The Fire From Galilee, Part 1

A Young History of Christianity

 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

- Last moments of Stephen, the first Christian Martyr (Acts 7 59:60)

PETER hastily bundled his few valuables and prepared to flee Jerusalem- again. In fairness, returning to the city where his Messiah suffered crucifixion just a year before always posed a danger. Yet Peter, formerly a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee's unpredictable waves, embraced the risk. Jerusalem, the spiritual center of Judaism and a bustling metropolis home to thousands of potential converts, seemed an ideal location for the gospel to reach untouched ears. More importantly, being on the ground where Jesus' ministry reached its dramatic culmination presented an irresistible magnetism for Peter- a sentiment shared by nearly all the small group of believers he now led. Establishing a residence in the city's noisy Temple district, the followers of Jesus began to set themselves in order. Seven highly trusted disciples received appointments as deacons and daily led lower-ranking members into Jerusalem's crowded streets to preach or perform acts of charity. Meanwhile, Jesus' original companions (The Apostles) served as an executive council focusing on higher- level concerns. Peter remained a crucial decision-maker in the latter group, but a mysterious figure named James the Just also held significant power.

THIS efficient structure became the very first church (ekklesia). At this point and for many decades afterward, a “church” simply referred to the group of believers within a specific city or region. The earliest church members generally met in private homes for worship (often centered around a meal), practiced only one ritual sacrament (baptism), and rejected the amassing of individual or collective wealth. They highly esteemed acts of charity and self-sacrifice but spreading the message of Jesus’ divinity remained the paramount focus. This priority existed because the first Christians emphatically believed in Jesus’ final return during their lifetime. Therefore, a frantic sense of urgency colored early conversion efforts. Yet, Peter took great care to ensure this aggressive missionary work did not provoke the local authorities who, remembering Jesus’ very recent ministry, maintained a watchful eye on the group.

THEN, one deacon, a confrontational young man named Stephen, took things a bit too far. He was somewhat of a rising star in the early church- promoted to deacon around the tender age of 28, entrusted by church leaders with the critical duty of food distribution among poorer believers, and allegedly even performing several miracles. The young deacon also possessed a taste and talent for public debate. This latter interest proved his undoing. After humiliating several prominent rabbis in an open, intense argument over Jewish law, Stephen received a summons to the Sanhedrin- Jerusalem's high religious court- on blasphemy charges. The deacon's arrest deeply worried his fellow believers. Just years before, the Sanhedrin successfully prosecuted Jesus on nearly identical grounds. Yet, the court's Jewish elders quickly recognized the youthful preacher as a far lesser threat and were at first inclined to release him with only a warning. However, at this point of near deliverance, the young deacon launched into a tirade. Lambasting his would-be prosecutors as religiously corrupt and provocatively claiming that God did not reside in Jerusalem's Holy Temple, Stephen doubled down on the blasphemy allegations leveled against him. Sentenced to death immediately after this shocking oration, Stephen remained undaunted as he was hauled outside to a waiting mob of Jewish onlookers enraged at his “sacrilegious” speech. A storm of rocks and blows soon extinguished his life. The brutal death of such a young and promising individual greatly unnerved church members who believed this violent act might be the start of a wholesale persecution. Therefore, with the hastily packed Peter in the lead, Jesus' followers once again bolted from the city of their Messiah's final sacrifice.

ONE of the witnesses and, indeed, perpetrators of Stephen's execution was a youthful Pharisee named Saul. Born around 5 A.D. in the prosperous Anatolian trading town of Tarsus, Saul's background provoked envy among his peers. As a Roman citizen from childhood, he possessed exceptional legal protections and rights for a Jew in the Roman Empire. His family also associated with other Greek-speaking Jewish elites (Hellenized Jews) whose networks stretched across the thriving merchant cities ringing the Mediterranean. On a more personal level, Saul's relatives saw that he received a remarkable education. Sometime in the 20s A.D., they arranged for him to travel south towards Jerusalem and study under Gamliel, one of the world's most respected Hebrew scholars. In this hyper-intellectual environment, Saul not only gained an exceptional understanding of traditional Jewish (Mosaic) law but also a firm command of several languages and familiarity with prominent Greco-Roman philosophical works.

IT was also in his academic years that Saul began to identify with a rising social and political movement: the Pharisees. Primarily composed of young, educated, and socially mobile men (like Saul himself), the Pharisees believed the traditional Jewish faith was in crisis due to decades of foreign (mostly Greek and Roman) influence. The issue seemed particularly serious in Judea, the religion's heartland centered on Jerusalem, where High Priests and Jewish nobles seemed to openly embrace or collaborate with pagan Roman rulers. While condemning the priestly class, the Pharisees held the Holy Temple itself in extreme reverence. Perceived Christian disrespect of the sacred site, exemplified by Stephen's tirade, drove much of their persecution by devout Pharisees in Jerusalem and elsewhere.

