An Analysis Of Paul's Persecution Of Christians

Christianity has a vast influence on individuals, society and the way christians go about their everyday life. By providing ethics, morals and practices, christian are guided everyday through their lives. The impact and effect of Paul of Tarsus is represented through his contribution towards theology and sacred texts which has led him to being referred to as the founder of Christianity, and the most significant figure in Christianity after Jesus Christ.

The Pauline epistles are the fourteen books in the New Testament traditionally attributed to Paul the Apostle. There is wide consensus in modern New Testament scholarship on a core group of authentic Pauline epistles whose authorship is rarely contested: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon. The several other letters allegedly written by Paul lack academic consensus: Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, and Titus. However, both the real and the fake apostle Paul are of great importance to Christianity and played a major role in spreading this new religion. Paul's influence on Christian thinking arguably has been more significant than any other New Testament author. Paul declared that "Christ is the end of the law", exalted the Christian church as the body of Christ, and depicted the world outside the Church as under judgment. It has been said that if it were not for Paul, Christianity would have remained a small unknown branch of Judaism. Paul was the leading missionary to the

Paul was the most effective missionary of the early church. A missionary is a person sent on a religious mission, especially one sent to promote Christianity in a foreign country. The Damascus road experience was both a conversion and a call to advance the life of the new movement. Paul preached the gospel of Christ, beginning at Jerusalem and continuing his journey to Rome. He preached is local synagogues, city markets, outdoor arenas, private homes and public halls.

Paul's life has a great impact on all Christianity after him through his letters, and if I can state, he was like a prophet for gentiles, bringing the Jesus the Messiah to them. Paul's passion for Jesus that happened after he met him on the way to Damascus, made him having a strong assurance that the message of the Jesus is true and is offered for everyone. His calling was to be spread the good news of salvation through Jesus, the Messiah first to the Jews then to gentiles. In Acts, 13-28 are recorded three of Paul's trips, started to the Antioch and concluded with the trip to Rome called to stand for his trial. Due to his faith-based on the life, death and resurrections of Jesus Christ, he experienced much suffering and persecution. His

Christianity over the course of history has a vast influence on individuals, society and the way believers conduct themselves. It provides morals, practices and ethics that every Christian attempts to live by. Throughout the many denominations in the Christian church, Paul of Tarsus had a significant influence on the faith. His contribution to the development and expression of Christianity is immense and can be seen to stem from his writing and missionary journeys which have implemented his ideas and interpretations onto the development of Christianity. After Jesus, Paul was arguably the most significant figure in Christianity as his teachings form a significant part of the New Testament. Like may other Pharisees of that time in history, Paul sought to suppress the early Christian movement. He accused early Christians of blaspheming against God and breaking Mosaic Law. However, Paul had a life-changing experience when he had a vision of Jesus, and he spent the remainder of his life as a missionary for the early church. Centuries after his ministry, his teachings still influence Christian theology.

Jesus is the center of Christianity, but without Paul, Christianity would never exist. Paul organized Jesus’s disciples after Jesus’s death. Paul introduced Christianity to Non-Jewish people. He was extremely talented at converting others. The New Testament is largely based off Paul’s teachings. Paul also shaped the way Christianity thinks, he was the man who took a small cult and shaped it so that it would become a world religion; Paul was the most important figure to the growth of Christianity, even more than Jesus of Nazareth.

In the first three centuries of the early Christian church. The church was being martyred and treated badly by the Roman population. There were many reasons that the Romans persecuted Christians. Although many people thought the reason was because the Christians refused to worship the Roman gods or take part in the sacrifices. But, that was only part the reason that the Romans actually persecuted Christians. The Romans just hated the Christians in general because of their teachings of the Lord.

As modern Christians are repulsed by slavery, it is interesting to see this letter written about just that, because of Onesimus’ background. Paul had to persuade someone Philemon to accept Onesimus back. The major contribution Paul took was converting Onesimus to the Christian religion, knowing that Onesimus would not have a change singularly as a slave.

Paul Reveals His credentials to the Romans. Paul is very personal on which he speaks to. Also, reveals that God's Wrath on his people. He gave people to indulge in their sins. Chapter two paul reveals God's judgment. However Paul the show there is hope because the Jews have opportunity. But Paul criticizes the Jews because only follow the law also they follow the law but they don't teach they don't apply their law. In chapter 3 Paul reveals the beneficial of being a Jew and he also declares that no one is righteous under the jurisdiction of the heavenly father. Paul also reveals that the laws apart from the righteousness and only can be just as justified by his grace is a gift Universe 24th and you can only redeem through the price that Shone

The Apostle Paul preached the Gospel of Christ to Palestine, Asia Minor, Greece, and Rome. At first the church wasn’t welcome in Rome. The monotheism of the Christian church conflicted with the polytheism of Rome. The Romans believed that everything was inhabited by divinity. But, as they conquered more people, they began to adapt their beliefs. The Roman emperors persecuted Christians. In 313, Emperor Constantine proclaimed the edict of Milan. This made Christianity a legal religion of Rome. This also gave the Christian clergy legal privileges. Constantine had tried to make the best use of Christianity that had spread throughout the entire region of Rome. Because he thought that Christianity could solidify his empire. By approving Christianity

Paul was not fighting against the Law of Moses – he knew the law, and that obeying the commandments would lead to happiness. But he also knew that Christ had come to fulfil the law as messiah, and to reconcile the world to himself (2 Corinthians 5:19). He did not interpose rejection of the law, but was polemical of Jewish Christians excluding Gentiles on grounds such as circumcision. As he was later to say of the event, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)

“Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters… Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven” (Colossians 3:22, 25 ESV). In Philemon it says that Paul sent Onesimus, an escaped slave, back to his master Philemon, “no longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother” (Philemon 16 ESV). Matthew 7:12 (ESV) says, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Although these verses say clearly that slaves should not insurrect, it is also clear, especially in the last two verses, that slavery is bad and should not be part of society.

People studying Paul 's epistles know that to understand them, they must first put them in their proper context. We like to state that Paul’s epistles were “occasional” writings. This simply means, they were occasioned by their context. This can relate to the current situation that is also important for understanding the perspective that Olson portrays in his book. Olson is an Arminian theologian and church history scholar who is aware of the climate of evangelicalism. Olson has also become aware of Calvinists who would like to see him removed from his position as professor and theologian based on the fact that he is not a Calvinist. He identifies these Calvinists as those who have been called the, "young, restless, and Reformed." And Olson

For Christians, the persecution of the early church is generally accepted as fact. So much so that we rarely seem to consider the possibility that this is not the case. The martyrdom of saints for their faith is taken for granted as historically accurate. Furthermore, we admire them, looking up to the strength of their faith during the most challenging of times. But are we believing in a false history? Are we taking the truth of Christian persecution for granted when it is, in fact, not true at all? And, finally, are we placing too much significance on early Christian martyrs, thinking that they demonstrate far more than they are able? According to Candida Moss, the answer to all three of these questions is, yes. In her book, The Myth of Persecution, she argues that the church has significantly overemphasized the extent to which early Christians were martyred. She also claims that Christians expect a good deal more from what Christian martyrdom establishes than we can actually gain.

The Roman era was time of great strength and peace among people, a time of new architecture and new cities, and a time with the emergence of a new religion and beliefs that brought scrutiny. In the early empire, the Roman empire had reached its fame and geographical empire had expanded greatly, it brought forth new construction, and provided newfound entertainment as well as religion to the people. Throughout this paper, I will address the events of Paul, The Sermon on the Mount, and the Roman arch during the time of the Romans and Early Christianity along with their effect on the time period which they occurred and on our world day.