The Beginnings:

The First Century of the Christian Church

Lesson 2 2 October 2011

The Churchs Beginning

The Churchs Mission: Matthew 28: 16-20 The Plan: Acts 1: 6-8 The Day of the Birth: Acts 2: 1-13 The Message: The Regula Fidei (Acts 2: 14-40)

Expanding Outward
Early Perceptions and Persecutions of the Church
The Early Organization: The Creation of Offices The Early Life of the Church in Jerusalem The Response of the People Forced Out

The Ministry of Peter

Preaching to the Jews Introduction to the Gentiles

The Ministry of Paul

To the Jew First and then to the Greek The Development of Doctrine

Christ vs. Caesar

14 - 38 AD: 38 - 41 AD: 41 - 54 AD: 54 - 68 AD: Tiberius Reigns Caligula Reigns Claudius Reigns Nero Reigns (The End of the Julio-Claudian Line)

The Early Protection of the Church

Viewed to be aligned with Judaism early on

Increasingly viewed as a threat

Considered a secret society with strange rituals Popular among the slaves Preached separation from the Roman System

The Great Fire of 64 AD Declared an illegal religion and formally persecuted

The Jewish Wars

62 AD James, the brother of Jesus, Martyred 66 AD: The Revolt Begins 69 AD: Vespasian Becomes Emperor 70 AD: The Fall of Jerusalem to Titus 73 AD: The Fall of Masada and the End of the War

The Church Flees Jerusalem

Christs Warning in Matthew 24 The Center of the Church Shifts to Antioch and Ephesus

The Destruction of the Temple

End of the Sadducees The Council of Jamnia in 90 AD

The Final Diaspora

The Bar Kochba Rebellion in 135 AD The Creation of Palestine The Wandering Jews

Early Church Life

The Organization of the Church
Apostles, Prophets and Pastor/Teachers Rise of the Bishop, Presbyter and Deacon

The Scriptures
The Old Testament: The Septuagint The New Testament:
The Gospels (Mark (50s), Luke (62), Matthew (60/64), John (70)) The Writings of Paul The General Writings The Revelation (early or late dating)

Other Writings The Shepherd of Hermas The Didache

The Next Generation

The End of the Apostolic Age
The Deaths of Peter and Paul in Rome The Deaths of the other apostles The Death of John (the last surviving eyewitness)

The New Generation

Clement of Rome (ca. 100 AD) Ignatius, the Bishop of Antioch (ca. 130 AD) Polycarp (ca. 125-130 AD)

Issues
The Concept of Apostolic Succession The Rise of Gnosticism The Issues of the 2nd Coming

Why Was Christianity Well Received

The Loss of Confidence in the gods The Rising Hope of a Messiah
In the Jewish World In the Greco-Roman World

The Early Linkage of Judaism and Christianity The Lives of the Early Christians
The Care for the Sick and the Dying The Sharing of Life with one another They Died Well

References
Brown, Colin Christianity and Western Thought volume 1 Cairns, Earle E. Christianity Through the Centuries Davidson, Ivor J. The Birth of the Church volume 1 of the Baker History of the Church Josephus, The Essential Writings edited by Paul L. Maier Maier, Paul L. In the Fullness of Time: A Historian Looks at Christmas, Easter and the Early Church