Historical Background:
![Picture](/uploads/3/9/0/8/39085261/5293416_orig.jpg)
The first preaching of the Christian message is called The Birthday of the Church. The early Christian message was not complicated, God is working in a special way. Jesus was the expected Messiah, God’s ambassador. These are the “final days” before God’s judgment and the coming of a new world.
The early Christian group that remained in Jerusalem seemed to be entirely Jewish and was lead by James, the real brother of Jesus. The Jewish-Christian church lead by Jesus relatives was a strong influence for the first forty years. The Jewish-Christian church was weakened by the destruction of the temple in 70CE, and it disappeared over the next 100 years.
The non-Jewish Greek-speaking branch of Christianity, lead by Paul began to spread the word throughout the Roman Empire. Paul’s preaching was energetic and his powerful letters spread his belief in Jesus far beyond the limits of Israel. The Book of Acts says that when Paul was out traveling on the road to spread the word of Jesus, he asked Paul “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Molloy page 344). After several years of studying in seclusion Paul came to the conclusion that Jesus’s life and death were the major events of a divine plan, and that Jesus was a cosmic figure who entered the world in order to renew it. Paul’s conclusion played a prominent role in shaping Christianity, on the meaning of Jesus, on morality, and on Christian practice became the norm. Paul saw Jesus not only as teacher, prophet, and Messiah, but also as a manifestation of divinity. Jesus was sent into the world to begin a process of cosmic reunion between God and his human creation.
The early Christian group that remained in Jerusalem seemed to be entirely Jewish and was lead by James, the real brother of Jesus. The Jewish-Christian church lead by Jesus relatives was a strong influence for the first forty years. The Jewish-Christian church was weakened by the destruction of the temple in 70CE, and it disappeared over the next 100 years.
The non-Jewish Greek-speaking branch of Christianity, lead by Paul began to spread the word throughout the Roman Empire. Paul’s preaching was energetic and his powerful letters spread his belief in Jesus far beyond the limits of Israel. The Book of Acts says that when Paul was out traveling on the road to spread the word of Jesus, he asked Paul “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Molloy page 344). After several years of studying in seclusion Paul came to the conclusion that Jesus’s life and death were the major events of a divine plan, and that Jesus was a cosmic figure who entered the world in order to renew it. Paul’s conclusion played a prominent role in shaping Christianity, on the meaning of Jesus, on morality, and on Christian practice became the norm. Paul saw Jesus not only as teacher, prophet, and Messiah, but also as a manifestation of divinity. Jesus was sent into the world to begin a process of cosmic reunion between God and his human creation.