Beacon of Truth The Voice of the Christian Underground
 

A History of the Christian Church
 

 

 

Part One

Introduction

The church was composed entirely of Jews, or at least those who adhered to the Mosaic Law, for about the first ten years of its existence. During this period (c. 30-40 A.D.), and for the next few decades, the Gentiles viewed the church as just another sect or offshoot of Judaism. Indeed, at first the church was in danger of becoming just that. Every Christian was a Jew and did everything the average Jew did. He still practiced circumcision and observed all the other precepts of the Mosaic Law (Acts 21: 20; 26:11). Even the apostles continued to observe the customs and laws of the Jews (Acts 3:1; 10:9-16; Gal. 2:11-13). It does not seem to have occurred to them that the death of Christ meant that they were no longer obligated to observe the Mosaic Law. They gave up none of their Jewish heritage. They were simply Jews who accepted Jesus as the Messiah. They saw no incompatibility between professing obedience to Moses and obedience to Christ. Moreover, they expected any Gentile who wanted to become a member of the church to first become a Jewish proselyte. Of course, this was not at all what the Lord had planned for His church. Such views and practices not only missed the purpose of the Mosaic Law but also tended to make the church another exclusivistic, Judaistic sect rather than the universal body it was intended to be (Mt. 28:19; Mk. 16:15).

II. Conversion of the Gentiles

It was in God's plans to admit the Gentiles to the church, but not as Jewish proselytes. As usual, this significant event was preceded by preparatory measures. The first of these was the large-scale persecution of the church following the stoning of Stephen (Acts 8:1-4). Ironically, it was Stephen wo seems to have had the greatest appreciation of the fact

of the demise of the Mosaic institutions and the acceptability of Gentiles for church membership as Gentiles, judging from the accusations brought against him (Acts 6:13,14) and the defense he himself made (Acts 7). However, it may be that his death did more to bring about the fulfillment of his teachings than the teachings themselves did, for his death was the beginning of a widespread persecution against the church which scattered it beyond the confines of Jerusalem and Judea. At first, the gospel was preached only to Jews, but a step away from Jerusalem was a step away from Judaism. This Judaistic hold on the church was loosened somewhat in the conversions the Samaritans and the Ethiopian eunuch.(Acts 8). This took the church half the way to the Gentiles, but something else had to occur before they were admitted: the conversion of Saul (Acts 9). This was necessary because Saul (Paul) was to be God's special apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15; Rom. 11:13; Gal. 2:7,S). Saul's conversion is usually placed around 35 A.D. Then about 40 A.D. the apostle Peter was sent under the influence of special revelation and direct commandment from God to preach to the household of a Gentile named Cornelius (Acts 10). This was such a momentous event that the Lord saw fit to place His divine imprimatur upon it by giving the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles in a miraculous display prior to their baptism. This factor later figured heavily in the church's decision that the Gentiles did not have to become Jews to become Christians (Acts 11:1-18; 15:7-11).

III. Paul and His Journeys

The doors of the church now swung open widely, and Gentiles flocked into the fold. Making their way into Syria, some disciples preached to Greeks, and the first Gentile church was established in Antioch. Barnabas was dispatched from Jerusalem to tend to the needs of the new Gentile Christians, and, finding the need so great, he soon brought Paul to assist in the work.

Of all the apostles, Paul was the one best suited to be the apostle to the Gentiles. He was the only one of the apostles who was born, and had lived, outside the Jewish homeland. His home was Tarsus, the great center of Hellenistic learning. Even though he was sent at a rather early age to Jerusalem to be educated (Acts 22:3), he must have had some beneficial exposure to Greek thought, and his writings evidence this. He was also a

Jew par excellence (Gal. 1:14; Phil. 3:4-6), being a Pharisee and an ardent student and advocate of the Jesish law and traditions. This eventually led to his violent confrontation with the church. Finally, he had the unusual privilege of being a Roman citizen, a status of considerable importance in his later ministry as an apostle (Acts 16:37; 22:25; 25:10-12). All of these aspects of Paul's background combined to make him the most influential and dynamic personality in the history of the church. He wrote more of the New Testament than any other man and did more than any other to spread the gospel (I Cor. 15:10; II Cor. 11:23). Is it any wonder, then, that Paul says God set him apart from his mother's womb (Gal. 1:15)? He was a man who had been divinely prepared for a very difficult and important task. When the time came, He rose to the occasion and embraced his work with unstinting dedication.