SHORTLY after overseeing Stephen's death around 33 AD, Saul journeyed from Jerusalem to the shimmering oasis city of Damascus. However, just outside his destination's walls, the young Pharisee claimed to receive a powerful vision that led to an instant but profound conversion to the Christian faith. He soon adopted a new name to accentuate his spiritual rebirth- Paul. After several years of reflection and preaching in the harsh desert near Damascus, Paul decided to return to Jerusalem where Peter’s group had gradually trickled back. As a new covert, the opportunity to meet actual companions of Christ likely seemed irresistible to him. Yet, he arrived not merely to subordinate himself to the Jerusalem Church leaders (at this point Peter and James held almost co-leadership) but to present a bold new vision for the faith. Almost solely amongst his peers, Paul believed firmly both in bringing the message of Christ to Gentiles (non-Jews) on a large scale and allowing these former pagans to hold leadership positions. He further asserted that since his mission enjoyed divine approval, he did not require permission or oversight from the apostles in Jerusalem.

PAUL's proposals clashed somewhat with the apostles’ previous methods. The former pharisee's attitude toward Gentiles particularly raised eyebrows. Since Jesus' ministry, Christianity had remained an almost entirely Jewish movement. Nearly all believers originated from the Jewish community and still abided by Mosaic laws even after they became followers of Christ. Specifically, the Early Christians (especially around Jerusalem) continued to worship at the Holy Temple, abide by Jewish dietary restrictions, and revere the Sabbath. Gentile converts (and very few came forth at first) needed to adopt these traditional Jewish customs as part of joining the faith. However, Paul maintained that the new covenant established by Jesus made some elements of conventional Judaism optional. This flexible position made Christianity appealing to a much broader demographic, proven by Paul's successful establishment of several mostly Gentile churches during his early Damascus ministry.

DESPITE these philosophical differences, the Jerusalem Church leaders did not oppose Paul's efforts. One major reason may be that despite his slightly unorthodox beliefs and occasionally off-putting personality, he possessed an incredible talent for recruitment. Before Paul, the original Apostles struggled to spread the Christian message outside Judea. Some believers resided around nearby Damascus (where Paul's conversion took place), and at some point, Peter personally established a prosperous church in the heavily Jewish city of Antioch. However, Paul's remarkable ministry exceeded these efforts tenfold. From roughly 45 A.D. to 57 A.D., he went on three whirlwind missionary journeys across the breadth of Rome's Empire. Starting in his former homeland (roughly the southern half of modern-day Turkey), Paul eventually pushed west toward Greece, Italy, and (possibly) Spain. He often evangelized with companions, especially two Hellenized Jew converts named Barnabas and Titus. With this effective team, Paul established numerous churches, many of which survived for centuries.

NEVERTHELESS, being largely Gentile and all recent converts, these new believers required a high degree of oversight. Therefore, even after his missionary journeys concluded, Paul constantly provided admonishments, advice, and arbitration to the young churches. His surviving letters to these communities, known as the Epistles, are not only the earliest writings found in the Biblical New Testament but form a remarkably large basis for Chrisitan belief on lifestyle matters compared to the (later written) Gospels. In addition to the outward success of his ministry, Paul achieved a personal victory during the Council of Jerusalem in 49 A.D. In this incredible meeting, the Jerusalem Church (still headed by Peter and James) acknowledged Paul's assertion that being a Christian didn't necessarily mean adopting all Jewish traditions. At this same time, Peter and James also officially confirmed Paul's role as the primary missionary to Gentiles. Flushed with triumph, Paul traveled to Antioch, where the most prominent Christian community outside Judea existed. Yet, at this point, perhaps too high on his achievements, the ex-Pharisee overstepped. Peter followed Paul to Antioch in a show of unity. But soon after their arrival the two men quickly fell into a vicious public argument over Peter’s hesitation to eat with Gentile converts. Lambasting the Jerusalem church leader as a hypocrite for claiming to abide by Jewish customs but allegedly flaunting them in other cases, Paul opened a personal rift between Christianity's two foremost leaders that did not heal during their lifetimes. The incident also got Paul promptly shunned from Antioch, a church community founded by and loyal to Peter.

