The First Christians

The First Christians • Main Idea:

• Jesus’ life and a belief in his resurrection led to a new religion called Christianity.

The First Christians • Lecture Focus:• Have you ever

read news stories about

people sacrificing their

lives to help others…maybe a police officer

or a soldier...this is something that becomes

very significant to Christians.

The First Christians • Jesus’ disciples

began to spread the message of Jesus

and his resurrection. • Small groups in the

Greek speaking cities of the eastern

Mediterranean accepted this

message, some being Jewish and some were not.

The First Christians • Those who accepted Jesus and his teachings

became known as Christians and referred to Jesus of Nazareth ad Jesus Christ.

• The word “Christ” comes from “Christos”, a Greek word meaning “Messiah”.

The First Christians • The early Christians

formed churches or communities for

worship and teaching of the new religion.

• They met in people’s houses or other private areas to discuss their faith…(there is not much left of early

churches for archeologist to

uncover)

The First Christians • Christians at first prayed and studied

the Hebrew Bible…the sacred writings of Judaism or commonly known to Christians

as the Old Testament.

• They also shared in a ritual meal like the

Last Supper to remember Jesus’

death and resurrection.

Who were Peter and Paul?

•Who were Peter and

Paul?

Who were Peter and Paul?• Apostles, or early Christian leaders who had

been chosen by Jesus to spread his message, played an important role in the growth of

Christianity. • One of the most important historical Apostle was

Peter.

Who were Peter and Paul?• Simon Peter was a Jewish fisherman. He

had known Jesus while he was alive and had been one of the original 12 people

Jesus had chosen to preach his message.

Who were Peter and Paul?

• Church of the Primacy of St. Peter

on the Sea of Galilee.

• Traditional site where Jesus Christ

appeared to his disciples after his resurrection and,

according to Catholic tradition, established

Peter's supreme jurisdiction over the

Christian church.

Who were Peter and Paul?• Christian tradition states that Peter went to Rome after the death of Jesus and helped set

up a church there. • Today the leaders of the Catholic Christians still

reside in Vatican city, which is inside of Rome.

Who were Peter and Paul?

• Vatican City is a landlocked sovereign city state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome,

Italy.

Who were Peter and Paul?• It has an area of approximately 110 acres and

a population of just over 800…this makes Vatican City the smallest independent state in the world by both area and population.

Who were Peter and Paul?• In 64 C.E. much of Rome was destroyed in a

great fire.• Some say it was an accident, others said that

the Roman Emperor Nero had it started so that he could rebuild the city in his own

vision.

Who were Peter and Paul?• Nero had little use

for the new Christian religion so decided to blame

the fire on them and began arresting,

torturing and killing anyone associated with Christianity. • Peter was the

leader of the Christians so he was a principal target of

Nero's insanity.

Who were Peter and Paul?• Tradition states that Peter was crucified

during the persecution by Nero.• Tradition also states that he requested to be crucified head downward, feeling unworthy to

die in the same manner as Jesus.

Who were Peter and Paul?• Paul of Tarsus was another important

Christian leader. • He was a well educated member of the Jewish

faith and a Roman citizen.

Who were Peter and Paul?

• Paul at first worked to stop Christian ideas

from spreading• Paul persecuted Christians arresting and murdering them

as he went from city to city with his Roman

prefect escort.• The chief Jewish priest

in Jerusalem then sent him to Damascus, a city in Syria, to stop Christians in the city from spreading their

ideas.

Who were Peter and Paul?

Who were Peter and Paul?• While on the road to Damascus, Paul had an

unusual experience. According to Christian belief, he saw a great light, went blind for a

period of time and heard the voice of Jesus…his vision was later returned to show how

merciful God was.

Who were Peter and Paul?• From that moment on Paul was changed and became

a Christian, he spend the rest of his life spreading Jesus’ message.

• Paul traveled widely discussing his faith, founding churches throughout the Mediterranean and

spreading the message of love and forgiveness.

Who were Peter and Paul?• Paul fought a good fight…he converted many people to

Christianity and through the power of Christ, healed many of the sick and crippled people he came into

contact with.• Paul was sent to prison 3 times, and on his third time he

refused to forsake his faith in God…the Romans put him to death by beheading him.

What do Christians Believe?

•What do Christians Believe?

What do Christians Believe? • From the beginning, Christians taught that Jesus was

the Son of God and had come to save all people. • By accepting Jesus and his teachings, people could

gain salvation…a way to be saved from sin and allowed to enter heaven.

What do Christians Believe?

• Like Jesus, after death they would be resurrected and could join god in everlasting life.

What do Christians Believe? • Because of their faith in Jesus, Christians

began to understand God in a new way.• Like the Jews, Christians believed in the God

of Israel and studied the Hebrew Bible.

What do Christians Believe? • However, most Christians came to

believe that God existed in three persons:

• Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

What do Christians Believe?

•This idea became known as the “Trinity”, which comes from the word

“three”…this idea does not exist in Judaism and

is a key difference between the faiths.