The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 12)

Toward the end of the First Century of the Common Era, the generation of leaders which followed the apostles were approaching the end of their lives. One of these men was Clement of Rome, who wrote a letter to the saints at Corinth which has survived to the present time. It is a very long letter which was prompted by a great disturbance in that Church. Although the bishop begins with praise for the former reputation of that congregation, he quickly turned to the main object of his epistle. Clement wrote: "Every kind of honor and happiness was bestowed upon you, and then was fulfilled that which is written, My beloved ate and drank, and was enlarged and became fat, and kicked. Deuteronomy 32:15 Hence flowed emulation and envy, strife and sedition, persecution and disorder, war and captivity. So the worthless rose up against the honored, those of no reputation against such as were renowned, the foolish against the wise, the young against those advanced in years. For this reason righteousness and peace are now far departed from you, inasmuch as every one abandons the fear of God, and has become blind in His faith, neither walks in the ordinances of His appointment, nor acts a part becoming a Christian, but walks after his own wicked lusts, resuming the practice of an unrighteous and ungodly envy, by which death itself entered into the world. Wisdom 2:24" (See Clement to the Corinthians)

The bishop then proceeded to remind that congregation that such behavior always produced unwanted consequences. He reminded them of what evil people had done to Peter and Paul and encouraged them to repent and return to a state of peace, harmony, and righteousness. Clement went on to exhort them to be humble and resist the impulse to be prideful and rebellious. He pleaded for them to obey God and Christ over evil men and troublemakers. He went on to remind them that faithful Christians have the hope of a future resurrection to look forward to, and that their faith would ensure that outcome. Clement wrote: "Whosoever will candidly consider each particular, will recognize the greatness of the gifts which were given by him. For from him have sprung the priests and all the Levites who minister at the altar of God. From him also [was descended] our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh. Romans 9:5 From him [arose] kings, princes, and rulers of the race of Judah. Nor are his other tribes in small glory, inasmuch as God had promised, Your seed shall be as the stars of heaven. All these, therefore, were highly honored, and made great, not for their own sake, or for their own works, or for the righteousness which they wrought, but through the operation of His will. And we, too, being called by His will in Christ Jesus, are not justified by ourselves, nor by our own wisdom, or understanding, or godliness, or works which we have wrought in holiness of heart; but by that faith through which, from the beginning, Almighty God has justified all men; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." He continued: "What shall we do, then, brethren? Shall we become slothful in well-doing, and cease from the practice of love? God forbid that any such course should be followed by us! But rather let us hasten with all energy and readiness of mind to perform every good work." (See Clement to the Corinthians)

He went on to exhort them to be obedient to those who had served in leadership positions among them and to underscore the important role which Christ had assigned for love to play in their lives. The bishop wrote: "Let us therefore, with all haste, put an end to this [state of things]; and let us fall down before the Lord, and beseech Him with tears, that He would mercifully be reconciled to us, and restore us to our former seemly and holy practice of brotherly love...Let him who has love in Christ keep the commandments of Christ. Who can describe the [blessed] bond of the love of God? What man is able to tell the excellence of its beauty, as it ought to be told? The height to which love exalts is unspeakable. Love unites us to God. Love covers a multitude of sins. Love bears all things, is long-suffering in all things. There is nothing base, nothing arrogant in love. Love admits of no schisms: love gives rise to no seditions: love does all things in harmony. By love have all the elect of God been made perfect; without love nothing is well-pleasing to God. In love has the Lord taken us to Himself. On account of the love He bore us, Jesus Christ our Lord gave His blood for us by the will of God; His flesh for our flesh, and His soul for our souls." He went on to conclude his epistle by appealing to everyone to submit to the authority of Jesus Christ and to pray for the speedy resolution of the problem there. (See Clement to the Corinthians) Even so, Clement's epistle to the saints at Corinth is NOT the only extant writing available to us from this generation of Christianity.

Another Church leader of this generation was Ignatius of Antioch. My readers will remember that Antioch was considered by many to be the mother church of Gentile Christianity. Fortunately for us, we have several epistles by this bishop which have survived to our own time. Ignatius wrote epistles to the congregations at Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philadelphia, and Smyrna. Moreover, we also have a letter which he wrote to another one of the Church leaders of this period - a bishop by the name of Polycarp.

In his epistle to the Ephesians, Ignatius exhorted those Christians to remain united in doctrine and purpose, listen to their bishop, and beware of false teachers. His letter also makes numerous references to Paul's own letter to the Ephesians and his first epistle to the saints at Corinth (which demonstrates familiarity with them and that they were being circulated within the Church). He went on to write: "None of these things is hid from you, if you perfectly possess that faith and love towards Christ Jesus 1 Timothy 1:14 which are the beginning and the end of life. For the beginning is faith, and the end is love. 1 Timothy 1:5 Now these two, being inseparably connected together, are of God, while all other things which are requisite for a holy life follow after them. No man [truly] making a profession of faith sins; 1 John 3:7 nor does he that possesses love hate any one. The tree is made manifest by its fruit; Matthew 12:33 so those that profess themselves to be Christians shall be recognized by their conduct. For there is not now a demand for mere profession, but that a man be found continuing in the power of faith to the end." In this same letter, Ignatius also displayed a familiarity with Christ's origin story when he wrote: "Now the virginity of Mary was hidden from the prince of this world, as was also her offspring, and the death of the Lord; three mysteries of renown, which were wrought in silence by God. How, then, was He manifested to the world? A star shone forth in heaven above all the other stars, the light of which was inexpressible, while its novelty struck men with astonishment. And all the rest of the stars, with the sun and moon, formed a chorus to this star, and its light was exceedingly great above them all. And there was agitation felt as to whence this new spectacle came, so unlike to everything else [in the heavens]. Hence every kind of magic was destroyed, and every bond of wickedness disappeared; ignorance was removed, and the old kingdom abolished, God Himself being manifested in human form for the renewal of eternal life. And now that took a beginning which had been prepared by God. Henceforth all things were in a state of tumult, because He meditated the abolition of death." (See The Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians)

Likewise, in his letter to the saints at Magnesia, Ignatius exhorted them to remain unified and listen to their bishop. He went on to warn them: "Let us not, therefore, be insensible to His kindness. For were He to reward us according to our works, we should cease to be. Therefore, having become His disciples, let us learn to live according to the principles of Christianity. For whosoever is called by any other name besides this, is not of God. Lay aside, therefore, the evil, the old, the sour leaven, and be changed into the new leaven, which is Jesus Christ. Be salted in Him, lest any one among you should be corrupted, since by your savour you shall be convicted. It is absurd to profess Christ Jesus, and to Judaize. For Christianity did not embrace Judaism, but Judaism Christianity, that so every tongue which believes might be gathered together to God." He continued: "These things [I address to you], my beloved, not that I know any of you to be in such a state; [addicted to the error of Judaizing] but, as less than any of you, I desire to guard you beforehand, that you fall not upon the hooks of vain doctrine, but that you attain to full assurance in regard to the birth, and passion, and resurrection which took place in the time of the government of Pontius Pilate, being truly and certainly accomplished by Jesus Christ, who is our hope, 1 Timothy 1:1 from which may no one of you ever be turned aside." Once again, the bishop displays a familiarity with Christ's story which also demonstrates that the Gospel was circulating among believers during this period. (See The Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians)

