When Did Christianity Start
74
WHEN DID CHRISTIANITY BEGIN
The 12 Apostles were Jewish men who walked and lived with Jesus Christ during his Earthly ministry. The Apostles testified they saw Jesus on numerous occasions after He rose from the dead. 40 days later, Jesus ascended to Heaven in their presence. These 12 Apostles had the task set before them of spreading the Gospel (Good News) to all peoples in all lands. The Good News is that Jesus was resurrected; and by becoming a Believer, our sins are forgiven, we can be transformed into His likeness, we can receive the greatest gift ever offered to humankind: Eternal Life after death.
But how could 12 Apostles with 120 other Believers accomplish this mission? None were learned men; they had no political power; no army—they were a collection of nobodies from a backwater. Yet within 150 years there were perhaps one million Believers from Britain to India. And today Jesus is the most well known and revered person in the history of this planet. How did this happen? It seems so . . . supernatural.
What was it about these men that was so convincing? They and their followers were cut off from their communities, harassed, beaten and murdered for believing in the resurrection of their Lord. Some wonder why we don't know more about the 12 Apostles. That is because the story is not about them. It is about the message they delivered to the world.
SAINT PETER
Peter was the rock upon which Jesus said He would build His church. He was strong, confident, and courageous—and flawed like all men. Why Peter? Why not John, the beloved disciple who was probably closest to Jesus in Spirit? I will paraphrase Dorothy Sayers, "John was all gold, and gold is rare. The work could not wait while God found enough men like John. Peter was a common man; made of stone as are most men."
On the Day of Pentecost (50th day since the resurrection) Peter took the reins as the leader and spokesman for the Apostles. He preached that day and 3,000 persons were converted. Peter would go on to preach throughout Judea and Samaria for many years. He was a successful evangelist because he performed a number of miracles in Jesus' Name through the power of the Holy Spirit. He healed the sick and raised the dead.
Peter and the other Apostles were arrested in Jerusalem by the Jews, who were incensed that the Christians had begun including Gentiles (non-Jews) in the Apostolic Church. They each received 39 lashes, were imprisoned, but miraculously freed.
Peter went to Rome and because of his stature as one of the 12 Apostles was named the first bishop of the church in Rome. Emperor Nero crucified him upside down in the Hippodrome (circus stadium) in 64 A.D. His bones lie in the Vatican.
ST JOHN
John was one of four fishermen among the Apostles. His character was a reflection of his Master's. He was with Jesus at His Transfiguration and in the Garden of Gethsemane. John braved the hostile crowd to be at the foot of the Cross when his beloved Lord was crucified. Jesus entrusted to John the care of His Mother Mary.
John left Palestine about 55 AD after Mary, Mother of Jesus, died. He spread the Gospel throughout Syria and Asia Minor. When John laid his hands on people they received the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is not known when he wrote the Gospel of John, or his three Epistles. Speculation is between 38 and 67 AD. It is known that he lived in Ephesus for many years, where he discipled Ignatius and Polycarp, two of the well known Apostolic Fathers of the church. John was exiled to the Island of Patmos as an old man and it is there he wrote Revelation in 97 AD. He was the only Apostle known to have died of natural causes (estimated to be 100 years old) and his tomb is in Ephesus.
HISTORY ABOUT CHRISTIANITY
Andrew was Peter's brother. Andrew traveled widely as a missionary, winning converts in what are now Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Greece and Turkey. He is the Patron Saint of all these countries except Turkey; and also of Scotland. It is likely as not that he also traveled through parts of Bulgaria, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and maybe even Poland. Andrew founded the church in Byzantium (Constantinople or Istanbul) in 38 AD. He was crucified on an X shaped cross in Patras, Greece around 75 AD. Relics of his bones are in many countries including Scotland. The X on the British Flag, the Union Jack, is in honor of St. Andrew.
APOSTLES
James was John's brother and the first Apostle to be martyred, in 44 AD. James was one of the first followers of Jesus and one of three present at the transfiguration. He was a leader in the earliest church in Jerusalem.
Herod Agrippa, King of the Jews, had James killed by the sword in the midst of a wave of persecution of Christians he had unleashed to please the Jews. James converted his prison guard, who volunteered to be beheaded next to James—and so he was.
James is the Patron Saint of Spain and there lie his remains.
APOSTLE
Thomas became the missionary to Persia and India (and modern day Pakistan). There have been rumors he journeyed as far as China and Japan; and spent time in Ethiopia. He certainly traveled farther from Israel than any other Apostle. It appears his ministry in India began in the north, in Taxila; proceeded to southern India (Chera); to the southwestern coast (Malabar); and the southeast coast where he was martyred in 72 AD with a spear in Mylapore. He was revered in India by Muslims and Hindus as well. His bones are in a reliquary at Edessa, Turkey.
MATTHEW
Matthew (Levi) was a tax collector who wrote the first (and most popular) Gospel in the New Testament in about 48 AD, probably in Antioch. Matthew was an eyewitness to the Life of Jesus and was known as a fine teacher.
His goal was to convince the Jews that Jesus was their long awaited Messiah. He was the missionary to the Hebrews; and traveled into the mission field to Syria, Persia and Ethiopia—where it is believed he died.
