teachings

According to most Christian interpretations of the Bible, the theme of Jesus' teachings was that of repentance, unconditional love[99], forgiveness of sin, grace, and the coming of the Kingdom of God.[100] Jesus extensively trained disciples who, after his death, spread his teachings. Within a few decades his followers comprised a religion clearly distinct from Judaism. Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire under a version known as Nicene Christianity and became the state religion under Constantine the Great. Over the centuries, it spread to most of Europe, and around the world.

Jesus has been drawn, painted, sculpted, and portrayed on stage and in films in many different ways, both serious and humorous. The figure of Jesus features prominently in art and literature. A number of popular novels, such as The Da Vinci Code, have also portrayed various ideas about Jesus, and a number of films, such as The Passion of the Christ, have portrayed his life, death, and resurrection. Many of the sayings attributed to Jesus have become part of the culture of Western civilization. There are many items purported to be relics of Jesus, of which the most famous are the Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium of Oviedo.

Other legacies include a view of God as more lovingly parental, merciful, and more forgiving, and the growth of a belief in a blissful afterlife and in the resurrection of the dead. His teaching promoted the value of those who had commonly been regarded as inferior: women, the poor, ethnic outsiders, children, prostitutes, the sick, prisoners, etc. For over a thousand years, countless hospitals, orphanages, and schools have been founded explicitly in Jesus' name. Jesus and his message have been interpreted, explained and understood by many people. Jesus has been explained notably by Paul of Tarsus, the Church Fathers, including Augustine of Hippo, Martin Luther, and more recently by C.S. Lewis and Pope John Paul II. Thomas Jefferson considered Jesus' teaching to be "the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man."[101]

For some Jews, the legacy of Jesus has been a history of Christian anti-Semitism,[102] although in the wake of the Holocaust many Christian groups have gone to considerable lengths to reconcile with Jews and to promote interfaith dialog and mutual respect. For others, Christianity has often been linked to Atlantic slave trade and European colonialism (see British Empire, Portuguese Empire, Spanish Empire, French colonial empire, Dutch colonial empire).[103] Conversely, some have argued that through Bartolomé de las Casas defense of the indigenous inhabitants of Spain's New World empire, one of the legacies of Jesus has been the notion of universal human rights.

This FRONTLINE series is an intellectual and visual guide to the new and controversial historical evidence which challenges familiar assumptions about the life of Jesus and the epic rise of Christianity.

For an overview of the series read the Synopsis. It includes links to some of the stories and material on this web site which expand the narrative.

This site is anchored by the testimony of New Testament theologians, archaeologists and historians who serve as both critics and storytellers. They address dozens of key issues, disagreements and critical problems relating to Jesus' life and the evolution of Christianity. Throughout the site, maps, charts (for example, the fortress of Masada), ancient texts (including Perpetua's diary), pictures of the archaeological discoveries, ancient imagery, and audio excerpts from the television program complement and illuminate the scholars' commentary.

A new addition to this site is the edited transcript of a two-day symposium at Harvard University. This symposium was a follow-up to the FRONTLINE broadcast and featured scholars' presentations, workshops and audience discussion.

From Jesus to Constantine: 30--313

Christian Symbols of the fish and anchor
Birth, Growth, Change

Imagine a time when Christians had no written Gospels but only a spoken tradition of the sayings and stories of Jesus. So it was for the earliest Christians.

Between Jesus' life and the year 313, the church went through many changes. At first, Christians' Scriptures were only the Jewish Law and the Prophets and some of the Jewish Writings, such as the Psalms. Though they used simple affirmations of faith, such as "Jesus is Lord," they did not have formal creeds or confessions. Worship was not highly structured and existed in a variety of forms.

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The Center Shifts

The earliest center of Christianity was Jerusalem but, in 70 A.D. a Jewish revolt failed. The Romans sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple. These events were a major turning for both Judaism and Christianity.

This relief from the Arch of Titus in Rome, ca. 81 A.D., commemorates the end of the Jewish Wars. The spoils from the Temple at Jerusalem, the table of shewbread, the seven-branched candlestick, and the silver trumpets, are carried triumphantly into the city.

After 70, Christians became dispersed, moving out more and more beyond Israel. Christianity increasingly became Hellenized. Greek, not Aramaic, became the primary language of Christians. Instead of Jerusalem, three cities:

* Antioch in Syria
* Alexandria in Egypt
* and Rome in Italy

became the most important centers for Christian communities.

For an interactive map of showing these and other cities important to Early Christianity visit this external web site:

The Spread of Christianity
http://shell5.ba.best.com/~gdavis/ntcanon/mapsmall.htm

Ignatius of Antioch

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Ignatius (died c.110) was the second bishop of Antioch during a time of severe persecution. At that time, the office of "bishop" was simply the pastor of a local congregation; Ignatius did not have far-flung authority over a broader area.

Condemned to fight wild beasts in Rome, Ignatius wrote a series of letters on the way to his death, including a one to Polycarp, which is his shortest epistle. In the another epistle, Ignatius warned Polycarp and his congregation of the danger of a new theology, which was later named Docetism.


Persecutions of Christians

Persecutions of the Christian minority group began in the middle of the first century as it became separate from Judaism. The book of Acts describes how Saul, who later became the apostle Paul, persecuted Christians and the martydom of Stephen.

"Martyr" comes from a Greek word meaning "witness." Famous early Christian martyrs include:

* Peter and Paul
* Ignatius of Antioch
* Polycarp of Smyrna
* Justin Martyr
* Perpetua and Felicitas
* Origen of Alexandria

Take the Highway

Journey Through Time

As the first generation of Christians died and persecutions continued, issues relating to Authority and the Bible emerged. Which books would be in the canon? What was orthodoxy and what was heresy? Meet Polycarp of Smyrna, an Christian martyr and advocate of orthodoxy.
Choose a Byway

1. Learn about the some of the ways early Christians interpreted the Bible Meet Philo of Alexandria, a famous Jewish interpreter of Scriptures who used the allegorical method and influenced Christian interpreters such as Clement and Origen of Alexandria.

2. Check out Church History Timeline: FROM JESUS TO CONSTANTINE: 30--313

3. Read the letters of Ignatius of Antioch,