Once again, in his letter to the Christians at Tralles, he admonishes them to listen to their bishop and deacons. In similar fashion, he again related his familiarity with Christ's story and admonished them to remain focused on that message. He wrote: "Stop your ears, therefore, when any one speaks to you at variance with Jesus Christ, who was descended from David, and was also of Mary; who was truly born, and ate and drank. He was truly persecuted under Pontius Pilate; He was truly crucified, and [truly] died, in the sight of beings in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth. He was also truly raised from the dead, His Father quickening Him, even as after the same manner His Father will so raise up us who believe in Him by Christ Jesus, apart from whom we do not possess the true life." (See The Epistle of Ignatius to the Trallians)

In his letter to the Christians of Rome, Ignatius waxed eloquent about his impending martyrdom on behalf of his faith in Jesus Christ. He wrote: "I write to the Churches, and impress on them all, that I shall willingly die for God, unless you hinder me. I beseech of you not to show an unseasonable good-will towards me. Allow me to become food for the wild beasts, through whose instrumentality it will be granted me to attain to God. I am the wheat of God, and let me be ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of Christ. Rather entice the wild beasts, that they may become my tomb, and may leave nothing of my body; so that when I have fallen asleep [in death], I may be no trouble to any one. Then shall I truly be a disciple of Christ, when the world shall not see so much as my body. Entreat Christ for me, that by these instruments I may be found a sacrifice [to God]. I do not, as Peter and Paul, issue commandments unto you. They were apostles; I am but a condemned man: they were free, while I am, even until now, a servant. But when I suffer, I shall be the freed-man of Jesus, and shall rise again emancipated in Him. And now, being a prisoner, I learn not to desire anything worldly or vain." He continued: "Remember in your prayers the Church in Syria, which now has God for its shepherd, instead of me. Jesus Christ alone will oversee it, and your love [will also regard it]. But as for me, I am ashamed to be counted one of them; for indeed I am not worthy, as being the very last of them, and one born out of due time. 1 Corinthians 15:8-9 But I have obtained mercy to be somebody, if I shall attain to God. My spirit salutes you, and the love of the Churches that have received me in the name of Jesus Christ, and not as a mere passer-by. For even those Churches which were not near to me in the way, I mean according to the flesh, have gone before me, city by city, [to meet me.]" (See The Epistle of Ignatius to the Romans)

As in his other epistles, Ignatius admonished the Christians at Philadelphia to respect and obey their bishop. Likewise, he exhorted them to strive for unity and avoid schismatics. The bishop went on to write: "But if any one preach the Jewish law unto you, listen not to him. For it is better to hearken to Christian doctrine from a man who has been circumcised, than to Judaism from one uncircumcised. But if either of such persons do not speak concerning Jesus Christ, they are in my judgment but as monuments and sepulchers of the dead, upon which are written only the names of men. Flee therefore the wicked devices and snares of the prince of this world, lest at any time being conquered by his artifices, grow weak in your love. But be all joined together with an undivided heart. And I thank my God that I have a good conscience in respect to you, and that no one has it in his power to boast, either privately or publicly, that I have burdened any one either in much or in little. And I wish for all among whom I have spoken, that they may not possess that for a testimony against them." He concluded: "The priests indeed are good, but the High Priest is better; to whom the holy of holies has been committed, and who alone has been trusted with the secrets of God. He is the door of the Father, by which enter in Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the prophets, and the apostles, and the Church. All these have for their object the attaining to the unity of God. But the Gospel possesses something transcendent [above the former dispensation], viz., the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, His passion and resurrection. For the beloved prophets announced Him, but the Gospel is the perfection of immortality. All these things are good together, if you believe in love." (See The Epistle of Ignatius to the Philadelphians)

Finally, in his letter to the saints at Smyrna, Ignatius again confirmed his familiarity with Christ's story, and its central role in the life of a Christian. He wrote: "I Glorify God, even Jesus Christ, who has given you such wisdom. For I have observed that you are perfected in an immoveable faith, as if you were nailed to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, both in the flesh and in the spirit, and are established in love through the blood of Christ, being fully persuaded with respect to our Lord, that He was truly of the seed of David according to the flesh, Romans 1:3 and the Son of God according to the will and power of God; that He was truly born of a virgin, was baptized by John, in order that all righteousness might be fulfilled Matthew 3:15 by Him; and was truly, under Pontius Pilate and Herod the tetrarch, nailed [to the cross] for us in His flesh. Of this fruit we are by His divinely-blessed passion, that He might set up a standard Isaiah 5:26, Isaiah 49:22 for all ages, through His resurrection, to all His holy and faithful [followers], whether among Jews or Gentiles, in the one body of His Church." Ignatius continued: "Let no man deceive himself. Both the things which are in heaven, and the glorious angels, and rulers, both visible and invisible, if they believe not in the blood of Christ, shall, in consequence, incur condemnation. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. Matthew 19:12 Let not [high] place puff any one up: for that which is worth all is faith and love, to which nothing is to be preferred. But consider those who are of a different opinion with respect to the grace of Christ which has come unto us, how opposed they are to the will of God. They have no regard for love; no care for the widow, or the orphan, or the oppressed; of the bond, or of the free; of the hungry, or of the thirsty." (See The Epistle of Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans)

As has already been noted, Ignatius also wrote a short letter to Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna. Now, while that epistle demonstrated that these men knew each other and had worked together for the good of the Church, the surviving epistle of Polycarp to the saints at Philippi is even more important. In that letter, Polycarp demonstrated his familiarity with Paul's letters to the Romans, Corinthians, Philippians and Ephesians, the Gospel of Matthew, and the First Epistle of Peter. Moreover, toward the epistle's conclusion, Polycarp provided us with some insight into how these epistles were shared and circulated among the various congregations of that time. He wrote: "Both you and Ignatius wrote to me, that if any one went [from this] into Syria, he should carry your letter with him; which request I will attend to if I find a fitting opportunity, either personally, or through some other acting for me, that your desire may be fulfilled. The Epistles of Ignatius written by him to us, and all the rest [of his Epistles] which we have by us, we have sent to you, as you requested. They are subjoined to this Epistle, and by them you may be greatly profited; for they treat of faith and patience, and all things that tend to edification in our Lord. Any more certain information you may have obtained respecting both Ignatius himself, and those that were with him, have the goodness to make known to us." (See The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians) It is with sadness that we must report that both Ignatius and Polycarp suffered martyrdom for their faith in Jesus Christ. In other words, the days when Christian leaders would die in their beds of old age was still in the distant future as the first one hundred years of the Church came to a close!

