Christianity would arise from humble foundations to become a
dominant force in the Roman Empire. The religion itself had Jewish origins that
were centred in Jerusalem and early community leaders included Peter, James and
John.
Paul of Tarsus, probably more than any man, helped spread
the gospels to the Gentiles and thereby established Christianity as a religion
outside the Jewish context.
Christianity incorporated the Jewish Bible in its canon –
via the Septuagint (Greek translation) and the Targum (Aramaic translation) –
but added the Letters of Paul and the Gospels to its liturgy. Christ based
theology replaced Mosaic Law although there was a strong focus on the Ten
Commandments and the Golden Rule.
Baptism was added as a practice, the Divinity of Jesus Christ was stressed and a Church
hierarchy was organized. Human relations were emphasized and a complex
eschatology would feature prominently.
The spread of the Church in the first four centuries of its
existence largely centred around the Mediterranean area although by 600 CE it
had come to dominate North Africa, Spain, Central Europe, the British Isles,
Turkey going eastwards into Syria.
Edward Gibbons in his classic The History of the Decline
and Fall of the Roman Empire provides an interesting overview as to the
success of the Church. His key points are:
(1) The inflexible, and, if we may use the expression, the
intolerant zeal of the Christians, derived, it is true, from the Jewish
religion, but purified from the narrow and unsocial spirit which, instead of
inviting, had deterred the Gentiles from embracing the law of Moses;
(2) The doctrine of a future life, improved by every additional
circumstance which could give weight and efficacy to that important truth;
(3) The miraculous powers ascribed to the primitive church;
(4) The pure and austere morals of the Christians;
(5) The union and discipline of the Christian republic, which
gradually formed an independent and increasing state in the heart of the Roman
Empire.
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