WHERE DID CHRISTIANITY ORIGINATE
Bartholomew (Nathaniel bar-Tholami) was a missionary in Ethiopia, Armenia, Mesopotamia (Iraq) and India. He is best known for his work in the Konkan Coast of western India, which includes Mumbai (Bombay). He was flayed (skinned alive) and then crucified in Armenia. Parts of his body are in Germany and England.
12 APOSTLES
Jude Thaddeus preached the Good News to Judea; Samaria; Syria; Libya; Armenia; and (what are now) Iraq and Jordan; before being martyred with an axe in Beirut, Lebanon, in 65 AD.
Simon the Zealot was martyred with St. Jude by being sawed in half. He was a missionary in Egypt, Persia and Armenia. There are legends that have him evangelizing in Ethiopia, Britain, and what is the modern nation of Georgia.
Philip preached in Greece, Syria, Ukraine, and Anatolia—where he was crucified in about 80 AD. He served the Apostles early on as interpreter to Greek-speakers.
James Alphaeus (James the Less) was crucified in Egypt for preaching the Gospel. He might have been the brother of Matthew.
Matthias was the replacement for Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus for money and promptly committed suicide. Matthias evangelized in Judea, Ethiopia and what is now Georgia—where he died. His bones are in Trier, Germany.
HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY
Besides the 12 Apostles, there were many others who played key roles in Origin of Christianity. Stephen was the first deacon (servant) of the church and the first martyr (witness). He was illegally stoned to death by the Sanhedrin (Jewish Judges) in 35 AD because of his famous testimony explaining that they had rejected and murdered Jesus, their Messiah. This was a key moment in the History of Christianity. His murder was approved by Saul of Tarsus—the man later known as Saint Paul. Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit and his face shown like an angel. He forgave his killers as he lay dying in the street. Today, there are churches, schools, monasteries, and hospitals named after him around the globe.
BEGINNING OF CHRISTIANITY
James the Just was the stepbrother of Jesus, and the first bishop of Jerusalem, which was the center of the church until the city was destroyed in 70 AD. He was a vegetarian, never drank alcohol, did not cut his hair, and was known to pray so often that his knees developed calluses, leading to his nickname "Camel Knees." He lived as a Messianic Jew and wrote a manual for Jewish Christian conduct known as the Epistle of James in 42 AD. James was murdered—he was recruiting Jews for Jesus—by being hurled from a parapet in 62 AD. He forgave his murderers while barely still alive, and then was bashed in the head with a club.
In the destruction of Jerusalem one million Jews were killed by the Romans and 97,000 hauled away as captives. The Jewish Temple, which had stood for 545 years, was completely demolished to the point that it had not one stone left on another—as prophesied by Jesus. All of the books in the New Testament had been written by this time except Revelation. And they were written to be read aloud.
GOSPEL OF MARK
Mark (John Mark) wrote the 2nd Gospel in 46 AD, as it was dictated to him by St. Peter—a gripping story of the divine, miraculous Jesus from his chief disciple.
Mark was a young man from Libya, and a cousin of Barnabas, when the Apostles began to meet in his mother's home in Jerusalem. He went with Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey. When they decided to go to Galatia, Mark quit the mission.
He quit because he was afraid of the Galatians who lived in the hinterlands of Anatolia. They were a fierce people who were of a race known as Celts, Gaels, Picts, Britons, Gauls, Belgae, and Galicians in other parts of Europe.
Barnabas later wanted to bring Mark along on another mission but Paul refused and they went their separate ways, with Barnabas taking Mark with him to Cyprus to evangelize his home island.
Mark went to Rome as St. Peter's interpreter, before settling in Alexandria where he became the first bishop (45-62) of the (Egyptian) Coptic Church. He was martyred in 68, dragged through the streets behind a horse.
GOSPEL OF LUKE
Luke was from Antioch (Syria) and the only Gentile writer of the Bible. He was an educated, cosmopolitan physician with a thorough knowledge of the law. Luke was a gifted writer, who wrote in a concise, elegant, picturesque style. He wrote the Gospel of Luke in 55 AD based on interviews with eyewitnesses—probably including Mary the Mother of Jesus. He has been described as the most widely read and most accurate historian of his era. Many things he wrote were disputed by secular historians only to be proved correct by subsequent archaeological discoveries. Nothing he wrote has been disproved.
Luke authored the Acts of the Apostles, which is about the history of the church from 30 AD to about 65 AD, after traveling with Paul on his mission trips. He was shipwrecked with Paul at Malta and was the only Brother with him when he was arrested in Rome. He died in Greece in 84 AD (Anno Domini—the year Jesus was born, which is how we mark the years on our calendars today).
PAUL THE APOSTLE
Barnabas was a large, imposing man who was to become Paul's mentor and travel extensively with him. He was widely respected and active in churches in Antioch, Damascus and Jerusalem. Barnabas was influential in the acceptance of Paul by the nascent church despite Paul having been their chief persecutor not long before—and greatly feared by Christians everywhere. Barnabas may have written the book of Hebrews. Another possible author is Apollos, who was a great preacher in Corinth, though from Alexandria. Barnabas was brutally martyred in 61 AD in Cyprus, where he is recognized as the founder of the church there.
