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Home , Pauline Christianity

Christian History The first three centuries of

First century CE: First 100 years

§ During the first six decades of the first century CE, was composed of about two dozen competing factions: o Sadducees o , o Essenes o Zealots o Followers of John the Baptist o Followers of Jesus of Nazareth

§ Jesus of Nazareth had a short ministry (3 years) § His teachings closely matched those of Beit Hillel (the House of Hillel). § Hillel was a great Jewish rabbi who lived in the second half of the 1st century BCE one or two generations before Jesus birth.

§ Jesus was charged with what would be called "aggravated assault" under today's law, for his attack on merchants in the Temple.

§ This was also considered treason or insurrection by the occupying Roman forces.

§ Died by crucifixion, (when used on a non-slave such as Jesus, was restricted to these two crimes.)

§ He was executed by a detail of Roman soldiers, perhaps during the springtime, sometime in the very late 20's or early 30's CE.

§ 40 years later, in 70 CE the Roman Army attacked Jerusalem and destroyed the central focus of Jewish life: the temple. Jewish life was disrupted and destroyed. Jews were no longer able to worship at the Temple.

§ Out of this disaster emerged two main movements:

o rabbinical Judaism centered in local synagogues, o The Christian movement. (Resurrection Story)

§ There are many different groups of Christianity. § Some of Jesus' followers and those who never met Jesus but who were inspired by his teachings settled in Jerusalem. § Others spread across the ancient world, teaching very different messages. Even in the same geographical area and sometimes in the same cities, different Christian teachers taught quite different and had quite different views of who Jesus was and what he did.

During the latter part of the first century CE, the three largest groups within the Christian movement were:

1. Jewish Christian movement:

§ Jesus’ disciples and other followers who fled to the Galilee after Jesus' execution appear to have regrouped in Jerusalem under the leadership of James, one of Jesus' brothers.

§ The group viewed themselves as a new movement within Judaism. They organized a synagogue, worshiped and brought animals for ritual sacrifice at the Jerusalem Temple. They observed the Jewish holy days, practiced circumcision of their male children, strictly followed Kosher dietary laws, and practiced the teachings of Jesus as they interpreted them to be. They were frequently referred to today as the Jewish Christians.

§ The Jewish Christians under James included many members who had had close relationship with Jesus. They believed that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah (Savior-King). They viewed Jesus as a great prophet and rabbi, BUT NOT A DEITY (God).

§ Jewish Christians were killed, enslaved, or scattered during the Roman attack on Jerusalem in 70 CE.

§ Members of the Jewish Christian movement had a close and lengthy association with Jesus,

§ (Saul) Paul never met Jesus.

§ The Jewish Christians more accurately reflect Jesus' original teachings.

2. Pauline Christianity:

§ Saul (Paul) was a Jew from Tarsus, well educated, half Jewish/half Roman (Hellenistic Jew)

§ He originally prosecuted the Jewish Christians on behalf of the priests at the Jerusalem Temple.

§ He experienced a powerful religious conversion, after which, he departed for places unknown for three years.

§ Later, using his Roman name Paul, he became the single most active Christian missionary, from about 36 CE until his execution by the Romans in the mid-60's.

§ He created a new Christian movement, containing elements from many forms of Paganism: Greek, Roman, Persian, Egyptian, Mesopotamian, religions etc.

§ Many of the events which the describes as happening to Jesus appear to have been copied from the stories of various God-men (Sun-god/solar gods) from Egypt to India, in particular the life of Krishna, the God-man and second member of the Hindu trinity.

§ Paul abandoned most of the Laws of Moses and rejected many of the Jewish behavioral rules that Jesus and his disciples had followed during his ministry.

§ Paul went on a series of missionary journeys around the eastern Mediterranean and attracted many (non-Jews) to his movement. He was assisted by many co-workers, both male and female.

