History Of Christianity

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These and other discoveries exposed major difficulties with the understanding of the that had been held since antiquity, and raised new interest in radical teachings such as the theory of. The reason I pick this date is two-fold. We can also learn from the mistakes of early church leaders if we understand their missteps. From the former eventually arose , while the latter developed into.

Steely New York: Abingdon Press, 1970 , pp. Rise of Hellenism Greek culture.

Christmas

A line either is straight, or it is not straight. It cannot be partly straight and partly crooked. Christianity either is of divine origin, or it is not. If it is not of divine origin, then it is of human origin. If it is of human origin, then it is a false religion, because it claims to be of sacred design. On the other hand, if Christianity is of God—as it claims—there ought to be compelling evidence to buttress that affirmation. In this brief discussion, we intend to focus on several factors which argue for the sacred origin of the religious system founded by Jesus Christ. Factors Involved in the Commencement of Christianity There are a number of traits that characterized primitive Christianity that demand an explanation if one is to identify its originating force. Let us consider some of these. Christianity: A New Religion The Christian movement was not a religious system that gradually evolved out of the cultural elements of antique society. It had a dramatic point of beginning. There are no traces of its roots in either Assyria, Babylon, Egypt, Greece or Rome. Prior to the spring of A. It had been in a state of intense preparation for the more than three years that spanned the ministries of John the Baptizer and Jesus of Nazareth. As a matter of fact, even though the Mosaic system was designed to prepare the way for the coming of Christianity Galatians 3:24-25 , the religion of Jesus was so strikingly different from the Hebrew regime, that it aroused the hostility of many Jews for the first forty years of its existence—until the Jewish economy fell to the Romans in A. From the time of its commencement, however, Christianity was a significant religious force—not only in the Mediterranean world, but also in remote corners of the Roman Empire. Seemingly, it came from nowhere; and yet, very soon was everywhere. How did that happen? There must be some reasonable explanation for the abrupt genesis of this movement. If no satisfactory answer can be found in naturalism, one must look to a supernatural Cause as an explanation. A Religious Explosion For some reason—that scarcely can be explained on ordinary bases—the religion of Christ exploded on the landscape of first-century society. Jesus had only a handful of men the apostles who functioned as the leaders of his cause. From this tiny seed came the mighty Christian movement. On the day of its birth the community of believers consisted of a minimum of three thousand persons Acts 2:41. Within a relatively short period of time, the number of saints was computed at five thousand adult men Acts 4:4 , not to mention the thousands of women who likewise were added to the body of believers. It has been estimated that by the time Stephen was martyred Acts 7:60 , the Jerusalem church consisted of no fewer than twenty thousand souls Kistemaker 1990, 148. This represented more than one-third of the estimated fifty-five thousand citizens in Jerusalem at that time Jeremias 1969, 83. Beyond that, the gospel rapidly spread from Palestine into Africa Acts 8 , Syria Acts 9 , Asia Minor Acts 13ff , and finally into Europe Acts 16ff. Paul, whose tireless travels spanned some twelve thousand miles, evangelized from Jerusalem to Rome—and perhaps as far as Spain Romans 15:24,28. Clement of Rome ca. Both Irenaeus Against Heresies 1. Christianity swept over the Roman Empire like a tidal wave. The New Testament pays tribute to this phenomenal growth. Historian Will Durant following the lead of Edward Gibbon argued that by A. Those figures are now considered to be too conservative. Blaiklock has noted that studies of the catacombs beneath the city of Rome about six hundred miles of galleries contain somewhere between 1. This would suggest that the city of Rome itself had somewhere between one hundred seventy-five to four hundred thousand Christians—each generation spanned! The testimony of Tertullian ca. Every age, condition, and rank is coming over to us. We are only of yesterday, but already we fill the world Apology 37. Moreover, as we shall subsequently observe, this wildfire growth was achieved under the most adverse circumstances. Again, the question cries out for an answer: What was the cause to which this amazing growth may be attributed? What natural circumstances can account for this? There is another powerful fact that may be mentioned briefly at this point. The initial impact of the gospel was within the Jewish community. The nucleus of the early church was Hebrew. As indicated above, many thousands of Jews converted to Christianity. It is an indisputable historical fact, however, that the Jews were strict monotheists. To them, there was but one deity. And yet, without controversy is the fact that Jesus made the claim of being divine cf. John 5:18; 8:58; 10:30. An Unlikely Place of Origin Consider the place from which Christianity took its rise. Palestine hardly merited any attention in terms of a world force at the commencement of the first century. This tiny land was only about one hundred fifty miles from its northern border to its southern extremity. From Jaffa to Jericho, west to east, it is only about forty-five miles in width. The land encompassed about ten thousand square miles—smaller than the state of Massachusetts. The Jews of the first century were a dangerous people. In a word, Palestine was a smoldering explosive, ready to ignite at any time. Could any ordinary man, seeking to establish a purely spiritual regime cf. John 18:36 , possibly be successful in this volatile environment? How did, therefore, such a powerful force derive from such a humble and troubled background? An Unlikely Leader Jesus Christ, viewed as a leader from a purely humanistic vantage point, possessed none of those traits normally associated with the formation of armies or empires. He was not physically appealing. There is not a line about his physical appearance in the New Testament. Apparently there was nothing in the physical deportment of Christ to merit undue attention. In his famous speech on St. Helena, Napoleon exclaimed: I know men, and I tell you that Jesus Christ is not a man. Superficial minds see a resemblance between Christ, and the founders of empires and the gods of other religions. That resemblance does not exist. There is between Christianity and any other religion the distance of infinity. