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EARLY CHRISTIANS

Early Christians refers to Christians of the period before the First Council of Nicaea in 325. The immediate religious context of Christianity was Judaism at the time which was characterized by strict monotheism, a gradual shift from temple ritual to personal ethics, restlessness under foreign domination, a strong sense of community, and expectations of the coming of a messiah.

Christianity began as a movement within Judaism at a period when the Jews had long been under foreign influence and rule, Egyptians, Babylonians, Asurrians, Persians, Greek, Romans. In Palestinian Judaism the predominant note was separation and exclusiveness. Thus, a lot of sects and exclusive groups had formed which had a strong influence on Early Christianity.

Jewish sects, 1st Century in Palestine

Several Jewish groups had formed by the time of Christ that held varying views on religious authority, certain theological issues, and the response to the Roman occupation.

The Sadduccees were the most conservative group. They rejected the Oral Torah (the Talmud and other Jewish tradition and commentary) along with the doctrine of bodily resurrection, much of the beliefs about angels and demons held by other groups, and the doctrine of predestination. They focused on the temple ritual that had been practiced for centuries and tended to be on friendly terms with Roman authorities.

The Pharisees acknowledged the authority of both the Written and Oral Torah and focused on personal obedience of the Law over temple ritual. Though given a bad reputation due to Jesus' rebukes in the New Testament, the Pharisees were among the most observant and religious Jews of the time, and many were very pious.

The Essenes were a much smaller sect, but they have become well known since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls that they are believed to have authored. The Essenes were an apocalyptic and ascetic group that emphasized extreme personal purity and remained separate from the rest of the Jewish community.

Various other small groups existed as well. Despite this diversity, however, the Judaism of Jesus' time was essentially unified by a devotion to one God, adherence to the Bible, emphasis on both Temple and Law, and eschatological hopes.

Dispute on Christian History

The true history of Jesus and the Early Christians is still a open depate. Especially, since the Roman Catholic Church's claim to be the only true source of Christian history has been challanged by many authors. Take a look at the view of the Roman Catholic Church via the Catholic Encyclopedia.

E.g. for some open discussions and essays, look at:

Some text and scriptures from the time are available from:



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