Church History
1st Century Christianity
Article II
The perfect timing for the coming of Jesus
The time was ripe for the coming of the Jesus. At the time of His birth, Israel contained a conglomerate of ethnic groups of people. There were Gentiles and Heathens from various nations and those of Jewish heritage. There were Jews who practiced Judaism, divided into several sects of man-made legal laws, those who struggled to follow the Law of Moses, those who were simply Jew by birth, carrying no religious beliefs at all, and those who took on Hellenistic beliefs, thus become a Jewish Hellenistic believer. Judaism had by now become a religion of works and therefore no longer was a religion of faith with God. Jesus, as the Son of the Living God, came as the Messiah to the Jews, as well as the Savior to the world. To any and all who would believe in Him, and what He did for mankind, they would receive eternal rewards with God in heaven. It was not a religion of works, like Judaism had become, but a relationship of faith in the Son of God which gave promises of eternal life with God.
God sent His Son Jesus through the seed of Judah, as the Christ, the Anointed One, and Messiah. He didn't come as the religious Jews had expected. After centuries of studying the Torah and the writings of the prophets regarding the promises of the coming of the Messiah, the religious Jews expected their Messiah to come as a conquering king. Instead, Jesus came as a lowly carpenter’s son to preach the Gospel to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, preach deliverance to the captives, restore sight to the blind, and to set at liberty those who are bruised. He came to bring mankind back to God through belief in Him – the Son of the Living God. He was not a respecter of persons. He was rejected and despised by those of upper means, and those who came to believe in Him were either struggling Jews in the Law of Moses or those who had no religious persuasion, but simply knew they had a need for a savior.
Jesus was rejected by the religious Jews who knew the Scriptures well and had waited so long for His arrival. Their religious traditions, however, were so strong that it overpowered the truths of the Scriptures. That despise was so great that they had him hung on the cross at Calvary to die. There He hung, carrying the sins of the world, and to all appearance, looked like His demise was the end to those who had hope in Him. This, however, was God’s plan for the deliverance of mankind.
The Coming of the Holy Spirit
After Jesus’ death, God raised Him from the dead, according to His plans. Jesus came back to life and resided on earth for 40 days to minister and instruct his followers for the days ahead. When it was time to return to His Father in heaven, Jesus then left his followers with a promise and instruction on the Mount of Olives as He departed into the sky. Jesus told them to go back to Jerusalem and tarry in prayer until His Spirit would come to them. “When it would come,” He said, “they would be endued with power to be a witness for Him.”
Acts 2:2-4 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The Beginning of the Church
After ten days in prayer, the Holy Spirit came to the 120 followers who waited in the upper room as instructed by Jesus. All were filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke with other tongues, and were endued with power to witness the things heard and seen. By the inspiration and power of the Holy Spirit, Peter, one of Jesus’ apostles, then preached a message in Jerusalem that changed the course of history. Three thousand people, mostly from poor or middle-class backgrounds, became born-again and were water baptized in the name of Jesus that day. The Church had begun! The Church was not a building, a temple, or a synagogue - it was, and still is today, a body of believers in Jesus Christ as the true Messiah and Savior of the world.
The First Century Church
The Book of Acts shows us that the early Church developed the custom of gathering together in the homes of various believers on the first day of the week in remembrance of the Lord’s resurrection. The main purpose was to celebrate His resurrection, not gather together for preaching or repentance of sins - for that was done through evangelism outside the Church on the streets, amongst family, friends, neighbors, and those in the workplace. As these new believers came together in the various homes, they remembered the promises that came with the resurrection of Jesus. It was a happy occasion marked by partaking of food and praising God. Each brought food to share, known as the “common meal” as they communed joyously together. The food was an entire meal where believers brought what food they could, similar to “pot luck” suppers that many churches have today. They spent time fellowshipping with one another, sharing the common meal, and then ended in praying in one accord over the bread and the wine. This communion together was their highest “act of worship” to God. It was a time of joy, not a time of sorrow and repentance. [1] Believers often called their church celebration “Agape,” which is a Greek word meaning love. [2]
The earliest believers in Jesus as the Messiah, such as Peter, James, John, and all the rest of the twelve apostles were all Jews and did not consider that they were followers of a new religion. All their lives they had been Jewish, and they still desired to remain the same. Their faith in Jesus as the Messiah was not a denial of Judaism, but rather the conviction that the Messianic age had finally arrived. The Jewish converts to Christ, who were devout in their Judaism, continued to worship at the synagogues on the Sabbath, kept the commandments, and observed the sacrifices and feasts just as the Law of Moses required. [3] In addition, they attended church on the first day of the week in celebration of the risen Christ. They simply believed that the long-awaited Messiah had finally come. Most of the Gentile converts to Christ, however, did not involve themselves with Judaism because they were not Jewish by heritage. Those who were Hellenists (Jews who converted to the Greek culture and their gods), as well as the Gentiles who became believers in Jesus left their pagan gods and customs to worship the one-true God, through Jesus Christ on the first day of the week.
