HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF CHRISTIANITY

  

James R. Fisher, Jr., Ph.D.

© September 12, 2014

REFERENCE:

This is the preface to “Search for the Real Parents of My Soul,” which will be an occasional essay as I blow the dust off my previous ponderings on this subject nearly a half century ago.

Perhaps the best starting point in this evolutionary process would be to gain some sense of the daily life in the time of Jesus (Daniel-Rope, 1962).  What was it like when he came into the world?

Some attention will be paid to showing the geographical, human and political context in and around Jerusalem (Kenneth Scott Latourette, 1953) as Jesus was about to come into the world.

In that same context, Israel’s religious life of the people and its God (Arthur Hertzberg, 1962) should prove useful in understanding how, as well as why this fertile see took root in this culture.  Then some attention will be paid in showing how writers have seen Jesus moving among his people, and in his time (Fulton J. Sheen, 1958; Kahlil Gibran, 1928; Giovanni Papini, 1923; Kenneth Scott Latourette, 1953; Kenneth E. Kirk, 1931; and Lucien Cerfaux, 1959).

The bridge from the life of Jesus to the dawn of Christianity is a precarious and compelling drama.  With Jesus and only the gospels as source material, the foundation of Christianity represents a tenuous climb from those works to the mountain of Christendom in the person of St. Paul, who throughout human history has had his critics (Hyam Maccoby, 1986). 

Against the backdrop of the Greco-Roman World, Christianity takes shape in organization and doctrine under Paul’s skillful if not compulsive leadership (Henry Burton Sharman, 1945; Millar Burrows, 1955; and Will Durant, 1944).  It would appear desirable to make a brief inquiry into the religious thought of Greece at that time (W. S. Tyler, 1884; Will Durant, 1953; and Edith Hamilton, 1930) against Paul’s Jewish heritage and Roman citizenry with his Greco-cultural leanings.

No attempt will be made here, however, to explore the theological implications of Christianity.  Instead, the worship and discipline of the Christian community will be studied for its survival capability.  Why, for instance, did this sect, only one of hundreds that constantly broke away from Judaism, managed to not only survive, but flourish in a very uncertain climate?

What was there about the times that appeared ready to risk the security of the Old Testament for this new vision of God (K. E. Kirk, 1931)?

Many of the answers lay in a reconstruction of the civilization of the ancient world in terms of manners, morals and mores of men and women in society during the first four hundred years of the Christian era.  It was during this period that Christianity became the religion of the Roman Empire and no longer a persecuted faith (Latourette, 1951).

This, then, is a study of the early Christian church with Jesus as the source with many interpreting his life and mission through the gospels, accepted and rejected, featuring the roles of Peter and Paul.

The Christianity that evolved through their proselytizing zeal soon became entangled in conflicts in creed and politics (Durant, 1944).  Out of this rose Plotinus and the post apostolic Fathers, who gave Christianity a philosophy overwhelming its enemies with compelling arguments (K. Lake, Volume I, 1923).

These early defenders of the Faith demonstrated a remarkable facility for organization, and for structuring the function of authority.  Far from being ambiguous zealots, they apprised the collapse of the Roman Empire correctly, and were ready to fill the vacuum (Durant, 1944; Latourette, 1953; and St. Augustine, 1934).  Then, too, the economic climate was such (W. C. Cunningham, 1900) that spiritual and temporal needs inextricably overlapped.

During these early years of Christianity, the church used reports of martyrdom to promote its self-interest.  Using passionate exaggeration of these atrocities, the church filled the populous’ appetite for the macabre to make a legend of the “blood of martyrs,” as Tertullian was to observe, and “the seed” for promulgating the cause of Christianity (E. Gibbon, 1900).   

The rise of Constantine became the harbinger of the final triumph of Christianity.  Constantine noted the efficacy of the Christian’s struggle, and had the vision to scorn a succession of emperors who oppressed Christianity to see a faith that survived many trials with fierce tenacity, continued to multiply quietly, building order in the midst of chaos, fighting adversity with the word opposed to the sword, brutality with hope, and at last, justifying his allegiance to the faith for his own survival (Durant, 1944).

