The Evolution of Early Christianity

While Constantine is given credit for transforming the Christian Church into a powerful institution, many of its enduring traditions stem from the apostolic age. During the ministry of and shortly following the death of Jesus, the foundations upon which this new religion would be based upon was set by key apostles and supporters of Christianity. Among the institutions that were adopted in the early stages of the faith include the establishment of the sacraments, the formation of early Christian doctrine, and the promotion of Christianity as a universal religion.

The sacraments, a term for the symbolic rituals that are performed in worship, serve as the center of Christian religious expression today. While there is disagreement among denominations on the number of sacraments that the Christian should partake in, acceptance of the baptism and Eucharist as fundamental sacraments is nearly universal among Christians. The common feature of both of these sacraments is that they were explicitly introduced and described in the writings of the New Testament. The holy nature of the baptism is described in Luke when John the Baptist stated, “I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.” In addition to establishing the holy dimensions of baptism, the New Testament also specifies that baptism restores the believer and is a means by which the believer can repent of his or her sins. In Acts, the communal significance of the baptism is established by Paul who establishes that the baptism links the believer both the Christ and to other Christians. As one of the earliest established sacraments, the baptism plays a key role in defining the Christian community.

The second sacrament that is established in the New Testament is the Eucharist. The term Eucharist is derived from the Greek term meaning “to give thanks” and originates from the Last Supper described is the gospels. In the description of the Last Supper, Jesus broke bread and shared wine with his disciples before his crucifixion, commanding them to take part in his “body and blood.” As Paul established, the Eucharist was significant to the Christian religion because it was a celebration of the return of Jesus and the coming of His kingdom. Because of the role that the baptism and the Eucharist have in connecting believers with Jesus, both sacraments are considered to be fundamental to the Christian faith. The clear description of these sacraments in the New Testament as well as their defense by in the letters of Paul further cement their position as institutional features of Christianity.

While the New Testament described key sacraments and documented the teachings of Jesus, matters of doctrine were settled after the death of Jesus. Documenting his theological beliefs between 50-60AD in his letters to regional churches, the apostle Paul established many of the original doctrines of the Christian Church. First, Paul addressed the concept of salvation through his doctrine on justification. Determining that Jesus had fulfilled the Jewish laws through his sacrifice on the cross, Paul determined that individuals were justified, or rectified by God, through their faith in Jesus rather than by the works that they perform. Further, Paul established that “faith working through love” was the foundation of the Christian community. The implication of these early doctrines is that they established the Christian Church as a communal body that emphasized God’s love as the means for human salvation.

Finally, early Christianity settled the dispute over who could or could not become a Christian. During the first century CE, early Christians did not view their religion as being distinct from Judaism because the accepted that Jesus was the messiah described by the Jewish religious tradition. Yet Paul, who was a Diaspora Jew himself, determined that Gentiles could become members of the Christian faith without undergoing circumcision or conforming to other components of Jewish law. Further, Paul determined that baptism, rather than adherence to Jewish customs, would provide the link between the Christian community and bind Christians to the covenant with God. By the end of the first century CE, Greeks began to outnumber Jewish Christians, transforming the demographic makeup of the religion. By making Christianity accessible to non-Jewish individuals, Paul developed a religion that was universal in its scope and enabled Christianity to become a dominant religion in the Roman Empire.

While Christianity became a powerful force after 100 AD, its foundations were strengthened during and shortly following the apostolic age. The main sacraments that define Christian life, baptism, and the Eucharist, derive their origins from the New Testament and were vigorously promoted by the apostles. Further, the doctrines that lend the religion its coherence, such as the doctrine of justification, were promoted around 50 AD in the letters written by Paul. Finally, the work of Paul to expand Christianity to non-Jews enabled Christianity to make the transition from a sect of Judaism to a universal religion. These early developments in Christianity were critical in shaping the institutions that characterize Christianity today.

Bibliography

Cory, Catherine. “Jesus and the Gospels.” In The Christian Theological Tradition. 3d ed., edited by Catherine A. Cory and Michael J. Hollerich, 97-117. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2009.

Hollerich, Michael. “Christianity After the Apostles.” In The Christian Theological Tradition. 3d ed., edited by Catherine A. Cory and Michael J. Hollerich, 141-160. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2009.

Mullin, Robert. A Short World History of Christianity. London: Westminster John Knox Press.

Smithe, John, and Catherine Cory. “Apostolic Missions.” In The Christian Theological Tradition. 3d ed., edited by Catherine A. Cory and Michael J. Hollerich, 118-134. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2009.