The Origin of Christianity
The Late Geza Vermes on the transition from Jewish Christians to Gentiles
A turning point in the Jesus movement, Peter baptizes the Roman centurion Cornelius, the first non-Jewish Christian, in Jerusalem (Acts 10), as shown in one of five baptism scenes on a 12th-century baptismal font in St. Bartholomew’s Church in Liège, Belgium. Image: Jean-Pol Grandmont.
Today the concept of “Jewish Christians” may sound like a confusion of two religions. However, to understand the origin of Christianity, one must begin with the population of Jewish Christians who lived during Jesus’ lifetime. In the November/December 2012 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, Dead Sea Scroll and early Christianity scholar Geza Vermes explored the origin of Christianity by examining the characteristics of the Jewish Jesus movement to see how it developed into a distinctly gentile religion.
In the New Testament, Jesus only preaches to a Jewish audience. Geza Vermes described the mission of the 11 apostles to preach to “all the nations” (Matthew 28:19) as a “‘post-Resurrection’ idea.” After the crucifixion, the apostles began to champion a new faith in Jesus and the ranks of the Jesus movement (known as “the Way” at the time) swelled to 3,000 Jewish converts. At first, these followers were distinctly Jewish, following Mosaic law, Temple traditions and dietary customs.
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In BAR, Geza Vermes wrote: “Acts identifies the demographic watershed regarding the composition of the Jesus movement. It began around 40 C.E. with the admission into the church of the family of the Roman centurion Cornelius in Caesarea (Acts 10). Later came the gentile members of the mixed Jewish-Greek church in Antioch (Acts 11:19–24; Galatians 2:11–14), as well as the many pagan converts of Paul in Syria, Asia Minor and Greece. With them the Jewish monopoly in the new movement came to an end. Jewish and gentile Christianity was born.”
As gentiles joined the Jesus movement, focus on Jewish law decreased and we start to see the origin of Christianity as a distinct religion. Jewish Christians in Jerusalem participated in separate Jewish services from the gentile Christian population, and while the two groups agreed on Jesus’ message and importance, the separate rites and communities led to increasing division between the groups.
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The early-second-century Epistle of Barnabas is one of the earliest expressions of gentile Christianity and describes Jesus as quasi-divine. Photo: ©The British Library.
Geza Vermes presents the late first century C.E. Jewish Christian Didache as an important text for understanding the Jewish Jesus movement. The Christian document focuses on Mosaic Law and the love of God and the neighbor, and describes the observance of Jewish traditions alongside baptism and the recitation of “Our Father.” The Didache treats Jesus as a charismatic prophet, referring to Jesus with the term pais, a word for servant or child that is also used for King David, rather than the “Son of God.”
By contrast, the early second century Epistle of Barnabas shows a distinctly gentile Christianity in its presentation of the Hebrew Bible as allegory instead of covenantal fact. The clearly divinized Jesus in this document is distanced from the Jewish Christians and the divide between the Christian communities continued to widen over time. Geza Vermes writes that after Hadrian’s suppression of the Second Jewish Revolt, the Jewish Christians quickly became a minority group in the newly established church. At this point we can see the origin of Christianity as a distinctly non-Jewish religion; late in the second century, the Jewish Christians either rejoined their Jewish peers or become part of the newly gentile Christian church.
For more on the origin of Christianity, read Geza Vermes’s “From Jewish to Gentile: How the Jesus Movement Became Christianity” as it appeared in Biblical Archaeology Review, November/December 2012.
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This Bible History Daily feature was originally published in November 2012.
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Jesus stated that the entire Bible was based on two concepts Love God with heart, soul and mind and your neighbor as yourself. That everything in it has to be understood based on that ethics. He states repeatedly that Moses had gotten things wrong often because he deviated from that ethics, which always happens when we try to create rules to demonstrate ethics. When one goes back and looks at the formation of the Old Testament and New Testament we see individuals who knew the original apostles or those who knew people who knew them and used their testimony as a basis of approving what was true or false. The fact that we no longer have those documents does not mean that they did not have documentary evidence or evidence based on memories from those familiar with them. We know that there were many different views of who Jesus was in the early Christian church and that whole segments of the early church saw Jesus only as a prophet, while other saw him as the Son of God. The concepts of whether one could be both God and man were hotly debated as these were common concepts in the Greek and Roman world at that time in their own religions. Much of what we see in the teachings of Jesus was not new. These were the beliefs of the Essenes as was baptism and what we call the Lord’s Supper. The sermon on the mount and many of the teachings of Jesus would have been familiar to the disciples as they were also teachings of some Pharisees as well as the Essenes. So they did not have to remember them as they were very common beliefs then by this variant of Judaism. It is also interesting that Jesus never states anything negative nor do the apostles about the Essenes though there were important differences. But they were both alike in following lives of poverty, and the structure we see in the early church of selling everything to use it for those in need. Jesus reinterpreted the Jewish law from a perspective of love your neighbor is the basis of loving God. But this too is not new as many of the OT prophets said the same thing. That God does not care about rituals but about how one treats immigrants and the poor. One of the reasons that we have the Christianity that we have today is not only the Nicene Creed that was agreed upon and the destruction of most of the other documents and books but that the Muslims when they arose destroyed the other variants of Christianity in large part. But these were also those who were called Nestorian Christians and from whom Mohammed learned the concept that Jesus was a prophet because this was their belief.
