The Beginning of Christianity
What Started the World's Largest Religion
© Brian Tubbs
May 12, 2008
Christianity is the world's largest religion. What started Christianity? How did Christianity begin and how did it get to where it is today?
What started Christianity? When was the beginning of Christianity? How did the world's largest religion get started? This article explores these questions.
What iI Christianity?
Christianity is the largest faith group in the world today, if you count Catholics, Protestants, Eastern Orthodox, evangelicals, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and all denominations remotely connected with Christianity. Yet these groups don't always agree. In fact, some of them strongly disagree with each other -- begging the question: What is Christianity?
The word "Christianity" of course derives from the word "Christ," which literally means “Anointed One.” Christians universally believe that the A.D. 1st century figure named Jesus of Nazareth was (and, in fact, is) the “Anointed One.” The central point of Christianity is that Jesus of Nazareth is “the Christ.”
When Did Christianity Begin?
Historically speaking, Christianity is a first century spin-off of monotheistic Judaism. The label “Christian” comes from the book of Acts. According to the author of Acts (believed to be Luke), the name was attributed to the “disciples” of this new faith first in Antioch sometime in the middle of the first century.
Many of Christianity's critics, however, contend that Christianity borrowed its beliefs from pagan religions. According to the website Pagan Origins of the Christ Myth (POCM), Mediterranean cultures in the ancient world "shared standard ideas about Gods and their powers and place in the universe [and] Christianity simply adopted those ideas and applied them to Jesus."
In order to evaluate this claim, one must determine those historical figures most responsible for introducing Christianity to the world. If Christianity is merely an off-shoot of paganism, then the founders of Christianity had to be knowingly complicit in this conspiracy. So, when did Christianity begin?
There is little dispute about the era in which Christianity became a religious movement. The documentary basis for Christianity is a set of books known as the New Testament. These 27 books were written by early Christians in the first century. (A very small minority of scholars place a couple of the books in the early second century).
What's more, there are references to this new movement in the writings of non-Christian historians. These references also place Christianity's origins in the first century -- specifically toward the middle of that century.
It can therefore be safely concluded that Christianity began in the first century A.D.
Who Started Christianity?
The most important figure in the birth of Christianity would, of course, be the one for whom the movement is named. That person would be Jesus of Nazareth. The Jewish historian Josephus makes two references to Jesus – at least one of which is accepted as genuine and authentic. There are also references to Jesus in the writings of second century Greek satirist Lucian and Syrian philosopher Mara Bar-Serapion.
Taking these accounts along with the New Testament and the evident "creedal statements" found within the New Testament provides a reliable core of evidence for the life of Jesus. This core evidence shows a first-century teacher who proclaimed the "kingdom of God," referred to himself as the "Son of Man," amassed a large following, and was crucified by Pontius Pilate.
Following his death, many of Jesus' followers claimed that he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. The most influential of these followers were Peter, a disciple who accompanied Jesus during his active ministry, and Paul, who authored over half the New Testament.
The Verdict on Christianity's Origins
What about those alleged pagan roots? If Christianity borrowed from paganism, those making the claim have only the apparent similarities to which they can point. There is no documentary evidence that Jesus, Paul, Peter, James, or any of the founders of Christianity deliberately co-opted pagan mythology to construct a new religious faith.
Edwin Yamauchi, a student of 22 languages and a professor of Mediterranean studies, explains that "by the mid-twentieth century, scholars had established that the sources used [for the ancient pagan religions] were far from satisfactory and the parallels [with Christianity] were much too superficial." Consequently, says Yamauchi, it's been "pretty much of a closed issue in the scholarly community."
The beginning of Christianity centers not on pagan myth, but rather on one person. His name is Jesus.
*****
The Case for the Real Jesus by Lee Strobel (Zondervan, 2007)
Website: "Pagan Origins of the Christ Myth"
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Comments
May 14, 2008 6:09 AM
Pink
:
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You write, <i>"If Christianity is merely an off-shoot of paganism, then the founders of Christianity had to be knowingly complicit in this conspiracy."</i>, as though it were a foregone truth of reality.
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Why would someone have "to be knowingly complicit"?
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You must not understand how culture works to influence the human mind. That's an expression of the anti-intellectual attitude so many people have expressed during modern times--taking off, as they do, with such "urban myths" as though they are ~ somehow ~ true is an easy way to dupe the uneducated. It shows a lack of decent conscientiousness.
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There has to have been a time in human history when people were beginning to associate in tribal groups for safety and comfort. During those time, it must have been customary for the leaders to tell stories of how things got to be the way they were. Over the generations, those stories must have evolved into pretty good detail in order to make the points necessary to maintain leadership status for the chiefs. And, as they developed, they were mixed with actual experiences until we have what we have today--mythic reality
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Studies in archaic history show us that the entrance of the written word most likely evolved about 8,000 years ago in Levantine civilizations out of which Judaism grew. You don't have to be a brain surgeon to figure how the Bible got to be written. And, it's affect on humanity has been fairly constant and predictable.
Much of the Bible is written in some sort of Uncle Remus style. (I assume you are familiar with the Uncle Remus tales along with Tar Baby and Brer Rabbit coming from Virginia as you do). I intend NO insult with this. In fact, I see things the other way around ~ human intelligence is insulted by those people that demand the Bible be accepted as the actual Word of God.