APOSTLE PAUL
Titus was a gentile convert of Paul who then hosted Christian meetings at his home. Titus helped Paul plant churches in Asia Minor, Macedonia and Dalmatia (Croatia) before being assigned to Crete, where he became the first Christian bishop. He was the recipient of Paul's pastoral letter Titus. He died in 107 at 95 years old.
Silas joined Paul, as his protégé, on his missionary journeys after Paul and Barnabas parted ways. He was a Roman citizen from Jerusalem. Silas and Paul were illegally beaten with rods while naked, and they were in jail together for performing an exorcism in Philippi, where they were miraculously freed—and converted their jailer on the way out.
Paul and Silas were soon joined by the young Timothy, to whom Paul would later address his two pastoral letters. Timothy was from Lystra (Zostera). Paul ordained him the bishop of Ephesus in 65. He was stoned to death in 80 by pagans for preaching the gospel.
ST PAUL THE APOSTLE
Lastly, we turn to the Apostle Paul. Paul (Saul) was a rabbi, Pharisee, and rising star in the Jewish community who hated Christians and vowed to exterminate them. He would accomplish this by hauling whole families away at night for beatings, stoning, arrests, and executions—a campaign of terror. Paul also had a thorough knowledge of the Torah and had been an outstanding student under the renowned Jewish teacher Gamaliel.
While on his way to Damascus to eliminate Christianity there, he became the last person to see the risen Jesus. Jesus appeared to him in a vision and changed Paul and human history forever. His heart was wholly transformed.
Paul went to live in Damascus—the oldest inhabited community on Earth—and preached there three years. Then Barnabas introduced him to Peter and James in Jerusalem and they gave him their blessing to be a missionary for the church. Paul went first to Anatolia and Syria for eight years. He was a brave, energetic, hearty man to say the least. He was also gregarious, engaging and charismatic with a keen intellect. His message was one of Grace and Mercy; of Faith, Hope and Love. And thousands believed him to speak the Truth.
Paul's next expedition was to Cyprus in 47 where he converted the governor after walking 160 miles across the island. Then it was on to Asia Minor where he won many converts, established churches—and caused riots. After he was stoned to the point of death in Lystra, he retraced his entire route—right back through places he had been chased out of! He even returned to Lystra, before heading on to Macedonia—after walking 500 more miles.
Paul traveled to Philippi (named for Alexander the Great's father) for about a year and preached about Jesus as the Christ (anointed one or Messiah); His resurrection from the dead; and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. There he healed the sick and performed exorcisms. Paul moved on to Thessalonica (named for Alexander's half-sister) where he worked 12 hours a day as a tent maker so the church would not have to support him.
Paul then set his sights on Athens, where he gave his famous speech about the "Unknown God" to the Areopagus on Mars Hill. He converted Dionysus, who became the first bishop of Athens.
Paul next went to Corinth—Sin City of the world. To get there was a dangerous 50 mile walk alone on a road infested by bandits, that was very narrow and on a high cliff. Surprisingly to him, he had great success in Corinth. He stayed 18 months and started the church there. He then decided to go back to Jerusalem.
Paul left Jerusalem to return to Antioch and then went to stay in Ephesus for a few years. Following this, it was back to Corinth and Macedonia before traveling to Jerusalem for the last time. Since the majority of these journeys were on foot, one would imagine Paul was in terrific physical condition.
It did not go so well in Jerusalem. He was seized by Jews who tried to kill him for preaching about Jesus Christ at the Jewish Temple, but was saved by Roman army officers—who promptly arrested him. The Jews plotted to kill him while in transport with the Romans to Caesarea to stand trial, but his nephew tipped him off and they escaped the trap. He spent two years under house arrest before appealing to Caesar as a Roman citizen—and his wish was fulfilled that he would be shipped to Rome to stand trial there. During this journey he was shipwrecked on Malta and bitten by a deadly viper—but miraculously lived.
Paul was beheaded by Nero in 67, but not before writing 1/4 of the New Testament. Five times he had been arrested, imprisoned, and given 39 lashes. Today, there is a church named St. Paul's in virtually every city in the Western World.
WHEN DID CHRISTIANITY START?
By the year 100 there were Christians in all provinces of the Roman Empire, living in astonishing unity though thousands of miles apart. Everywhere, they practiced baptism, shared Communion and celebrated Easter.
"That a few simple men should in one generation have invented so powerful and appealing a personality, so loft an ethic and so inspiring a vision of human brotherhood, would be a miracle far more incredible than any recorded in the Gospel. After two centuries of Higher Criticism the outlines of the life, character, and teaching of Christ, remain reasonably clear, and constitute the most fascinating feature of the history of Western man." Will Durant, American Historian
I previously wrote the story that precedes this one, The Life of Jesus. And where this story ends, I continue on 200 more years in the Origin of Christianity; and proceed into the 5th Century, from Constantine to Augustine, in the History of Christianity.
PrintShare it! — Rate it: up down flag this hub
Comments
Very interesting reading, James, and very well researched.
HOOWANTSTONO— Thank you. I appreciate you for being my first visitor! :)
Connie Smith— I am always pleased when you visit my Hubs. I am glad you found it interesting. As far as the research goes, it was exhausting. 23 hours on the clock. :D
Wow! That is a lot of research. I am impressed. Good job!