Now, at the very close of that first one hundred years, a young man named Justin was converted to Christianity and would later give his own life in defense of the religion. I refer to him and his writings at the close of this history, because they offer us some insight into what the Church was like at the conclusion of that first one hundred years of the Church. He defended the Church against the charge of Atheism, since Christians refused to recognize any other gods than their own. His writings also provide us with some insight into how Christians practiced their faith during this period. After speaking at some length about the Eucharist, he wrote: "And we afterwards continually remind each other of these things. And the wealthy among us help the needy; and we always keep together; and for all things wherewith we are supplied, we bless the Maker of all through His Son Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Ghost. And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succors the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration." (See The First Apology of Justin Martyr)

In his book The Triumph of Christianity, Dr Bart Ehrman wrote: "It may come as a shock to learn that Christians on trial in the Roman world were maligned and punished for being atheists...Nonetheless, the term "atheist" was used. Only rarely did it refer to someone who denied the existence of any divine being at all. Rather, it was used either to refer to those who thought the gods were radically disinterested and uninvolved with human affairs-that was the view of the Epicurean philosophers-or to those who did not ascribe any true divinity to the traditional gods. No one who participated in the regular religious life of the empire fit that category. The Jews were a partial exception, but even most Jews were completely open to gentiles worshiping their pagan gods in any way they chose. The charge of atheism principally came to be applied, after the Epicureans, to Christians. They insisted not only that theirs was the only god but also that a person needed to worship this god alone. None of the other gods was really a god. Worse still, Christians did not engage in widely recognized and accepted cultic acts, especially sacrifice. Because of their idiosyncratic views and practices, Christians were considered to be without the gods. They were the atheists." (Ehrman, Bart. The Triumph of Christianity, New York, 2018, p. 188) Although there is other evidence available to us that Christians were NEVER overwhelmed by paganism, this point alone demonstrates the absurdity of the notion.

Thus, at the conclusion of the first one hundred years of the Church, we find a group of people which had continued to grow and expand in the face of persecution. We have also demonstrated that these folks were very familiar with the story of Christ's life, death, and resurrection; and that many of them were familiar with the canonical epistles and other writings of First Century Christians. We have also demonstrated that it was the practice of the overwhelming majority of Christians to meet together and worship on the Lord's Day - the first day of the week or Sunday. Finally, we have also demonstrated that Christians shunned and disparaged other gods and religious practices (which got them into big trouble with Roman authorities). These are the conclusions which an open-minded review of the evidence has led us to reach. This evidence has also demonstrated to me that something supernatural was at work in these events - that they could NOT have happened by mere coincidence or chance. That Christianity would one day supplant the religions of Rome, and the other peoples of the Western World is nothing less than a miracle, in my humble opinion! From these very humble beginnings and against entrenched thinking and traditions, the Church continued to grow and triumph over other faiths and ideologies.

THE END

The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 11)

Now, as we have already discussed, and as the original generation of Christians began to die off, some of the folks recognized the necessity for committing many of the stories which had been repeated about Jesus over and over again to writing. The opening to "Luke's" Gospel account gives us some insight into this phenomenon. We read: "Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught." (Luke 1:1-4) 

Likewise, the author of the last of the canonical gospels to be written wrote: "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:30-31) Moreover, at the very end of the account we read: "Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, 'Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?' When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, 'Lord, what about this man?' Jesus said to him, 'If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!' So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, 'If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?' This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written." (John 21:20-25) Notice, that the author's purpose was to give enough information to convince his audience that Jesus was the Christ, and that he is giving context and truth to a story that had already been widely circulated among believers of that time.

We should note that there were other writings circulating during this period which did not make it into the canon, but they also provide valuable insights into the history of the Church and what early Christians actually believed and taught. One of the most important of these was the epistle attributed to Barnabas. In this letter, the author reminds his readers that the sacrifices of Torah have been fulfilled in Jesus, and that they are no longer necessary for those who have accepted the sacrifice of Jesus. He went on to remind his audience that God's covenant with Israel had been broken by the Jews, and that Christians should strive to avoid following their example. He went on to stress the fact that the New Covenant was founded on the sufferings of Jesus, and that it had been predicted by the Hebrew prophets many years prior to his appearance on earth. Barnabas continued by pointing out that the rituals surrounding the Jewish Day of Atonement had pointed to Jesus Christ - that he had fulfilled them. In similar fashion, he explained how the red heifer, circumcision, and clean and unclean foods pointed to Christ; and how baptism and the cross were foreshadowed in the Hebrew Bible. He also pointed out that Christians, not Jews, were the true heirs of the covenant.

Finally, Barnabas explained why Christians had abandoned the weekly Sabbath and embraced the Lord's Day instead. He wrote: "Further, also, it is written concerning the Sabbath in the Decalogue which [the Lord] spoke, face to face, to Moses on Mount Sinai, And sanctify the Sabbath of the Lord with clean hands and a pure heart. Exodus 20:8; Deuteronomy 5:12 And He says in another place, If my sons keep the Sabbath, then will I cause my mercy to rest upon them. Jeremiah 17:24-25 The Sabbath is mentioned at the beginning of the creation [thus]: And God made in six days the works of His hands, and made an end on the seventh day, and rested on it, and sanctified it. Attend, my children, to the meaning of this expression, He finished in six days. This implies that the Lord will finish all things in six thousand years, for a day is with Him a thousand years. And He Himself testifies, saying, Behold, today will be as a thousand years. Therefore, my children, in six days, that is, in six thousand years, all things will be finished. And He rested on the seventh day. This means: when His Son, coming [again], shall destroy the time of the wicked man, and judge the ungodly, and change the-sun, and the moon, and the stars, then shall He truly rest on the seventh day. Moreover, He says, You shall sanctify it with pure hands and a pure heart. If, therefore, any one can now sanctify the day which God has sanctified, except he is pure in heart in all things, we are deceived. Behold, therefore: certainly then one properly resting sanctifies it, when we ourselves, having received the promise, wickedness no longer existing, and all things having been made new by the Lord, shall be able to work righteousness. Then we shall be able to sanctify it, having been first sanctified ourselves. Further, He says to them, Your new moons and your Sabbath I cannot endure. Isaiah 1:13 You perceive how He speaks: Your present Sabbaths are not acceptable to Me, but that is which I have made, [namely this,] when, giving rest to all things, I shall make a beginning of the eighth day, that is, a beginning of another world. Wherefore, also, we keep the eighth day with joyfulness, the day also on which Jesus rose again from the dead. And when He had manifested Himself, He ascended into the heavens." (See The Epistle of Barnabas)

In addition to that letter, there were two other writings which belong to this period which were widely circulated among early Christians, and which offer us similar important insights into the beliefs and practices of the First Century Church. They are: The Shepherd and The Didache. The Shepherd of Hermas began with five visions and then proceeded to offer twelve commandments for Christians to focus on in their daily lives. The book concluded with ten similitudes which focused on exhibiting a life filled with spiritual fruit and continuous repentance from sinful practices. (See The Shepherd of Hermas)

The Didache, or The Lord's Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations," was kind of an early catechism of the Christian faith. It began with contrasting the way of life with the way of death. The book focused on the Two Great Commandments and elaborated on their importance to how a Christian should live his life on a daily basis. The author went on to warn against false teachers and consuming food that had been offered to idols. He went on to give instructions about baptism, the Lord's Prayer, the Eucharist, prayer, and Church leadership. Like the epistle of Barnabas, the author emphasized the Christian's obligation to weekly worship. He wrote: "But every Lord's day gather yourselves together, and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure. But let no one that is at variance with his fellow come together with you, until they be reconciled, that your sacrifice may not be profaned. For this is that which was spoken by the Lord: In every place and time offer to me a pure sacrifice; for I am a great King, says the Lord, and my name is wonderful among the nations." The book concluded with an admonition to be prepared for the Lord's return. He wrote: "Watch for your life's sake. Let not your lamps be quenched, nor your loins unloosed; but be ready, for you know not the hour in which our Lord comes." (See The Didache)

Now, it is generally agreed that the last book of the New Testament canon was composed during this last part of the First Century - the book of Revelation. The book is addressed to the seven churches of Asia, and the opening is indicative of what was to follow. We read: "Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen." (Revelation 1:4-7) The author then proceeded to identify himself and provide some context for the remarks that would follow. He wrote: "I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea." (Revelation 1:9-11) Notice the nonchalant reference to being in the Spirit on the Lord's Day - as if the practice were so commonplace by this time that it barely warrants a reference!

