Assessment 3 Short Essay 1000 words
What were the key social and cultural factors that enabled the Gospel to spread so quickly through the Roman Empire? Using primary and secondary sources, discuss with particular reference to Paul’s writings and the Book of Acts.
Paul more than anyone was responsible for the spread of the Jesus movement into the Gentile world. By the end of the first century Christianity had become an important religious force. Paul while respectful of its Jewish origins moved the Christian faith into a position where it was no longer bound by Jewish law and was able to embrace people of any cultural background. After his own conversion, Paul passionately espoused his message from the Palestinian world through Asia Minor and southern Europe to Rome, the heart of the empire. Some of his letters by Paul to fledgling churches throughout the Roman Empire are contained in the New Testament and outline Paul 's theology. He insisted that Gentiles had as much access to the faith as Jews and that freedom from the Law set everyone free. It was this teaching which was essential for the development and success of the early church which would otherwise have remained another Jewish sect.
The culture of Paul’s time was Greco-Roman. In the fourth century BC Alexander the Great dominated the Near Eastern world and was a strong devotee of Greek culture. He brought the Greek language to the Eastern world, a tongue that became the Lingua franca of early Christianity with
According to a study by Brown, the apostle Paul was likely born in approximately 5 to 10 AD which was during the reign of the emperor Augustus . Paul was a melting pot of several different cultures. At the time, the Hellenistic movement was sweeping the Roman empire; thus the Greek and Roman cultures both had their influences on citizens. So, too, Paul’s parents were of Jewish descent; while he was young, they sent him to Jerusalem to study under a Pharisaic instructor . The intermingling of a multiplicity of cultures renders Paul a very diverse teacher.
Paul’s distinctive contribution to Christianity is his heresy- the doctrine of salvation by faith. A salvation available not just to the descendants of Abraham, but to the pagan, non-Jewish world as well. When he was writing to those in the Roman capital, Paul makes the declaration that proved to be the cornerstone of all his writings Romans 1:16-17, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, ‘The one who is righteous will live
After the crucifixion of Jesus in AD 29, his followers kept spreading his message. During this time, the Pax Romana made traveling untroubling with the safer roads, and spreading ideas by common languages, Latin and Greek. One man who had an immense impact on spreading Christianity is the apostle Paul. Originally opposed to Christianity, Paul had a vision of Christ, and spent the rest of his life spreading and interpreting the teachings of Jesus. Christianity spread throughout the empire not only because of the work of Paul and the other apostles, but also because of how receptive people were to
It was very likely that Paul wrote his letter to the Romans around 55-56 C.E. while he was on his third missionary journey. It is also believed that he was in the city of Corinth when he wrote it. Paul was writing to the church in Rome, which at the time the members were predominately Jewish. At the time there were approximately 50,000 Jews living in Rome. They either worked as slaves or had once worked as slaves, but gained their freedom. During this time, the Jews were given special protection from the Roman government, because they did not have to partake in pagan religious festivals or worship the Roman emperors. Unfortunately, in the late 40’s the emperor, Claudius, expelled a large number of the Jewish people because of a disturbance over a man named “Chrestus.” Therefore, the church in Rome likely became highly Gentile (Winn). In the event of these actions by the emperor the leadership of the Roman church became mostly Gentile.
This was due to the fact that he called himself, “The Son of God”. Just before Jesus was condemned to death, he commanded his to disciples to continue spreading his teachings. At first they only preached in Jewish communities throughout the Roman world, but Paul played the most influential role in spreading Christianity throughout the world. He set out on missionaries on the road to spread Christianity worldwide. He traveled through the Mediterranean and set up churches in Asia Minor and Greece. He proclaimed that those who believed that Jesus was the son of God and followed his teaching would obtain eternal
The conversation of Paul to Christianity had a big impact on the Romans. Paul’s missions into Roman spread the hope of Jesus Christ among the Roman people. The Bible tells us that while Paul was imprisoned in Rome, he shared the Gospel with the prison
The earliest recorded text teaching Christianity has its roots buried deep within Judaism. The birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as the Messiah, created a new ideology of worship. The Messiah is the savior for all people and of all sins. Paul carried the message of the Messiah to the Gentiles. His missionary journeys and establishment of churches enabled the spreading of the message throughout the Roman Empire. Christianity grew in acceptance; those that believed in the Messiah separated and began to worship on their own. This marked the beginning of the split of Judaism and Christianity.