I need a better chair. I have worn this one out and man, does my back hurt! But if you are impressed—it's all worth it. :D
James, you should become a pastor.
James,
What strikes me as amazing is these men of God did not renounce their faith under the very heavy persecution and eventually the threat of execution. Their conviction was real because what they believed was real. They never wavered because of what they had 'seen and heard'. Who would die for a lie? No one I dare say. Thanks for a terrific hub!
@ R Burow - good thought, I never would have looked at it from that perspective.
James, once again, I am impressed with the research that had to have gone into this, and the time it obviously took (23 hours) to put it together to share with us. I am glad you did.
Do you by any chance have some seminary training in your background?
Another very well done hub and very worth the read.
WOW, what can I say but Awesome!
James, you have indeed done your homework. Very well put together in an understandable framework. Thank you for sharing it.
God Bless
advisor4qb— That would have made both of my grandmothers very happy, were they still living. Pastor or politician? Or musician? Or writer?
R Burow— I am glad to see this is obvious to your piercing gaze. It is amazing to me how many folks just don't get it. People have advanced technologically but I think we have retreated in the areas of courage and honor.
Thank you for your keen insights. I appreciate your visit.
Duchess OBlunt— Thank you very much for the nice compliments. I have no training of any kind in any field. I am just an autodidact trying to learn the craft of writing. I really appreciate your kind remarks. :-)
ftgfmom— Thank you for visiting and leaving your exclamations!
:D
Wehzo— How nice to hear from you, Brother! I am pleased to receive your affirmation. Thanks for coming.
Superb historical overview!!! A truly awesome display of art as well. Your passion and drive to find answers and share them are so well displayed with your thorough research and presentation. Thank You!
emohealer— I am humbled by your laudations. I am pleased that you enjoyed my essay. And I must say, I do love this art. You are welcome and thank you. I know it is very long but I couldn't find any more cuts so I let it fly. :-)
James,
I think you are starting to live your true life and that is teacher. A role I am sure you are familiar with from raising your children. Keep up the good work it may be all we have left these days.
Great job again!!!
Buy a new chair so you can write without sleeping!!!
Maybe include that John was boiled in oil before being exiled?
And that he just said "thanks for the bath fellas"
Shalom
Robert— Thank you, brother. I always wanted to be a teacher. I missed a lot of the time with my children when I was on the road. I'll do all I can now to redeem the time. I appreciate you for visiting and leaving word.
quietnessandtrust— Thanks! I need a new chair in a big way. This old thing is hard as a rock!
I should have added the boiling in oil story. But you told it better. You're funny! Was that a direct quote?
Shalom
This is something I would not usually read. VERY interesting!
GREAT hub! Now, I will read the others....
MAN, talk about "tragic endings!!!!!!!" ;
GPAGE— Thank you! The ultimate story has a happy ending but for those Christians in the first 300 years they had to have tremendous courage—and firm convictions about what they believed to be the Truth about the nature of life and the world.
I wrote this because on Hub Pages I have run across such utterly ridiculous assertions about this subject that they are not worth repeating. I felt called to report what really happened.
I appreciate you reading it and leaving your gracious remarks. :D
Hi James-
Thanks for sharing , what a great informational hub. I'm not really a history buff but was I curious about the apostles. Good research , it shows !
This is the best history lesson I have ever sat all the way through. PS. Two out of is a nice tribute to your Grandmothers. :)
James, you truly have a calling! You are a wonderful teacher. I believe you pick your subjects with help from above :) You have a way of taking scripture and biblical history and bringing it to life. You make it very easy to understand without losing any of its accuracy. I always look forward to reading your Hubs. I know they are going to be accurate, well written, and interesting. I also love the art work you choose. Thank you for not quitting.
Bail Up!— You are surely welcome. Thank you for taking the time to read it and leave your kind comments. The Apostles were interesting men.
jiberish— I sure appreciate your affirmation. :D
Thank you for your nice words and thanks too for coming over.
Kebennett1— This may be the nicest comment I've ever had. Thank you. It makes a soul feel good.
I was definitely called to write this Hub. I am so pleased you enjoyed reading it and found it interesting. You are a great encouragement to me.
Great article James. Lots of history been revealed here and refreshed in our minds. I do have a problem with one line in the second paragraph here. You wrote, "None were learned men;" Some were unlearned and ignorant. Some were well educated. I believe the Lord chose men from different walks of life to prove that everyone needs a Savior.
I think I now know why this was on my heart early this morning. By today's standards the Apostle Paul would have PHD, Bachelors Degrees and Master degrees yet he still needed a Savior.
Very well done. Thanks for putting this together! Even a few days ago i was talking with someone who was questioning if the Bible was fact or fiction. You have some great information here that ill be sure to remember.
