Early History of Christianity

Story of Jesus Christian history begins with Jesus of Nazareth, a Jew who was born in a small corner of the Roman Empire. Little is known of his early life, but around the age of 30, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and had a vision in which he received the blessing of God.

Story of Jesus After this event, he began a ministry of teaching, healing, and miracle-working. He spoke of the "kingdom of God," condemned religious hypocrites and interpreted the Jewish law in new ways.

Story of Jesus He spoke before crowds of people, but also chose 12 disciples whom he taught privately. They eagerly followed him, believing him to be the long-awaited Messiah who would usher in the kingdom of God on earth.

Story of Jesus After just a few years, however, opposition mounted against Jesus, and he was ultimately executed by crucifixion by the Romans.

Story of Jesus Most of Jesus' followers scattered, dismayed at such an unexpected outcome. But three days later, women who went to anoint his body reported that the tomb was empty and an angel told them Jesus had risen from the dead. The disciples were initially sceptical, but later came to believe. They reported that Jesus appeared to them on several occasions and then ascended into heaven before their eyes.

Early Growth of Christianity The remainder of the first century AD saw the number of Jesus' followers, who were soon called "Christians," grow rapidly. Instrumental in the spread of Christianity was a man named Paul, a zealous Jew who had persecuted Christians, then converted to the faith after experiencing a vision of the risen Jesus.

Early Growth of Christianity Taking advantage of the extensive system of Roman roads and the time of peace, Paul went on numerous missionary journeys throughout the Roman Empire. Paul and other apostles spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. Their writings are the foundation of the New Testament of the Bible, which describe the life and teachings of Jesus.

Persecution In the second and third centuries AD, Christians struggled with persecution from outside the church and doctrinal debates from within the church.

Persecution Crucifixion of St. Peter Many of the disciples of Christ were put to death.

Christianity spread rapidly as it appealed to many people because it allowed anyone to join and taught all people were equal before God. Christianity conflicted with the polytheistic beliefs of Roman gods, however. It had its roots in Judaism (the religion of Jesus) and was Monotheistic – believing in one God. More developments in Christianity

A major turning point in Christian history came in the early 4th century AD, when the Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity. More developments in Christianity

The Christian religion became legal, persecution stopped, and thousands of pagans now found it convenient to convert to the emperor's faith. More developments in Christianity

Emperor Constantine hoped Christianity would be the uniting force of his empire. However, there were still disputes over the “nature” of Jesus. God or less than God but more than Man.

More developments in Christianity In 325 AD, Constantine called the Council of Nicea so that the bishops could work out their differences. They declared the Son (Christ) to be of "one substance" with the Father. We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son], who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. The Nicene Creed

More developments in Christianity Today, Christianity is the largest world religion, with about 2 billion followers. It is the majority religion of Europe and the Americas, and there are churches in almost every nation in the world.