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires. But upon what did we rest the creations of our genius? Jesus Christ alone founded his empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for him Monser 1961, 503,508. Jesus had no wealth with which to launch a significant movement Luke 9:58; 2 Corinthians 8:9. He was reared in one of the most despised communities of his country see Matthew 2:23; John 1:46; 7:52. Christ had no formal rabbinical training with which to mesmerize the multitudes John 7:15. Even his own people had little regard for him John 1:11; 7:5; 6:66. And yet, somehow, he changed the world forever. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a home. He never visited a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where he was born. He did none of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself. He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against Him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for His garments, the only property He had on earth. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today He is the central figure of the human race. All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that one solitary life quoted in Kennedy and Newcomb 1994, 7-8. Christian Intolerance: An Unpopular Concept It was common ideology and practice in the Roman world to tolerate, and even accommodate, the philosophical notions and fleshly inclinations of the varying elements of society. They flexed their spiritual muscles and would not bow to the pressures of paganism. They taught that redemptive truth was associated exclusively with Jesus of Nazareth Acts 4:11-12. A line was drawn in the sand which could not be compromised. The popular religions of Roman society catered to the basest of human passions. Drunkenness and sexual indulgence were common—even as religious ritual! For example, according to the ancient geographer, Strabo 8. In more modern times, many an Islamic army has been mustered under the promise of a sensual paradise adorned with dark-eyed beauties for those who were victims in battle. But Christianity went against the grain of society, forbidding all sexual activity except that authorized within the bounds of monogamous, heterosexual marriage. How could Christianity challenge this licentious lifestyle and be so successful? The answer is clear: it had a power that cannot be explained in human terms! Christianity: A Dangerous Proposition Being a Christian was the most dangerous enterprise in the Roman world. Christianity was barely launched when persecution became a bloody reality. The book of Acts presents a somber picture of the violence which was inflicted upon the new believers. Peter and John were imprisoned Acts 4:3; 5:18 , Stephen was stoned Acts 7:54ff , and James was killed probably decapitated with the sword Acts 12:2. Some of the persecution Paul endured is vividly summarized in 2 Corinthians 11:24ff. Therein he details his customary method: I ask them if they are Christians. If they admit it I repeat the question a second and a third time, threatening capital punishment; if they persist I sentence them to death 10. Tertullian noted that the Christians were not even afforded the benefit of a trial, as common criminals were Apology 197. The demanding question has to be this: Why would multiplied thousands suffer themselves to be so abused—stoned, decapitated, sewn into animal skins and thrown to wild beasts, crucified, burned alive, etc.? Was it all for a myth? That is an incredible conclusion. Conclusion Returning now to our original premise, that every effect must have an adequate cause, we press forward with this question. What possible natural explanation is there for the phenomena described above? No theory, grounded strictly in ordinary events, explains these circumstances. What is reasonable is this: Those early believers had witnessed the miracles that Jesus and his apostles performed. Too, the Lord himself had been raised from the dead, and observed by many witnesses during that forty-day span between the time of his resurrection and his ascension back into heaven Acts 1:1-3; 10:40-41; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8. It was, therefore, on the basis of these well-established, historical facts that the Christian movement was born. Its amazing commencement and expansion was divinely orchestrated! Christianity is anchored in real history. Its facts are checkable. One can embrace it with confidence, obediently surrender to it, and entertain all the blessings associated therewith. Documents of the Christian Church. London, England: Oxford University Press. The Archaeology of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. The New Testament World. The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire. New York, NY: Modern Library. Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus. London, England: SCM Press. What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson. Exposition of the Acts of the Apostles. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker. American Caesar—Douglas MacArthur, 1880-1964. Boston, MA: Little, Brown. An Encyclopedia on the Evidences. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker. Scripture References Galatians 3:24-25; Acts 2:41; Matthew 3:5-6; John 4:1-2; Acts 4:4; Acts 7:60; Acts 8; Acts 9; Acts 13; Acts 16; Romans 15:24, 28; Acts 17:6; Romans 10:18; Colossians 1:6; John 5:18, 8:58, 10:30; John 20:28; Acts 18:2; John 6:15; John 18:36; Isaiah 53:2; Luke 9:58; 2 Corinthians 8:9; Matthew 2:23; John 1:46, 7:52; John 7:15; John 1:11, 7:5, 6:66; Acts 4:11-12; Acts 4:3, 5:18; Acts 7:54; Acts 12:2; 1 Corinthians 11:24; John 3:1-2; Acts 1:1-3, 10:40-41; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8.

But Christianity Began LONG BEFORE Jesus came to earth. By 1957 about 22,000 Russian Orthodox churches had become active. These authors are known as theand study of them is met. How could Christianity challenge this licentious lifestyle and be so successful. Pentecostal movement Countries by percentage of Protestants in 1938 and 2010. For example, in the 9th century SS. About Church History It is important as believers for Christians to learn church history. Some see it as met by a Greek worldview, According to the there were various early Christian communities, Jewish Christian, Hellenistic Jewish Christian, and Gentile Christian, from which the belief in a fully divine Christ emerged, under the influence of mystery-cults in the Greek world.