When the greatest teacher in the world was born 2000 years ago he taught love and peace to all. Through out his teachings he took a select few to groom and educate to carry on when he was gone. These twelve extraordinary people are examples for which we are to be and how we are to live 2000 years later. The twelve followers that Jesus chose for his ministry were not a group of exceptional education, birthright or religious or social standings. Out of the twelve pupils of Jesus, eleven were unwaveringly faithful, but one would betray his dearest friend for his own personal gain. Let's begin by searching where the disciples came from and what kind of people they were.
The disciples were not extraordinary people by any standards, only what they did in their lives was considered extraordinary. All of the disciples are assumed to be of Jewish decent, but there is little in the way of supporting it. Simon Peter was educated in a Jewish school; in the Jewish state it was illegal for a gentile to attend a Jewish school (Edwards P.247). This would imply that Simon Peter was Jewish. Not much is told to us about the ethnicity of the disciples beyond the information of where they were born. It is safe to assume that Jesus selected all, or mostly, Jewish followers, not out of racism, but out of sensibility as the Pharisees felt and preached a lot of resentment towards the gentiles. The churches and public buildings separated the Jews from the gentiles (Edwards P.190). If Jesus had chosen gentiles for his ministry they may very well have been ignored and shunned, not to mention could have been tried for heresy by the people of Israel, due to the political and religious claimant.
Another fact about the disciples taken into acc...
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...c and revere in thoughts and words.
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Jesus had 12 disciples, disciple means follower or pupil, even long after the death of Jesus these disciples would continue teaching about Jesus. The first four books of the bible were written by the Disciple these books are called apostles they are as follows Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Jesus became famous, because he appealed to the rich and poor alike, he had few or no possessions and he traveled all over what was then considered to be the world. Jesus attracted attention from both Jewish and Roman leaders.
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.
Lane, T. (2006). A concise history of christian thought (Completely ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.
Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity. 2nd ed. New York City, NY: HarperOne, 2010.