Overview
Christianity developed around Jesus of Nazareth, an itinerant Jewish teacher commonly placed by historians in the final years BCE and the early first century CE. The name Jesus reflects the Greek form of Yeshua, while “Christ” is a title derived from the Greek term for “anointed one” or Messiah.
Christian traditions differ in how they understand accounts of his conception, birth and family. The canonical Gospels associate his birth with Bethlehem and his upbringing with Nazareth in Galilee. Proposed dates vary, with many historical chronologies placing the birth between about 7 and 4 BCE. For more on the traditions, see the pages on the virgin birth and Jesus’ birth.
Galilee and Judea were under Roman rule, and Jewish communities held diverse expectations about religious renewal, political liberation and the coming reign of God. The Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes and revolutionary groups represented distinct approaches rather than a single unified response to Roman authority.
At approximately age 30, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and began a public teaching ministry. The Gospel traditions describe a larger circle of followers as well as a symbolic group of twelve. Women and men both appear as supporters and participants, although Christian communities interpret their formal roles differently.
Recurring themes in the teaching traditions
- Repentance and a reorientation of conduct in preparation for the reign of God.
- Wholehearted love of God.
- Love of one’s neighbor and enemy, including non-retaliation toward oppressors.
- An interpretation of Jewish law emphasizing obligations to God and other people alongside ritual practice.
The Gospels report a confrontation in the Jerusalem Temple that may have contributed to Jesus’ arrest. Roman authorities executed him by crucifixion around Passover, commonly dated near 30 CE. Christian texts then describe his resurrection, appearances to followers and ascent to heaven. These claims are central matters of faith; historians study the texts, communities and resulting beliefs using different methods.
Jewish Christians and the Nazoreans
The Acts of the Apostles presents Jesus’ earliest followers as a Jerusalem-centered Jewish movement. Matthias was selected to replace Judas, while James, the brother of Jesus, became a leading figure and Simon Peter remained influential.
These communities proclaimed Jesus’ teaching among fellow Jews and are often associated with names such as Nazoreans. Acts describes some members sharing resources. They continued Jewish practices, including dietary observance and circumcision, and understood their movement within a Jewish religious setting.
Tensions arose over the requirements for non-Jewish converts. The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by Roman forces in 70 CE, followed by upheaval in the second century, dispersed communities and transformed both Judaism and Christianity. Distinct Jewish-Christian groups weakened over time, and some adherents were likely absorbed into larger Christian movements.
The role of Saul and Paul
Paul of Tarsus, a Jew operating in a Greek-speaking environment, initially opposed followers of Jesus. According to his letters and Acts, a visionary experience led him to become a missionary. The sources use both Saul and Paul, names suited to Jewish and Greco-Roman settings; the familiar idea that he formally changed his name at conversion is not explicit in the texts.
Paul taught that non-Jewish converts did not need circumcision or full observance of Jewish law. This position prompted disagreement and negotiation with Jerusalem leaders. Paul concentrated on Gentile communities and helped establish congregations across the eastern Mediterranean through travel, correspondence and local networks.
Early congregations used titles that later became associated with bishops, elders and pastors. Their meanings and responsibilities developed over time. Christian tradition connects the deaths of Paul and Peter with Roman persecution, although details preserved in later accounts are difficult to verify.
Gnostic Christian movements
“Gnostic” is a modern umbrella term for several ancient movements that emphasized revealed knowledge and offered varied accounts of God, creation and Jesus. Their ideas drew from Christian, Jewish, Greek and other intellectual environments. They were not one institution with a single creed.
Such groups and teachers were influential especially during the second and third centuries. Writers who promoted emerging orthodox positions criticized their teachings, and many related communities eventually disappeared or were marginalized. Read the broader introduction to Gnostic traditions.
Modern understanding expanded after manuscripts were found near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945. These writings preserve voices and interpretations largely known previously through their opponents. The later publication of the surviving Gospel of Judas also contributed to scholarship and public interest.
Toward the patristic era
After the apostolic generation, Christian teachers and overseers increasingly addressed doctrine, worship and community order in writing. The period from roughly 100 to 170 CE includes figures commonly grouped among the Apostolic Fathers and early apologists.
Structures differed by location, but many communities moved toward stronger oversight by a leading bishop working with elders and deacons. Later writers—including Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian and Origen—belong mainly to subsequent phases of the broader patristic era rather than entirely within this page’s 170 CE endpoint.
Selected reading
- W. Barnstone, ed., The Other Bible, 1984.
- J. D. Crossan, The Birth of Christianity, 1999.
- J. L. Mays, ed., Harper’s Bible Commentary, 1988.
- H. Maccoby, The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity, 1986.
- E. Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels, 1980.
- J. M. Robinson, ed., The Nag Hammadi Library in English, 1988.
- R. Shorto, Gospel Truth, 1997.
- J. Z. Smith et al., HarperCollins Dictionary of Religion, 1995.