To be sure, the book of Revelation is a difficult book. It is a book that is full of symbolism, numbers, and apocalyptic imagery. In his Church History, Eusebius noted that some Christians rejected the book for inclusion in the canon of the New Testament. Nevertheless, the book was accepted by enough folks that it obviously eventually made the cut. From my perspective, the controversy which has surrounded this book is unfortunate and unnecessary. As The Bible Project pointed out, the author's intent was "not to confuse but to communicate." Their article on the book went on to note that "Almost all the imagery is drawn from the Old Testament, and John expects his readers to interpret by looking up the texts to which he alludes." Moreover, I think that Bible Project hit the proverbial nail on the head when they described the main theme of the book as being that "Every human kingdom, like Babylon, eventually becomes corrupt and oppressive. We should resist evil kingdoms by loving people and trusting that Jesus will not let evil go unchecked. He will return to remove evil from the world and make all things new." Indeed, this message made a lot of sense when we consider the context of the times - the persecutions of Nero and the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. Thus, the book's message came into sharp focus for Christian's who were nearing the end of the first one hundred years of the Church's story: Christians should NOT participate in or rely on the governments instituted by unconverted humans! As the epistle to the Hebrews noted, God's people should regard themselves as "strangers and exiles on the earth." (Hebrews 11:13-16)

The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 10)

Now, events began to move quickly, and the decade of the sixties proved to be a momentous one in the history of the Church. Felix was replaced by Portius Festus as procurator, and he immediately convened a tribunal to hear the charges against Paul and his reply. (Acts 24:27 and Acts 25:1-6) "Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and there be tried on these charges before me?" Festus asked the apostle. Paul replied: "I am standing before Caesar's tribunal, where I ought to be tried. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you yourself know very well. If then I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar." "To Caesar you have appealed; to Caesar you shall go!" the procurator decided. (Acts 25:8-12)

After also appearing before King Agrippa, Paul and his companions were placed in the custody of a centurion named Julius and set sail for Italy. (Acts25:13-27, 26 and 27:1) However, while sailing across the Mediterranean, they ran into a storm and were shipwrecked on the island of Malta. (Acts 27:2-44 and 28:1) Fortunately, the inhabitants of the island welcomed the survivors and even kindled a fire to warm them. Thankful for the reception that they had received, Paul gathered up an armful of wood and threw it on the fire. Unfortunately, the heat drove a snake out of the sticks, and it sunk its fangs into Paul. Even so, Paul simply shook off the snake back into the flames and didn't suffer any harm! The apostle also healed many of the inhabitants of the island who were ill. Moreover, their leader extended the hospitality which had already been shown to the survivors and resupplied another ship so that their journey could continue. After wintering there, they continued on their way to Rome. (Acts 28:2-16) Paul lived under house arrest in Rome for the next two years, but he continued to preach the Gospel and to write letters to some of the congregations which he had started. (Acts 28:17-30)

By this time, James had been the leader of the Jerusalem Church for many years. And, by extension, was one of the leading voices within the Jewish Christian Church. As a consequence of his visibility within the community of Jewish Christians, he was also well-known to the High Priest and other members of the Council in Jerusalem. Moreover, after Festus died and before the new procurator could arrive, the High Priest Ananus "assembled the Sanhedrim of the judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others (or some of his companions); and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned: but as for those who seemed the most equitable of the citizens, and such as were the most uneasy at the breach of the laws, they disliked what was done; they also sent to the king (Agrippa) desiring him to send to Ananus that he should act so no more, for that what he had already done was not to be justified: nay, some of them went also to meet Albinus, as he was upon his journey from Alexandria [the new procurator], and informed him that it was not lawful for Ananus to assemble a Sanhedrim without his consent." (Antiquities of the Jews, Book 20, Chapter 9, Section 1, by Flavius Josephus) It should be noted that Eusebius recounts a tradition that James was thrown off of the pinnacle of the Temple (I obviously believe that Josephus was closer to the actual event and more reliable). Now, obviously, the death of James was a grievous blow to the whole Church, but it hit Jewish Christians especially hard.

In terms of chronology, the next major event of the decade in the history of the Church occurred in Rome during the reign of the Emperor Nero. As a consequence of the great fire that broke out in the city in the year 64 CE, the Roman historian, Tacitus described the events that followed. He wrote: "Such indeed were the precautions of human wisdom. The next thing was to seek means of propitiating the gods, and recourse was had to the Sibylline books, by the direction of which prayers were offered to Vulcanus, Ceres, and Proserpina. Juno, too, was entreated by the matrons, first, in the Capitol, then on the nearest part of the coast, whence water was procured to sprinkle the fane and image of the goddess. And there were sacred banquets and nightly vigils celebrated by married women. But all human efforts, all the lavish gifts of the emperor, and the propitiations of the gods, did not banish the sinister belief that the conflagration was the result of an order. Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired. Nero offered his gardens for the spectacle, and was exhibiting a show in the circus, while he mingled with the people in the dress of a charioteer or stood aloft on a car. Hence, even for criminals who deserved extreme and exemplary punishment, there arose a feeling of compassion; for it was not, as it seemed, for the public good, but to glut one man's cruelty, that they were being destroyed." Annals, by Tacitus, Book XV

In his account of the fate of the apostles, Eusebius wrote: "Such was the condition of the Jews. Meanwhile the holy apostles and disciples of our Saviour were dispersed throughout the world. Parthia, according to tradition, was allotted to Thomas as his field of labor, Scythia to Andrew, and Asia to John, who, after he had lived some time there, died at Ephesus. Peter appears to have preached in Pontus, Galatia, Bithynia, Cappadocia, and Asia to the Jews of the dispersion. And at last, having come to Rome, he was crucified head-downwards; for he had requested that he might suffer in this way. What do we need to say concerning Paul, who preached the Gospel of Christ from Jerusalem to Illyricum, and afterwards suffered martyrdom in Rome under Nero? These facts are related by Origen in the third volume of his Commentary on Genesis." Church History, by Eusebius, Book 3, Chapter 1, Sections 1 and 2 Moreover, the martyrdom of Peter and Paul were mentioned by Clement in his letter to the saints at Corinth. He wrote: "Let us take the noble examples furnished in our own generation. Through envy and jealousy the greatest and most righteous pillars [of the church] have been persecuted and put to death. Let us set before our eyes the illustrious apostles. Peter, through unrighteous envy, endured not one or two, but numerous labors; and when he had at length suffered martyrdom, departed to the place of glory due to him. Owing to envy, Paul also obtained the reward of patient endurance, after being seven times thrown into captivity, compelled to flee, and stoned. After preaching both in the east and west, he gained the illustrious reputation due to his faith, having taught righteousness to the whole world, and come to the extreme limit of the west, and suffered martyrdom under the prefects. Thus was he removed from the world, and went into the holy place, having proved himself a striking example of patience." Letter to the Corinthians by Clement At any rate, just as the martyrdom of James had caused a great hurt to the Church, the loss of Peter and Paul was devastating.

