Early Church and Its Development

The first Church is founded by Christ

33

Jesus tells his apostles that he will build the first Church, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”.

Crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus

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After Jesus is betrayed by Judas, he is crucified by the Romans. Three days later, people witness as Jesus rises up from the dead, ascending to Heaven.

Paul converts himself

35

On his way to Damascus, Paul saw Jesus Christ, who was now resurrected, and in that moment, Paul converted himself to christianity and became a missionary in Damascus and other places, spreading the word of God.

Epistle of James is the first New Testament book written

45

It is estimated that between the years of 45 to 50 AD, James wrote the first book of the New Testament, the Epistle of James.

Barnabas and Paul go on their first missionary trip

46

Guided by the Holy Spirit, Barnabas and Paul were sent to spread the word of God by doing missionary work on multiple regions. They made their way to Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. As they went on, they proclaimed God's message to all, strengthening the Churches all around.

The Council of Jerusalem

49

The Council of Jerusalem was issued when the followers of Christ came together to debate what aspects of the Old Testament Laws did Christians needed to follow. They debated whether the Gentile Christians should follow the Mosaic Law of the Jews and be circumcised, or if that was not necessary. In the end, they decided that Gentile Christians were not obligated to follow the Mosaic Laws.

Thomas goes to India to spread the Gospel

52

Thomas, one of Jesus' disciples, starts going around for his missionary work, and ends up spreading the gospel in India. There he built seven and a half churches, named Kodungallur, Kollam, Niranam, Nilackal, Kottakkavu, Kokkamangalam, Palayur and Thiruvamcodu.

Gospel of Mark is the first Gospel written

62

The gospel of Mark was written to prove that Jesus was indeed the son of God. In the gospel, it is stressed how much strength and determination Jesus needed to have to overcome the evil around and the oppressing power of Rome.

Great fire of Rome

64

When the Great Fire of Rome occurred, the emperor at the time, Nero, blamed the christians for it, which was a lie. This action initiated the first persecution towards christians. Under this persecution, Paul and Peter would be martyred.

Destruction of the temple in Jerusalem

70

During a revolt led by the jews, the romans invaded Jerusalem, where the jewish people were staying, and set fire and destruction towards their temple and the whole city.

Widespread persecution of Christians under Emperor Domitian

95

When emperor Domitian rose to power, the Jews and Christians suffered heavy persecuting under his command. He demanded divine worship from his people, and neither Jews nor Christians abide to it.

John dies

98

John was the last living apostle of Jesus Christ. While it is unknown how he died, it is known that it was not because of martyrdom. He was believed to have cared for Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Gospel spreads outside of the Roman Empire

101

With time, the work of the apostles started to bear fruit, and the gospel began to spread more and more, going beyond the Roman borders. With it, many Christian communities started to be stablished outside of the empire, as more people converted to Christianity in areas such as Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, and the eastern Mediterranean.

Justin Martyr writes his First Apology

150

Justin Martyr wrote First Apology to the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius. The reason behind writing it was to argue against the injustice persecution of Christians solely because of their religion. Amongst other things, Justin also explained Christian practices and their philosophy.

Clement of Alexandria writes three major theological works

195

As Christianity began to spread beyond the borders of the Roman Empire, reaching areas such as Alexandria, a man named Clement, a theologian and philosopher, wrote three major theological works on Christianity. He was an intellectual leader in his Christian community, and constantly debated over the theological meaning and works on the Bible. He is also known for his attempts to unite Greek philosophy with Christian teachings.

Rise of the Christian schools at Alexandria and Antioch

215

With the spread of the gospel and the growth of Christian communities outside of the Roman Empire, Christian schools started to rise in Alexandria and Antioch. Those and Alexandria usually believed in a more figural meaning of the teachings, while those in Antioch saw the Bible as more literal.

Paul of Samosata serves as Bishop of Antioch

260

Paul of Samosata was a Bishop in Antioch, who was known for his heretical beliefs. For him, Jesus was just a normal man who was born from Mary, and who heard the words and teachings of God. Jesus, for him, was a man made divine, and not God made man. In the end, his doctrine was condemned in church councils, and so he was deposed.

