Chapter 1
The Gospels, the Apostles, Then … What?
What is in this Session?
- You will learn …
- How a fire in Rome in AD 64 led to early persecution of Christians.
- How the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 affected perceptions of Christianity in the Roman Empire.
- Who the apologists were and how they defended Christian beliefs.
- Which human failures and factors God used to bring glory to himself.
Who were the Christians?
- From the perspective of people in the 1st century AD, Paul and other believers in Jesus were considered to be part of a new Jewish sect
(Acts 16:19–21).
Acts 16:19-21 (ESV)
But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers.
20 And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. 21 They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.”
But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers.
20 And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. 21 They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.”
The Apostle Paul
- In AD 54, Emperor Claudius expelled from Rome all persons practicing the Jewish religion.
- This edict of Claudius included Jewish believers in Jesus (Acts 18:2).
Coin with image of Emperor Claudius
- Tragedies in two cities led to changes in perceptions of Christianity.
- AD 64: A fire destroyed 10 districts in Rome.
- AD 70: The Roman army destroyed the Jerusalem temple.
- The fire probably began by accident in an oil warehouse.
- Many Romans claimed that Emperor Nero started the fire.
- To stop the rumors, Nero blamed the Christians.
The Fire in Rome—AD 64
Persecution of Christians
- The apostles Peter and Paul were probably martyred during Nero’s persecution of Christians.
- Why did Romans despise Christians?
- Christians rejected the traditional Roman gods.
- Romans misunderstood many Christian customs, especially the Lord’s Supper.
- Christians valued children and women in ways that challenged the social order.
- Christianity seemed like a new religion; Romans were suspicious of new traditions.
Destruction of Temple—AD 70
- The destruction of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem also affected perceptions of the Christian faith.
- In AD 66, a group of Jewish insurrectionists took Galilee and Judea from the Romans.
- Emperor Vespasian sent his son Titus to retake the rebel provinces.
- In AD 70, Titus destroyed the Jewish temple.
- Jesus predicted this event (Mark 13:1–2) (Luke 21:20-24) .
Mark 13:1-2 (ESV)
And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” 2 And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” 2 And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
Luke 21:20-24 (ESV)
“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, 22 for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. 23 Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, 22 for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. 23 Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
- The final group of Jewish rebels chose mass-suicide instead of surrender.
- They died at Masada, a fortress that Herod the Great had built near the Dead Sea.
- After the destruction of the Jewish temple, the Jewish and Christian faiths each became more distinct as Judaism became less diverse.
More Persecution
- In the late 1st century AD, Emperor Domitian demanded to be worshiped as “Lord and God.”
- Domitian and his successor Emperor Trajan persecuted Christians as well as Jews.
Trajan Emperor of Rome AD 98-117
- In AD 112, a governor named Pliny described how he dealt with Christians in a letter to Trajan.
- Pliny described Christian beliefs as “outlandish superstitions.”
The Apologists
- Because Christians refused to worship the Roman gods and emperors, Christians were accused of “atheism.”
- Christian apologists defended their faith against false charges.
- J
ustin was a philosopher who became a Christian and an apologist.
He believed that pagan philosophers had discovered dim shadows of divine truth.
- Around AD 165, “Justin Martyr” was beheaded for his faith.
- Christianity grew because God’s Spirit was working; at the same time, God uses human factors as he enacts his sovereign will in the world.
How God Was Working
- What human factors were important in the early church’s growth?
- 1. Christianity provided moral guidance in an immoral world.
- Many Gentile “God-fearers” became believers in Jesus as their Lord and Messiah.
- 2. Christianity valued women and children.
- Unlike Roman religions, both Jewish and Christian faiths called men to be faithful to their wives and considerate of their children.
- 3. Christianity offered relationship with a God who had intersected human history and who, through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, understood humanity’s suffering.
- The awareness of Christ’s sufferings comforted many early martyrs.
- Polycarp of Smyrna before he was executed for his faith: “Eighty-six years, I have served Christ, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my king, the one who has saved me?”
- Sanctus of Lyons before martyrdom: “Nothing is painful so long as the glory of Christ is near.”
- Regarding the martyrdom of Blandina: “They saw in the form of their sister him who was crucified for them.”
Questions?
- 1. What was the Edict of Claudius? (see Acts 18:2) How did this edict affect early Christians?
- 2. Soon after the fire in AD 64, the Romans executed Peter and Paul. After these tragedies, what sorts of discussions do you suppose Christians had with one another in their gatherings?
- 3. How did the destruction of the Temple in AD 70 affect relationships between Jewish believers in Jesus and other Jews?
- 4. What can Christians today learn from martyrs such as Justin and Blandina?
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