Even so, an even more monumental and cataclysmic storm was brewing in Judea. The Jews had long been restive under Roman rule, and the appointment of a new procurator was about to bring those long-simmering tensions to a head. Josephus described those events in the following manner: "Now Gessius Florus, who was sent as successor to Albinus by Nero, filled Judea with abundance of miseries...This Florus was so wicked, and so violent in the use of his authority, that the Jews took Albinus to have been (comparatively) their benefactor; so excessive were the mischiefs that he brought upon them. For Albinus concealed his wickedness, and was careful that it might not be discovered to all men; but Gessius Florus, as though he had been sent on purpose to shew his crimes to everybody, made a pompous ostentation of them to our nation, as never omitting any sort of violence, nor any unjust sort of punishment; for he was not to be moved by pity, and never was satisfied with any degree of gain that came in his way; nor had he any more regard to great that to small acquisitions, but became a partner with the robbers themselves; for a great many fell then into that practice without fear, as having him for their security, and depending on him, that he would save them harmless in their particular robberies; so that there were no bounds set to the nation's miseries; but the unhappy Jews, when they were not able to bear the devastations which the robbers made among them, were all under a necessity of leaving their own habitations, and of flying away, as hoping to dwell more easily anywhere else in the world among foreigners (than in their own country.) And what need I say any more upon this head? since it was this Florus who necessitated us to take up arms against the Romans, while we thought it better to be destroyed at once, than by little and little. Now this war began in the second year of the government of Florus, and the twelfth year of the reign of Nero. But then what actions we were forced to do, or what miseries we were enabled to suffer, may be accurately known by such as will peruse those books which I have written about the Jewish War." Antiquities of the Jews, by Flavius Josephus, Book 20, Chapter 11, Section 1

In fact, Judea was rapidly descending into a state of armed rebellion against its Roman overlords. Eusebius wrote: "But the people of the church in Jerusalem had been commanded by a revelation, vouchsafed to approved men there before the war, to leave the city and to dwell in a certain town of Perea called Pella. And when those that believed in Christ had come there from Jerusalem, then, as if the royal city of the Jews and the whole land of Judea were entirely destitute of holy men, the judgment of God at length overtook those who had committed such outrages against Christ and his apostles, and totally destroyed that generation of impious men." Church History, Book 3, Chapter 5, Section 3 Josephus went on to recount the fact that Florus further inflamed Jewish passions by withdrawing a large sum of money from the Temple treasury and ordering his soldiers to plunder and murder around the Upper Market Place. The Wars of the Jews by Flavius Josephus, Book 2, Chapter 14, Sections 6-9 Even so, all of the misery and disruption up to that point were nothing compared with what was to follow!

Initially, Vespasian had led the Roman Army's response to the Jewish rebellion, but he had left for Rome to be crowned as the new emperor before completing the suppression of the rebellion. Thus, he had appointed his son, Titus, to complete that task. In the course of time, the Roman forces surrounded Jerusalem and laid siege to the city. Josephus wrote: "Now of those that perished by famine in the city, the number was prodigious, and the miseries they underwent were unspeakable; for if so much as the shadow of any kind of food did anywhere appear, a war was commenced presently; and the dearest friends fell a fighting one with another about it, snatching from each other the most miserable supports of life." The Wars of the Jews, Book 6, Chapter 3, Section 3 Moreover, when the wall surrounding Jerusalem was finally breached, Josephus recorded what would become a defining event for both the Jewish and the Christian faiths. He wrote: "So, Titus retired into the tower of Antonia, and resolved to storm the Temple the next day, early in the morning, with his whole army, and to encamp round about the holy house; but, as for that house, God had for certain long ago doomed it to the fire; and now that fatal day was come, according to the revolution of the ages: it was the tenth day of the month Lous, (Ab), upon which it was formerly burnt by the king of Babylon; although these flames took their rise from the Jews themselves, and were occasioned by them; for upon Titus's retiring, the seditious lay still for a little while, and then attacked the Romans again, when those that guarded the holy house fought with those that quenched the fire that was burning in the inner (court of the) Temple; but these Romans put the Jews to flight, and proceeded as far as the holy house itself. At which time one of the soldiers, without staying for any orders, and without any concern or dread upon him at so great an undertaking, and being hurried on by a certain divine fury, snatched somewhat out of the materials that were on fire, and being lifted up by another soldier, he set fire to a golden window, through which there was a passage to the rooms that were round about the holy house, on the north side of it. As the flames went upward, the Jews made a great clamor, such as so mighty an affliction required, and ran together to prevent it; and now they spared not their lives any longer, nor suffered anything to restrain their force, since that holy house was perishing, for whose sake it was that they kept such a guard about it" The Wars of the Jews, Book 6, Chapter 4, Section 5

The year was 70 CE, and Jerusalem and the Temple had been destroyed by the Romas! In just forty short years since Christ's death and resurrection, his prophecy about the destruction of the Temple had come to pass (see Matthew 24). Although the war would continue for a few more years, both Judaism and Christianity had been transformed by what had happened in Jerusalem. The Jerusalem Church was gone - its members scattered and in hiding. The Jewish nation lay prostrate before the Roman Empire! Even so, it was the destruction of the Temple itself which would prove to be the defining event for both faiths! Without a central sanctuary, it was no longer possible to fulfill the sacrificial and ritualistic demands of Torah! In short, Jews and Christians were no longer able to celebrate the pilgrimage festivals in the manner prescribed by Torah (see Deuteronomy 16:1-16). Sure, the ever-resilient Jews would regroup and redesign their religion around local synagogues, but Jewish Christianity had been delt a fatal blow. The surviving Jews did not welcome them, and Gentile Christians began to regard them as a relic of a past which no longer existed or made any sense. Indeed, within the Roman Empire, it was now hardly a point of pride to be associated in any way with the Jewish people or their religion. Moreover, there were some who would regard what had happened to the Jews as Divine punishment for what they had done to Jesus of Nazareth. It is unfortunate, but we can trace the beginnings of Christian anti-Semitism to these very events! Even so, our story is NOT finished - we have another sixty years to account for before this series will be complete. Stay tuned!

The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 9)

Now, while Paul was carrying the gospel to the Gentiles, others were focused on the Jewish diaspora. Moreover, like Paul, they sometimes employed literate believers to compose letters in the then universal language of Greek to reach those scattered believers.

The anonymous epistle to the Hebrews was one of them. The letter focused on interpreting the Hebrew Bible through the Christ event and comparing the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. It opened with a declaration of Christ's role as God's representative and his superiority to the angelic realm (Hebrews 1). The author then proceeded to describe precisely how Christ brought salvation to humankind, his superiority to Moses, and how he represented the ultimate Sabbath for believers (Hebrews 2-4:13). The epistle also described Christ's role as the High Priest of the New Covenant (Hebrews 4:14-8:13). Next, the author described how Christ fulfilled the sacrificial/ritualistic system of Torah (Hebrews 9-10). Finally, the letter concluded with an explanation of the central role which faith had played in the old system and would continue to play in the new one (Hebrews 11-12).

In similar fashion, James addressed his epistle "To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion." (James 1:1) He focused on Jewish Christians demonstrating their faith in Christ's sacrifice by admonishing them to be doers of God's word, not just hearers (James 1-2). Even so, James reiterated Christ's assertion that the central responsibility of his disciples was to fulfill the Law of Love (James 2:8-13). James went on to encourage Jewish Christians to tame their speech (James 3:1-12). He also reminded his audience about the dangers inherent to giving into the passions which rage within all humans (James 4:1-12). He went on to conclude his remarks with an admonishment to remain faithful to Christ and each other (James 5).