§ Paul organized churches in many of the areas' urban centers, in competition with Greek Paganism, Mithraism (Sun God born on December 25th), Mystery Religions, Judaism, many competing Christian movements, and other religions.

§ Paul angered officials of the Roman Empire, was arrested, and was transported to Rome where he was held under house arrest. He was executed there about 65 CE.

§ Paul's churches survived his death and flourished. Some of his letters to various of his church groups were later accepted into the canon of the Christian Scriptures ().

§ Christian groups typically met in the homes of individual believers, much like home churches and cell churches do today. Leaders were both men and women. There was no central authority, no standard style of organization at the local level, no dedicated church buildings or cathedrals.

§ The Greek words episkopos (bishop, overseer), presbuteros (elder, presbyter) and poimen (pastor, shepherd) were originally same terms which referred to the leader of a group of believers.

§ Ordination of priests and consecration of bishops was to come later in the .

3. Gnostic Christianity:

§ was a philosophical and religious movement with roots in pre-Christian times. Gnostics combined elements taken from Asian, Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek and Syrian pagan religions, from astrology, and from Judaism and Christianity.

§ This group of Christians claimed to have secret knowledge about God, humanity, and the rest of the universe of which the general population was unaware. They were known for their:

o New Interpretations of the Bible, the world and the rest of the universe. o Belief that Yahweh of the OT was a defective, inferior, Creator-God. He was seen as fundamentally evil, jealous, rigid, lacking in compassion and had a tendency to commit genocide (mass murders) o Tolerance of different religious beliefs within and outside of Gnosticism o Accepted women as leaders and teacher

§ Some Gnostics formed separate congregations. Others joined existing Pauline Christian groups. Others practiced their religions alone.

§ There were other Christian communities called:

o In addition to these groups, there were others:

- Matthean - Johannine - (poor ones) - Marcionites

§ The Gnostics and other groups produced many dozens of gospels and hundreds of Epistles (letters). Many of these other Gospels outside the New Testament had very different views of Jesus, produced in communities that held widely different understandings of Jesus."

§ Many of their writings were not part of the canon called the New Testament

Second and third centuries CE (200 and 300 AD):

The three groups within the early Christian movement survived into the early second century. One died out and the other two expanded:

§ The Jewish Christian movement:

The failure of the Bar Kochba revolt (132 - 135 CE) was devastating for the Jewish people, including the Jewish Christians. Any Jews who remained in Palestine in 135 CE were killed, enslaved or permanently driven from the land. The Jewish Christian movement had a brief resurgence during the 2nd century CE, and then disappeared from the pages of history. (This was Jesus’ Movement)

§ Pauline Christianity

This group continued to spread across the known world. It started to develop a formal , a set of doctrines, and an unofficial canon of writings which were later to become the Christian Scriptures (New Testament).

§ From the enormous supply of Christian gospels and epistles (letters) they chose a writing that matched the theology of the developing church. Admittance of the of John into the official canon had to overcome a great deal of resistance; many in the church felt that it had too much Gnostic content.

§ The canon accepted:

- Four gospels, written by unknown authors, but attributed to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. - (Book of Acts) - 13 letters written by Paul - 8 other Letters (James, John, Peter, and Jude) Hebrews is said to have been written by Priscilla (close friend of Paul) - Book of Revelation – describes the end of the world which was expected in 300 AD.

§ Gnostic Christianity

This group consisted of many separate groups with no real central organization. Each group was under the leadership of a Gnostic teacher like Marcion, Valentinus, and Carpocrates.

These groups shared some core beliefs, but otherwise differed greatly from each other. The Gnostic movement initially expanded, and at one point was the primary form of Christianity in the eastern Mediterranean.

However, due to programs of persecution and extermination by Pauline Christians, it later went into a steep decline, and ceased being a significant force by the 6th century.