SirDent— Oh, you are absolutely right that the Apostle Paul was an extremely learned and brilliant man. And so was St. Luke. That phrase was meant to apply only to the original 12 Apostles. Perhaps I didn't clarify that well enough. So, I agree with you that people from all walks of life have embraced Jesus through all times. And I see your point, that this is one of the many beauties of it. Thanks for bringing that out. :D
internpete— Thank you and you're welcome! I can tell you these men thought it to be fact. They were all willing to die rather than call it fiction. I am glad to be of service. :)
These are much needed Hubs. It is note worthy that men will sometimes give their lives for a cause that they believe to be true but in fact is a lie...but they will never suffer martyrdom for what they know in fact to be a lie. The eye witnesses of the Resurrected Christ suffered violent execution rather than deny Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and were fully convinced that they will be bodily raised from the dead at the trumpet of God.
We differ only on which "Rock" Christ is building His Church...The Rock in the wilderness from which Living Water gushed was Christ. 1 Cor 10:4 The Rock of Ages.
Many believe that when Our Lord said "upon this Rock I will build my church" he was referring to himself and possibly even pointing to himself as the focal point of the prerequisite faith which Peter displayed.
May the Lord Bless the work of your hands.
Larry, I believe the rock on which Jesus spoke of was that it was revealed by the Spirit who Jesus really is to Peter. We cannot come to God if not drawn by the Spirit of God.
Larry Lathrop— It is a pleasure to hear from you again, sir. Your first paragraph is full of powerful Truth.
I do realize there is some disagreement about Peter's role in the church. You may be right about "The Rock." I don't know. This particular essay was designed to be as ecumenical as possible.
You obviously know your Scriptures and that makes it a special treat to receive this visit from you and have your wise words to ponder. Thank you.
SirDent— Either way, Peter is a great example to us of how a flawed man—who denied his Lord out of fear after all his braggadocio—was redeemed and went on to do great work for The Kingdom. God sometimes chooses peculiar people to do his work.
Thanks for the good additions to this thread, Brother.
Ummmm..., great hub. But Christianity started with James, Christ's brother. The Ebionites were the first Christians. The fish symbol of Christianity was an Ebionite symbol for a safe place to worship Christ- long before Paul or Peter got involved. I'm sure you've seen the fish symbol or heard of it at least. Well that was the first Christian, Ebionite symbol representing Christ. Paul used this symbol to capture, torture, and kill Christians before he was blinded by light on the road to Damascus, where he was chasing down James in fact, and other Ebionite leaders to bring to the Roman governor of Palestine to be persecuted. It's right there in your bible folks. Then remember Paul gets thrown in prison. So just by that information alone, and knowing that Paul wrote the beginning documents and letters of the Pauline Doctrine right there in Prison, eliminates him as one of the founding fathers. Paul was jailed many times. But it was James and Thomas, since Peter got killed fairly early in the movement- that got the "Christian Movement" up and running. That is correct- so there is NO way possible that Paul started Christianity, or Peter. That is what the early believers were forced to believe. That is King Henry VIII wanted you to believe. King Henry the 8th, changed the bible to better suit him, and HIS beliefs. But being an ignorant man on Christianity- he didn't include figures like James in his doctrine. But if there was anyone 1 man who should be credited with the fundamental foundations of the Christian movement, that person is James. The Christian movement started with the Nazarenes. That is what all Christ followers were called before his death. Upon his death, the name got changed by the ROMANS. The Pauline Doctrine and discipleship was caught on about 30 years after the death of Christ. Whereas as I stated before, the Ebionites were long before that time, and the first Christians. This all occurred around 72 AD. As a religious scholar, I know for a fact that if you go to the Roman Catholic Church Study Guide website, or any Historically correct religious study guide like that of the Wesleyan Biblical study website, Lutheran, etc... this information is ready and available for all people to read. Thank you.
James thank you for the hard work compiling and writing this hub. I can't wait to talk to these men and thank them for their service to the King of Kings. Their obedience led to them writing the Bible and lending their strength to the church. I love them and you for the faithfulness I see.
IntimatEvolution— Thank you for your learned and thoughtful commentary. I appreciate you for reading my work.
The word Christian means "One who adheres to the teachings of Jesus Christ." I am sure we can agree that there were, therefore, "Christians" while he was yet breathing. The name was first recorded as being used as a self-description in 40 AD in Antioch.
I am familiar with "Ebionites" who are first mentioned in any written form around 150 AD. I may be wrong, but I think you are confusing James the Just, Jesus' relative, with James Zebedee the Apostle. These are two different men, though both played key roles in the nascent church. James the Just was not an Apostle and in fact until the Resurrection probably not even a Believer in who Jesus was. He did however become the top guy in Jerusalem before his unfortunate meeting with the pavement.
I don't know where you got the idea that I was saying Paul started Christianity. I have never heard anybody say that until you did today. How could have I been saying that when I said he was killing Christians?
I don't think the Romans gave a hoot what Christians called themselves.
The Epistle of James was in the Great Bible commissioned by Henry the VIII so I see no censorship there. And it was in the canon from the beginning. Some deconstructionists make a big deal about the difference in James' emphasis on works. I see no conflict there. If you accept Grace, as Paul says, you accept it with Faith. If you have real Faith and are transformed into the likeness of Jesus, you will do the works of the Father. James is right. If you do no works; you don't have the true faith.
no body— You are surely welcome and thank you for your gracious remarks. I can't wait to meet them myself. :-)
Thanks for the history lesson.
Keep on Hubbing!