Where do I a non Jew or christian go to be baptized as a follower of Christ ?
I live in the Parramatta area in NSW ,Australia
I would like to be in the presence of Jewish Christians for my baptism.
Hi Oktay,
I used to be a Christian but I was challenged a few years ago by Judaism and accepted it through a process of questions and praying. I come from the Parramatta area and although I recently moved to Wagga Wagga, I’m still sometimes in Toongabbie as my parents live there. If you ever have any questions about Christianity and Judaism, I’d recommend talking with Rabbi Eli Cohen of Jews for Judaism, he’s also the rabbi of Newtown Synagogue.
Blessings,
Annelise
By even stating the terms “Christian” and “jesus” in the context of the 1st and 2nd century middle eastern culture are grossly misleading. In order to be a “christian” one would have to jump to the 4th century and there simply was no “jewish jesus” Yahushua is the only name anyone would have understood because He was a Hebrew of the tribe of Yahuda, not “jewish” to be “jewish” means He would have practiced Judaism which is the religion of the Edomite converts living in Yerushelim during the first century C.E. These people vastly added to Scripture by way of the Talmudic traditions. Yahushua was renewing the First Covenant not creating a new one. He is the embodiment of the Torah. John 1 explains this. Yahushua is the fulfillment and final sacrifice but Christianity preaches that the law no longer applies when Yahushua clearly points to it. I’m not a scholar but I study so I question the author’s sources. I’d like to know where the author is getting their information.
Jesus only preached to a Jewish Audience , Mmmmm. I think not . Who was the woman at the well , and who lived in her village and many believed. Who had a greater faith than any in Israel.
Flawed in the 1st sentence.
In reference to the new Gentile converts abstaining from all forms and practices relating to idolatry, consumming the meat of strangled animals, consuming blood and the practice of sexual immorality as specified in the law of Moses, this was given so as not to case apprehension among the new converts. Let it also be noted in the same scripture, that the Council made it clear the God’s Law given through Moses was taught every Sabbath in the synagogue. My understanding is this, after the converts joined The Way they would gradually learn and live according to the teaching they would receive on the Sabbaths. This important piece of truth has been conveniently read over and ignored so as to remain politically correct in keeping with the popular doctrine currently proclaimed throughout the planet. However, hard truths are rarely if ever, popular.
I agree. And that also applies to circumcision. In the Torah, the strangers had to be circumcised in order to be fully accepted. Peter, Paul or no one has the authority to change the law.
well as a christain jew.i strongly believe in god our creature,and in jesus Christ our savior,whom died on the cross for everyones sins.in the beginning he came as a lamb…know soon this month according to the bible codes he is on his way back as a roaring lion,the true lion of Judah.to save mankind from there own destruction..the 6th trumpet shall sound soon,so keep your ears open,and let them hear for the trumpet shall be loud and heard throughout thy world.for I have seen and talked to jesus several times in heaven and sky and on earth.be prepared for him.i also he told me he sent man his last warning through natan.the boy whom is also called Nathan,check out his prophecy..for he is telling thy truth says thy lord..for this is the last warning from me and thy father which art in heaven…thy 9th and 19th of august 2016,and the 2nd of oct 2016..all you have to do to be saved is repent and do good deeds towards others..hope your a listening to me and natan,for gods army is ready,and jesus the true lion of Judah is coming soon.
Christianity started before the foundation of the world. 1 Peter 1: 20
Going neutrally in line with the 4 recognized books Jesus line of teaching was corrupted by Paul,who never acknowledged Jesus when he was there,but started a mixture of pagan and Jewish teachings at his own. It could be Paulinity but not Christianity. He deviated from the main Abrahamic main stream laws that can be clearly seen.
Faisal,Paul actually met Christ and realised straight away Jesus was God in the flesh,from that day on there was no corruption.
nor would he tolerate corruption in his walk with the Lord,in fact he hated false teaching in all its shape and form.
So your accusations against him comes under false teaching,unless you have evidence which I doubt you should present it.
Paul only claimed to have met the Risen Christ. No historian or Christian scholar believes that Paul met Jesus of Nazareth in his lifetime prior to the crucifixion. It is a matter of personal faith that Paul’s claims of receiving his gospel directly from the Risen Christ after the crucifixion are true, and you are welcome to that faith. But to claim that he knew the earthly Jesus the way the disciples who spent years with him did is neither historical nor based in scripture. The Jesus that the disciples knew was a religious Jew that strictly followed the Mosaic Law. That is why the continued to obey the Law after Jesus; they were following his example. Only Paul said that the Law was not necessary, and clearly James and the disciples who knew Jesus during his lifetime did not agree.