Many people ask the question, “Who was the actual founder of Christianity, Jesus or Paul.” There are many debates on this topic that allow us to obtain more knowledge about the subject to form an opinion on this. In this extended response, I will be writing about my opinion on the question and why I think Jesus or Paul was the founder of Christianity.
Most people think when they hear the word ‘Christianity’ they automatically assume that Jesus Christ was the founder because his last name was Christ, which is the start of the word Christianity. Even I used to think that he was the founder, as I didn’t have much knowledge on Christianity and Jesus Christ himself (and all the other historically important people), and now I have a much better understanding
…show more content…
Paul was born in Tarsis in the year 10 AD and died was tortured and beheaded by Rome’s evil Emperor Nero in the year of 67 AD at the age of approximately 57. Paul was a gentile who converted to Judaism. Some people question if he was a Sadducee or a Pharisee but Paul was indeed a Pharisee. Paul grew up in Tarsis, a town in modern day Turkey. In modern days, he is known in Tarsis as Tarsis’ son. He made a living as a tent maker and he could speak fluent Greek. He was also a brilliant …show more content…
He came to a conclusion to have Christian prayers and other religious things inside people’s houses. This was not allowing Christianity to go big on a large scale. This made Paul change the laws of Christianity. To be able to be a Christian, all you needed to do was believe that Jesus was the Messiah (you would not have to follow any of the Jewish laws). This was like a cheat to Judaism. This eventually led to the religion of Christianity that still stands today thanks to Paul and
The Early Christians had numerous different practices. Some of them sacrificed animals, others held mass, and some even died in order to go with God. This helped with the spread of Christianity because it allowed people to attend mass and be forgiven of their sins. It also showed how cruel the Romans were and that religious freedom was being taken away from them.
Paul’s response was concerning ecclesiastical and doctrinal controversies. These Jewish-Christians were teaching false doctrine to the Gentile members. They taught that to be saved one must be circumcised and observe the ritual requirements of the law. Paul believed a Gentile did not need to go through the ritual requirements of the law, Gentiles were welcomed into the church through baptism professing faith in Jesus the Christ. In Acts 15:24-29 the Apostles and elders of the church did call the Gentiles to live within the moral teachings of the law, most specifically to avoid idolatry and sexual sin and counseled them on kosher restrictions when eating with others who were Jewish so as not to offend and complicate ministry amongst the Jewish communities. The account in Acts actually attest to the controversies of Gentile reception in the church and what their obligation to the law would be. This is the problem Paul is trying to rectify in
Jesus may have founded Christianity, but it is thanks to the revolutionary and enduring groundwork Paul laid that it exists in such a diverse, living and dynamic way. Following the death and resurrection of Jesus, Christianity was fledging. Persecuted at every turn, the early followers of Christ were plagued with uncertainty of what their religion should look like, rife with inconsistencies and false testimonies of Jesus and his messages. Thankfully, salvation was found for early Christians when Paul began his support and development of the Church, having a seismic role in solidifying much of the beliefs and practices that existed in the early Church, results of his work still forming the bedrock of modern Christianity and it...
Everyone in Greece loved him because of his goodness and they all admired him because of his nobility
Paul the Apostle, was a famous preacher of first century Christianity and was God’s tool used to spread the light of the gospel to the Gentiles. Paul is credited fir having written many books in the New Testament of the Bible. He was born an Israelite to a clan of the tribe of Benjamin, speaking the Aramaic and Hebrew tongues from infancy. He was an enthusiastic student and a stringent devotee of the Torah. He was the man that later had a peculiar meeting with the Lord Jesus Christ while on the road to Damascus. His life and duty were considerably altered and in turn eventually changed the course of the development of Western Civilization and culture.
...he heroic figure in Greek literature by living out the destiny that the gods set out for him.
Jesus’ teachings created the religion of Christianity. Though Christians were persecuted during the beginning of time in which they began to spread, many factors helped to shape Christianity into the popular religion it is today. Christianity was able rise from just a Jesus ministry to a popular religion with the help of martyrdom, missionaries, governmental support and Jesus himself.
Virtually all scholars accept the Apostle Paul as the author of Philemon. Paul, who was formally called Saul prior to his work as an Apostle, was born in the city of Tarsus, the Capital of ancient Cilicia. Tarsus was declared a free city by Rome, thus making Paul a Roman citizen. He was Jewish by blood from the tribe of Benjamin. Paul studied under the teaching and influence of the rabbi Gamaliel and became a Pharisee. As a Pharisee, Paul possessed a rigid adherence to the letter of the law and strongly opposed and fought against Christianity. Paul was converted to Christianity by Jesus on a persecution journey to Damascus in AD 33. After his conversion, Paul became a missionary to the Gentile world. He is believed to have written at least thirteen books of the New Testament before his death in AD 67-68.
Christianity was first brought about by Jesus, who preached he was the son of God. After Jesus was hung on the cross and then resurrected one of his apostles, Paul, started the church. It first became popular in Jerusalem, and then continued to spread throughout the rest of the Middle-East, eventually reaching ...
The rise of Christianity more than 2000 years ago provided necessary building blocks for the future. Without Christianity there would be no cathedrals, no monasteries, no music from Johann Sebastian Bach, no paintings from Michelangelo, nor no philosophy from Saint Augustine (Backman 205). There are countless times in history, whether good or bad, that can be credited to Christianity. The first Christian Church (the Orthodox Church) came to be in the Late Roman Empire because of Jesus of Nazareth, and the first Christian Emperor Constantine.
Jesus and Paul are two crucial characters in the New Testament. They both depict the Gospel on which Christianity is based upon, but there is debate about rather these two versions of the Gospel are complementary. Scholars like George Shaw claim that Paul is “anti-Christian,” and he “produced a fantastic theology” (Shaw 415-416). On the other hand, I believe that even though Jesus and Paul may present the Gospel different at times, they are still advocating the same religion. Through the understanding of the Gospels and Paul’s letters it is clear that Jesus and Paul have the same underlining goals and values.
Church History in Plain Language is written by Bruce L. Shelley. This work focuses on the history of Christianity from 6 B.C. to the current period. It covers some of Christianity’s greatest events, theologians, and the various subsection of Christianity. Other than the events leading up to the death of Jesus, I had very little knowledge of Christianity’s history. After reading through the book, I have gained understanding on the Christian Councils, scholasticism, Christendom, and modern trends of Christianity.
What is Christianity all about? What are the basic beliefs of Christianity and how did it begin? According to (AllAboutReligion, 2010),” Christianity began about 2000 years ago in Judea, [presently known today as Israel] with Jesus Christ and His faithful group of disciples”. This paper will address the viewpoint of the Christian faith and its outcome. The central message of Christianity is based upon the teachings of Jesus and his promises.
The Apostle Paul is known as the greatest missionary of the early church. Paul, who once vowed to wipe out belief in Jesus Christ, was later converted to do the work of Christ. He would author almost half of the 27 books in the New Testament. He endured sickness, rejection, and repeated attacks on his life to bring the message of God's grace and forgiveness to Gentiles. Paul was the apostle largely responsible for the solid inception and growth of Christianity. He spoke before Jews, Greeks, and Romans. Paul is known as the apostle to the Gentiles. He defended God's Word before kings and emperors of this world. By the end of his life, much of the Mediterranean world had been reached with the gospel.
Christianity, The Origins Of Christianity." Christianity, The Origins Of Christianity. Ed. Robert A. Guisepi. History World International, n.d. Web. 06 May 2014. .