The Early Preaching of the Gospel
In the beginning, the Gospel was spread exclusively by word of mouth to family, friends, and acquaintances. Those who came into belief, and demonstrated that belief through public water baptism, were invited into the communion of saints at a home church to celebrate the resurrection of Christ as a body of believers together. There they celebrated the Agape’ in fellowship, communion, and prayer. Occasionally, an original apostle or early disciple of Christ came through the area to give a message of hope of the Gospel to various house churches or train those who desired to be overseers in ministry as new house churches grew. The Greek word catechesis, meaning "re-echo," was a term for the instructional training for ministry, meaning what Jesus taught His apostles or disciples was simply re-echoed out to others. Upon completing the instructional training, the one who had been taught was “catechized,” meaning ones to whom the Gospel had been re-echoed.3 That person (or persons) was then qualified to oversee a church. Those who were trained to oversee a house church was called an elder, presbyter, overseer, or bishop - all referring to the same role.
The Church at Jerusalem
The early converts generally came from poor or middle-class backgrounds with little religious background. They saw the hope and joy within the other believers of Jesus and wanted the same in their lives. Congregations of house churches sprang up throughout Jerusalem, generally at homes of those of higher financial means who had large enough homes to house the new converts. For the sake of unity and accountability, it later became necessary to incorporate the many home churches into one large assembly from time to time. [4] While the home churches continued to meet weekly, frequently the people gathered together from all over Jerusalem to meet together in one large setting. The first large church assembly met in an “ekklesia,” which is a Greek term for a “popular assembly” in municipal government. This “ekklesia,” a conglomerate of home churches, gathered together with one overseer over all of them. James, the brother of Jesus, became the first bishop (or pastor) of that large Church at Jerusalem. There was no common meal like the house churches; however, the communing of bread and wine continued because it was commanded by the early apostles who simply re-echoed the words of Jesus to “remember him” with the elements. The Church at Jerusalem was also a time when visiting apostles, such as Peter, James, and John, were able to speak to larger groups of people at one time. It also created opportunities for the house church bishops, who had been catechized to re-echo, to share what they had been taught as well. The larger church setting became a time for the groups of people to learn and celebrate together. The Spirit of God moved mightily upon the worshipping people when they came together to hear the Gospel, to break bread, and to drink from the fruit of the vine in brotherhood and unity . [5] When they raised up holy hands in joyous worship and praise, the Spirit of the Lord filled the assembly. It most definitely was a celebration of what Christ has done. The hearts of relationships, however, were developed within the home church setting.
The Growth of the Church
The early disciples began by preaching to the Jews first, but as many refused, and Gentiles came into belief, the growth of the Church multiplied with Jew and Gentile converts alike. Men, women, and slaves were brought into the Church in large numbers after Peter and the early disciples spread the Gospel. Because Jesus accepted women, they were readily accepted as being spiritually equal to men. Slaves were accepted as being spiritually equal as well. Any and all who believed in Jesus were welcomed to be water baptized in Jesus’ name and to enter into the Church.
New Believers Were Water Baptized
A common characteristic of the early Church was that only baptized believers could attend an Agape’ celebration, meaning they could not attend a house church until they were water baptized. When a person accepted Christ as their Savior, becoming a believer in Him, it was customary to be water baptized. Accomplished by three full immersions under water [6] , their baptism was an outward public affirmation of their inward belief in Jesus Christ as the risen Messiah, [7] thus signifying their entrance into the Church. Baptisms usually took place at a local river or in the bathhouse of a large house. Although water baptism was not a requirement for eternal salvation, it was a requirement for entrance into the Church or attendance at any home church Agape’ celebration.
Because the Church, or the Agape’ (meaning love) celebrations, were closed groups to only baptized believers in Christ, those outside of the Church became suspicious of them and began to call their meeting places “love feasts,” [8] carrying many negative rumors. As such, many new believers in Christ were ostracized from their family and friends.
How Gentiles Viewed the New Believers
In its inception, the Gentiles or Hellenists considered this new Christian religion a belief in another kind of a god, which was quite ordinary in the society of that day. Others thought that their belief in the one true God, through Jesus Christ, was just another sect of the Jewish religion. If one of their own, however, became a Christian, or even became a Jew, it was considered offensive. To believe in one more god among the many they already worshipped was acceptable, but to deny the existence of all other gods by following only “one God” was, at best, unpatriotic and, at worst personally disastrous and despised.
