The Early Christians

In the beginning…

• In the beginning there was Jesus’ ministry of preaching and healing.

• Jesus did not set out on purpose to found “the church” in person.

• Those who followed

Jesus formed the church.

Who could join?

• As the community grew, the question of who could join arose. This was the first important dispute in the history of the church.

• Because of the way the community impressed others with “how these Christians love one another,” there were many gentiles (people who were not Jews) who wanted to become members of the community of Christians.

• In Acts 10:9-16 Peter, the first leader of the community had a vision from god telling him that everyone should be included in the new community.

Activity

• Read Acts 10:9-16.

• Write a summary of the vision of St Peter.

The council of Jerusalem decides…

• Finally in 50AD a meeting of the leaders of the new community was held in Jerusalem.

• At this meeting Peter stressed that there was no distinction in the eyes of god between Jews and Gentiles. (Acts 15:7-11)

• An important belief of the early Christian community was their acceptance of all people, so men, women, people of different ethnic backgrounds and social standing all had a place in the church. Even slaves became part of the community.

Christianity and Judaism – struggling together

• Christianity began in Jerusalem among the Jewish followers of Jesus.

• They held on to many of the Jewish traditions, for example: readings, the homily, shared prayers and blessings.

• They also kept all or part of many other Jewish customs: Synagogue practice, the Passover meal, the Sabbath, and the cycle of Sundays feasts and celebrations.

The early community

• The first Christians were not an isolated community, but a faith filled group, sharing a common belief in the divine power of Jesus Christ.

• They met regularly in homes, as meeting in public was often dangerous. On Sundays they would celebrate the Eucharist together.

• They were deepening their

understanding of who Jesus was and

what he required of him.

• The faith of the early community lead to the formation of Creeds, which contained clear statements about what Christians believed.

• They also wrote down the story of Jesus Christ and what happened after the resurrection. The gospels were written and the letters of Paul were collected.

• These would later become the New testament section of the bible.

beliefs

• The early Christians believed in one God; the God who acted in the world and was concerned about them; the God who loved them.

• This was very different from the rest of the Roman society, who often believed in many Gods, who were cruel and unjust.

• Eventually there was conflict with the Romans because Christians would not worship the emperor as a god.

Other conflicts…

• Christians’ acceptance of ALL people into their community also created conflict. This went against the community of the time who was divided into groups that did not interact with each other.

• The first Christians tried to live in a way that was pleasing to God. They rejected many of the practices of Roman society such as abortion, adultery, witchcraft and gladiatorial combat.

• They saw themselves as part of a new creation and this placed demands on the way they lived.

Living a good life

• Paul’s letter to the Ephesians explained that they must…

… lead a life worthy of your vocation. Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together…. Ephesians 4:1-6.

Why did Christianity spread so quickly?

• Even though Jesus and his disciples did not move beyond Palestine during his life, Christianity grew rapidly.

• By the end of the first century, there were about 500,000 Christians,• by 200AD over 2 million, • by 350AD 20 per cent of all the people were

Christian!

• WHY…

Why…

• Some reasons for the rapid spread of Christianity:• Material conditions were favorable in the Roman world.

(good roads and shipping and a common language)• Roman Peace• A religion that cared for the lost and needy.• Many members were quite good speakers and could

get across the Christian message very well.• Christians put their beliefs into practice, living as Jesus

taught them they should.

What other reasons can you think of for the rapid spread of Christianity?