The Beginning of Christianity: Jewish History at the First Century AD
Major events in Jewish history to the first century AD
1250 BC Fall of Jerusalem to the Romans.
931 BC Divided Kingdoms.
721 BC Fall of Samaria.
587 BC Fall of Jerusalem, Babylonian captivity.
333 BC Jews under Hellenistic rule.
63 BC Jews under Roman rule.
70 AD Fall of Jerusalem to the Romans.
Major events between 50 BC - 100 AD
63 BC - 40 BC Hyrcanus2 rules, but is subject to Rome.
41 BC - 30 BC Antony Caesar Roman Emperor.
40 BC - 37 BC Parathions conquer Jerusalem.
38 BC - 4 BC Herod rules as king. Subject to Rome.
37 BC Jerusalem besieged for 6 months.
32 BC Herod Defeated.
31 BC - 14 AD Caesar Augustus Roman Emperor.
19 BC Herod's Temple begun.
16 BC Herod visits Agrppa.
4 BC Herod dies; Archelaus succeeds.
37 AD - 41 AD Caliguta Roman Emperor.
41 AD - 54 AD Claudius Roman Emperor.
54 AD - 68 AD Nero Roman Emperor. The first persecutor of Christians.
66 AD Jews in Palestine tried to revolt. Were crushed by Titus.
69 AD - 79 AD Vespasia Roman Emperor. He continued the persecution.
70 AD Jewish temple destroyed. Small part of the wall left standing.
79 AD Titus Roman Emperor.
Detailed analysis of major Jewish groups of the time
Pharisees
The Pharisees were a group of Jews, that believed strongly against the adoption of Greek
ways. They wanted to uphold and protect their fragile Jewish culture, from the Greek
influence that was flooding into Israel at the time. They developed as haters of the
tradition Greek ways, because of their customs were related to idolatry and immorality.
They joined up with a group know as the Hasmoneans and proceeded to conduct a rebellion
against the Greek. After gaining religious freedom, they then separated from their new
partners, and formed the breakaway party, known today as the Pharisees (meaning 'the
separated').
They had extreme power in the synagogue, and eventually turned it into the center of the
Jewish faith. This didn't last forever, as it was finally replaced by the temple, erected
by David.
Saducees
The Sadducees (Sons of Zadok) seemed to be a group of aristocratic priestly families,
that were powerful within the High Priesthood. They held a monopoly over all the High
Priesthood positions and were also powerful in the Sanhedrin. They came across as being a
very selfish group that retained their rights and traditions, and also trying to stay on
the good side of the Roman Empire. Unlike the Pharisees, they were rigid and closed in
sect, and not open to change. When the Romans destroyed the temple, they disappeared and
were never heard from again.
Zealots
The Zealots were a group of radical extremists, that were the cause of many uprisings
throughout their history, and eventually they lead a revolt against the Romans in 66-73
AD. To stop this, the Roman Emperor destroyed the third temple, which lead to the end of
the uprising. This not only lead to their downfall, but that of the Jews when they were
crushed by Emperor Titus in 73 AD.
Qumrans/Essenes
They were an important Jewish group in the community around the time of Jesus. Although
it wasn't until 150 BC until they emerged, they lived their lives according to a strict
set of beliefs and rules. To join the group a three year probationary period was imposed
to new comers. Members were bound to keep secret the doctrines and practices. Its is
believed that John the Baptist was and Essene, and had high connections to their
community. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has shed a lot more light on the
practices of the Essenes. These discoveries have proved that some Christian qualities and
beliefs are an exact copy of that of the Qumrans/Essenes.
Samaritans
Samaritans originated from the area located between Judea and Galilee, when the Assyrian
settlers intermarried with the Jews that lived there. The population created followed all
the laws of Torah in their own special way, and considered themselves to be Jewish. The
normal Jews did not accept this, as intermarriage between Jews and Gentiles was
forbidden. Throughout the bible, it has been documented that the Samaritans and the Jews
were at each other throats, constantly.
Analysis of major philosophical ideas of the time
Platonism
Plato was an ancient Greek philosopher who taught in the period between 427 and 347 BC.