The question has to be asked, was Constantine’s conversion sincere?  Was it an act of religious belief, or a consummate stroke of genius and political wisdom? 

Some would accept the former without question (Frank G. Slaughter, 1965).  This study will attempt to develop a theory to the contrary.

In the process, organizational theory (Katz and Kahn, 1966; Max Weber, 1958; Talcott Parsons, 1960) will be employed to put to rest this idea.

Finally, as a point of reference, the conditions that gave rise to the First Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325 regarding a popular heresy called “Arianism” (Van A. Harvey, 1964) was to “put to death” at that council.  This signaled the unanimous conviction that organizational survival was predicated on fixity of ecclesiastical doctrine (Durant, 1950).   

It is important to note that once this precedence was established it would prove to be carried on through all the subsequent councils including Ecumenical I and II in the 1960s.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

The references that follow are in the chronology as they appear in the text.

Henri Daniel-Rops: Daily Life in the Time of Jesus, Hawthorne Books, Inc., New York, 1962, Part I & III.

Kenneth Scott Latourette, A History of Christianity, Harper & Row, New York, 1953, pp. 3-20.

Arthur Hertzberg, Judaism, George Braziller, New York, 1962, pp. 46-66.

Fulton J. Sheen, Life of Christ, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1958.

Kahlil Gibran, Jesus the Son of Man, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1928, pp. 56-60

Giovanni Papini, Life of Christ, Harcourt, Brace and Co., Inc., New York, 1923.

Fulton Oursler, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Doubleday, New York, 1949

The Holy Bible: Old Testament and New Testament in the Confraternity-Douay Text; Vulgate Bible, Abradale Press, New York, 1959: New Testament, St. Mathew, pp. 1-35; St. Mark, pp. 36-57; St. Luke, pp. 58-94; St. John, pp. 95-123.

Ibid, Latourette, pp. 33-64.

K. E. Kirk, The Vision of God, Harper Torchbooks, New York, 1931, pp. 55-67.

Lucien Cerfaux, Christ in the Theology of St. Paul, Herder and Herder, 1959, New York.

Hyam Maccoby, The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity, Barnes & Noble, New York, 1986.

Henry Burton Sharman, Paul as Experiment, Harper & Brothers, New York, 194.

Millar Burrows, The Dead Sea Scrolls, Viking Press, New York, 1955, pp. 301-344.

Will Durant, Caesar and Christ, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1944, Book V.

W. S. Tyler, The Theology of the Greek Poets, Warren F. Draper, Boston, 1884.

Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1953, 41-73.

Edith Hamilton, The Greek Way, Time, Inc., New York, 1963, pp. 266-283.

Ibid, Kirk, pp. 19-22.

Mike Waltari, The Etruscans, G. P. Putnam’s & Sons, New York, 1956 (a novel).

Ibid, Latourette, p. 663.

Ibid, Durant, pp. 603.

K. Lake, The Apostolic Fathers, Loeb Library, Vol. I, 1923.

Ibid, Durant, pp. 631-645.

Ibid, Latourette, pp. 65-70.

St. Augustine, The City of God, Loeb Library, London, 1934.

W. C. Cunningham, Western Civilization in its Economic Aspects, Cambridge, 1900, Vol. I.

E. Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Everyman Library, 1900, London.

Ibid, Durant, p. 652.

Frank G. Slaughter, Constantine, The Miracle of the Flaming Cross, Doubleday, New York, 1965 (a novel).

Daniel Katz and Robert L. Kahn, The Social Psychology of Organizations, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1966.

Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic & The Spirit of Capitalism, Scribner & sons, 1958; Reinhard Bendix, Max Weber: An Intellectual Portrait, Doubleday, New York, 1962.

Talcott Parsons, Structure and Progress in Modern Societies, Free Press, New York, 1960.

Van A. Harvey, A Handbook of Theological Terms, The Macmillan Company, New York, 1964.

Will Durant, The Age of Faith, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1950, pp. 630, 741, 764.