Likewise, Peter addressed his first epistle "To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia." (I Peter 1:1) Peter opened by reminding his Jewish audience that they had been sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ (I Peter 1:2). He also went on to remind them that their hope was centered on the fact that God had resurrected Jesus Christ from the grave (I Peter 1:3-9). Like James, Peter reminded his audience that God had called them to live holy lives (I Peter 1:13-25 and 2:1-12). Like James, he also reiterated Christ's teaching about brotherly love and forgiveness (I Peter 3:8-12) He also admonished Jewish believers to follow Christ's example of patience and humility in the face of suffering and persecution (I Peter 3:13-22 and 4:1-19). Finally, Peter closed with an admonishment for the leadership among them to follow the example of the Good Shepherd of service to others (I Peter 5:1-11).

For Jewish Christians, the focus was on Christ's roll in fulfilling the Hebrew Scriptures. As we have already observed, these folks continued to participate in synagogues. Likewise, they persisted in observing the weekly Sabbath, Holy Days, and in observing the laws surrounding clean and unclean. Nevertheless, like their Gentile brethren, their focus was on Jesus Christ's sacrifice for them, and the fact that God had resurrected him from death. In short, they were Christians who continued to live their lives as cultural Jews.

We must also remember that MOST of them had accepted the Council of Jerusalem's decision regarding a Gentile believer's obligation to Torah (that they were NOT required to observe the tenets of God's covenant with Israel). Even so, there continued to be a small but vocal group of Jewish believers who insisted that everyone (including Gentile converts) was obligated to obey the commandments of Torah. Moreover, many non-believing Jews were, by this time, openly hostile to Christian teachings.

As a Jew and an apostle of Jesus Christ, Paul had experienced the full range of Jewish beliefs and practices. He had also been warned about what he would face in Jerusalem. Hence, he must have been aware that an appearance at the Temple would be dangerous. Indeed, as soon as some of the Asian Jews spotted Paul there, they began stirring up the crowd against him. They claimed that Paul was anti-Jewish, and that he had preached against Torah and the Temple. They also accused him of defiling the Temple by bringing Gentiles into it. (Acts 21:27-29) As a consequence, a large group of these Jews seized Paul and dragged him outside of the Temple. Although the mob clearly intended to kill Paul, the commander of a Roman regiment of soldiers intervened and took him into protective custody. (Acts 21:30-36)

When Paul's safety had finally been secured, he asked the commander for permission to address the mob. The commander gave his assent, and Paul was allowed to speak. He addressed them in Hebrew and briefly recounted his own background in the Jewish religion and in persecuting Christians. (Acts 22:1-21) The mob, however, began screaming at him when he told them that God had sent him to preach to the Gentiles. Thus, the commander intervened again and ordered his soldiers to take Paul inside their headquarters and question him about the riot that he had provoked. Nevertheless, before the soldiers began their interrogation, Paul asked them if it was legal to whip a Roman citizen without a trial. Then a centurion reported what the prisoner had said to the commander, and the interrogation of Paul was immediately suspended. (Acts 22:22-29)

The following day, the commander ordered the Jewish Council to assemble and presented Paul to them for their evaluation of him (Acts 22:20). Paul stood before the Council and declared: "Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day." At that, the High Priest ordered those next to Paul to slap his face. "God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?" Paul responded. This only served to further inflame the High Priest and his supporters, so Paul apologized for being unintentionally impertinent. (Acts 23:1-5)

Now, Paul realized that the Council was composed of both Pharisees and Sadducees, and he declared to the assembly that he was associated with the beliefs of the Pharisees. "It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial," he declared. Hearing that, the Pharisees on the Council all said that they couldn't find any fault with what Paul was saying. As a consequence, the Council became embroiled in a heated debate between the two parties, and the tribune again had to intervene to save Paul from the uproar that his remarks had evoked. (Acts 23:6-10)

That evening, the Lord appeared to Paul and said: "Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome." (Acts 23:11) Nevertheless, the next day Paul learned of a plot by over forty individuals to murder him, and that they had obtained the cooperation of some of the leading members of the Council in their plans. However, when the tribune heard about the plot, he decided to remove Paul from the Council's reach and thwart the plans of the conspirators. (Acts 23:12-22)

Thus, the commander wrote a letter to Felix, who was then the governor of the province, explaining Paul's circumstances and asking him to intervene in the matter. Toward that end, he ordered a large detachment of Roman soldiers to take Paul to Caesarea and present him to the governor. As a consequence, Felix agreed to hear Paul's case after his accusers had been given the opportunity to also appear at the hearing. (Acts 23:23-35)

Five days later, the High Priest arrived in Caesarea with a small group of elders who were prepared to make their case against Paul. Both sides presented their case to Felix, and the apostle defended both his actions and his beliefs against his accusers. The governor, however, did not want to offend the Jewish religious leadership; so, he decided to keep Paul in prison. Hence, for the next two years Paul remained in a kind of limbo. (Acts 24)

Now, although no one knows the exact date, it was about this time that accounts of Christ's life, death, and resurrection began to be committed to writing. Prior to this, they had been told and retold many times throughout the years since Christ's death and resurrection. Once again, although there is much uncertainty surrounding the process of writing the Synoptic Gospels, a scholarly consensus has rallied around what is known as the Four-Source Hypothesis. Indeed, in Bart Ehrman's The Bible: A Historical and Literary Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2018), we are informed that this is "the view held by the vast majority of critical scholars today."

Ehrman wrote: "The foundation for this hypothesis is that among the three Synoptic Gospels, Mark was the first to be written* and was copied, in part, by both Matthew and Luke for many of their stories. This view is sometimes called Markan Priority, that is, Mark was prior to and used by the other two. There are numerous reasons for holding this view." Ehrman went on to list three of the main justifications for holding to this view: 1) the patterns of agreement between them, 2) the sequence in which the stories appear, and 3) the fact that both Matthew and Luke make independent corrections to problematic passages found in Mark. Hence, Mark becomes the principal source for both of the other Gospels. Likewise, there must have been some other source for stories which do NOT appear in Mark but do appear in both Luke and Matthew. Finally, there is some material that is unique to Matthew, and some that is unique to Luke. I trust my readers with the math - that makes FOUR sources in total for the material found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. We should also note that there is a widespread consensus that the Gospel of John was composed later than the Synoptic Gospels and was composed independently of those accounts.

To briefly summarize, during this period, we begin to see epistles and written accounts of Christ's story circulating among the various congregations of the Christian Church. To be clear, there was still nothing like the New Testament Canon at the time. Hence, roughly thirty years after Christ's death and resurrection we begin to see some of these writings being shared among SOME of the congregations of the Church! Thus, although the developments which we have heretofore discussed are a very important part of the story of the Church, we must keep in mind that we are only about one-third of our way through that first one-hundred years! 

* This is consistent with Church History, Book 2, Chapter 15, by Eusebius.