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May 14, 2008 7:24 AM
Pink
:
In fact, not to dwell on the point; but, it was an important issue in early American Puritanism when the learned educators of Christian doctrine developed the thoughts about from where our ideas originate. Men like Edwards and Whitfield struggled mightily with it. It can be used to show the mind set of those people who believe the Bible is ~ somehow ~ the authentic Word of God.
May 15, 2008 7:14 AM
Brian Tubbs
:
Pink, you're not engaging the points of this article. You're making the claim that languages and cultures evolve in ways that encourage and shape religious thought. And that these religious thoughts change and (in many ways) recede as humanity increases in its intelligence. From an academic standpoint, I agree with you. But you're then making the leap in logic to group all religions, including Christianity and Judaism, into this mix. Just because some religions grew out of mythology doesn't necessarily mean that ALL religions grew out of mythology. Surely, as an educated person, you can see the hole in your reasoning. I don't mean that as a cut or an attack. Surely, you can see the problem in your reasoning.
But bringing this back into focus here...you need to consider the CHRONOLOGY of the beginning of Christianity. The deity and resurrection of Jesus were not doctrines which evolved over time several generations AFTER Jesus lived. There is abundant proof - yes, PROOF! - that followers of Jesus believed in his deity and resurrection in the THIRD decade of the first century, the very decade in which he was crucified. That's not enough time for a mythological legend to grow over generations. This is why I say that the disciples of Jesus had to be "knowingly complicit" in any deception or conspiracy pertaining to the resurrection of Jesus, if Jesus did NOT raise from the dead. They (Peter, Paul, James, Mary, etc.) would have KNOWN whether Jesus rose from the dead or whether his body was moved or whatever. They would have known the truth. They were there.
May 15, 2008 12:53 PM
Pink
:
Brian in quotes. Pink without quotes:
“Pink, you're not engaging the points of this article.”
Right. My response was more or less in general. I did address you comment about some persons being complicit, however.
“You're making the claim that languages and cultures evolve in ways that encourage and shape religious thought. And that these religious thoughts change and (in many ways) recede as humanity increases in its intelligence. From an academic standpoint, I agree with you. But you're then making the leap in logic to group all religions, including Christianity and Judaism, into this mix. Just because some religions grew out of mythology doesn't necessarily mean that ALL religions grew out of mythology. Surely, as an educated person, you can see the hole in your reasoning. I don't mean that as a cut or an attack. Surely, you can see the problem in your reasoning.”
I don’t see the problem you seem to see. I think EVERY religion that claims ABSOLUTE knowledge bears a similarity with all others that do the same. So, yes, I do put Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in the same category. In fact, each has grown out of the same set of original stories—myths or quasi historical accountings—your choice.
“But bringing this back into focus here...you need to consider the CHRONOLOGY of the beginning of Christianity. The deity and resurrection of Jesus were not doctrines which evolved over time several generations AFTER Jesus lived.”
Actually, some of the accepted doctrines in present day Fundamentalism grew out of American Puritanism. Now, it may be true that those doctrines depend on biblical Scripture; but, they were developed during the last several centuries.
“There is abundant proof - yes, PROOF! - that followers of Jesus believed in his deity and resurrection in the THIRD decade of the first century, the very decade in which he was crucified. That's not enough time for a mythological legend to grow over generations.”
If there were any myths involved, they were there before the organized religionists made their moves to authenticate the Bible as Scripture.
But, that’s beside the point. Demands that such recorded events as the crucifixion be seen as literal reality obfuscate any other values such a teaching may have to offer our culture. That’s a major bone of contention between Fundamentalist and Liberal Christianity. I’m sure you are aware of that.
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Continued
May 15, 2008 12:54 PM
Pink
:
Continuation of my response to Brian's post:
Brian's comments in quotations: Pink's without.
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“This is why I say that the disciples of Jesus had to be ‘knowingly complicit’ in any deception or conspiracy pertaining to the resurrection of Jesus, if Jesus did NOT raise from the dead. They (Peter, Paul, James, Mary, etc.) would have KNOWN whether Jesus rose from the dead or whether his body was moved or whatever. They would have known the truth. They were there.”
To be perfectly honest, we do not know that “Peter, Paul, James, Mary, etc…. were there” other than by reading the recorded accounts. The foundation for your use (above) of the word, PROOF, is based on the fact that you believe God put certain ideas in the minds of the people who wrote the various books and letters of the Bible.
One other issue should be addressed and that is the fact that the written word was seen ~ over long periods in historical times ~ as though it bore mystical powers.
When I began to learn about the early Puritans in American history, my mind was opened to the fact that people were only given certain information. Their thoughts were controlled by a form of censorship through a process that put down any secular education. In fact, in those early days, there was no such thing as secularism in the colonies. At least I have not seen any references to it so far.
Jun 4, 2008 9:19 AM
Migisi
:
Ah hah! I found you guys.
I just wanted to say goodbye to you, Pink. You and I have been here a LONG time... too long for me. My time here at Suite is done. Time to move on in my life.
It's been truly an honor and privilege to know you, my cyber friend. And the many others who have participated here over the years. You all have made a big difference in my life - all for the good. Good luck to you, and you too Bri. May your God be with you in everything you do.
Signing off and out...
Migisi/Hawknut. My real name is Bernadette. Remember me.