How the Religious Jews Viewed the New Believers
As the believers in Jesus added converted Gentiles or Hellenist into the Church, the religious Jews became angered that these converts did not follow the Law (as they interpreted it), were not circumcised, and did not offer sacrifices. Religious Jews considered Christianity to be a cult. They therefore rejected these believers in Jesus and disengaged any relationship with them. This rejection of Christianity brought on a persecution from the religious Jews who were the primary ones involved in the Roman government in Jerusalem. Their concern was that this Jesus, whom they thought they had crucified, now had a larger, stronger following than before His death on the cross. The One who had claimed to be the Son of God was still surviving and growing in the hearts of believers in Jerusalem and throughout Palestine.
Verbal Transmission of the Gospel
The early Church was confident that Jesus was coming quickly. They saw little need to write down any Church history and doctrine because they believed that verbal transmission would suffice for their short time on earth. It was not until persecution and the growth of the Church had expanded far and wide, that the apostles of Jesus Christ found it necessary to put the message of the Gospel into print for the benefit of future believers.
The Beginning of Persecution
The early believers soon realized that accepting Jesus as their Messiah was serious business; it could possibly mean much suffering for the sake of the Gospel, even to the point of death. The first martyr of the Church was Stephen who was stoned under the direction of Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee on the Sanhedrin Council. The Sanhedrin Council supervised the civil and religious life of the state and carried great political persuasion. As time passed persecution came from both religious and political powers, growing in frequency and intensity. Often Christian worship became secretive, skipping the common meal. Believers met for prayer, the breaking of bread, and drinking of the fruit of the vine, often times in remote secret place. As time continued, and many people were martyred for their faith, the secret places for worship often were in the catacombs (tombs built in caves) of the martyred saints.
As persecution heightened, many believers left Jerusalem, and moved to other parts of Palestine and beyond. Many moved to Damascus or Antioch of Syria and there they began home churches.
Saul of Tarsus
Many religious Jews thought that Jesus, who claimed to be the Son of God, was a threat to their positions of power within the Sanhedrin. One Pharisee, in particular, set out to extinguish this new radical “cult” of believers - His name was Saul of Tarsus. To fully comprehend the importance of this man who became a vital part of the early Church, there are certain things regarding Saul's (later referred to as Paul) life and ministry that needs to be understood:
Saul, his Jewish circumcision name (Paul being his Gentile name) was born in Tarsus, a large metropolitan city and capital of Cilicia, a Roman province in the southeast of Asia Minor and on the northern side of the Mediterranean, in which is now Turkey. [9] Saul’s heritage probably came from the scatterings of the Jewish dispersion of centuries prior or descended from Jews freed from Roman slavery. Either way, his father was a Roman citizen and Saul was a freeborn. How he obtained this privilege is simply speculation. It could have been bought or won by distinguished service to the state or acquired in other unknown ways. Saul, as his father’s son, carried the right of Roman citizenship. Saul probably spoke Aramaic, but was well acquainted with the Greek language that had spread through Hellenism throughout the Roman Empire. Living in a Gentile world of mixed cultures, Saul could have used his Gentile name of Paul often. Tarsus, as a large metropolitan city, was also the seat of a famous university, higher in reputation even than the universities of Athens and Alexandria. Here is where Saul spent his youth, probably enjoying the best education that his father, who was a Jewish Pharisee from the tribe of Benjamin could give him. Saul also learned tentmaking, the trade of his father, which was required by all Jewish children to learn the trade of their fathers. Tentmaking was a well distinguished trade, and much needed commodity for traveling merchants.
At the age of thirteen Saul was sent to the great Jewish school of sacred learning at Jerusalem as a student of the law. He became a pupil of the well-known Rabbi Gamaliel, spending years in intensive study. His life was centered upon knowing the Law of Moses and the writings of the prophets. He knew the scriptures well, which pointed to the coming of the Messiah and other prophetic writings. It all, however, had to be read and interpreted through the eyes of the strict teachings of Phariseeism. According to Acts 26:5, Saul became a Pharisee like his father and joined the great Sanhedrin. Proud of his role, he arrogantly displayed his position with all of its legalism in keeping the law. As a general rule, to be a Pharisee, one had to be married. Scripture, however, gives no evidence that Saul was ever married or had a family. In fact, Acts 23:16 points to his sister and sister’s son, and in Romans, it points to other relatives of his. There is no scripture indication that Saul was ever married.
Saul loved God and was zealous in his love for Him and the Jewish faith. Taking an oath of fidelity, he was obedient to the Laws of Moses and pharisaic traditions, as understood by the sect in which he belonged. He, by nature and character, was a zealous man, even above other Pharisees. Like other Pharisees, he was also a persecutor of the Christian faith.