Using Antioch as a base, Paul made three evangelist tours among the Gentiles. His first one (c. 45-48 A.D.-) took him to the island of Cyprus and into south central Asia Minor, where he established several churches. Between his first and second tours he attended a conference in Jerusalem (c. 50 A.D.), where his testimony was an important factor in the decision not to bind the Law of Moses upon Gentile Christians (Acts 15; Gal. 2).

His second tour (c. 51-54 A.D.) took him through Syria, Cilicia, Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Achaia. The borders of the church were extended everywhere he preached. His third tour (c. 54-58 A.D.) did not cover any new territory, but he did enjoy a long and successful ministry in Ephesus. He also visited the Macedonian and Achaian churches twice during this tour, which ended with his arrest in Jerusalem. He was held in Roman custody five or six years (c. 58-63 A.D.) in Caesarea and Rome before he was released. According to Paul's epistles to Timothy and Titus he was then able to travel several more years among the churches of the Aegean area before he was re-arrested and taken again to Rome. Scripture indicates that his earthly life came to an end in that city. Tradition adds that he was beheaded along the Ostian Way right outside Rome in 68 A.D.

Paul had set out to open up the church to the whole world. He accomplished this task (Col. 1:23). As he put it: "I have finished the course" (II Tim. 4:7). His work was crowned a few years following his death with the destruction of Jerusalem (70 A.D.) - an event which forever freed the church from the shackles of Judaism. Due to Paul's efforts the gospel was firmly planted in the Mediterranean world and was now poised to spring beyond.
 


Part I - The Apostolic Age:  The Close of the Apostolic Age



The closing years of the apostolic age (70-100 A.D.) remain one of the obscurest periods of church history due to the scantiness of information relating to this period. It seems that all of the New Testament books, except for John's writings (95-98 A.D.), had been written by the time Jerusalem was destroyed (70 A.D.). Consequently, there is little information provided in the Scriptures as to what occurred among Christians during this period. Information from sources outside the Scriptures is likewise sparse. Yet, the close of the apostolic age is one of the more important periods of church history because of its transitional nature. It was during this time that a second generation of Christians arose, and churches were making the move from direct apostolic oversight and influence to entirely independent and local management of their affairs as the apostles began to fade from the earthly scene. These years, then, were practically the first period of post-apostolic church history and would be the seedbed of problems which confronted the church in the years immediately following the deaths of the apostles.

II. The Ministries and Deaths of the Apostles

Legends concerning the ministries and deaths of Christ's apostles abound, but there is little Scriptural information of such. Therefore, what the apostles did in their later years and how they died may be regarded as quite uncertain. Despite some severe persecutions, it appears that the apostles remained in Jerusalem until at least the time of the Jerusalem conference in 50 A.D. (Acts 8:1; 15:6). James, the brother of John, had been put to death by King Agrippa I in 44 A.D. (Acts 12:1, 2). Aside from Peter, John, Jude (vs. 1), and Paul, none of the apostles is mentioned by name after 50 A.D. However, there are a few indications that the original apostles, especially Peter and John, eventually traveled and labored outside Judea. (1) Firstly, they were under instructions from Christ to go into all the world (Matt. 28:19; Mk. 16:15). (2) When Paul returned to Jerusalem for the last time in 58 A.D., mention is made of him meeting with the elders only (Acts 21:17,18) - an indication that the apostles were away from Jerusalem. (3) There are implications or plain statements to the effect that the original apostles, especially Peter and John, did carry their ministries beyond Judea (I Cor. 1:12; 9:5; I Pet. 1:1; 5:13; Rev. 1:9). It is a controversial matter whether or not Peter became the bishop of the church in Rome, as Roman Catholicism claims, but there is no sure evidence that he ever entered that city. Tradition has Peter put to death in Rome about 64 A.D. by being crucified upside down (that position being requested by him supposedly because of a feeling of unworthiness to be crucified just as his Lord was). It is noteworthy that Christ did predict a martyr's death for Peter (Jn. 21:18,19). It is thought that Paul was beheaded right outside Rome in 68 A.D. (II Tim. 4: 6-8,16-18). John supposedly lived and labored in Ephesus during his later years, being the only apostle allowed to die a natural death. The lives, ministries, and deaths of the rest of the apostles are far more unknown..

