Over two billion people today identify themselves with Christianity, making it the most popular religion in the world. How 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.

So, what’s in a name? The word “Christ” literally means “Anointed One,” and Christians universally believe (then and now) 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.”

The Controversial Origins of Christianity

The central person of Christianity is Jesus of Nazareth or, as he is also called, Jesus Christ. It makes sense then to start with Jesus. The first problem with this approach is that there are some who argue that Jesus never even existed. That he is a fictitious or mythical figure of antiquity. If this is so, Christianity collapses.

Skeptics and Christians alike concede that the best records for the life, ministry, and teachings of Jesus Christ are the first-century Christian writings we know as the New Testament, particularly the Gospels.

This leads to the second problem. While only the most radical critics and skeptics of Christianity question the historicity of Jesus, the overwhelming majority of them scoff at the New Testament being fully accurate and trustworthy. Most will accept at least portions of the New Testament as being authentic, but some refuse to consider any of its content, unless corroborated by non-Christian sources.

With the New Testament then undermined and even (in some cases) Jesus himself being dismissed as a nothing more than myth, one can appreciate the apparent fog people today have when looking back to the first century to find the origins of Christianity. Is it even possible to return to the beginning?

Can we know the Truth?

Accepting that anything of history can be known (or that anything period can be known) relies on acceptance of what philosophers call the correspondence theory of knowledge or truth.

The correspondence theory essentially holds that statements which accurately correspond with or reflect known facts or affairs should be considered “true.” This theory has, in various forms, been upheld by some of the giants of philosophy, including Aristotle, Bertrand Russell, and Alfred Tarski.

Next, confidence in historical inquiry requires a rejection of cynicism. The cynic is likely to challenge and question virtually all conclusions or claims concerning ancient antiquity that contradict his or her interests, presuppositions, or biases. If, for example, a person is bitterly cynical about the oppression of the poor by the rich, he or she will likely automatically believe stories from the past which fit that mold and reject out of hand those that challenge it.

Taking this example a step further, a person bent on seeing the world (including its history) through the rich versus poor lens will probably see the publication and circulation of biblical texts and the growth of Christianity as a conspiracy to empower and enrich the haves at the expense of the have-nots. Any evidence (no matter how slight or indirect) which bolsters this perspective will be gladly embraced. Any evidence which contradicts it will be jettisoned.

Unless a person is therefore willing to accept the correspondence theory of truth and set aside any personal cynicism, the quest for the historical Jesus or at least the origin of Christianity is doomed to failure.

When did Christianity Begin?

Assuming we can accept that truth is knowable (at least in part) and that skepticism need not (and should not) include cynicism, then we must turn our attention to the time in which Christianity began.

There is widespread agreement that Christianity, at least in its primitive form, began in the first century. No one questions, for example, the presence of Christians in the Mediterranean world by the 50s and 60s AD. We know, for example, that Nero pinned the blame for Rome’s fire in the mid-60s AD on Christians.

What’s more, even the most liberal historians and scholars agree that the major books of the New Testament, including the Gospels, were written and in circulation by the middle of the 2nd century. Most put their completion and circulation earlier than that.

Who started Christianity?

If Christianity’s growth can be traced to the first century (early enough to be relevant and on Rome’s radar screen by the 60s AD), then its origin must be in the early to mid part of that century.

With this in mind, we return our attention to Jesus. 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.

And what about the New Testament? While skeptics immediately and understandably discount the supernatural, there are still literary signs of “creedal statements” referring to Jesus as well as stories about Jesus which all four of the Gospels agree on. This seems to affirm, at the very least, a reliable core of evidence for the life of Jesus.

Scholars have dated the creedal passages to the years 30-50 AD, well within the primary timeline of Jesus and the generation that followed him. According to scholar Gary Habermas, these affirmations “preserve New Testament material, and are our earliest sources for the life of Jesus.”

Luke Timothy Johnson, a moderate in the Jesus scholarship debate, cautions against any extreme in the examination of Jesus in history. Says Johnson: “I find as much fault with the premise that one can read history directly off the pages of the Gospels as I do with the premise that one must junk the Gospels in order to do history.”

What is certain is that a core group of adherents emerged about this time claiming to have been eyewitnesses to Jesus’ life and teachings. These included some of the authors of the New Testament, such as Peter, James, and John. The apostle Paul was not a direct eyewitness, but claimed a supernatural encounter with Jesus and close association with others (like Peter) who were eyewitnesses.

Conclusion

While some may legitimately question Jesus’ divinity and others may argue that his record has been embellished, it is abundantly clear that something triggered the birth of Christianity – and did so in the first century. The New Testament has provided an explanation for that trigger.

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Sources for this article included:

Simpy Christian by N.T. Wright

The Evidence for Christianity by Josh McDowell

The Real Jesus by Luke Timothy Johnson

Charts of Apologetics and Christian Evidences by H. Wayne House and Joseph M. Holden