The Early Christian Church

In the early Church, martyrdom was considered a "baptism in blood," similar in itself to the baptism in water. The baptism of martyrdom was at the origin of the conversion of many. To be a true disciple is to die as a martyr. The rationale of costly discipleship is witnessing to non-Christians. This shows that martyrdom can communicate much more deeply than any other discourse. It is difficult to evaluate the intensity and scale of persecution against Christians of the first three centuries; nevertheless what we have are some documents that shed light on the frequency of these afflictions. During the first century, there were occasional persecutions under Nero’s reign, especially the fire of Rome in 64 CE, which Christians were accused of having

The process by which Scripture has been preserved and compiled is one whose history is worth noting. The early church had many opportunities to share the Good News of Christ via word of mouth, but from the time of Christ’s resurrection until the mid-second century, there had not been a single culmination of writings considered to be essential for the purposes of

During the persecutions, churches and scripture were destroyed. Many were killed and tortured. Despite this, many remained brave and unafraid according to accounts. The idea of redemption and a magnificent afterlife led many Christians to almost fervently pursue martyrdom. These martyrs were glorified, and miracles were reported to have occurred in their presence. They refused to reject Christ and, in turn, were subjected to torture and humiliation. Eusebius describes the proceedings during the Great Persecution: “…the rules in question brought a certain man into a public place and commanded him to sacrifice. When he refused,

They were often looked down upon because Christian believe that the Jews were responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. With so many people suffering, they just wanted someone to blame and the Jews were an easy target. Explain persecution

Imperial persecution became wholesale throughout the Empire. Initially the Jewish community was the instigators of this persecution of Christians. The book of Acts outlines several incidents involving such persecution. During the decade of 60 A.D., periods of Roman persecution occurred, however this persecution was sporadic. For example, Nero was ruler of the Roman Empire, under his reign Rome was set on fire and burnt to the ground. Christians became the scapegoat for this cowardly act. Tasitus wrote that perhaps Nero himself started the blaze, as an excuse to persecute the Christians. Nero’s acts of persecution were contained within the confines of Rome.

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.

Paul was a persecutor of Christians before becoming a strong follower, and even a leader, himself. Through the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 6:13), we know that he was present among a group of Jews who had killed a Christian leader named Stephen. It is explained that Stephen was speaking out against the Temple and Jewish Law (Acts 8:3). Paul continues this persecution of Christians as it is apparent in Act 8:3 that he would harass followers of Jesus by breaking into their homes and sending them off to prison. Our textbook says that Paul went as far as writing a letter to the high priest of the Jerusalem Temple to grant him the authority to arrest individuals in Damascus that “belong to the Way” (Acts 9:1-2). Paul was only protecting the faith that he was raised in, studied, and lived by. He was very faithful to his Jewish

Christians were persecuted in the early centuries after Christ. When we hear about the persecution of Christians, you hear about genocide or Christians being dragged out of their homes to be eaten by wild animals. Christians were seen as traitors and were also blamed for the cause of every public disaster. Around 115 C.E, there was an emperor named Trajan. Trajan stated that if Christians refused to make sacrifices to the Roman gods then they would be punished by death. On page 88 it also stated, “...Christians would not go along with the sacrifices necessary for the good of the empire, and so were traitors of the empire.” Another known emperor was Nero. Emperor Nero was also involved in the persecution of Christians. Nero had caused a great

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. These realities do not consider the enormous social differences are often existing in non-Jewish congregations. A person who sold goods only the wealthy bought and a Roman jailer in the same church (Acts 16:14-40)? A "dirt poor" person and the owner of an expensive home in the same church (James 2:1-4)? A slave and his or her owner in the same church--meeting in the owner 's home (Philemon)? A Jewish convert who refused to eat anything sacrificed to an idol and a pagan convert who ate anything in the same church (Galatians 2:11-14)? All those situations existed in the first century! The concepts that this course show me was when the church assembled in the first century, some spoke in tongues, some interpreted those tongues, some prophesied, some introduced a new song, some received a revelation and some performed miracles. To them, those experiences were typical events. That is my under from my studies that It is doubtful first century

Romans was written around 57 A.D. In those days the emperor was Nero. And Nero was a man who was considered to have no morals. It is speculated that Paul and Peter were both martyred during Nero’s reign. During that time the early church was growing at a very fast rate, but was also being persecuted at an all-time high. This put the early church in a very bad position, they would have to have their gatherings in secret to hide from the Romans who persecuted them. You would think this would intimidate the

Because of the persecuted Christian's ability to live out their faith, even the persecutors can end up being saved. Kaltenbach mentions how the Apostle Paul was invited in by the early church even though he was known to persecute Christians. They were cautious, but the Spirit of God commanded

A few of the most common problems Christians encountered were various forms of mistreatment. According to the Acts account, Paul was continuously moving about cities to flee from plots of harm. In Acts 14:5-6, both Jews and Gentiles connived a plan to stone Paul and Barnabas,

Over the past years of my life I have seen many changes, some for the good and others not as good. Change can be demanding and also crucial. The early believers would encounter this. One can see that significant change happened, when reading through the gospels and the book of acts it is obvious to the reader that the believers who followed Jesus would never be the same again.

This is what we read in Acts 6:10 when Stephen was confronted in the Temple by various antagonistic groups: “But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.” When angry mob began to stone Stephen, he prayed: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (Acts 7:60). An attitude of gentleness combined with constant awareness of God’s sovereignty should characterize the Christian response to hostile

People who are willing to sacrifice everything, including their lives, for the sake of spreading the gospel throughout the world are given the name Jesus Freaks. Many Christians are abused and harassed by officials or mobs who attempt to force Christians to renounce their faith. In Chiapas, Mexico, a Christian family was attacked by a mob; killing Pedro, his wife and his son. Six of the other children were left seriously wounded. (“Christian”). There are many more cases such as these occurring even now. The list of Christian persecution is endless; several people suffer much more due to their faith. These Jesus Freaks are continuously victimized and attacked, yet their love for Jesus Christ gives