Early Christianity - PowerPoint Presentation

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Early Christianity

The First 1,000 YearsSlide2

Overview

Week 1: Introduction And Overview

October 17

Week 2: Christianity In The Roman Empire

October 24No Seminar October 31

Week 3: Evolution And Migration

November 7

Week 4: Shining A Light On The “Dark” Ages

November 14

Week 5: West Vs. East

November 21 Slide3

The State of the Church: 1,054 CE

1,054 CE was a watershed year in the history of Christianity

Split between the western, Latin-speaking church and the eastern Greek-speaking church known as “The Grea

t Schism.”

These two groups would eventually become known as the

Roman Catholic Church

and the

Eastern Orthodox Churches

.

Circumstances of this split had been building for centuries.

This date also happened to fall almost exactly 1,000 years to the date of early Christian writing we have: Paul’s 1

st

letter to the church in Thessalonica.Slide4

The State of the Church: 1,054 CE

So how did we get here?

Themes and trends are more important than actual dates.

Themes - Identity

Offshoot of another religion (Judaism)

One of many mystery religions under Imperial rule (Roman Empire)

Official religion (Roman Empire and successor states)

Non-official religion under external rule (Eastern church)Slide5
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From Judaism to Christianity

Perhaps obvious, but Christianity initially started off as a “messianic movement” within Judaism.

Political events within the Eastern Roman Empire would create the circumstances where it would evolve into a mystery religion separate from its parent tradition.

Trying to interpret the blank spots.

There exists a 20 year “documentation” gap from the presumed date of the Crucifixion of Jesus to Paul writing his first letter to the Thessalonians in approximately 54 CE. Slide7

From Judaism to Christianity

Piecing things together:

Primary Documents.

Documents written by people in the time period in question speaking about current events. A diary, a newspaper would be examples of a Primary source.

Examples: The Letters of Paul (50-60 CE),

Didache

(50-120), Revelation (90-95)

Secondary Documents:

Documents written about people and events in the past, often with a theological reflection or interpretation as part of it. A history book is an example of a secondary source.

Examples: The Gospels, Acts of the Apostles.Slide8

A Note on Biblical Scholarship

This course is primarily a historical exploration, but it touches on and makes use of Biblical Scholarship, particularly when it comes to dating documents within the New Testament.

This course uses date ranges consistent with scholarly consensus.

Earliest of the intact Gospels (Mark) dates to approximately 66 CE, based around the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple.

The Acts of the Apostles was written by the same author as the Gospel of Luke, both of which dates to approximately 80-130 CE. Slide9

A Note on Biblical Scholarship

Even so, the Gospels didn’t materialize out of a vacuum, and there is evidence that they evolved out of an earlier “Passion Narrative” combined with an oral tradition.

This may cause a bit of “theological discomfort” in the revelation that the Gospels were

not

eyewitness accounts, even when those in late antiquity accepted them as such.

In

examining

historical development, priority needs to be given to the “authentic” letters of Paul.

Caveat: This isn’t a course on the formation of the New Testament.Slide10

From Judaism to Christianity

While Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians is the oldest intact piece of canonical Christian Scripture

gives us a snapshot of what Christianity looked like in Asia Minor around 54-55 CE.

By this time, Christianity in Greece and Asia Minor was a movement amongst non-Jewish or “Gentile” groups.

It had developed a character separate from Judaism, but still drew on the common sacred texts, although most likely the Greek translations.

Jewish Christianity also existed, but we have less “primary documents” as to what that community looked like. Slide11

From Judaism to Christianity

Some insights:

Judaism was not a single monolithic tradition in the First Century. Prior to Jesus, there were at least five major factions or sects that were often at odds with each other:

Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Hellenists, and Zealots.

Christianity emerged as a “messianic” movement within Judaism, effectively a minor new sect that shared some characteristics with Pharisees, Essenes and Hellenists. Slide12

From Judaism to Christianity

Some insights:

While there are many subtle differences it is appropriate to think of the development of early Christianity in two distinct groups:

Jewish Christians – Those who were part of Judaism, perhaps already part of one of the existing factions who began to regard Jesus as the messianic figure from scripture.

Communities in Jerusalem and Alexandria.

Gentile Christians – Those who were not part of Judaism, but were receptive to the message of Jesus.

The latter was made possible by both Hellenistic elements of Judaism and the existence of “proselytes” (non-Jewish students of Judaism).

Paul, while Jewish himself, became a big advocate of this movement.

Communities in Asia Minor.Slide13

From Judaism to Christianity

The Big Question of Identity:

Does one need to become Jewish first in order to become a follower of Jesus?

Paul argued “no” and had open disagreements with other early church leaders including both Peter and James.

Eventually the two groups came to an agreement that followers of Christ could be either Jewish or Gentile. C.49-50

Paul would still find himself at odds through his career with others who apparently didn’t get the message. Slide14
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Jewish Christianity

Less is known about the Jewish Christian communities, as we have less primary source documentation than from Paul.

Primary sources for theological perspective and community are the Gospel and letters of John, but these date well after the early period (90-120 CE.)

Still, we can make some educated guesses as to the basics:

Pockets of Judaism that saw and understood Jesus of Nazareth as the fulfillment of the expectation of Messiah existed primarily in Galilee and Jerusalem.

It is likely that many who joined this early movement may have been more secular Essenes and Pharisees. It is also reasonable to assume that there were also Zealots among these early Jewish Christians as well.Slide17

Jewish Christianity

Less is known about the Jewish Christian communities, as we have less primary source documentation than from Paul.

Hellenistic Jews would have also resonated well with the inclusiveness of the message of Jesus, and this would pave the way for Gentile Christianity within a handful of years.

Even after Gentile Christianity came into its own, Jewish Christianity thrived, but it existed within the political

powderkeg

of Judea and the other Roman provinces around Jerusalem at the time.

