COMPARING THE APOSTLES OF CHRIST 1ST CENTURY A.D. AND THE 3RD CENTURY CHRISTIANS UNDER THE ROMAN EMPIRE..REFERENCES:Encyclopedia Britannica Volume 15:Pages 1121-1122:1983 Edition:........THE RISE OF CHRISTIANITY....................During the 1st and 2nd centuries,Christianity spread with relative slowness(the time of the apostles)...The doctrine of Jesus,who was crucified about AD 30,first took ROOT among the JEWS OF PALESTINE,where a LARGE NUMBER OF SECTS were proliferating--ORTHODOX SECTS,..such as the Sadducees and the Pharisees,as well as dissident and sometimes persecuted sects such as the Essenes,whose ascetic practices have been illuminated by the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. At the end of Tiberiusreign Christianity has spread to the Gentiles as a result of the preaching of St Paul in Asia Minor and in Greece.At the same time,Christianity continued to make progress among the Jews of Jerusalem,Alexandria,and Syria and quickly reached even Osroene and the Parthian towns of the Euphrates,where Jewish colonies were numerous.The Roman authorities at first had difficulty in distinguishing the Christos believers from the Orthodox Jews,but the religion of the former,on leaving its original milieu,quickly became differentiated:to the Romans it appeared illicit because it was mysterious; vile,because its first followers belonged to the lower classes;and dangerous,BECAUSE UNLIKE JUDAISM,which was tolerated as Ethnic religion,it was woithout national ties....The 1sty century historian Tacitus declared that there dwelt in Christoians a hatred of humankind(meaning they dont associated with the world)..Christians did noty participate in the Jewish revolt of 66-73,and under the Flavians,Christianity completely severed itself from its origins. At that time,the East was the center of the new religion whose followers were multiplying from Egypt to the Black Sea,and were beginning to be noticed in Bithynia and in Greece.Christians seemed fairly numerous in Rome as early as the end of the 1st century.......When the AGE OF THE APOSTLEended,....the AGE OF THE CHURCHbegan,...(CATHOLIC,PROTESTANTISM),with its Bishops,Presbyters,and deacons WITH ITS CATHECISM,PREACHING,and CELEBRATION OF THE EUCHARIST.......In the 2nd century(apostles were dead already),Christianity began to reach the INTELLECTUALS(The start of Philosophy,Aristotelianism,Humanities,Theology,Apologetics). Hellenistic culture offered EDUCATED CHRISTIANS the resources of PHILOSOPHICAL DIALECTIC and of SOPHIST RHETORIC...The example of Philo of Alexandria had shown in the 1st century that it was possible to RECONCILE THE BIBLE WITH THE GREAT PLATONIC IDEAS(Mixing of Pagan Doctrines and the Bible).....By the 2nd century the Christian apologist(Apologetics) tried to show that Christianity was in harmony with Greco-Roman humanism(pagan beliefs and doctrines) and that it was INTELLECTUALLY,and above allMORALLY,superior to PAGANISM...
Posted on: Fri, 18 Oct 2013 05:53:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015