The Death of Stephen
The time was around 35-36 A.D. – just a few years after the death of Christ. The Church was flourishing throughout Jerusalem, with many coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Operating in his position on the Sanhedrin Council, and an active persecutor of the Christian faith, believing it to be a cult, Saul consented to the death of Stephen, one of the leading disciples. Saul’s purpose - exterminate Christianity – rid the world of the cult that had entered into Judaism. Saul was well known for his eagerness to imprison those who believed in Christ’s death and resurrection. Because of the persecution and Saul’s determination to pursue, imprison and even kill the new believers, many of them fled Jerusalem. A place of refuge seemed to be Damascus, a city in Syria, just outside of Palestine. Saul, however, was zealous in his approach to rid Judaism of this dangerous cult. Armed with documents of authority and guards from the Sanhedrin to seize all believers living there, Saul set out on his one-week journey to Damascus.
Saul's Damascus Road Experience
As Scripture states in Acts 9, Saul had an encounter on the road to Damascus where he met the living Christ through a vision. He was thrown off of his horse and temporarily blinded. Jesus then spoke to him in a miraculous vision that would change his life and the course of Christianity. Saul realized he was in the face of the living God, and he gave his life to the dedication of promoting the Gospel for the Lord Jesus Christ. As directed by the Lord, he was then led into Damascus where he was instructed to wait for the disciple Ananias to have hands laid on him to receive the Holy Spirit. He would then regain his sight. God also spoke to Ananias to go to a certain house where Saul would be staying to lay hands on him. When that happened, Saul’s eyes were opened and he arose and was water baptized. After receiving food and strength, he then spent some days with the awestruck disciples there at Damascus preaching Christ in the synagogues. It didn’t take long for the religious Jews, however, to discover the change in Saul, and plotted to have him killed. The disciples took him by night and let him down the wall of the city in a large basket. As much as scripture is able to assemble together, Saul then went off to Arabia (Gal 1:17) for a period of time to be with the Lord and later returned to Damascus.
The solitudes of Arabia
When Saul went into the solitudes of Arabia alone to be with Jesus, perhaps in the “Sinai in Arabia,” Jesus was able to teach him by revelation the deep truths of the Old Testaments scriptures, in which he had spent a lifetime of learning. What was simply head knowledge now became heart knowledge of revelatory truth. While Saul did not know Jesus in life, he came into a strong faith in Him through revelation that not even the original apostles, who spent three years with Jesus in ministry, were able to experience and comprehend. There God revealed His plans and purposes for Saul’s life. This became the foundation for Saul’s preaching of what we know of today as the New Testament revealed through the truths of the Old Testament. Saul’s zealousness for God continued, knowing that the Messiah had come through Jesus Christ. Instead of being zealous for Judaism through Phariseeism, Saul took that same zeal to be a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. When he returned to Damascus, he began using his Gentile name of Paul.
The Apostle Paul originally planned his missionary work to reach the house of Israel – the Jews, just as the Apostle Peter had been instructed by Jesus. Despite great persecution, Paul spread the Gospel in Palestine, Syria and Asia Minor where thousands of primarily Gentiles, along with some Jews, accepted Jesus Christ as their Messiah. House churches grew rapidly as more bishops and elders were trained, and large churches were also established within various regions to keep unity, accountability, and a place for visiting apostles to minister to larger groups of believers.
Christianity
Taking on the Name of “Christian”
Persecution did not stop for the believers in Jesus Christ. As persecution grew, believers spread out further, relocating to Antioch in Syria. (See map above) There new house churches continued to grow. [10] The believers in Jesus Christ were called many names in its inception. To some, they were simply a sect of Judaism, while others thought it was a cult. It wasn’t until many believers had escaped to Antioch did they take on the name of “Christian,” meaning “little Christs” or “followers of Christ.”
Celebration of the Christian Passover
The name Easter comes from the Greek word “Eostre” (pronounced yo'ster), after an ancient fertility goddess. In ancient pagan times an annual spring festival was held in her honor. About the same time each year the Jews celebrated the Passover feast in memory of their deliverance from Egypt. Since the resurrection of Christ also took place during the Passover, the Christians celebrated Christ’s resurrection at the same time as well. They called their celebration the Christian Passover. It became the main annual feast of the early Christian Church. As time passed and persecution grew, it became safer for Christians and Jews to celebrate their feasts of the Passover at the same time as the pagans celebrated their feast of “Eostre.” Often the pagans were drunk during their celebrations and not aware of other surroundings, which gave safe passage for Christians and Jews to celebrate without fear of persecution. It was also safe to use the pagan word “Eostre” in the preparation of their feasts to any pagan neighbor; thus, the name of Easter became a traditional name for both the Christian Passover and the spring festival in honor of the pagan goddess “Eostre.”