He reasoned that the senses can't be trusted, and that one must use reason and maths, to
solve problems and to guide oneself throughout life. Plato was a student of Socrates and
throughout his works, he drew from other Greek philosophies, although as time progressed,
he developed an entirely different philosophical form of thinking that became his own.
Aristotelianism
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher that was born nearly 400 year BC. During his well
documented life, he served as the tutor to Alexander the Great and also wrote many papers
on various topics such as Ethics, Physics and Metaphysics. Aristotle also developed
theories on the human soul in relation to god. He represented it as a trinity of matter,
being vegetable, animal and human in nature, and proposed a 'non-abstract theory of form,
where the initiator of all existence is acknowledged as God.
Epicureanism
Epicurus set up a school in Athens that taught ethics, based on his writings and
opinions, in the Hellenistic world. He proposed that the pursuit of happiness should be
mans greatest concern, rather than modeling his life on the pleasing of gods and of the
deeds needed to be completed for one to have a pleasurable afterlife. His philosophy was
that the pleasure seeking of mankind, would not only provide fulfilment for one's own
self, but also lead to the advancement and development of society in general.
Stoicism
Stoicism was a famous school of Hellenistic thought. Its teachings were not just
philosophical, but could be used by everyday people, in everyday life. The main goal for
the tradition was to attain happiness and liberation from emotion, through the pursuit of
knowledge and wisdom. We can draw many comparisons between the Christian faith and that
of Stoicism. We can also see the influence that the tradition had on many of the late
Christian theologians.
Mystery Cults/Religions
The mystery cults originated from many places in the first century AD. They developed to
replace the Olympic pantheons that were becoming implausible and unsatisfying. The
followers of these cults worshiped a variety of gods or philosophies, each with their own
set of obscure rules and rituals. Secrecy played a great part in these cults (hence the
name 'mystery religions') as one could incur the death sentence by revealing the
mysteries through speech, dance, pantomime, or any other form of communication. Although
one can debate the point of having these religions, it does prove that the human soul
requires some form of religious worship, mainstream or otherwise.
Gnosticism
The Gnostics were a group/sect that existed in the first half of the 20th century, and
were thought to lead Christians astray by teaching manipulations of the Gospel. The mixed
the ideas of the Christians with that of the Greeks, producing a religion that wanted
release from the prison of this world. It draws on the Jewish monldthum, Babylonian
anthology and Iranian Deulum, and believes that light and darkness are entwined in a
constant battle of cosmic realms.
First Century Roman Judea
New Testament Christian Leaders
Peter
Peter was one of the first, and major disciples. Peter's original name was the Heb.
Simon. His fathers name was Jonah. He worked as a fisherman at the two places of which he
took residence: Beth-saida and Capernaum in Galilee. At these places he was in contact
with the gentiles. He was probably effected by John the Baptist's movement.
He was often the spokesperson for all the of the followers and friends. Before Pentecost
it was Peter who took the lead role of educating the people and preaching the word of the
bible. The church had made a large impact on the community, but it was Peter that was
seen to be the hero and leader. He also was the first apostle to be associated with the
Gentiles. At that time in history this move was bound to draw him a lot of criticism.
Despite this criticism Peter with some support from his friends was able to make some
progress in the acceptance of other racial groups.
After the death of Stephen, Peter's whereabouts and activities became very scarce. At one
stage he was imprisoned at Jerusalem and then later escaped. It has been thought that he
travelled through many cities, taking many brief jobs and participating in some religious
events
James
James was one of the sons of Zebedee. Was a fisherman when called to become one of the
twelve apostles with his brother John. These two along with Peter formed the inner circle
of the apostles. This inner group was present at most of the major events and were widely
respected for their dedication and sheer faith. James was good friends with Jesus and
with his brother John, were adeptly nicknamed Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder. It was
these two again that cause a stir when requesting Jesus for a place in the Holy Christ's
Kingdom. The two were not promised this privilege, they continued to believe and have the
faith that would, in theory, get them there anyway.
John
John was the other son of Zebedee. Was the brother James (the son of Zebedee). It is also
possible that John was the cousin of Jesus on his mothers side. As with his Brother
James, he was present at many very significant events on the history of Christianity. He
was also sent by Jesus to prepare the final pass over meal. John was the one that was
probably the closest to Jesus, he was trusted with responsibilities that Jesus himself
had given him.