Jewish Christians were likely caught in the crossfire in the First Jewish-Roman War (66-73 CE). Slide18

Jewish Christianity

Less is known about the Jewish Christian communities, as we have less primary source documentation than from Paul.

The destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE had a profound impact on Judaism of all stripes.

Factions that required the Temple for either power or the center of their theological outlook suffered a mortal wound that they would never recover from.

Sadducees and Essenes as factions would die out.

Pharisaic Judaism survived as it didn’t require the existence of a Temple.

Would eventually evolve into modern-day Rabbinic Judaism. Slide19

Jewish Christianity

Because of external events and turmoil within Judaism and three separate wars with the Roman Empire, the Jewish stream of Christianity eventually faded from history.

By the end of the Bar

Kokhba

Revolt (135 CE) Jewish Christianity had largely faded from the picture.

By the beginning of the 4

th

Century, the movement had died out completely. Slide20
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Timeline 30-54 CE

30-33 CE – Active ministry of Jesus in Galilee

Functionally a rural movement outside of the existing establishment.

Gains followers amongst Galilean locals.

33 – Execution of Jesus in Jerusalem

Crucifixion - Resurrection

33-40 – Jesus movement as part of Judaism

Centered in Jerusalem and Galilee

semi-apocalyptic in that many believed that Jesus would return imminently.

Led by those who originally followed Jesus.

Word of the movement was able to spread through the “diaspora” – Jewish communities across the Roman Empire.Slide22

Timeline 30-54 CE

~36 CE – “Conversion” of Paul

Paul of Tarsus was both Jewish and a Roman Citizen native to the province of Asia Minor.

Acts portrays him as a persecutor of Christians who has a personal experience of the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus, and then becomes a champion of the faith.

The reality may be a bit more complicated then that as Paul never once mentions the Road to Damascus in any of his own letters, but does speak of a personal revelation and change of heart (Galatians 1:16) that spurred him to carry the message of Jesus to Asia Minor and Greece.

~36-54 – Paul’s pre-letter mission Work

Through his letters, we know that Paul founded communities in Corinth, Thessalonica, Philippi, and the Roman province of Galatia.

Other communities existed in Ephesus and Antioch, as well as other locales, but unclear who founded them.Slide23

Timeline 30-54 CE

C. 49-50 CE “Council of Jerusalem”

The discussion between Paul and the other apostles, particularly Peter and James about recognizing his ministry to the Gentiles.

Answered the question: do Gentiles have to be Jewish first in order to follow Jesus? Answer: No.

The reality of the Christian movement both within Judaism and amongst Gentiles could not solely rest on one individual.

The movement existed in the two major streams and spread largely by word of mouth along the transportation routes set up by the Roman Empire.

The spread of Christianity was less a wildfire, and more a quiet movement akin to yeast in bread. Slide24

Timeline 55-66 CE

By 55 CE, Paul was an established authority in the early Gentile Church.

He was looked to for answers to pressing issues in early church communities that he helped found.

Example: One major issue early on was the belief that Christ would return with their lifetime, and as time went on, people were getting old and dying.

1

st

Thessalonians was written specifically in response to this early theological crisis.

When disputes arose, Paul preferred to travel in person to resolve issues and to be with the congregation, but in the event that he could not be there in person, he would write letters in response to the letters he received.

Paul expressed his vision of moving past Greece and Asia Minor to travelling to what is now modern-day Spain to continue his mission there, using Rome as a base of operations.

He never made it to Spain.Slide25

Timeline 55-66 CE

Paul is thought to have travelled to Rome to begin his new mission in ~60 CE.

Acts describes the trip as being one to stand trial in Rome and house arrest, but the details are unclear.

Paul did express his own desire to travel to Rome, so it is unclear if it was under duress.

Until 64 CE, Christians went unnoticed by political authorities outside of Judea, Syria and the Decapolis.

Even then, Christians were seen as being a faction within Judaism by most.

In 64 CE there was a major fire in Rome.

Roman Emperor Nero was suspected of ordering it, but to deflect the blame, Christians made a convenient scapegoat. Several Christians were tortured and executed.

First non-Christian mention of Christians. Slide26

Timeline 55-66 CE

It is likely that both Paul and Peter were executed in what is regarded as the first persecution of Christians in recorded history.

While the break between Judaism and Christianity was still clear, historian Tacitus identified the latter as a distinct group.

How much Roman authorities distinguished between the Jewish faith and Christianity is unclear. However, the First Jewish-Roman War which would break out a handful of years later didn’t help.Slide27

The First Jewish-Roman War 66-73 CE

Without getting into major details, a growing revolt in Judea province, especially around Jerusalem caught Rome’s attention.

Zealots had largely gained much of the political control and influences in and around Jerusalem.

Rome sent in the army under Vespasian to put down the insurrection, which was in many ways a local civil war.

t

l

/

dr

End Result:

Temple in Jerusalem destroyed. Zealots held on until the Siege of Masada 73-74

Zealot, Sadducee, and Essene factions within Judaism collapsed.Slide28

The First Jewish-Roman War 66-73 CE

Christians were caught in the crossfire.

Seen as collaborating with the Romans by the Zealots as many were Gentile.

Seen as Jewish by the Roman authorities.

Christians (Jewish and Gentile) in Jerusalem fled to Pella in 66 CE.

Early Christianity ceased to be centered around Jerusalem at this point.

This event marked the separation of Judaism and Christianity as different religious traditions.

Important: The First Jewish-Roman war did not cause the split, but rather an evolutionary point where the two faiths were now distinct from each other.Slide29
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Next Week

Christianity in the Roman Empire

~74 CE

to

~305 CE.

Identity Questions

:

What do we believe?