Development and Spread of Early Christianity

Development and Spread of Early Christianity

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Early Christianity has been commonly described as the Christianity of the three centuries between the Crucifixion of Jesus and First Council of Nicaea. It began within first-century Judaism with the followers of James the Just. The church was first centered in Jerusalem. James the Just may have been a relative of Jesus and was martyred in c. 62. The temple was destroyed in 70, and the Bar Kokhba revolt in c. 135 lead to the Jews being banned from the city. Churches in the eastern part of the Roman Empire used Greek and used Hellenistic theologies. Christians continued to use the Hebrew Bible but added their own writings to it. Christianity started as a religious movement but ended as a favored religion under Constantine the Great. The Christian Church was a success because they offered an attractive doctrine and addressed human needs better than any other religion. Christianity showed an ability to win a growing minority in the Roman Empire and at a few points beyond its borders, in the Middle East and North Africa (Peter Stearns, 1992, para.1).

Jesus and most of his followers were Jewish. Many thought of Jesus as a preacher and healer who sought out to restore God’s kingdom on earth. Jesus led the Jewish Christians until there were internal schisms and external pressures that eventually split the religions. Those remaining faithful to Halacha became Jews and those who adhering to the Christian faith joined the Gentile, Graeco-Roman, and Pauline Christianity. Between 30 and 130 AD writings were produced from the direct followers of Jesus Christ. This was called the apostolic period, which the entire church’s history came to be based. Disputes over the Mosaic Law created allot of controversy in early Christianity. Christianity spread among the Gentiles (non-Jews) following the Great Commission’s decree to make disciples of all nations. Gentiles became a big part of the Christian population....