Christian persecution under Diocletian

284

Emperor Diocletian, just like the other Roman emperors, held a dislike for Christians. While some Roman emperors just disliked Christians but let them be, others, like Diocletian, disliked to such degree that persecutions occurred. From 284 to 305, Christians were persecuted under his power, known as the Great Persecution. Around 3000 to 3500 Christian were executed under that time frame.

The conversion of Constantine.

313

The conversion of the Emperor Constantine was a pivotal moment in history, as it finally ended the long persecuting that Christians had suffered ever since the birth of their religion and adopted Christianity as the official religion in Rome under the Edict of Milan. Under Constantine, Rome was now a place where Christians were no longer hated, but very much accepted.

The Nicene Creed and the First Council of Nicaea

325

In the Council of Nicaea, the issue at hand was how to summarize the Christian faith, what was exactly that they all believed in. This Council was brought by the Emperor Constantine, who had now converted to the religion and wanted to understand what christianity was in its core, so the people of Rome could understand the religion and convert to it. In the council of Nicaea, the Nicene Creed was Brough forth, in it the Holy Trinity exists, with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, all God.

Ambrose serves as Bishop of Milan

374

Ambrose of Milan was the bishop from 374 to 397, and after his death, he was venerated as Saint Ambrose. He was a very public figure, and focused a lot on promoting Christianity and criticizing Arianism and paganism. Later on, he would be the one who would convert Austin Hippo into Christianity.

Jerome publishes Latin Vulgate

382

Jerome, a priest at the time, published the Latin Vulgate, which would become the standard version of the Bible for over a thousand years. Jerome did so under the commission of Damasus, who wished for a translation of the Bible in latin that was more accurate to the texts in Greek and Hebrew.

Augustine converts to Christianity

386

Augustine of Hippo, while living in Milan, was heavily influenced by the teachings of the Bishop Ambrose, which led him to convert himself to Christianity. Augustine went on to be considered one of the most impactful theologians in the Christian faith.

Austin Hippo writes Confessions

397

After converting himself to Christianity, Augustine Hippo wrote many books, one of them was Confessions. The book talks about his life during his first years as a bishop, and reflected on the life he had and what it means to interpret the life we live. Confessions is considered one of the most influential works of Latin literature.

Leo the Great becomes the Bishop of Rome

440

Pope Leo I was the first Pope to ever have the title of "The Great". Under his power, the Church changed in a way that the Bishop of Rome, that is, the Pope, was recognized as the one who is the head of the Church. As Rome became each time more a place of fate, Pope Leo saw his role as of most importance, therefore stabilizing papal supremacy.

The Council of Chalcedon

451

The Council of Chalcedon was held to affirm the orthodox catholic doctrine, where Christ was both divine and human in nature. The council stated that Jesus was both completely human and completely divine, rejecting the idea that Jesus was one single nature and declared Jerusalem and Constantinople patriarchates. The decision took on this Council was not accepted by all christians, which led to further arguments and divisions in the Church.

Conclusion

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In conclusion, the early Church’s development continues to impact Christianity today because those were the fundamental years of the Christian religion. During it the Church was built, the faith was spread, and Christianity became the biggest religion in the world that we know today.

Conclusion part 2

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The decisions were made with the idea of God in mind, of truly understanding those teachings that Jesus had once given us, and for that also came the struggles, debating the real meaning of what it means to be a christian and what makes you heretic.

Conclusion Part 3

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The theological development of the church was based on the unity of many who believed in Christ as their God and savior, and who came together to create a Church where the people could follow God as He came back to Earth to give us the teachings first hand.

Conclusion part 4

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Even in the face of so many persecutions and scrutiny through hundreds of years, the Christian faith did not surrender, and continued to grow, spreading beyond the borders of the Roman Empire, and establishing itself as the religion we know today.

Conclusion part 5

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The early Church’s development continues to impact Christianity today because it holds in itself all that it suffered through years. Christianity teaches people about not giving up on God, and not giving up on the religion is what made Christianity still exist today.

Conclusion part 6

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It teaches us to find the truth, which was what happened during various councils that were held to further understand the religion as a whole. In conclusion, the early Church shaped the Church we have today by living by its teachings. Sorry that this was divided into 6 parts, this site only allows me to write a little bit.