Saint Paul, originally named Saul, was a crucial part in the development of Christianity. Paul, who was born in Tarsus, Cilicia, grew up Jewish and was trained as a rabbi (Adcock). Paul eventually converted to Christianity, but before he did, the future of the religion was looking very slim. Rome had made it illegal to practice Christianity. Paul was a pious Jew, so his conversion to Christianity surprised many of his followers. They viewed him with much suspicion and treated him with hostility. Paul was dedicated to his new life and made it his mission to spread Christianity throughout the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire and eventually to Rome itself. Paul made two separate journeys throughout the Mediterranean. He preached about the message of Jesus to many and sent his letters to the people he had not visited. Paul saw that his new faith had a message for everything and everyone. By converting to Christianity, St. Paul has saved Christianity from extinction, has written crucial letters about his faith, has preached to hundreds of people, has spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire, has caused
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.
As Christianity was spread throughout Rome, people began to question the teachings of Jesus. Out of fear, officials arrested and killed a multitude of Christians as a result. The everyday plebeian became impressed with these people dying for a belief. Although persecutions became more common, the number of Christians stayed the same and maybe even grew because of the influx of polytheistic Romans converting to the monotheistic religion of Christianity. People were converting quicker than they were being killed off because of the likeable teachings of love, the bravery of these people dying because of what they believed in, and their appealing message to those not in the affluent classes.
The Book of Romans was written around 57-58 A.D. Paul was writing to the Church in Rome from Corinth. It had long been his desire to go to Rome to
They movement of Christianity blossom when Herod the Great I, was killed by a disease from the same angel of Peter (Gundry, 2012). The gentile, the church, and the people were at stake, too; they will not here the Good news. The Jews and Gentiles what Paul promise to them through Christ, which was salvation. The result, unbelieving Jews come to regard Paul as a poacher who seduces Gentile form Judaism to Christianity by offering the salvation on easier terms than observance of the Mosaic Law (Gundry, 2012). If the anti-Gentile had won they would not know about Christ, thus denying the good news is denying Jesus. It would create more hostility among the Jew, the Gentiles the church. They would be missing there answer from Paul and
St. Paul was able to attract a lot of Gentiles (non-Jews) with the way he spoke and the message he spread. These trips not only allowed St.Paul to orally spread God's message, but also allowed him to practice what he preached. Furthermore, one of St.Paul's most famous works is his Letters or Epistles. Because Christianity was still a developing religion at the time, many people had questions and so St.Paul would answer those questions in letters-much like this one. He wrote letters to a wide range of communities and covered a wide range of topics such as faith, wisdom, evangelism and unity. For example, in a letter to the Colossians he teaches about virtues saying: “Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of mercy, kindness...and patience” (New Catholic Edition Bible, Colossians.3.12). Through these letters, St.Paul was able to reveal God's truth to us. The Holy Spirit guided him as St.Paul shares: “ And my speech and my preaching were not in the persuasive words of wisdom but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power“ (New Catholic Edition Bible, 1 Corinthians.2.4) . St.Paul has revealed God to all of us through his preachings, actions and
Paul visited Ephesus on his first missionary journey, on the way from Greece to Syria. After his third missionary journey, he stayed there and pastored the Ephesian church for 3 years (Easton, np). “Though Paul was not the first to bring Christianity to Ephesus, for Jews had long lived there, he was the first to make progress against the worship of Diana” (Orr, np). Because of his strong ties to the church, Paul cared deeply about the faith of the believers there (Macarthur, np).
For some background information on Paul. His original name was Sual in Hebrews announced in the new testaments. He was yoked to a rabbi so he can become a rabbi him self. Paul converted to christianity when he saw the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the road of Damascus. During his life he created three big ministries to travel through the Roman Empire, and he did this because he was planting churches. His goal was to preach to the new Christians the word of God, and to give encouragement. Paul started his mission because the Lord asked of him to do so, and so the Lord provided him with wisdom and strength to for fill his journey.