Chapter 2
A Church of Converts:
Widening the Circle of
Jesus’ Followers
The Original Circle
• The most prominent of the Apostles
was Simon Peter
• The crucial event for the church was
the RESURRECTION OF JESUS
• Without the resurrection:
– Jesus’ followers would have disbanded
– Jesus would be considered just another
religious fanatic
• For the church to spread, one more
event had to happen: PENTECOST
– the coming of the Spirit
The Circle Expands
• The first followers of Jesus did NOT
see themselves as starting a new
religion
• They saw themselves as faithful
Jews; the word “Christian” did not
come up until @ 10 years after
Pentecost
• They met and prayed at the Temple
• Because they claimed Jesus as the
Messiah, they began to be
persecuted by the Jews –
heartbreaking for them
Saul / Paul
• Paul stood as the link between the
Jewish Christians and the larger
world
• He was well-educated, spoke
Greek, and was familiar with Roman
and Greek society
• He had been around Gentiles his
whole life
• The Road to Damascus
• The Gentile Question: Should they
be allowed to become Christian?
Saul / Paul
• Antioch: the first Jewish-Gentile
Christian Community
• Paul’s missionary journeys
Crisis Over the Jewish Law
• Dietary Laws and the Requirement
of Circumcision
– Since all “Christians” at the time were
also Jewish, shouldn’t Gentiles have to
accept all Jewish laws BEFORE
accepting Christianity? HUGE question
• THE COUNCIL OF JERUSALEM
(50 C.E.)
– The first official Church Council
– Decided that Gentiles only had to do
what was essential for Christians
– They did not have to be circumcised or
observe Jewish dietary laws