The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 8)

In the meantime, Paul had arrived at Ephesus and found some believers there who hadn't yet been baptized (Acts 19:1-3). So, Paul baptized them, placed his hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:4-7). For the next three months, Paul preached about Jesus in the local synagogue. Nevertheless, when opposition to his message began to break out, he and the other believers withdrew from that place and began meeting in the Hall of Tyrannus on a daily basis. This continued for two years, and by the time that Paul was finished, that entire region had heard about Jesus Christ. (Acts 19:8-10)

Moreover, during this period, God used Paul to perform many miracles of healing among the people there. Indeed, his ministry was so spectacularly successful that the sons of the local priest began invoking Christ's name to cast out demons from those possessed by them. However, one spirit acknowledged Jesus and Paul, but it did not acknowledge them and attacked them instead of leaving! As a consequence, news of what had happened to the priest's sons spread throughout that region, and Christ's name and Paul's message spread like wildfire. (Acts 19:11-20)

Even so, some of the craftsmen of that region, whose business of making and selling pagan images had been negatively impacted by the impact of the gospel, incited a mob against the new religion. Indeed, the crowd became so worked up that they began chanting how great the goddess Artemis was (Ephesus was known for their worship of her). Fortunately, a local official was able to quiet the crowd and warned them that they were in danger of being charged with rioting, and the crowd dispersed. (Acts 19:21-41)

Unfortunately, at about the same time, Paul was experiencing difficulties with the congregations that he had established in Corinth and in Galatia. At Corinth, Paul had to confront other folks preaching a different theology from the one that he had presented to them. These folks apparently felt like they were wiser and more polished in the message which they presented to the believers there. Apparently, they also downplayed the role that Jesus played in the salvation of believers, and they emphasized their own background in Judaism and the Hebrew Scriptures. Indeed, Paul had to remind the Corinthians of his own background in Judaism and expertise in matters related to Torah. (See II Corinthians 11)

In fact, it became clear to Paul that a group of Jewish Christians had ignored the decision of the leadership in Jerusalem and continued to insist that ALL Christians were obligated to observe the commandments of Torah. To the saints of Galatia, he wrote: "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1:6-8) Paul then went on to remind them about what had happened at the Council of Jerusalem (Galatians 2:1-10).

For Paul, the message was clear and simple, and many of the Galatian Christians had allowed others to pervert and twist it. He continued: "We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. (Galatians 2:15-16) For Paul, this wasn't just academics - his message was about the salvation of their souls! He wrote: "O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham 'believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness?'" (Galatians 3:1-6)

Paul couldn't be there to personally correct this error which had crept back into the Church. As a consequence, he wrote this letter, and it was circulated among the various congregations in that region. He concluded: "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love." (Galatians 5:1-6) Paul believed that the issue of Gentiles observing Torah had been settled. For him, there wasn't any room for a different view of the matter. This was basic and fundamental theology!

Now, after the danger had passed at Ephesus, Paul encouraged all of the believers there and departed for Philippi and Troas (Acts 20:1-6). Now, while at Troas, the disciples had all gathered together on the Sunday before Paul was scheduled to leave. The apostle continued speaking with the believers there into the night and a young man who had been listening to Paul while sitting in a window grew sleepy and fell out of the window! Unfortunately, they were meeting on the third floor of the building, and the fall killed him. Paul, however, scooped the young man up in his arms and life returned into his body. Then, Paul resumed speaking until daylight and departed when he was finished. (Acts 20:7-12)

Paul and his companions sailed to Miletus on their way to Jerusalem, and the apostle summoned the leaders of the Church in Ephesus to meet with him there. We are informed by the author of Acts, that Paul told them: "You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore, be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified." (Acts 20:17-32) Little did they know then just how prophetic Paul's remarks would prove to be.

After leaving there, Paul and his companions sailed on across the Mediterranean Sea and came at last to Tyre. They remained there for about a week - fellowshipping with the believers from that region. When it was time to board the ship and continue on their way, the disciples followed them out of the city. Then, they all knelt down on the beach and said a prayer together before boarding the ship. From there, they traveled to Ptolemais and then on to Caesarea. (Acts 21:1-8)

At Caesarea, they disembarked and stayed at Philip's house (one of the seven). While there, a prophet named Agabus predicted that the Jews would arrest Paul and turn him over to the Gentiles if he proceeded on to Jerusalem. When they heard this, Paul's companions and the believers at Caesarea urged Paul not to go there. Paul, however, would have none of it and asked them not to make his decision to return to Jerusalem more difficult. (Acts 21:8-14) Thus, the brethren acceded to his wishes and sent him on his way.

Upon arriving in Jerusalem, it is interesting to note that Paul went to see James (Acts 21:17-18). Once again, we are told that he gave James and the Jerusalem elders a detailed summary of the work which God had accomplished through him among the Gentiles. After hearing his report, the Jewish leadership once again rejoiced. Nevertheless, they also appeared to be worried for Paul's sake because of the group of Jewish Christians who insisted on keeping the Law. They pointed out that Paul himself was a Torah-observant Jew, and that he should demonstrate his Jewishness at the Temple for all to see. However, they also reminded Paul of the decision of the Jerusalem Council and reassured him that they did NOT expect Gentile Christians to observe the Law. Thus, Paul was happy to take their advice and observed the ritual of purification in anticipation of a visit to the Temple. (Acts 21:19-26) What happened next would prove to be the beginning of the end of Paul's ministry!

The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 7)

 Now, we must not forget that the Council of Jerusalem had decided that Gentiles were NOT obligated to observe the tenets of Torah or become Torah-observant Jews to be Christians. We must also remember that Gentiles did not have any experience keeping a weekly Sabbath. Indeed, in the First Century, the Roman world was in the very early stages of abandoning its "nundinal" week with a market day on every eighth day and adopting the Babylonian/Jewish seven-day week. (See The Roman Transition: From 8 Days to 7)

Hence, other than the Jewish Sabbath, there wasn't any extant religious tradition relative to a “weekly” day of worship. Sure, like the Babylonians before them, the Romans named the days of the weeks after the seven brightest celestial objects in the night sky: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn. (See The Invention of the Seven-Day Week) In other words, there wasn't any pagan tradition of worshipping the Sun on Sunday or the Moon on Monday.

As we have already discussed, the Jews had their weekly sign of the covenant between them and God, the Sabbath. Likewise, we have already discussed the fact that Paul, the other Apostles, and Jewish Christians continued to observe the Sabbath. It was a part of their identity as a people.

Nevertheless, these same Jews were the original witnesses of Christ's resurrection and the founding of the Church in Jerusalem, and both of those events had occurred on the first day of the week, the day we call Sunday. In the Jewish tradition, the days of the week were numbered, and only the seventh day had any special designation or "name." However, the first day of the week came to be regarded as a memorial of Christ's resurrection and the founding of the Church. Rember, the apostles placed special emphasis on Christ's resurrection in their evangelical messaging (Acts 1:22, 2:31, 4:2, 33, 17:18, 32, Romans 1:4, I Corinthians 15, Hebrews 6:2, I Peter 1:3). Eventually, the first day of the week came to be known as the "Lord's Day" (Revelation 1:10, Didache 14, Epistle of Barnabas 15).

After the Council of Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas had returned to Antioch and remained there for some time encouraging the Church there and preaching the good news about Jesus (Acts 15:30-35. Eventually, however, Paul suggested that the two revisit the congregations which they had established on their first missionary journey (Acts 15:36). Unfortunately, the two missionaries disagreed about who would accompany them on their journey and decided to go their separate ways (Acts 15:37-41).