Brother Watkins, Thanks so much for your hard work! As usual it's beautifully written and informative. I never tire of hearing about Jesus and the handfull of men who changed our world and open the doors for everyone. The only totally inclusive group in the history of the world. All you have to do is believe. Thanks.
eovery— I'll keep on Hubbing as long as I can!
sneakorocksolid— You are welcome, Brother. I appreciate your gracious comments. Faith is a requirement, to be sure. Thanks for the visit and comments!
This is indeed an excellent account. Congratulations James for a job well done. Truly God is glorified.
Brother James, (you might be saying "uh oh" at my use of the title - honestly I do have questions but they are honest and sincere, not criticism), where can I find two facts that made me stop and think? One being that Stephen forgave his murderers, and two that James the Just was a vegetarian? This seems to point to the varied forms of belief we see in abundance today being already acceptable back then, which many apostles fought against during the early church days according to the Bible.
A more important question stems from the forgiveness issue. Do we practice sheep like forgiveness at every turn, or only as a matter of principle? It seems like some would have us believe that forgiveness is to be given out like candy, and sometimes it was. Jesus asked God to forgive his murderers when he was on the cross. However, the Bible also alludes to the act of forgiveness being necessary when the offender repents and only meant for repentant hearts. Maybe you could even write a hub about it. Because if forgiveness should be given so easily, (does it not lose its value then too?), should America be involved in any war at all, should we all be like the Amish? Being European, I look for the practical middle road. What do you think?
Anyway, on to the laudations. Your awesomeness is astounding. Thank you for the great research. The reason people say you should be a pastor is because they have been tremendously blessed by you, and it is obvious that your whole heart went into this and I have no doubt that God directed you to do it. In any case, I meant to go to bed, but half an hour later, I absorbed your hub and learned so much again. It really puts the world into perspective knowing the history of events and places, and even seeing the resting places of the most famous people in the Bible. Followers of Satan have made every effort to erase this knowledge of history and the many monuments built and painted to glorify God, that could be why world history was never taught in all my years of public school. Look forward to the next hub. Wish there was a more dignified format than Hubpages, but this is probably the perfect place for you to publish. Keep up the wonderful work.
A great read, thanks James.
cristina327— Thank you. These men certainly did glorify God. They gave their all.
Alexander Mark— I think Paul addressed the vegetarian issue by saying we are free to eat—or not eat—whatever we want. It is not recorded why James was a vegan. Maybe it was a health issue (probably is healthier) or maybe he thought it put him closer to the Garden of Eden and God's original plan.
Two of those first famous martyrs are on record as forgiving their murderers as they lay dying. I think they were simply following Jesus' example on the cross. The important message there is that they felt no hatred and were more concerned about the lost souls who were killing them than themselves. A whole Hub should be condensed from the incredible book: "Foxes Book of Martyrs."
In your "laudations" section you added much wisdom to the thread and I thank you for that. I always appreciate the way you encourage me and affirm my work. I hope it has some positive influence. Thank you, my friend.
Nemingha— Thank you and you are most welcome, too.
Thanks for the history and the pictures. Seeing those pictures really made me want to visit some of those places. I heard (through a Dan Brown books) that Peter's bones aren't actually at the Tomb of St. Peter's, but that they lie in the catacombs somewhere. Thanks!
This is an extremely well researched and well written piece.
Unfortunately it reinforces the teachings of "The Church" which are far removed from the truth about the actual relationship between God, Jesus and man.
THE BIBLE IS NOT A RECORD OF SECULAR HISTORY !
THE BIBLE IS NOT A RECORD OF SECULAR HISTORY !
The bible is simply an instruction manual left by those who experienced the birth of Christ within themselves. Instructions on how to discover the true power and glory of God within man.
The characters in the bible SYMBOLIZE the states of mind possible to mankind. When you realize and accept this as true you are "ISRAEL". When I try to explain the truth to you (and convert you) I am "Andrew".
I will write more on this in the future but for now I urge you to study the teachings of Neville Goddard and then go back and read your bible again. Its extremely enlightening.
doups3— Thanks for reading and commenting. I have been to St. Peter's tomb and I have been to St. Mark's sculpture but that's it. I would like to visit the other places, too.
pjk_artist— I am glad the Bible is not secular history. Thank you for pointing that out. I might point out that I did not open a Bible during the writing of this piece. If I had, I would have called it "Acts of the Apostles." And I did not use any teachings of any church. I used six secular books as my references.
You should not use the word "characters" was if Jesus and His Apostles were the equivalent of "characters" in "Alice in Wonderland." This is not a piece of fiction. These were real life human beings portrayed on this page not representations of people.
I have read about Goddard, let's see . . .a law, a promise, the forerunner of Rhonda whatshername "The Secret." I'll save you some time and just tell you "the secret" right now: write a book pretending to have esoteric gnosis that nobody else in 2000 years except you has figured out and you will make millions of dollars. I expect residuals. Thanks
:D
Thank you for this review of the historical facts regarding the beginning of the Christian movement. It is well-researched and well-presented.
Great article!!
Thanks for the hardwork of putting it together!!
BJC
ecoggins— You are welcome. I do appreciate your affirmation. You are a fine writer and I enjoy your work.
