Professional Documents
Culture Documents
History of Christianity
History of Christianity
What is at stake ?
Is there a God ?
No Yes
Right God
Wrong God
Purpose of this presentation
Evidence 2:
Personal testimonies of their founders
Historical Accuracy of the Bible
Memory fades
Obvious fact:
The earlier the historical record is written,
the more accurate it is !
Accuracy: Bible vs Julius
Caesar
Jesus died Earliest
Tacitus Surviving
Caesar died Mark Copy Mark
30 AD 70 AD
44 BC 60 AD 350 AD
Earliest
100 yrs
40 yrs Surviving
Copy Tacitus
950 AD
Accuracy of New
Testament
According to the scholars Norman
Geisler and William Nix:
The New Testament has survived in more
manuscripts than any other book from antiquity
(there are over 5,000 copies of New Testament
books in existence, while the second most
numerous ancient document (Iliad) has about 600
copies)
Part 1:
When and How did Christianity
begin ?
Part 2:
Apostolic Era (first century)
Part 3:
Era of the Church Fathers
When did Christianity
begin ?
Jesus Christ did not start Christianity !!!
Christianity started by
Jesus’ disciples (Peter, John, Matthew,..)
Jesus’ brother James (in Jerusalem)
And later
Paul (apostle to the gentiles)
So anyone who would know whether Jesus really
came back alive, it would be these people
Foundation of Christianity
Supporting material:
1Co 15:14: “And if Christ has not
been raised, then our proclamation is
worthless, and your faith is also
worthless.”
Examining Jesus’
resurrection
Because this single fact is so important to
the Christian Faith, we will spend some
time looking at:
Did Jesus really resurrect from His death ?
Part 1:
When and How did Christianity
begin ?
Part 2:
Apostolic Era (first century)
Part 3:
Era of the Church Fathers
Apostolic Era:
Empowerment
33
James (brother of
Jesus) was stoned to
Jesus’
death for his faith in
resurrection
Jesusappeared to James
Jesus
Jesus’ brothers did not after He has resurrected
believe that He was from the death (1 Co 15)
the Son of God (in fact, … Seeing a death person
they believed that He coming back to life will
was crazy - John 7:3-5 surely make someone into
Apostolic Era: Early
martyrs
33 37 42 47 49
James (brother of
Stephen (first
John) beheaded by
martyr) dies at the
hands of Saul (Paul) Herod – Acts 12:2
– Acts 9
Apostolic Era: Paul’s
Missions
33 47 4950 52 53 56
1st mission 2nd mission 3rd mission
Jesus’ resurrection
57 59 60 62 66
Prisoned In Rome
Acts 23-26 Acts 28-end
Apostolic Era: Verification
33 41 47 49 50 52
1st mission 2nd mission
Jesus’ resurrection
Claudius emperor
Claudius
expelled Paul met Aquila
Jews from and Precilia, two
Rome Jews in Italy that
(Suetonius) were expelled by
Claudius (Acts
18:2)
Apostolic Era: Persecutions
64
Part 1:
When and How did Christianity
begin ?
Part 2:
Apostolic Era (first century)
Part 3:
Era of the Church Fathers
Post Apostolic:
Persecutions
Pliny: 100 AD
Council of Nicaea
emperor of Milan: e emperor y only
the Western Christianityof the legal
Roman given same WHOLE religion in
Empire – status as Roman Roman
fighting pagan Empire empire
under the religions
Christian
Cross
symbol
Council of Nicaea ala D.
Brown
325
Council of Nicaea
Jesus was not Jesus was
considered “made”
equal to God equal to God by
before the a close vote in
Council the Council