So as not to go off in ditches over certain Christian celebrations, which seem to have its roots in paganism, we must remember that many Christian feasts were purposely celebrated during pagan holidays. This way, the pagans would be drunk in their celebrations, which allowed Christians to celebrate their feasts without fear of persecution. Even though many of the pagan feasts are gone, Christian tradition still carry those same names and are often celebrated during those same pagan times of the year. Let us be thankful that the early church looked for unique ways to hold the Church together during those days of persecution so that those special times together to remember what the Lord has done for us could be observed. Because of that, we too today, have the same privilege of having those same traditional times together of remembrance.
The first headquarters for the Church
The Church in Jerusalem was the first physical headquarters for the Christian Church at large. As persecution grew, the Church at Antioch became a relief church for the Church of Jerusalem and other smaller house churches. Following the Jerusalem Council in 49 A.D., and the death of its elder (pastor), James, the brother of Jesus, the Church of Antioch became the main center of Christianity.
The Jerusalem Council
Certain men from Judea went around teaching that unless a new believer was circumcised, according to the custom of Moses, he or she could not be saved. They insisted that Gentiles could not be received into the Church unless they were circumcised and brought under the rules of the Mosaic Law. The Apostle Paul claimed that all people, both Jew and Gentile alike, are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, apart from the works of the Law. To require circumcision, he argued, would destroy the good news of God's grace. This controversy brought contention within the Church.
As written in Acts 15: 1-29, the Church of Jerusalem held a conference in 49 A.D. to settle this dispute. Since the Church headquarters at that time was located in Jerusalem, several apostles from Antioch traveled down to the large city. Led by the Apostle Paul and Barnabas, several delegates from the Church at Antioch came to meet with James – the brother of Jesus, and elder of the church, along with other delegates, including the Apostle Peter, from the headquarter church. In agreement, the delegate assembly defended the right of Paul and Barnabas to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles without forcing them to obey the Jewish law. Other issues of Gentile conversion were also agreed upon.
The council accepted Paul's practice of demanding that only through faith in Christ, rather than the requirement of obedience to the Jewish law was required. The Jerusalem Council thus decreed that the Gentiles should make four reasonable concessions: 1) They should not eat food that had been sacrificed to idols, 2) they should not eat meat containing blood, 3) they should not eat animals that had been strangled, and 4) they should not commit sexual immorality. In other words, Gentile converts should avoid offending the moral and religious convictions of the Jewish believers. Although this consensus brought unity back into the Church, it also became the divider that separated the Christians from the Jews.
The Importance of the Jerusalem Council
The decision of the Jerusalem Council was important for many reasons: If the Gentiles had been required to become a Jew, it would have been unacceptable to most Gentiles. Missionary efforts, therefore, would have become more difficult. As such, Christianity would then have become nothing more than a sect within Judaism, and in essence, the truths of the Gospel would have been compromised. Instead of a Gospel based on salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, it would have become one based on salvation by works – works of the Jewish Law. Christ’s work on the cross would then have been nullified.
Another concern that the Church had was the Gentile converts were flaunting their newly found freedom in Christ, without any concern for the sensitive feelings of the Jewish Christians. For the unity of the Church, and the spread of Christianity, these issues also had to be settled. The Jews believe in “one” God – the God of Israel. Christians also believe in “one” God – the God of Israel, revealed in Jesus Christ. The Romans, in their Hellenist, beliefs, however, believed in many gods. The Jews considered themselves the guardian of the Law of Moses of the “one” true God. For a Jew to become a Christian, a believer in Jesus the Christ, meant he or she had to defect - abandon their ancient Law of Moses. In that respect, the decisions of the Jerusalem Council divided the Christians from the Jews.
The Sign of the fish
An early symbol of Christian faith was the sign of the fish. Each letter of the Greek word for fish (ichthus) was used to remember an aspect of Christ’s life. As persecution grew stronger and tense, the symbol of the fish was used to secretly identify one as a believer. One believer would draw a picture of the fish in the sand, looking for a response. If the responder drew a picture of a fish back, it was an acknowledgement that he or she was also a believer. They were then free to speak of the things of Christ without fear of persecution.
The Jewish faith was considered legal by the Romans because of its ancient heritage - it had been around long before the founding of their ancient gods. Anti-semitism, however, was very prevalent. The Jewish religion was simply tolerated throughout the Roman Empire. For the most part, Jews and Romans hated each other. The exception would have been the Sadducees. They favored the Romans simply for political protection to advance favor for their party.
