Who Decides what Jesus Said?

The phrase, “In God We Trust,” is believed to have led the United States through the hard time of American Civil War and is now even carved and printed on all the coins and bills since 1900s. During the Civil War, population that relied on religious beliefs, mainly on Christianity, to alleviate their pain had increased. What is it so powerful about Christianity that allows the whole nation to believe that, as long as people have faith in God, everything will be alright? Bible has been the only source of Jesus’, son of God, life and his missionary. However, Jesus himself did not write the book; the Gospels did, and they didn’t even start to write until about 30 years after Jesus’ death. Where did they get all the source of information? Who told them that the miracles that were said to be performed by Jesus actually happened? While each Gospel covers dissimilar parts of Jesus’ life, some common details among the four don’t fit into each other that well. Nobody really knows if the Gospels interpreted Jesus’ life accurately.

Furthermore, as different churches have evolved, each division interprets the contents of Bible in various ways and the Christians do not always agree with each other. So who is in charge of spreading the right words of Jesus to people? What did Jesus really say that he wanted to let the people know? The authors of the Gospels added their opinions into the stories; some thinkers like Thomas Aquinas during tenth to fourteenth centuries developed different issues about faith and reasons in Christianity. These are all the ways that people try to figure out what Jesus was giving to people. If the opinions are not too extreme, they will be accepted by the public and used for future reference of the religion. Because of these interpretations of God’s words, they have become very powerful and trusting to people who need some spiritual comfort through this indiscernible hope that might give them miracles to change. Bible always has the most say about Jesus’ teaching and it will still be, unless there are some more reliable sources that can be proved to be more directly from Jesus himself than just from other people’s thoughts and opinions. 

The Success of Christianity

The Roman Empire was the most important factor in making Christianity successful. There were many events and places that influenced the spread of Christianity, but two of the most important are the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE and the city of Rome. The fall of the Temple in 70 CE not only caused Judaism to reconsider their worship practices but also the Jerusalem church’s as well. Before the fall of the temple the Jerusalem church’s practices did not vary significantly from Judaism, but with the destruction of the temple it forced the Jerusalem church’s followers to leave Jerusalem and bring the teachings of Jesus to other parts of the Roman Empire. As they dispersed, they brought their religious practices to other communities and thus the spread of Christianity began. The large Roman Empire allowed them to travel through out the Empire spreading Jesus’ teachings. The cohesiveness of the Empire also allowed for Paul to form his gentile communities.

The city of Rome is also very important for the success of Christianity because it enabled Christianity to have one base of power. The base of power started when Peter founded the Church of Rome. Soon the Bishop of Rome became the most important bishop in the Roman Empire and was given the title of pope. Just as important was when the Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Empire in 330 CE to Byzantium creating a power vacuum that enable the pope to become the emperor figure in the Western Empire. Because the pope was able to gain so much power and prestige the strength of Christianity increased. Everyone in the West looked to the pope for guidance and needs which put the church in a position of power over the people. Both the fall of the Temple and the city of Rome helped Christianity stay alive by helping Christianity adapt to new situations and the changing world.

Christianity RP Opt. 3

What separates early Christianity from the early church?

In the beginning, there was Judaism and this is the basis from which Christianity grew. Jesus of Nazareth was born into Judaism, and it was Jews to whom he initially preached and gained his following from. Judaism was a crucial part of the earliest Christianity, as the teaching of Jesus was new interpretation of the same covenant and scriptures. The earliest Christians were naught more than a small sect of Judaism who declared Jesus of Nazareth the Messiah. After his death, this small sect faced the reassessment of what the Messiah was and how to live by the teachings of Jesus. The original Christians were very much Jewish, except in their emphasis on practice of baptism and the Eucharist. In their attempts to live in accordance with their Messiah’s teachings they also lived by a kind of communism in which all class distinctions were eliminated and wealth was distributed based on need.

Christianity in a form recognizable today did not even begin to form until the sect first gained more formal organization and began recording the new interpretation. The early church developed out of the traditions of small communities, the leaders in these later becoming the leaders of the church. Many of these communities consisted of diverse groups of gentiles whom were converted by Paul. What allowed Christianity to move from being a small sect of Judaism to a religion in its own right was the incorporation of those who were not first Jewish into that system of beliefs. The inclusiveness that made Christianity accessible and the philosophies that made it an attractive religion in the first place allowed Christianity to grow into something more than just another branch of Judaism.

What was the most revolutionary part of Jesus' teaching?

Jesus’ teaching was very revolutionary since he performed many miracles, such as healing the sick and raising the dead. Jesus’ teaching, however, is even more profound than his unbelievable miracles. His teaching was revolutionary compared to many other philosophers of his time because of his innovative method and content of messages.
Jesus dared to not follow the established customs to prove his teachings to others when necessary. Jesus openly criticized Pharisees even when they were holding the political trend because they were corrupt. Jesus fiercely broke up the business in the temple. He threw the temple into a mess in order to redress the evil in the holy atmosphere of the temple even if he wasn’t supposed to bring any conflicts in the holy temple. Jesus risked breaking that common belief to prove that the temple should be the house of God, which was a more important point. He also violated the Sabbath day and saved a patient with dropsy. He demonstrated how saving a life was more important than not working on the Sabbath day. Other than these, Jesus also invited a tax collector to join the dinner and cursed at a fig tree to teach the followers different lessons. These occasions all show how Jesus was not always a conformer but a regulator. He knew when to adjust some formality for greater truths.
In addition to how Jesus was not scared to go against the customs to convey his teachings, the way he delivered his speeches adds to his revolutionary characteristic. Jesus often used parables to explain many thoughts. Using parables was very innovative and outstanding in many different ways. First of all, parables were easy to understand. Many of his followers were peasants, and complex philosophy must have confused many of them. Rather, parables were easier to understand and apply to the real life. Parables were excellent method to teach also because they were hard to understand at the same time. Sometimes, there were hidden meanings, symbols, and lessons in the stories that needed be protected from the outsiders. This complex aspect of his parables enabled his followers to have much more personal connection to the lessons and more responsibility to keep them secure and sacred. Moreover, parables were easy to remember. Parables weren’t thick books numbered with rules and ethics. They were easily understood and quickly put into one’s head once he/she heard them. Due to following aspects of parables as the teaching medium, Jesus’ teaching was revolutionary and still preserved in a good condition.
Although Jesus’ miracles must have been very engaging and have gathered many crowds, his way of delivering his teaching without fear and using parables was truly revolutionary. Jesus did not limit himself to always conform to the social expectance to deliver his lessons. He understood the strengths of parables. His direct miracles cannot be seen nowadays, but his parables still are present in our lives and easily applied.