution in Rome is under
  Nero who blames Christians for the fire that
  burns the city
• First major persecution under Emperor Decius (249
  251 CE)
• Last major persecution under Diocletian (303CE)
  Lost rights burned scriptures

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Emperor Constantine

• Battle of the Milvian Bridge (312 CE)
• Becomes sole ruler of the Western Empire
• Constantine adopts Christ as his patron
• Edict of Milan (313 CE) Full rights of worship
  within the entire Empire
• Unites the Empire and moves the capital to
  Constantinople (324 CE)
• The Empire required one religion

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Christianizing the Empire

• Constantine did not attempt to convert everyone
  each could choose
• He was not baptized until on his deathbed
• The Christians adopted the Empire One God,
  one Faith, one Empire, one Emperor
• But there was division within the Church

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Internal Problems

• Donatists opposed the traitors
• Arians Was Jesus born or not? Is he co-equal
  with God or subordinate?
• Council of Nicaea (325 CE) Meant to solve the
  problems but did not
• The Church was split by heresy
• Developed the concept of the Trinity
• Nestorians Jesus was not human

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Christianity

• It has never been one religion
• It has always had internal issues
• Doctrines and dogma have been changing over time
• The One, true faith has, to date, been an
  unreachable goal
• This is true of every religion with which we are
  familiar