BJC— Welcome to the Hub Pages Community.
Thanks! And you are most welcome!
I have a better question. When will it end?
I'm constantly amazed by the disparity between the biblical description of God, and the modern description of God. The first is a really rather nasty piece of work, a jealous amoral homocidal maniac with a penchant for killing children, and the second is a vague abstraction such as "God is Love". This is simply not the same guy. One wonders whether Christians actually read the same bible as me.
But perhaps Jesus was a corrective for all the nastiness in the Old Testament, a change of policy after millennia of abusing the believers.
No wait, it was just a re-branding, because Christians have spent the last 2,000 years demonstrating their love and compassion for all by torturing and murdering non-Christians and other Christians with a slightly different hymn sheet. So maybe "God isn't Love" would be more accurate.
My advice: ditch the superstitious folklore of bronze age sheep farmers, and consider using reason.
UnicycleGuy— You have presented a deep theological problem. It is one and the same God. I find no difficulty in reconciling the God of Love with the God of Wrath. No matter how much God may love humanity we quite obviously deserve His Wrath, do we not?
James, excellent work with only one element missing. Biblically, Christianity began "In The Beginning" because He, the Savior, was in the Garden and all the things that happened in the Old Coventant writing were accomplished as an ensample of the New. When Christianity is seen from a worldly, denominational viewpoint - the organization appears to formed with Christ's appearance and the disciples and the Church body; when it reality, Christianity has always been the plan - the Way - and the Truth.
Those who were before Christ and were saved, by faith, already had hope in His coming. That would make them, in a spiritual sense - the first Christians.
For UnicycleGuy; it is true, it is not the same guy - For one is the Father and the other the Son. The Father however set the stage for His Son to rule. Having already seen a third of the angels fall without a salvation plan, He made man lower, so that salvation could be worked out for them. Yisrael existed as a nation to show those with ears to hear and eyes to see, that mankind, in a fallen state, could not save itself. No body of laws and elections of judges could bring in the righteousness necessary to establish peace. The inhumanity and wrath some try to heap on the Father is our own. If mankind was just enough, clean enough, pure enough, to separate himself from evil without assistance than the death of an innocent Son, Messenger, Christ - would not have happened.
The crucifixtion was the one greatest judgment and act against all humanity - and we all share in it - and are guilty of it. Sorry for being windy.
James, I always feel enlightened when I finish one of your hubs. I had read many stories about the disciples and first Christians and all, and had a Sunday school teacher in high school who delighted in discussing the various missionary journey's (Paul's and others), but it was neat to see pictures of the places the journeys had to do with. Also, I had never put two and two together to conclude that the Galations and Picts (Celts) were the same. That explains very much why John Mark did not want to go preach to them. I will bookmark this hub and keep it handy for when I study these topics with my children - starting with the stories as given in Scriptures, of course.
A M Werner— Yes. I agree with your comments. I thank you for the visit and the deep theological footprint you left here.
Joy At Home— Thank you for your gracious words. They mean a lot to me and provide great encouragement. :-)
Why do we deserve God's wrath? I'm a pretty good person. Why should I be punished with cancer or whatever? Anyway,
my comment mentioned the entirely human, but biblically inspired, wrath of so-called Christians. Why does God
allow the innocent to suffer at the hands of these jerks? Why doesn't he punish those who commit evil in his name?
Personally, I think it is because it is impossible for a wholly fictional sky god to actually intervene in human
affairs.
I simply do not understand how you can square omniscience, omnipotence and omnibenevolence with the existence of evil
(don't get started on the idiocy of theodicy), disease and pestilence, horrific birth defects, injustice, or any of
a host of other problems which are all presumably trivial work for a being matching the rather juvenile job description we are given of God.
In the OT, God is described as a person. He walks and talks and has a palpable physical presence. In the modern
world, God is a vague abstraction. There are no more burning bushes, no more voices from the sky, no smitings, no evidence of any kind that he has any more reality than the tooth fairy or the invisible dragon that my neighbour
claims lives in his garage.
James I think UnicycleGuy needs to remember that Christians are nothing but men, not divine nor perfect and can be deceived and blinded by their zeal, lacking knowledge!The evils done by Christians will be judged by God,no matter how holy those men thought they were,God can not be blamed for the madness of those who think they are his followers,a lot of religious high strung people will be surprised to be burning in the lake of fire I reckon,and a lot of unlikely persons may be entering His Kingdom too!To close your heart to God because a bunch of people you don't even know or care about for that matter, were killed a few hundred years ago, is just unmanly,weak and downright wrong!But hey God gave us all freewill and opensource morals to either do good or evil, to remain faithful to him or have a chaotic Godless blast all the way,God is cool like that, whatever floats your boat UnicycleGuy!REALLY!Good hub James,Bless!?
UnicycleGuy— You ask some pretty good questions. I would hope that a look around our world would make it apparent why a God who is holy, pure, and perfect; and has made His commands to humans known as to how they should live, might be wrathful toward mankind.
The questions of "Why is there evil and suffering" and so on deserves a much better response than I can give in a comment box. Maybe I'll write a Hub about it. The one sentence version is, we live in a fallen world full of flawed people. The bottom line is, we don't get to pick what kind of world we live in. God decides for His own reasons. We are appointed to be born, to have pain and suffering, and to die here in the School for the Soul. But we also experience love, joy, beauty, friendship, adventure, and pleasure.
