Sunday School Review: Basic Church History: Nicaea through the Middle Ages, Part 1

Welcome to today's brief overview of the material we covered during the spring of 2024: the incredible initial journey of the Christian faith from its roots in Jerusalem to the far reaches of the Roman Empire. 

The Ascension

Our journey began with the Ascension of Jesus Christ:

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes,11 and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." - Acts 1:6-11

After His resurrection, Jesus spent 40 days teaching His disciples, preparing them for the mission ahead. He ascended into heaven in His final moments with them, taken up before their very eyes. This moment was significant for many reasons, one being that it marked the end of Jesus' earthly ministry and the beginning of a new chapter—the empowerment of the disciples to carry on His mission.

Thankfully, Jesus didn't leave His disciples without hope or help. He promised that the Holy Spirit would come upon them to give them the power they would need to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth (cf. John 14:15-31; Acts 1:8).

Accordingly, Jesus commanded His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit (cf. Luke 24:49-53; Acts 1:4). For ten days, they gathered obediently in prayer and fellowship, eagerly anticipating this divine promise.

The Day of Pentecost

Finally, the Holy Spirit descended upon them with power on the Day of Pentecost, as tongues of fire rested upon each of them (Acts 2). It's here that some say we witness the birth of the New Testament church. Filled with the Holy Spirit, the disciples began to speak in other languages, proclaiming the gospel to the diverse crowds in Jerusalem. Acts 2 records that over 3,000 people came to faith that day (and, according to ancient custom, that was only the men!). At the very least, this moment marked the beginning of the church's outward and global mission.

Jewish Christians

At this point, we took a step back to Jesus' final words before His ascension. In Acts 1:8, Jesus gave His disciples their marching orders:

"You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

This wasn't just a geographical plan—it was a spiritual mandate. By Christ's command, the gospel would eventually break through all cultural and religious barriers. The message of salvation, once proclaimed only to Israel now extended to all nations.

At this point, we noted that the earliest Christians were Jewish. The apostles themselves were Jews, and the initial wave of converts on Pentecost was made up of Jews from various parts of the Roman world. These early believers continued to worship at the temple, observed Jewish customs, and saw Jesus as the fulfillment of the promises made to Israel.

But as the gospel of Jesus Christ grew in popularity in and around Jerusalem, tensions started to rise between Jewish Christians and the larger Jewish community, especially its religious leadership. Notably, this led to the death of the first Christian martyr, Stephen (Acts 6:8-8:2). 

The persecution that continued, even heightened, after Stephen's martyrdom scattered the earliest Christians, but instead of silencing the message, it served to spread it. Philip, one of the early evangelists, traveled to Samaria and proclaimed Christ there, leading to many conversions.

Samaritan Christians

Now, you might be wondering: "Who were the Samaritans, and why was this significant?" Great questions. 

The Samaritans were a mixed group, part-Jewish and part-Gentile, who lived in the region north of Jerusalem. They shared some common ancestry with the Jews but developed a different religious system. They worshipped on Mount Gerizim rather than in Jerusalem and held to their own version of the Torah.

The Jews, seeing the Samaritans as religious heretics and cultural outsiders (for reasons we discussed last spring), despised them, viewing them as impure and traitors to the faith of Israel (cf. John 4:9). Despite this deep-seated hostility, the gospel reached Samaria, breaking down these long-standing barriers and reconciling people who had been divided for centuries. As you might imagine, this was a compelling early demonstration of the gospel's unifying power (Galatians 3:28-29).

Gentile Christians

Following the expansion into Samaria, the message of Jesus reached the broader Roman Empire, largely through the missionary efforts of Paul, other apostles, and their companions. Paul's three missionary journeys, recorded in Acts, played a key role in establishing Christian communities in cities like Corinth, Ephesus, and Rome.

The Roman Empire, with its extensive network of roads, relative social stability, and common language, facilitated the rapid spread of Christianity. However, the message of the gospel often came into conflict with Roman culture, politics, and religion, setting the stage for a second stage of persecution.

A Decisive Break

At first, Christianity was seen as a sect within Judaism. But as the message of Christ's death and resurrection gained traction, many Jewish leaders considered it a threat. After all, Christians proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah, something the Jewish authorities vehemently denied. They feared the Christian movement would further divide the Jewish people, disrupt their fragile relationship with the Romans, and invite further oppression. 