Paul and Silas traveled to Derbe and Lystra where they were joined by a young man named Timothy, who was part Gentile and part Jewish (Acts 16:1-2). In addition to strengthening the congregations, Paul and Silas shared the decision of the Jerusalem Council with these Gentile congregations that they didn't have any obligation to observe the tenets of God's covenant with the Jews (Acts 16:4-5).

From there, they traveled in Phrygia and Galatia and on to Troas (Acts 16:6-8). While there, a man appeared to Paul in a vision beckoning him to come to Macedonia and help the people there (Acts 16:0-10). As a consequence, Paul and his companions sailed to Macedonia. They remained in the city of Philippi for several days and preached to some of the women of that place by the river one Sabbath (Acts 16:11-13).

While there, Paul cast a demon out of a slave whose owners had used as a fortune teller. When the owners complained to the authorities, Paul and Silas were arrested for ruining their business, and they were brought before the magistrates. (Acts 16:16-19) However, instead of that charge, they decided to accuse the apostles of disturbing the peace of the city and advocating Jewish customs. As a consequence, the missionaries were publicly beaten and imprisoned. (Acts 16:20-24) Even so, before they were released from prison, the missionaries had converted their jailors and elicited an apology from the magistrates! (Acts 16:25-40)

Next, Paul and Silas traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia and came at last to Thessalonica. Paul spoke at the synagogue there for three Sabbaths in a row, and many Jews and Greeks accepted his message about Christ. Some of the Jews, however, were jealous of his success and began stirring up the populace of that city against Paul and Silas.

As a consequence, the believers in Thessalonica sent them on to Berea. Now, although their message was received there with even more enthusiasm than it had been at Thessalonica, troublemakers from that city showed up in Berea and began stirring up resistance to the missionaries' message. (Acts 17:1-13) Indeed, this formula of initial success followed by persecution seemed to repeat itself over and over again.

Now, when the situation in Berea became dangerous, the believers there sent Paul onto Athens by himself. And, while he was waiting for Silas and Timothy to join him in Athens, he noticed that the city was full of superstition and idolatry. As a consequence, Paul didn't confine himself to the local synagogue - he also preached every day in the local marketplace. Finally, Paul spoke to the people gathered at the Areopagus and proclaimed the one, true God to them and also preached about Christ's resurrection. Moreover, his remarks generated enough interest that he was invited to speak to them again on the matter! (Acts 17:14-34)

Nevertheless, Paul went on to the city of Corinth. There he met a Jewish couple who befriended him. Aquila and Priscilla, like Paul, were tent makers; and they all decided to work together at their trade. Moreover, the couple believed in Christ and supported their new friend in his proclamation of the gospel message. (Acts 18:1-4) In fact, by the time that Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, the trio had provoked so much opposition to their messaging among the Jews that Paul had decided to abandon his evangelical efforts among them and carry his message exclusively to the Gentiles. As a consequence, a large number of Gentiles were converted in the city, and Paul ended up remaining there for a year and a half! (Acts 18:5-11)

Now, when his mission was finished at Corinth, Paul sailed for Syria with Aquila and Priscilla accompanying him. However, when they came to Ephesus, Priscilla and Acquila decided to remain there, and Paul returned to Antioch. While in Ephesus, the couple met a young Alexandrian Jew named Apollos who was inspired to preach about Jesus. Even so, as a relatively new convert to Christianity, there were still many things that he had not yet learned, and Aquila and Priscilla happily filled in the gaps in his knowledge. In the meantime, Paul traveled on to Galatia and Phrygia and strengthened the new Christians in those regions. (Acts 18:18-28)

As these missionary efforts among Gentile regions continued, great numbers of Gentiles were converted to the new religion and came into the Church. At the same time, resistance to the Christian message increased within the Jewish communities in these areas. Hence, over time, the number of Jewish Christians compared to Gentile Christians began to shrink. In other words, more and more, the Church was becoming a Gentile community and growing away from its Jewish roots. Over the years that followed, this phenomenon only accelerated, and the number of Christians who observed the Sabbath, Holy Days, and other Jewish traditions became a smaller and smaller part of the whole.

The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 6)

In talking about the first one hundred years of the Church, it is important that we understand that the ONLY written Scriptures which Christians had access to were the Hebrew Scriptures (the ones we refer to as the Old Testament). Indeed, our New Testament is literally full of quotations from the Hebrew Bible. Moreover, the apostles and saints believed that everything in the Hebrew Bible pointed to Jesus Christ!  Christians of the First Century saw Jesus in the Sabbaths, Holy Days, sacrifices, priesthood, rituals, and commandments of Torah. Likewise, they saw him in all of the writings of the prophets, and in many of the Psalms. For those who are interested in exploring this phenomenon further, I have written numerous posts covering how Torah, Prophets, and Writings pointed to Jesus of Nazareth.

Now, earlier in this series, I mentioned the fact that the epistles of the Apostle Paul are the earliest writings available to us from this period. They were written before the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Once again, scholars tell us that the earliest of these was his first letter to the Thessalonians. Nevertheless, we know from this collection of letters that the parameters of Christ's story were well-known to Christians - even before the Gospels were penned.

In that first epistle, Paul mentioned that Jesus had been resurrected, that he had delivered them from God's wrath, and that they were awaiting his return (I Thessalonians 1:10). He also talked a good deal about Christian love - one of Christ's principal teachings. Likewise, in his letter to the Christians at Rome, Paul spoke about the efficacy of Christ's sacrifice for our sins, and the blood that he spilled toward that end (Romans 3:21-26, 5:12-21). Paul also talked about the efficacy of Christ's resurrection for those who believe in him (Romans 6:4-11, 8:32-34, 14:9). He also reiterated Christ's teaching about love (Romans 13:10) Paul alluded to the fact that Christ had been crucified on a cross (I Corinthians 1:17-18, 2:1-2). In this same letter to the saints at Corinth, he called Jesus "our Passover Lamb) who had been sacrificed for them (I Corinthians 5:7). Paul also outlined the Eucharist ritual which Christ instituted on the night he was betrayed (I Corinthians 11:22-26). Yet again, he reiterated Christ's teachings about love (I Corinthians 13).

Moreover, in the fifteenth chapter of that same epistle, Paul gave an abbreviated version of his own message about Christ's life, death, and resurrection. He wrote: "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." (I Corinthians 15:3-9) Paul continued: "Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished." (I Corinthians 15:12-18) Finally, he reassured them: "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." (I Corinthians 15:20)

Indeed, Paul repeatedly spoke about the importance of Christ's life, death, and resurrection throughout his epistles. He spoke about the Christian's reconciliation to God through Jesus Christ, and how "he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (II Corinthians 5:11-21) Paul wrote to the Christians of Galatia: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree' so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith." (Galatians 3:13-14) He wrote to the saints at Philippi: "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:5-11) Likewise, in his epistle to the Ephesians, he wrote this about Jesus: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross." (Colossians 1:15-20)

Now, why all of these quotations from the writings of Paul about Jesus Christ? Many scholars and students of Scripture like to point out that the Gospel accounts of Christ's story were recorded thirty to sixty years after Christ's death. The clear implication being that the human authors couldn't have known very much about the story of the real man. These letters of Paul, however, demonstrate that Jesus' story was well known and began circulating among the disciples some fifteen to twenty-five years after his death. In other words, they support and corroborate those later narratives about Christ's life. In other words, the parameters of Christ's story were well known to the Christians of the First Century.