History 107 Lecture 23

1
History 107Lecture 23

• Early Christianity in the Roman Empire

2
Jesus and Early Christianity

• In a search to find the historic Jesus in Judea
  and the Roman Empire, one might ask the following
  questions
• Who is Jesus?
• Jesus of Nazareth (0 29/33 A. D.)
• What culture does Jesus emerge from?
• How is he related to Jewish communities in
  Palestine?
• What was the political climate in Judea and Rome
  at this time?
• What was Jesus ministry?
• Why did Jews and Romans think about Jesushow did
  they perceive what he was doing?
• How did the followers of Jesus remember him and
  describe him to future generations?

The Hebrew Y'Shua or Yeshua (Yahweh is
Salvation), as it was written in documents
during the time of Jesus. (Jesus is the Greek
way of writing Joshua.)
3
Life of Jesus through Josephus

• Flavius Josephus, a first century A.D. historian
  who wrote a long history of the Jews mentions
  Jesus, who appears in few Roman sources.
  Josephus writes
• There lived a wise man if, we can call him a
  man, named Jesus. A wonder worker and a teacher
  of those who search after truth, he attracted
  crowds of both Jews and 'Gentiles. He was the
  'Christ. Nevertheless, Pilate, at the urging of
  our leaders, sentenced him to death on the
  'cross. His disciples remained faithful,
  however, and after three days he appeared to them
  alive. This and many other marvelous things had
  been foretold about him by the prophets. The
  Christian sect, named after him, still flourishes
  to this day.

4
Historic Developments in Judaism

• By the First Century A.D. there were four major
  groups of significance in Judaism in and around
  Jerusalem
• SadduceesJewish temple priests who were closely
  allied with the political authorities. No belief
  in the afterlife
• PhariseesJewish teachers of the law. They
  believed in eternal life and a system of
  punishment and rewards in the afterlife
• Essenesspiritual ascetics who withdrew from
  society to avoid its evils and to contemplate
  God. They awaited the coming of the messiah
  intensely, purified themselves through baptismal
  washing, focused on a call to repentance, and a
  mystical reunion with God
• ZealotsArmed Jews who wanted to overthrow Roman
  rule by military force and violence

5
Sources to find the historic Jesus

• The Christian Gospels in the New Testament are
  primary sources for the historian. They were
  written between 65 A.D. and 110 A.D. and give
  important information about the life of Jesus and
  how different Christian communities were
  understanding him
• In the end, many of the issues in these Gospels
  require a personal faith commitmentthere are
  things that an historian cannot prove or
  disprove. These are the case in all
  religionsyou must decide if you think what Jesus
  said makes sense. As Jesus asks his disciple
  Peter himselfWho do you think I am, Peter?
• The Bible is a religious document that is about
  deep ultimate questions. The kind of questions
  that Gilgamesh asked, the kind of questions that
  Plato and Socrates asked. The kind of problems
  that Odysseus faced.

6
Sources to find the historic Jesus

• Book of MatthewThis gospel was written for Jews
  who were becoming Christians in an area of strong
  Pharisaic influence.
• In the First Century, such communities were in
  Tiberius and Sephoras in Galilee (Israel) or
  Antioch. The setting is clearly after the 70
  A.D. destruction of the Temple, and the community
  is clearly divided.
• Matthew is speaking to a people who are
  struggling with religious changewhat do we do
  now? How do we continue to be authentic Jews in
  a time of persecution?
• Matthews example is that Jesus is the promised
  messiahthe Christ foretold in the Old Testament.
  He begins his gospel, uniquely, with a long
  genealogy to link Jesus up to David through
  Joseph.
• The Jesus that appears in this Gospel has strong
  words to say to Sadducees and Phariseeshe
  complains that they are following the letter over
  the spirit of the law.

7
Sources to find the historic Jesus

• Other gospels were for different communitiesJohn
  was for Greeks, not Jews
• The gospels Matthew, Mark (65 A.D.), and Luke
  seem to rely on an earlier source which has never
  been discovered. This Q Gospelthe Sayings of
  Jesusmay have been oral (like Homer) or written,
  and was not narrative but a collection of sayings
• Q may have been Greek or Aramaic. We can tell
  this was there because of the similarity of words
  used in the Gospels
• But the format of Q would probably have been like
  the Gospel of Thomas, another ancient text not
  included in the Bible but useful for historians
  and scholars

8
Divine Origins of Jesus in Art
15th century Italian painting of the Annunciation
of Mary depicts the moment when the Holy Spirit
enters Marys womb
9
The Baptism of Jesus in Art
Mosaic Baptism of Jesus shown in a Ravenna church
(500s) in Italy. Jesus is baptized by John in
the River Jordan and begins his ministry about
the age of 30. God the Father and the Holy
Spirit bless Jesus.
10
Jesus Seder meal or Last Supper
Coptic art of the early Christian church
11
Jesus death via crucifixion
12
Early Christian Art in Rome
A tomb inscription from the hidden catacombs
beneath Rome. This Christian tomb shows Peter
(Petrus) and Paul (Paulus) on the left and a
Latin inscription which reads Asellus who had
lived 5 years, 8 months and 23 days.
13
Early Christian Art in Rome
Tomb, Roman catacombs Here Christian parents
have dedicated an epitaph to their 20-year old
son who lives in peace. The figure to the left
represents the resurrection of Lazarus, the most
common image found in the catacombs, reflecting
the belief of early Christians in Jesus as the
author of eternal life.
14
Early Christian Art in Rome

• Jesus conquers Rome, 5th century Christian mosaic
• Jesus is dressed wearing the purple of Roman
  emperors, carrying the cross and Bible (I am the
  way, the truth, the life), and crushing the
  authority of Rome
• By the 5th century this anti-Roman view of
  Jesus was possible