III. The Spread and Development of the Church

The church grew vigorously during its early years. Thousands upon thousands of Jews were brought to Christ as the gospel was preached within Judea (Acts 2:41; 4:4; 6:7). This pattern of rapid growth continued as the church made its way among the Gentile nations (Acts 16:5). Paul was highly instrumental in getting the gospel to the Gentiles and Jews of Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Achaia. However, he was not entirely alone in this effort. A strong church was already well established in Rome when he arrived in that city, and before Paul's death Peter is able to write to Christians scattered throughout the northern and western sections of Asia Minor, regions of which there is no record of Paul having visited. Paul did say he preached the gospel as far as Illyricum (northwest of Macedonia) and had aspirations of going to Spain (Rom. 15:19,24). There is no record of Paul evangelizing the island of Crete, but in his waning years it was needful for him to leave Titus there with instructions to appoint elders in every city (Tit. 1:5). At the very end of his life he mentions that Titus had gone to Dalmatia (II Tim. 4:10). Indeed, while writing the Colossian brethren from Rome as a prisoner (61-63 A.D.), he feels justified in saying that the gospel had been preached "in all creation under heaven" (Col. 1:23). There is no reason to believe that this rapid growth did not continue in the last few decades of the First Century, for early Christians were zealously evangelistic. As a matter of fact, when John wrote his Revelation (95 A.D.) there were at least ten known churches in the province of Asia alone.

However, dark, foreboding clouds lay on the horizon. The latest writings of the New Testament (John's books) seem to confirm the existence of the apostasies that Paul prophesied (Acts 20:29, I Tim. 4:1-3; II Tim. 3:1-9; 4:3, 4). Men did arise to usurp preeminence and authority over God's people (III Jn. 9,10), and by the end of the First Century only two of the seven churches mentioned in John's Revelation are in very good spiritual condition (Rev. 2,3). Even the mediocre ones had problems with false teachers and immorality in their midst (Rev. 2:14,15 , 20-24). It is probable that the conditions which prevailed among the Asian churches were typical of all the churches at the end of the First Century. John's writings seem designed to combat incipient heresies concerning the nature of Christ. "Antichrists" had already arrived on the scene prior to his death (I Jn. 2:18; 4:3; II Jn. 7). Such were to constitute major enemies of the cause of Christ in the years to come.

IV. Relations with Judaism and the Roman Government

Although relations between Christians and the unbelieving Jews appear to have been cordial at first (Acts 2:47), the unbelieving Jewish leadership, unable to co-exist peaceably with the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ, instigated severe persecutions against Christians. These persecutions continued until the destruction of Jerusalem and eventually became generalized enough to build up in the common Jewish mind a prejudice and hostility toward the church.

The relations of the church with the Roman government were likewise initially favorable. The church was viewed by the Romans in the early years as a branch of Judaism. However, the attacks of the Jewish community upon the church, as well as the distinctive doctrines and practices of the latter, soon clarified things. Nevertheless, Christians did not become the targets of Roman persecution until Nero cast the blame upon them for the catastrophe fire which burned much of Rome in 64 A.D. Consequently, they were subjected to the most horrid deaths. However, the Neronian persecution seems to have been brief and local. It was not until the reign of Domitian (81-96 A.D.) that a general persecution of Christians by the Roman government broke out. From then on such persecutions continued intermittently until the reign of the emperor Constantine in the early Fourth Century A.D. Though prejudice caused by misrepresentations and misunderstandings prevailed among the common people, the hostility of the Roman government was basically political in nature. Because Christians refused to burn incense to the deified Roman emperor, an act which the Romans viewed as an expression of loyalty and patriotism but which Christians viewed as idolatry, they were regarded as treasonous and worthy of death. John's Revelation was written to reassure Christians caught up in the persecutions of Domitian.

V. The Completion of the New Testament

Of course, as the apostles began to disappear from the earthly scene, miraculous powers among Christians began to fade away with them (I Cor. 13:8-10). However, in their place was left something equally effective: the New Testament. The books constituting the New Testament were penned by eight inspired men, especially Paul. All but John's writings are believed by conservative scholars to have been written 50-70 A.D. prior to the destruction of Jerusalem. John's books are believed to have been written in the last decade of the First Century (95-98 A.D.). The New Testament serves as an infallible, all-sufficient, incorruptible, indestructible guide for the Christian (II Tim. 3:16,17; I Pet. 1:23-25).