Ministry of Paul

Christianity changed radically through the ministry of Paul, whose work expanded the community throughout the cities of the Mediterranean, and who successfully argued for full inclusion of Gentiles. Paul moved from city to city on his missionary journeys, shifting the balance from rural to urban (Meeks, First Urban Christians). While it remains unclear whether Paul worked with the approval of Jerusalem (Frend, Rise of Christianity, 95), he created mixed communities composed of Jews and Gentiles. Acts 15 and Galatians attest to the tensions between Gentile Christians and Jewish Christians. Wilken notes that Paul’s collection of a gift from the Gentile churches to the church in Jerusalem helped forge a closer bond between Jewish and Gentile Christians (Wilken, The First Thousand Years, 21).

Other missionaries contributed to the growth of Christianity, taking it south to Egypt and east to Syria (Wilken, First Thousand Years, 24–25). As the Church established itself in new environments, it found unique ways to accommodate the local culture (Frend, Rise of Christianity, 126–131). The New Testament indicates that missionaries besides Paul worked in the Mediterranean—at times competing with Paul, but other times complementing his work (see 1 Corinthians, Romans, Philippians).

Several important theological developments took place during the apostolic age. The most significant among these regarded the nature of Jesus’ resurrection and identity (as Messiah, Son of Man, etc.; Freeman, New History, 31–42; Wilken, The First Thousand Years, 23–24). The theological developments of this period also affected early Christians’ understanding and interpretation of the Jewish Scriptures, which they began to read through their experiences and understandings of Jesus (Frend, Rise of Christianity, 136–37). This period also witnessed the ritualization of the Eucharist and baptism (Freeman, New History, 42–43) and the writing of the Gospels.

The expansion of Christianity brought believers into conflict with other groups. The apostles and their followers faced opposition from fellow Jews, including the persecutions under Saul (who became Paul; see Acts 8–9). Christians found themselves in conflict with both Jews and Gentiles who viewed the church as a threat. Sometimes this conflict led to violence or persecution. There is evidence of two significant periods of Roman violence against the church during the apostolic age (under Nero and Domitian). Frend notes that both cases appear more like acts of political expediency than religious oppression (Frend, Rise of Christianity, 109–10, 148). According to traditions, violence nevertheless claimed the lives of nearly all the apostles, as well as James, the brother of Jesus (White, From Jesus, 145, 229–30). Frend argues that most Christians of this period could live in peace and security (Frend, Rise of Christianity, 148).