UNDETERRED by this setback, Paul continued his missionary work for another eight years until disturbing rumors started to emerge from Jerusalem. Since he and Peter remained on poor terms, James delivered the bad news: another persecution appeared imminent. Paul’s claims of a new covenant overriding Mosaic Law provoked blasphemy accusations from both conservative Jewish commoners and (more dangerously) Jerusalem's high religious court, the Sanhedrin. Acting with characteristic craftiness, Paul decided to quiet his critics by participating in a purification ritual at Jerusalem's Holy Temple. However, his controversial presence soon created a mob, and after being identified as the source of the disturbance, Paul was arrested by nearby Roman authorities.  In truth, Imperial officials cared little about inter-Jewish debates regarding Mosaic Law. Still, Judea’s delicate political climate required the rapid disposal of anything or anyone that might set it alight. Thankfully, Paul's Roman citizenship protected him from the summary execution suffered by Stephen and Jesus. Instead, a trial with Imperial authorities present needed to take place. Unfortunately, the wheels of justice turned slowly in the Empire, particularly with politically sensitive cases such as Paul's. Therefore, he remained under house arrest for several years in the glistening port city of Caesarea, a stone's throw away from the residence of Judea's Roman governor, Antonius Felix. Ever focused on his ministry, Paul continued to correspond with young churches during this period of incarceration. Eventually, Governor Felix's successor, Porcius Festus, resolved to send the pesky preacher back to Jerusalem for trial. However, Paul, who knew his powerful enemies still lurked in the Holy City, balked at this decision. Asserting the right to plead his case directly to the Emperor, Paul requested the trial move to Rome. Perhaps exasperated by the stubborn apostle's constant quibbling, Governor Festus acceded to this appeal and packed Paul off for judgment in Italy.

AFTER successfully arguing his petition, things seemed to be looking better for Paul as he set sail across the gentle Mediterranean toward Rome around 60 A.D. Yet, within just eight years, he and nearly all the early Christian leadership would be dead. The trigger for this targeted massacre occurred in Rome as Paul awaited trial. In 64 A.D., a massive fire devasted the Empire's capital city, killing thousands and remaining uncontrolled for three days. Emperor Nero, already deeply unpopular for his debaucherous lifestyle and erratic policies, knew he needed a scapegoat to avoid public criticism for the disaster. Christians, a small, powerless group intensely disliked by both Romans and mainstream Jews, seemed the easiest culprits on which to pin blame. Nero's cynical declaration that Rome's Great Fire was an act of arson committed by Christians nearly destroyed the young religion. In the whirlwind of persecution that followed, both Paul and Peter died. At the same time in Jerusalem, a mob whipped up by Temple priests brutally beat and stoned Peter's co-leader, James, to death. Many lower-ranking Christians also fell during the bloodshed, while others fled to the countryside or otherwise made themselves scarce. Indeed, the entire faith appeared on its last embers- until an even bigger flame erupted in the Holy Land.

IN 66 A.D., simmering tensions between Romans and their subjects in Judea exploded into unprecedented violence. Jewish residents of Jerusalem, upset at excessive Roman taxation, began to resist paying Imperial revenue collectors. In reaction, the Judean governor tried to appropriate gold from the Holy Temple's treasury and arrested several Temple priests when they protested. This extreme affront to the sanctity of the Temple and its caretakers instantly provoked a wave of anti-Roman violence across the city. A Jewish mob quickly overwhelmed Jerusalem's Imperial garrison- so damaging it that the survivors retreated completely entirely out of Judea. Flushed with triumph, the rebels then ambushed and slaughtered 6,000 Roman reinforcements dispatched from Syria. At this point, the Empire began to pull itself together. Mobilizing forces from across the Mediterranean, a massive Roman expeditionary force arrived in April 67 A.D. under the brutally effective general Vespasian. This well-equipped army quickly mopped up the brave but disorganized Jewish rebels until only two strongholds remained: the mountaintop fortress of Masada and Jerusalem itself. Both cities soon found themselves under siege by Vespasian's rapidly advancing legions. Jerusalem fell in 70 A.D., resulting in both a horrific slaughter of several thousand civilians and the Holy Temple's near-total destruction. Masada's conquest came three years later, but in this case, the Jewish rebels committed mass suicide rather than die under Roman swords. After this last bloody drama, the Romans declared Judea once more at peace.

BY 73 A.D., Christians across the Empire lay at a crossroads. The faith's three key leaders (Peter, Paul, and James) had all met violent ends in the last decade due to state persecutions, and their subsequent replacements lacked the same level of influence. Judea's rebellion drove the influential Jerusalem church from its home city into exile for many years, detaching Christians from their faith's most important location. Finally, as still mostly Jewish in their outlook, the Holy Temple's destruction mortified many followers of Christ, who saw the unthinkable act as a sign of the apocalypse and Jesus' imminent return.

YET, amidst this gloomy picture, some hopeful rays of light emerged. After Emperor Nero's death in 68 A.D., state-sanctioned persecutions significantly lessened to the point where Christian missionaries across the Empire felt safe to evangelize again openly. Additionally, many churches (especially eastern Mediterranean congregations like Antioch and Ephesus) continued to rapidly expand membership. These churches even converted several upper-class Gentiles whose wealth and political connections, for the first time, gave believers a degree of institutional protection. However, this new generation of Christians needed an official record of Jesus' ministry since by the late 60s A.D., few original apostles/disciplines remained alive to describe Christ's earthly mission orally. Thus emerged, out of simple necessity, the most important Christian works ever written: The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Their impact soon took the fledgling faith in a radically new direction.

Continued in Part 2….