As stated earlier, in its beginning, Christianity was considered just another sect of the Jewish faith by the Romans. As an independent faith, apart from Judaism, becoming a Christian would have been considered an act of treason for any Gentile. So for Christians to be protected from the Romans in any sort of way, it was important that they somehow stay connected with the Jews. The challenge was that the hatred of the religious Jews toward the Christians continued to rise, so protection was at best very minimal.
From its foundation, Christianity had its challenges with the Jews as well as the Gentiles. God, however, brought about a great increase in the Church in spite of persecution from all those who opposed faith in His Son, Jesus the Christ.
Early Jewish Persecution
Even though the Jewish faith was tolerated by the Romans, anti-semitism was a constant threat. An incident arose around 50 A.D. when a large crowd of Jews gathered together in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. According to Josephus, the Jewish historical writer of the 1st century A.D., a guard in the Roman tower who hovered over the temple, exposed his bare back side as an insult to the Jews. It caused such a riot to where 30,000 people were killed that day. [11]
As Persecution Spread, So Did Christianity
As persecution spread amongst the Christians, the people scattered further away from Jerusalem. Paul and the other apostles traveled to far and distant places. Thomas went to India while Philip traveled to France. One of the James went to Spain while the other went to Britain. Simon traveled to Egypt and Africa, [12] and Paul traveled throughout Asia Minor. The spread of Christianity was moving throughout the known world.
Rome in the 1st Century
Christians at Rome
As the years continued, persecution forced new believers to spread further and further away from Palestine. Some even went as far as Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire. There, Nero reigned as emperor at the empire’s capital from 54-68 A.D. He was only 17 years old when he first became the empire’s power. His first five years of reign were not harsh to Christians - he focused on maintaining peace and harmony. Christians flocked to the empire’s capital.
The Burning of Rome
In his latter reign, Nero was determined to build a new Rome, so he began to tax the people heavily, putting financial pressure on those he ruled. In the summer of 64 A.D. Rome burned and two-thirds of the city was destroyed. For six days the city was ablaze. Many claimed it was Nero’s insanity, along with his desire to build a new city that caused him to order his servants to ignite the flames in various places throughout the city. While it burned, it was said, Nero stood on a high hill overlooking the burning city, playing his harp. Others have stated that it was not started at the instruction of Nero, but started accidentally in an oil warehouse. Regardless, the flames destroyed most of the city and thousands of people perished. Nero, in his own insanity, had other plans on who was to blame.
Nero’s Claim of Christianity as a Religion
Nero became the first emperor to claim the Christian faith as a new religion outside of Judaism. It was done, however, in the context of blaming one particular group, using them as a scapegoat, for the burning of the city of Rome. Informers, supposedly bribed for the purpose, went around claiming that the Christians set the fire. Nero had someone to blame for what he did, as well as he was now in a position to destroy this new religion once and for all. He claimed the “one God” belief of the Christians violated the beliefs of the “many Roman gods.” This only fueled the already concerns of the pagans in Rome who already believed that Christians had turned against their gods and they needed to be punished.
Persecution began through robbery and confiscation. This way, Christians were forced to pay for much of the building of the new Rome. Persecution then grew to where it then became a capital offense to even be a Christian.
Nero’s New City
At the Christians expense, Nero planned a new and extravagant city. He hired the best of architects for the building of what he determined to be the most glorious of all cities. He had the narrow streets in the city replaced with wider roads. His biggest project was his palace – called the Domus Aurea, more commonly known as Nero’s Golden House. This extravagant project was surrounded by beautiful gardens and parks, occupying three of the fabled seven hills of Rome. In his determination to have himself remembered as the most glorious of all the Caesars, Nero had erected a full-body statue of himself. Modeled after the Colossus of Rhoades, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, this 120 foot high erection stood high upon the hill at the vestibule gate of his Golden House for the world to see and admire. [13]
The Great Persecution
As persecution grew, so did the punishment. To be a Christian often meant death, especially in Rome. Thus began the greatest persecution the Christians had known up to that time. [14] The Roman authorities captured as many Christians as they could find and put them to death in the most horrific ways. Done for the amusement of the citizens of Rome, some were dressed in furs and killed by dogs in the coliseum. Others were crucified or burned alive as torches to light the night outside of Rome during the construction of the new city. [15]
The efforts to destroy early Christianity failed because of the Christians’ zeal and readiness to suffer for their faith, even if it meant to die upon the cross in the same way that Christ suffered for them, became a status symbol among Christians. Martyrdom was considered an honor to the name of Christ.
Heb 11:36-39 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
The Death of the Apostles Paul and Peter
The Apostle Paul was put to the sword through martyrdom in 68 A.D. under the reign of Nero. Because Paul was a Jew, and one of influence, he was able to avoid crucifixion as a death penalty. The Apostle Peter, on the other hand, crucified shortly before Paul, chose to be crucified upside down. It was his request, stating he was not worthy to be crucified like his Lord. Tradition states that both of the apostles were killed in Rome within the same time period under the reign or Nero.