After all the Apostles (followers of Jesus) had died, the Apostolic Fathers were looked upon for guidance. They included a number of teachers and bishops: Clement of Alexandria, , Origen, Polycarp, Tertullian Augustine

A hierarchical organizational structure called the "monarchial episcopate" then developed in which the individual congregational leaders recognized the authority of their area bishop in matters of doctrine and faith.

There was no person or group who could speak for the church as a whole. It was only in 325 CE that bishops from throughout the Christian movement would be able to meet at the Council of Nicea and attempt to start resolving differences in Christian beliefs.

Council was organized by Emperor Constantine – Birth of the Roman Church.

Time Line of Events in Christianity:

0 - 29 c. Jesus Defined: The period of Jesus' human life on earth during which he fulfilled all prophecies regarding the promised Messiah. c. John the Baptist began his ministry in the "15th year of Tiberius" (Luke 3:1-2) Jesus began his ministry after his by John Last Supper, arrest of Jesus, his trial, and crucifixion on Good Friday three days after crucifixion c. - 100 Apostolic Age Defined: Some of Christ's original apostles were still alive and helping to spread the gospel. This period ended with the death of last apostle. 47-57 c. Missionary travels of Paul 67 Paul Martyred 70 The Romans under Titus destroy Jerusalem, after a long siege; 1.5 million Jews die. Additional Resources: First Persecutions written by John Foxe 100 - 590 Post Apostolic Age 190 Date of Easter determined

200-300 Appearance of Earliest 313-337 Constantine 325 Council of Nicaea - Called by the Roman Emperor Constantine, it was the first ecumenical conference of bishops of the church.

399 The last showing of the ancient Olympic Games - After Emperor Theodosius the Great bans it and there are no games again until 1896. 400 431 - 451 Councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon 590 - early 1300s The Medieval Church 625 Mohammad begins the Koran

1095 - 13th century The Crusades A series of several military campaigns. Originally, they were Roman Catholic endeavors to capture the Holy Land from the Muslims, but some were directed against other Europeans.

1163 Notre Dame de Paris - beginning of construction

1215 King John of England and his nobles sign the Magna Carta. Early 1300s - 1517 The Renaissance 1378-1410 The Great Schism - a time of division in the Roman due to disagreements concerning papal succession.

1382 John Wycliffe translates First English Bible John Wycliffe was an English theologian and early proponent of reform in the Roman Catholic Church during the 14th century

1431 Joan of Arc Martyred - Inspired and directed by religious visions, Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc), organized the French resistance that forced the English to end their siege of Orléans (1429). Her claims of visions led to a trial for heresy which resulted in execution by burning at the stake.

1450s Gutenberg Bible - first printed Bible

1453 The Christian kingdom of Constantinople finally falls to the Muslims. 1478 Spanish Inquisition established by Sixtus IV 1517 - 1648 The Reformation - European movement aimed initially at reforming the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. – The Protestant Movement led by Martin Luther. (Lutheran Chruch)

1517 Martin Luther's 95 Theses - a document written by Martin Luther that challenged the teachings of the Catholic Church on penance, the authority of the pope, and indulgences. It sparked a theological debate that fueled the Reformation.

1525 Bible translated into English from Greek by William Tyndale

1530 Augsburg Confession - Primary confession of faith of the Lutheran Church and one of the Reformation. It was presented by a number of German rulers and free- cities at the Diet of Augsburg.

1534 Church of England/Anglican

1536 John Calvin writes The Institutes of the Christian Religion. Calvinism – Presbyterian Church 1560 Geneva Bible

1563 Foxe's Book of Martyrs first published

1600s Baptists

1582-1609 Douay-Rheims Bible 1611 King James Version

1648 - 1789 The Enlightenment Defined: When man began to look beyond superstition and began to use his reason to discover the world. The effort to discover the naturals which governed the universe led to scientific, political and social advances.