Whether you believe God exists or not does not change His existence. Do you suppose this universe just appeared out of nothingness all by itself?
Waren E— I couldn't have said it better myself, which I why I did not address this part of UnicycleGuy's comment because you have it covered for me. Thanks! :D
A parable is a brief, succinct story, in prose or verse, that illustrates a moral or religious lesson. It differs from a fable in that fables use animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as characters, while parables generally feature human characters....like the bible.
When you read the bible and treat it as a parable you find your eyes glaze over much less and find passages that never made sense suddenly do.
The Sower and the Seeds
Luke 8:5-15
When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after another journeying to him, he spoke in a parable. "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path and was trampled, and the birds of the sky ate it up. Some seed fell on rocky ground, and when it grew, it withered for lack of moisture. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew, it produced fruit a hundredfold." After saying this, he called out, "Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear. Then his disciples asked him what the meaning of this parable might be. He answered, "Knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been granted to you; but to the rest, they are made known through parables so that 'they may look but not see, and hear but not understand.
pjk_artist— There are 40 parables in the New Testament and they are transcendent teaching tools. I love them. Thanks for your comment.
pjk—artist—That is a great parable. Thanks for posting it here.
Awesome hub. Great pics
vitaman249— Thank you very much. Welcome to the Hub Pages Community. I look forward to reading some of your work soon.
The perfect hub - a lot of information and great pictures :)
axeny— Why, thank you so much! :)
Wonderful article............ now I go to watch the "Bible" on the history channel. Isn't it amazing how many people are still mesmerized by the Bible stories they grew up with.
School starts Wednesday, and my co-workers and I just had our end of summer get together on Friday, and what is usually an extremely casual occasion turned into a three hour discussion about religion. It was great. As a group we represented the Jewish, Non-Denominational, Catholic, and Greek Orthodox Churches. Add our one atheist, and we had a fairly well rounded group.
We had a great dialog about the manuscripts overlooked at the Counsel of Nicea. What do you think about those?
Kaie Arwen— Welcome to the Hub Pages Community. I appreciate you stopping by and I thank you for your comments and excellent question.
May I assume you are referring to the Canon of the New Testament? And the "gospel of Thomas" "gospel of Philip" and "Shepherd of Hermas?" I think the 300 most holy (set apart for lifelong service to God) men who could be found deliberated for a long time and decided these documents were not authentic, or not written in the Apostolic Age. Or, in their words: The Holy Spirit after days on our knees has guided us as to what books we should include.
This was not a big part of Nicea, I don't think. Nicea was more about who Jesus was. The followers of Arius wanted a different Jesus (a man who had earned Christhood) than the followers of Athanasius (Trinitarians).
I get into this subject in my other Hub called:
James -
Not all the followers of Christ were unlearned (uneducated). Luke (a pagan convert) had been a physician and Cornelius (another pagan convert) had been employed with the pagan Roman Empire.
Interesting though how the Jewish converts were, for the most part, uneducated but some of the pagan converts were educated.
Great hub, by the way!
Tina Irene—Oh yes, I agree. I was only speaking of the 12 apostles. They were not the kind of fellows people would generally pick to lead a mass movement. Luke and the Apostle Paul were geniuses and very learned men.
Thanks for your readership, friendship and support. :D
Great Hub, and great teaching!! I've enjoyed reading the commentary as much as your post. You dig deep into history, which I love, and not just give an overview of Biblical facts but equip us with valuable information regarding the origin of Christianity which many believers have no clue, they just accept everything face value without cracking a book. I always learn from your History Hubs, and I thank you for doing such extensive research....saves me loads of time.LOL!! Well Done!! peace ~ K
Kim Garcia— Thank you so much! I agree with you, the commentary has been excellent. I love all history, but especially Christian History.
I am glad to save you a lot of time! :D
Your gracious words have brought a big smile to my face. I appreciate you for leaving them here for me to see.
baby jesus
karson— baby jesus
i dont get any of these comments i need help
Chantelle Dexter— Well, I'm sure glad you read my work. What would you like you know. I'll be glad to answer any questions you might have.
cooooooooolllllllllllllllllllll
kkk— I would seriously consider and new handle. :)
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Dear Mr. Watkins:
I have been a Roman Catholic (unfortunately not practicing) for forty-four years. I have attempted to try and understand Jesus, the Jews, and the how, when, what, whys’ of the making of Christianity. I will say, that after reading your work, you have made it ever so clear, the understanding of when Christianity started.
Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to understand Christianity and its beginnings. You are a wonderful person.
Sincerely,
Mark A. Marley
Mark Andrew Marley— I cannot thank you enough for your words of encouragement to me. I had a lot of help from the Holy Spirit on this one. It was a blessing for me to research and write it. You are most welcome.
Great Hub! You perfected the origin of Christianity with great detail and true documentation.
peacenhim— Thank you very much! I appreciate your gracious words. Welcome to the Hub Pages Community!
HOOWANTSTONO says:
4 months ago
A well put together history article.
Go well