The ghastly way in which the Christian victims were put to death eventually aroused sympathy even among the Roman people. As time passed, and the persecution heightened, Nero began to lose the respect of his people - to the point that he was deposed in the same year that Peter and Paul were martyred. He ended up committing suicide one year later. [16]
The Jewish War of 66 A.D.
The persecution of the Jews spread beyond Rome – even as far as Palestine. The Romans heavily taxed the Jews throughout the empire. To obtain what the Romans thought was due to them, they often looted personal property from the Jews, and for those who fought back, they were publicly flogged and even crucified. In time this brought on what became known in history as the Jewish War.
In 66 A.D. the Jewish Zealots in Israel took up arms against the Romans. The war, however, ended in great tragedy for the Jews, killing thousands. Vowing to fight to the death, the Jewish Zealots went up against Roman power, slaying 6,000 Roman soldiers. The ruling governor fled from Jerusalem leaving the Roman garrison without a leader. When news came to Rome, Nero dispatched four legions under his most experienced commander, Vespasian, and his son, Titus. They were commanded to go to Jerusalem to once and for all overtake the city. The strategy was to first subdue conflict throughout the local regions and then march into Jerusalem. [17]
While Vespasian and his son Titus were marching toward Jerusalem, news came that Nero had committed suicide. The time was 68 A.D. Nero had no heir for the throne because he had killed off all who would be in line to succeed him. Thus his death brought a mad scramble for the throne by three strong military commanders, named Galba, Otho, and Vitellius. With no successor, the armies promoted their commanders to become Caesar to the throne. Over the next year there was civil war between the three commanders for the retention of the Roman throne. Assassination and suicide took the first two. When Vespasian heard of Nero’s death, which was sometime in 69 A.D., he then returned to Rome, having his own thoughts of taking the throne. He left his son Titus over the armies to the east to lie in wait to attack Jerusalem. When Vespasian returned to Rome with several of his troops to Rome, he overthrew Vitellius, torturing him in public, and then killed him, ending the year-long civil war for the throne. Vespasian was named emperor of the Roman Empire by the Senate and the people. Thus began a period of time known as Flavian rule. [18]
Masada
There were still some surviving Jewish Zealots who were determined to fight the Romans, but pulled away gather reinforcements. Led by a man named Eleazar ben Ya’ir, these Zealots and their families escaped eastward from Jerusalem into the Judean desert to a natural fortress known as Masada. Once occupied as a summer palace for King Herod close to 100 years prior, this made-to-order fortress became their base of operation. For two years following the fall of Jerusalem, these Zealots raided and harassed the Romans in and around Jerusalem, using Masada as their home base.
www.us-israel.org/jsource/Archaeology/Masada1.html
| Masada is a huge diamond-shaped rock on the eastern edge of the Judean plateau, having steep drop on all sides and a flat top. The mountain flat top is 1300 feet above the shores of the Dead Sea, being very difficult to climb on two of its sides. This retreat palace was a collection of several buildings, along with an aqueduct system and cistern for water. Atop they were able to grow gardens and live for months off of their harvest. |
The Flavius Dynasty
The Flavius dynasty began with Vespasian having the belief in Roman emperor divinity. On his deathbed, Vespasian was claimed to have stated, “I think I feel I am becoming divine right now.” Thus empiric worship began. In 79 A.D. Titus succeeded his father Vespasian, but he died of the fever in 81 A.D. Then Domitian, Vespasian’s younger son, succeeded Titus to the throne. He was vindictive, cold, ruthless, and wanted to be worshipped as a god by his subjects while he was alive, not wait until his death like his father had decreed. [20]
Emperor Domitian decreed that for any citizen in the Roman Empire to defy him as a god to be worshipped would mean certain death. In effect, Domitian’s decree enacted a ruling against all Christian and Jewish practices because the first commandment of Scripture states that there can be no other gods before God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
The Affects of the Jewish War on Christianity
After the Jewish revolt, and the leveling of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., many Jewish leaders wanted to avoid any future tragedies. They began cutting off relationships with Christians, barring them from their synagogues in the various cities in which they had scattered - Asia Minor, Africa, Rome, and beyond. By 90 A.D. weekly prayers in the synagogues included prayers that cursed Nazarenes, a reference to Christians who followed Jesus of Nazareth. The division of the Jews and the Christians was complete and the Christians were especially vulnerable to all of Roman persecution.
