4 - The early years of Christianity

The early years of Christianity

Not much is known about the history of the early years of Christianity. The first chapters of the book of Acts of the Apostles provide limited but invaluable information about the early Christian community in Jerusalem, once the contents with historical value are considered.

The former disciples of Jesus slowly gathered again in Jerusalem, where, with new converts and members of the family of Jesus, formed a community with the character of a Jewish sect. Its members were still oriented toward the Jewish cult and the Temple of Jerusalem, where they attended daily. The community was mainly devoted to preaching to the Jewish inhabitants of Jerusalem or to those who came in pilgrimage to the Temple. Although the appearances of resurrected Jesus had given them new impetus, the crucifixion of Jesus himself forced them to change the content of their speeches and preaching regarding Jesus. Their starting point was the resurrection because they wanted to emphasize that death had not beaten their master, who had risen from the grave three days after the crucifixion, had spoken with them, and then had risen to heaven from where he would return ( "the second coming"). The Day of Judgment was imminent. The message of their preaching was now "repent and receive baptism," which was a return to the teachings of John the Baptist.

Jesus and the twelve Apostles

This embryonic Church adapted Jesus’ message adding baptism and the commemoration of the last supper with the disciples in periodic rituals, and gave center stage to the claim that Jesus was the Messiah, not just a prophet or a new Moses. To probe this statement, they told stories about his birth that matched the messianic prophecies of the scriptures. It was said that he was a descendant of King David and that he was born in Bethlehem from a virgin. But he was not merely a human Messiah, a king who would restore the Jewish monarchy. He was a divine Messiah, the Son of God, whose kingdom was in heaven.

The Jerusalem community also gave recognition to the twelve leading disciples of Jesus as "apostles", who deserved a respectful obedience, preparing the establishment of a hierarchy. Peter and John stood out among the twelve, and in the Acts of the Apostles, on several occasions Peter speaks on behalf of the other Apostles. But contrary to popular belief, it was James,brother of Jesus, highly regarded from the outset by his relationship to the family of the Messiah, who gradually became supreme leader of the early Church of Jerusalem. Peter became a traveling missionary. (James, "the brother of the Lord" as he is called in the Acts of the Apostles, must not be confused with the apostles James son of Zebedee and James son of Alpheus)

Many Jews didn’t want a Messiah who had been executed and who had left the nation enslaved. They wanted a victorious Messiah who was going to free them from Rome. The Jewish priests of the Temple of Jerusalem also watched the activities of the congregation to accuse them of blasphemy at the earliest opportunity. So, the early Church led by the twelve Apostles preached with prudence and they devoted their time to reflection, to search the scriptures for prophecies that could prove that Jesus was the foretold Messiah, and they avoided any kind of clash with the Temple authorities.

During the first half of the first century, a substantial proportion of Jews lived outside Palestine, in Jewish settlements at the cities of the eastern half of the Roman Empire. These colonies were called the "diaspora" (dispersion), where Greek was the usual language of culture and commerce. A group of Jesus’ disciples, Greek speaking Jews from these cities, with wider horizons than the humble Palestinian disciples, believed that Jesus teachings had to be spread more aggressively regardless of what the Temple priests thought. His words had to go everywhere, not just to the pilgrims of the Temple, which they considered a "cave of thieves". It was their thought that the community led by the twelve Apostles gave too much importance to the Temple.

Around year 31, a provocative speech against the Temple and against animal sacrifices spoken by Stephen, one of the leaders of the group of Greek language, caused his arrest and was stoned to death for blasphemy (he was the first martyr of the early Church). Other  Greek speaking members had to leave Jerusalem, while the twelve and their community were not disturbed. This difference in treatment shows the distance between the two groups.

The expulsion of the Greek speaking group from the capital did not mean disappearance of the group. They returned to their hometowns in the diaspora, spreading Jesus’ words earnestly even among the "gentiles" (those who were not Jews), succeeding especially among Greeks in the city ​​of Antioch. In these cities, Greek-speaking members of the new sect were called "messiahnists". The Greek word meaning "anointed" or "messiah" is "christos". Then, the disciples and followers of the Messiah became known as "Christians". What in Hebrew would have been "Joshua the Messiah" became the English version of the Greek form: "Jesus Christ".

Subsequent activities of the twelve Apostles is an issue that remains obscure, except for marginal notes of Peter's life. The other apostles are hardly mentioned during the exercise of their preaching, without further notice of the development of their lives. About Peter himself only stands out an account of the conversion of a centurion, his mediation between Greek speaking Christians and Jewish Christians in Jerusalem, and dispersed information which could lead to think that Peter was in Antioch, Corinth, and that he died in Rome.

Next Chapter: Saul of Tarsus (Saint Paul)


The chapters published up to now can be consulted in the INDEX OF PUBLISHED CHAPTERS.