1600s Enslaved Africans in the United States

1633 Galileo is forced by the Catholic Church to renounce his teachings that the Earth revolves around the sun. 1678 John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress published

1700s Methodism

1730s - 1740s The Great Awakening -- A religious movement among American colonial Protestants. Key figures: Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield. 1741 George Frideric Handel writes his most famous work, Messiah. 1764 John Newton writes hymn "Amazing Grace"

1776 British colonies in America declare independence from England,

1780 The Sunday School movement is pioneered in England by Robert Raikes 1789 - 1799 The French Revolution

1789 -1970 The Modern Church

1794 London Missionary Society founded in England - a non-denominational missionary society with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa.

1787 – AME Church founded (Richard Allen)

1800-1840s Second Great Awakening - Enslaved Africans convert to Methodism and Baptist Churches (Black Church Experiences).

1807 British Parliament votes to abolish the slave trade.

1844 Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) founded in London, England by Sir George Williams. 1837-1901 Victoria Queen of England

1859 Charles Darwin publishes Origin of Species 1861 - 1865 American Civil War 1863 - 1885 Fanny Crosby writes more than 8,000 hymns including "Blessed Assurance"

1865 - Rev. William Booth founded Open Christian Mission in East London (in 1878 its name is changed to Salvation Army) 1880 First Northfield Conference led by D.L. Moody 1870/81 Revised Standard 1885 English Revised Version 1896 First Modern Olympics 1899 Gideon’s International founded - ministry dedicated to distributing copies of the Bible in over 80 languages and more than 180 countries of the world to those who might not otherwise encounter it.

Late 1800 – Early 1900s – Enslave Africans begin to listen to Methodist and Baptist preachers, but church meetings are begin watched.

1901 American Standard Version

1906 Azusa Street Revival - Revival that took place in Los Angeles, California and was led by preacher William J. Seymour. It launched Pentecostalism as a worldwide movement. (African American)

1909 Scofield Bible

1912 Titanic Sinks

1914 - 1918 World War I

1929 Great Depression begins in the U.S. 1933 - 1944 Rise of Nazism in Germany 1935 Oswald Chamber's book My Utmost for His Highest published post-mortem 1939 - 1945 World War II 1942 Wycliffe Bible Translators founded by William Cameron Townsend with the goal of making a translation of the Bible in every living language in the world. 1945 Dietrich Bonhoeffer pastor and leader of the underground church of Germany martyred 1947 found

1949 First Billy Graham Crusade, held in Los Angeles, CA 1949 - 1954 C.S. Lewis writes The Chronicles of Narnia 1950 All missionaries are forced to leave China 1952 U.S. Congress designates a National Day of Prayer 1952 Revised Standard Version 1965 Amplified Bible

1963 Martin Luther King Jr. leads a civil rights march in Washington, D.C. 1966 Jerusalem Bible 1967 Israel recaptures Jerusalem 1970 New American Bible 1970 Hal Lindsey writes the book Late Great Planet Earth. 1970's Jesus Movement The Postmodern Church

1971 New American Standard Bible 1971 The Living Bible 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case rules in favor of legalizing abortion 1974 Lausanne Congress for World Evangelization 1976 The Good News Bible

1977 Focus on the Family founded by James Dobson 1978 New International Version 1979 Mother Teresa wins the Nobel Peace Prize for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress in the world 1982 New King James Version 1989 New Revised Standard Version 1990 - 1991 Gulf War 1995 Updated New American Standard Bible 1999 Columbine Shooting 2001 English Standard Version 2001 On September 11 - terrorist suicide bombers attack the United States in New York, Northern Virginia, and Pennsylvania 2002 The Message 2004 Holman Christian Standard Version 2004 Updated New Living Translation 2004 The film Passion of the Christ is released 2005 Death of Pope John Paul II, election of Pope Benedict XVI 2006 Together for the Gospel inaugural conference 2008 ESV Study Bible published 2009 The Gospel Coalition inaugural conference 2010 The Lausanne Movement will hold the Third Congress on World Evangelization in Cape Town, South Africa, 16-25 October