Early Christianity This article is a description of early Christianity itself. For an overview of early Christian history, see Early history of Christianity. Early Christianity is the period of Christianity preceding the First Council of Nicaea in 325. It is typically divided into the Apostolic Age and the Ante- Nicene Period (from the Apostolic Age until Nicea). The first Christians, as described in the first chapters of the Acts of the Apostles, were all Jewish, either by birth, or conversion for which the biblical term proselyte is used,[1] and referred to by historians as the Jewish Christians. The early Gospel message was spread orally; probably in Aramaic.[2] The New Testaments Book of Acts and Epistle to the Galatians record that the first Christian community was centered in Jerusalem and its leaders included Peter, James, and John. [3] Paul of Tarsus, after his conversion to Christianity, claimed the title of Apostle to the Gentiles. Pauls influence on Christian thinking is said to be more significant than any other New Testament writer.[4] By the end of the 1st century, Christianity began to be recognized internally and externally as a separate religion from Rabbinic Judaism which itself was refined and developed further in the centuries after the destruction of the Second Jerusalem Temple. As shown by the numerous quotations in the New Testament books and other Christian writings of the 1st centuries, early Christians generally used and revered the Jewish Bible as Scripture, mostly in the Greek (Septuagint) or Aramaic (Targum) translations, much of which is written in narrative form where in the biblical story God is the protagonist, Satan (or evil people/powers) are the antagonists, and Gods people are the agonists.[5][6] As the New Testament canon developed, the Letters of Paul, the Canonical Gospels and various other works were also recognized as scripture to be read in church. Pauls letters, especially Romans, established a theology based on Christ rather than on the Mosaic Law, but most Christian denominations today still consider the moral prescriptions of the Mosaic Law , such as the Ten Commandments, Great Commandment, and Golden Rule, to be relevant. Early Christians demonstrated a wide range of beliefs and practices, many of which were later rejected as heretical.
Posted on: Fri, 29 Nov 2013 03:39:24 +0000
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