Christian Persecution
Christians chose to abstain from most social activities of their day, claiming that to participate in them would be worshipping false gods. They could not be involved in most civil functions that involved sacrifices to the gods. They even refrained from reading classical literature because it spoke reverently of the gods and their activities. Christians could also not join the military because all military members were commanded to give sacrifice to the emperor.
Christian Customs Widely Misunderstood
False rumors went far and wide, especially throughout Rome, about the “secret society of the Christians.” Recalling back to the reference that in order for believers to enter and join in a house church or attend church at all, one had to first be publicly baptized, non-believers were then unaware of what happened at a worship service (Greek Agape’ or love feast). As such, there was a lot of talk of the things that Christians did while in their “secret meetings.” When Christians communed for the Lord’s Supper, words such as consuming the “body” and “blood” were used, but misunderstood by outsiders. Believers called one another “brothers and sisters,” which also was a term used in Egypt to refer to sexual partners. Without firsthand knowledge, the Romans began to accuse Christians of cannibalism and incest. An anonymous pagan writer wrote this of the Christian Lord’s Supper: “An infant is covered with dough, to deceive the innocent. The infant is placed before the person who is to be stained with their rites. The young pupil slays the infant. Thirstily, they lick up its blood! Eagerly, they tear apart its limbs. After much feasting, they extinguish [the lights]. Then, the connections of depraved lust involve them in an uncertain fate” (meaning sexual orgies). Quoted by Minucius Fexlix, Octavius 9. [21] Christians at best were considered a dangerous cult to others around them.
The close of a century
As we draw an end of the first century A.D., persecution had arisen to where lists were collected of the names of Christians. To be on a list meant you were sought, and when found, you were taken into custody, and given three chances to recant your Christian beliefs. That threat came with the death sentence. If you refused to recant, you were executed.
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To recant meant to publicly renounce your faith by cursing Christ and then you had to pray to the Greek or Roman gods, burning incense before the image of the emperor. |
Under the reign of Emperor Domitian, the Apostle John was boiled in oil and feathered for refusing to recant. God, in His divine power, kept him alive – for when he didn’t die, they banished him to the Island of Patmos off of the coast of Ephesus. There he remained until the next emperor came into power. He was then released and sent back to his home in Ephesus to finish out his days.
Important Events and Dates
The following chart shows the important events and dates from the time of the onset of Jesus’ ministry to the death of the last apostle:
|
Date |
Apostle/Disciple or Important Event |
Place |
Event or How Apostle/Disciple Died |
|
25 AD |
John the Baptist began his ministery/Jesus baptized by John |
River Jordan |
|
|
26 AD |
Jesus began His Galilean ministry |
Galilee |
|
|
26 AD |
Herod’s Temple was completed |
Jerusalem |
|
|
27 AD |
Jesus began His Judean ministry |
Judea |
|
|
27 AD |
John the Baptist beheaded by Herod |
Jerusalem |
|
|
29 AD |
Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for 30 pcs. silver |
Jerusalem |
Suicide – Hung himself |
|
29 AD |
Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected |
Jerusalem |
Crucified on the cross |
|
36 AD |
Stephen martyred (Church’s 1st martyr) |
Jerusalem |
Stoned |
|
36 AD |
Saul (Paul the Apostle) |
Road to Damascus |
Converted |
|
40 AD |
Ignatius succeeded Simon Peter at Antioch. Peter later went to Joppa |
Antioch , Syria |
|
|
44 AD |
James, son of Zebedee martyred |
India |
Pierce by lance while in prayer |
|
44 AD |
Simon Peter went to Caesarea from Joppa – Cornelius was converted. |
Joppa to Caesarea |
Also went to Bithynia, Cappadocia and Galatia – dates unknown |
|
48 AD |
Paul and Barnabus began 1st missionary journey |
Asia Minor |
|
|
49 AD |
Council at Jerusalem |
Jerusalem |
Debate whether Gentile Christians needed to be circumcised |
|
50 AD |
Matthew wrote his gospel |
||
|
51 AD |
Paul and Silas began second missionary journey – met Luke at Troas |
||
|
52 AD |
Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians from Corinth |
Corinth |
|
|
52 AD |
Thomas martyred |
India |
Lance |
|
54 AD |
Paul and Silas began third missionary journey |
||
|
54 AD |
Nero crowned emperor |
Rome |
|
|
54 AD |
Zealot terrorism in Palestine |
Palestine |
|
|
54 AD |
Philip martyred |
Phrygia |
Pierce through thighs/crucifixion |
|
57 AD |
Paul wrote 1 Corinthians |
Ephesus |
|
|
57 AD |
Paul wrote 2 Corinthians |
Macedonia |
|
|
57 AD |
Paul wrote Galatians |
Corinth |
|
|
58 AD |
Paul wrote Romans |
|