The Rise of Christianity

1. The Rise of Christianity Its Early Influences And Development

2. A Few Opening Observations: • Christianity did not just “appear” in the Roman World. • Like Judaism and Islam, Christianity was created and influenced by the cultural and social forces that surrounded it. • Today we will look at how Christianity was created and influenced by the religions of the Roman World and how it developed its own identity.

3. What were the religious influences on Christianity? • Judaism • Mystery Cults/Roman Religion • Greek Thought

4. Judaism • First Century Judaism still contained many of the ancient rites and rituals from its earlier days – including the sacrificing of animals and worshiping in the Temple. • However, this is Judaism post-Babylonian Captivity. Temple priests are no longer the only religious authority. They must contend with the synagogue scholars – rabbis. • Under Roman rule, the high priest in Jerusalem and the members of the Sanhedrin avoided politics and concerned themselves with strictly religious matters.

5. Sadducees – • came from wealthy sectors of the Jewish community and were very devoted to the cultic life of the Temple. • Recognized the Torah but resisted many of the new ideas emerging in Judaism because they believed it threatened the centrality of the Temple cult. • Pharisees – differed from the Sadducees. • They recognized the oral tradition of the law along side the written Torah. • Observance of the Torah was more important the Temple cult. • Emphasis was placed on liturgy, prayer and reading of the Torah in the synagogue. • Some Pharisees believed in an afterlife and in the resurrection of the body – probably influenced by Greek and Persian thought during the Babylonian Captivity.

6. Essenes • The name means “holy” or “set apart”. • They were ascetics who withdrew from into wilderness communities to pursue a religious life. • They expected the imminent arrival of the Messiah who would lead them in a cosmic battle against evil – they were very likely influenced by the Zoroastrian vision of the war between children of light and children of darkness. • John The Baptist was probably an Essene or at least had contact with them.

7. 1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."  3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.[a]"  4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"  5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[b] gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You[c] must be born again.' 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."  9"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.  10"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.[d] 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.[e]  16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[f] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.[g] 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."[h

8. 1The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, 2although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.  4Now he had to go through Samaria. 5So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.  7When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?"  9The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.[a])  10Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."  11"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"  13Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."  15The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."  16He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back."  17"I have no husband," she replied.    Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. 18The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."  19"Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. 20Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."  21Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."  25The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."  26Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

9. Zealots • Jews who supported armed resistance against the Roman Empire. • Wanted to re-establish the Davidic Kingdom. • Several of Jesus’ disciples were Zealots – Simon, who is called “the Zealot” and possibly Judas. • Expected divine help once the war with the Romans was truly under way.

10. Later Roman Religion Sol Invictus – The Invincible Sun The Sun had been personified and worshiped by people since the time of Ancient Egypt. It was so popular that it almost became a universal religion. Hadrian’s Pantheon was built especially to celebrate the Sun. It was central to state religion. The birthday of Sol Invictus was December 25th.

11. The Cult of Isis • Attracted many worshipers over the centuries – especially women. • Isis was the universal and compassionate mother. • Usually shown with her son Horus. • Her priests would baptize new initiates, who were thereby cleansed from sin and expected to pass through final judgment and enter into eternal life.

12. Egyptian and Roman versions of the goddess Isis.

13. Isis and Horus Mary and The Infant Jesus

14. Mystery Cults • There were dozens maybe even hundreds of different mystery cults in Ancient Rome. • They did have several aspects in common: • Secret rituals from which nonbelievers were excluded. • Sacred meals usually consisting of bread and wine. • Baptism of some sort was usually the initiation rite for entering into the community. • The most famous mystery cult was devoted to the god Mithras.

15. Who was Mithras?

16. Mithras was a Persian god that was also associated with the Sun. • Mithras worship became very popular with Roman soldiers. • He was considered to be a heroic champion against evil (once again probably influenced by Persian Zoroastrianism). • Mithras was said to have a miraculous birth – either by suddenly coming into existence or born from a virgin. His birthday was December 25th. • Initiation into the cult involved a seven stage process including being baptized in the spilled blood of a sacrificed bull. • Full members participated in communal meals at which consecrated bread and wine were consumed. • Through these rituals they gained unity with god and a place in eternal life.

17. Greek Influences • For Stoics, Platonists and others, the “Word” or Logos was the fundamental principle of the universe which created and kept the universe in existence. • “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” • John 1:1

18. Who Was Jesus of Nazareth? • Jesus wrote nothing down himself – only the stories and sayings from the Gospels remain. • He came from a devout Jewish family that was most likely poor, although some scholars now believe the family may have been what we consider ‘middle-class’. • He was influenced by the wandering rabbis who would go from town to town preaching and looking for disciples. Jesus’ sayings and sermons recorded in the Gospels sound very similar to what these wandering rabbis were preaching. • Probably started his ministry around the age of thirty.

19. Jesus was obviously influenced by his cousin John the Baptist and saw himself as John’s replacement when he was executed by King Herod.

20. What was Jesus’ message? • Jesus preached that the Kingdom of God was coming and that evil would be punished but believers would be saved. • Jesus’ announcement of the coming of the Kingdom of God (or Heaven) was common in Hellenistic Judaism. • What was different was the type of person that was being called – not the powerful and the rich but the poor , the ignorant the weak and the sick and the lame (think Romulus and Remus). Perhaps most surprising was that he was calling women as well as men. • His message was one of egalitarianism. • Like the Hebrew prophets he was concerned that people had lost the true vision of Hebrew religion and were relying solely on ritual.

21. How did his ministry end? • Jesus’ popularity among the poor, the oppressed and the dissatisfied raised concern among both Roman and Jewish officials. • Officials feared a class rebellion and wanted it put down. The Jewish leaders were scared that the Romans would make a pre-emptive strike and lash out at the entire Jewish community. • In the end it was the Romans who made the decisive move and arrested Jesus and had him executed.

25. What does this tell us about the development of Christianity in Roman times? • Early Christianity was in all likelihood consider to be another Jewish sect for much of its early history. • It used Jewish ideas and concepts such as: law (Torah), sin, Israel, covenant – but put a new meaning to these concepts and ideas. • But, just as Judaism was influenced by the religions of Persia and the larger Mediterranean world – Christianity was as well. • The Christians used much of the imagery surrounding them – such as modeling Mary after the goddess Isis. • Co-opting December 25th for Jesus’ birthday so he would be associated with the worship of the Sun god. To this day, Christians go to church on the ‘Sun’s Day’. • Christians also made use of the ritual practices followed by the mystery cults which included such things as baptism and sacred meals.