Moreover, the early Christians' practice of worshiping Jesus as Lord and God challenged core Jewish beliefs about monotheism. This and many other differences led to social ostracism, excommunication from synagogues, and even physical persecution by Jewish leaders.

Christianity's decisive break from Judaism came later, with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. When the Roman armies sacked the city and destroyed its temple, Christians, perhaps remembering and heeding the prophetic warnings of Jesus Christ, largely escaped (cf. Matthew 24). Those Jews trapped in the besieged city suffered horribly and died.  

The ancient historian Josephus recounted the sudden and dreadful nature of this event, an account matching the Lord's warning years before.

Now the number of those that were carried captive during this whole war was collected to be ninety-seven thousand, as was the number of those that perished during the whole siege eleven hundred thousand, (421) the greater part of whom were indeed of the same nation [with the citizens of Jerusalem], but not belonging to the city itself; for they were come up from all the country to the feast of unleavened bread, and were on a sudden shut up by an army, which, at the very first, occasioned so great a straitness among them that there came a pestilential destruction upon them, and soon afterward such a famine, as destroyed them more suddenly.(1)

While many Jews focused on the restoration of their temple and nation in the aftermath, Christians—both Jewish and Gentile—looked to Jesus as the true fulfillment of God's promises. This growing theological divergence solidified Christianity as a distinct faith.

Roman Persecution

The Roman persecution of Christians intensified as the movement grew and became distinct from Judaism. Initially perceived as a sect of Judaism, Christians were largely ignored by Roman authorities. However, as Christianity spread, particularly among Gentiles, it began to challenge the Roman religious and political order.

Under Emperor Nero (54–68 AD), Christians were scapegoated for the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD, leading to brutal persecutions. Nero's execution of Christians included heinous spectacles such as burning them alive. Figures like Ignatius of Antioch, who was martyred around 108 AD under Emperor Trajan, boldly proclaimed faith in Christ even while condemned to die in the Colosseum. Polycarp of Smyrna followed suit, facing martyrdom around 156 AD for refusing to deny Christ under local Roman officials during Antoninus Pius' reign.

Justin Martyr, a philosopher turned Christian apologist, was executed under Marcus Aurelius (161–180 AD) for defending the faith against charges of atheism and subversion. Marcus Aurelius, known for his Stoic writings, saw Christianity as undermining Roman stability and encouraged localized persecutions.

During the third century, Decius (249–251 AD) issued the first empire-wide edict requiring sacrifices to Roman gods, leading to the persecution of Christians who refused compliance. An even harsher campaign soon followed under Diocletian (284–305 AD), whose systematic "Great Persecution" targeted Christian leaders, churches, and scriptures, aiming to eradicate the faith entirely.

Remarkably, persecution ended under Galerius, Diocletian's successor, who in 311 AD issued the Edict of Serdica (or Toleration). Galerius, on his deathbed and likely influenced by political necessity and Christian steadfastness, acknowledged the futility of persecution and allowed Christians to worship freely, provided they prayed for his and the empire's welfare.

Conclusion

The early days of the Christian faith remind us of the gospel's power to overcome opposition, cross cultural divides, and transform hearts. From its beginnings in Jerusalem to its expansion across the Roman world, the church's story is a testimony to God's faithfulness in fulfilling His promise that the gospel would go to the ends of the earth.

Thanks so much for joining us for this study. We'll see you in the next review!

Questions for Review

1. What struck you most about the way the gospel moved from Jerusalem to the far reaches of the Roman Empire? How does this encourage you in your own efforts to share Christ?
2. The gospel's expansion broke down cultural and religious barriers, as seen in Samaria and among Gentiles. How can the church today continue to reflect the unifying power of the gospel?
3. The early Christians faced severe persecution but remained faithful. How can their example strengthen your faith in times of difficulty or opposition?
4. How does the story of the early church remind us of God’s sovereignty over history? What comfort does this bring in uncertain times?
5. In what ways can studying church history deepen our understanding of Scripture and strengthen our walk with Christ?

Resources

Bruce L. Shelley, Church History in Plain Language (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995).

Josephus, The Works of Josephus, trans. William Whiston (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1987), 6:420.

Justo L. González, The Story of Christianity, Vol. 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation (New York: HarperCollins, 1984).

B.K. Kuiper, The Church in History (Grand Rapids:L Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2001).

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.