James, brother of Jesus
James was Jesus's younger brother who, along with his other siblings, refused to accept
Jesus's claims of authority before his resurrection. He along with some of his close
friends were a group which failed to accept the power and authority of Jesus before the
resurrection. The effect the resurrection had on James was unmistakable. He became the
leader of the Jewish-Christian Church at Jerusalem. The tradition stated that he was
placed the first leader of the faith by the lord himself. He remained leader of the
Church, by himself, for some time. He was still the leader when Paul visited Jerusalem
for the last time. After receiving a death by stoning, James was named the "just" for his
Jewish piety. James is also said to have described himself as "a servant of God and of
the Lord Jesus Christ".
Paul (Saul of Tarsis)
Paul was born in Tarsus a Roman citizen. After a simple beginning Paul was only effected
by preaching of Jesus after he had contact with the risen Christ. Paul then spent the
next three years preaching in Damascus. After some pressure from the Jews of the area,
Paul fled to Jerusalem where he met up with Barnabas. Barnabas then introduced Paul to
the leaders of Christianity. His stay only lasted a brief two weeks because several Jews
were trying to kill him. Retreating for some ten years, Barnabas contacted Paul and
encouraged him to rejoin the now flourishing Gentile mission.
Paul and Barnabas were sent on a mission to establish Christianity in the area
surrounding Cyprus and the S Galatia. Despite several set backs and violent outbursts the
mission was very successful with new territories become adapt to the Christian ways. As
one would expect the relationship between the Gentiles and the newly turned Jewish
community was one that was tested often. Differing beliefs lead to a number of verbal and
physical conflicts and Barnabas and Paul were called upon to resolve these. They used the
help and guidance of their elders and fellow Christians to help with their decisions.
Paul once again set off through parts of Europe to convert people to Christianity. This
time Barnabas did not travel with him because of a rift in there relationship. Paul
discovered new friend that he took with him through Greece and the surrounding parts. He
helped set up a large amount of new mission which set the standard for others to grow by.
The next area to converted was the lands of Asia. This goal was quickly accomplished by
Paul. He was then returned to Greece to help secure the faith there. It was in the years
that followed that he wrote several telling letters. This letters were to become a
crucial part of the Christian faith in years to come.
Judas Iscariot
Judas was a member of the 12 disciples, and was the one who betrayed Jesus, which ended
in his crucifixion. The opportunity came about when Judas turned Jesus to the
authorities. After the event, guilt was beset upon this traitor. Unable to over come this
guilt, his life ended in suicide. Judas is widely remember for his treachery and betrayal
of the other eleven apostles. He was thought of as a man who was touched by Satan and
influenced into evil ways. He was bribed and accepted money to do evil deeds. He claimed
this money would be used for the poor..
Barnabas
Barnabas was born into a Jewish-Cypriot family. He a member of the Jerusalem church, and
as he progressed he became very serious about religion. He also had a significant effect
on several matters.
He introduced a converted Saul to the main apostles, which lead to Saul being accepted
after originally being called an impostor. It was Barnabas who stuck up for the gentiles
when they were being condemned. Barnabas thought the movement to accept the Gentiles as
equals was an act ignited by God and therefor took the side of God. Being a key member,
he took a journey with Paul from Cyprus, to Asia minor, which was taken with the goal of
setting up a group of successful Gentile churches.
Barnabas was also placed in front of the Jerusalem council with Paul. Barnabas'
importance to the issue is clearly shown by the mere fact that he is mentioned before
Paul in accounts of the proceedings.
Bibliography
'Setting the scene'
Goosen & Thomlinson
"Jesus; Mystery and Surprise"
(Sydney: EJ Dywer, 1989)
'Philosophies'
Elwell (ed.)
"Evangelical Dictionary of Theology"
(Grand Rapids: Baker Bookhouse, 1990)
"The New Bible Dictionary"
(Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers Inc, 1962)
Logos Bible Software v2.0
(Oakharbour: Logos Research System)
World Book Encyclopedia
World Wide Web (Internet)
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