Early Christianity

Early Christianity was the diverse movement of communities that followed Jesus in the first centuries CE. It emerged within Judaism and developed into a distinct religion through varied beliefs, practices, and institutions.

Second Temple Judaism: The diverse forms of Jewish religion and society during the Second Temple period, from the sixth century BCE to 70 CE. Jesus and his earliest followers lived within this religious world.
New Testament: The collection of Christian writings that became the second part of the Christian Bible. Its diverse books preserve foundational writings from early Christian communities.
Marcionism: A second-century Christian movement that distinguished the creator God of the Jewish scriptures from the God revealed by Jesus. Its rejection of the Jewish scriptures sharpened debates about Christianity’s Jewish inheritance.
Diocletianic Persecution: The empire-wide persecution of Christians begun under Roman emperor Diocletian in 303 CE. The persecution tested Christian communities shortly before imperial toleration.
Historical Jesus: The first-century Jewish teacher and preacher whose life and execution underlie the Christian movement. The movement began among people who understood Jesus through his life and message.
Gospel: A literary account of Jesus’s life, teaching, death, and resurrection, especially in early Christian literature. Gospel narratives gave communities accounts of Jesus and his significance.
Gnosticism: A modern umbrella term for ancient religious movements that emphasized saving knowledge and often treated material existence as deficient. Groups called Gnostic offered rival accounts of creation, salvation, and Jesus.
Edict of Milan: The 313 CE agreement associated with Constantine and Licinius that granted religious toleration in the Roman Empire. Imperial toleration changed the legal conditions for Christian life and institutions.
Paul the Apostle: An early Christian missionary and letter writer whose work helped establish communities across the eastern Roman Empire. His missions and letters shaped Christianity beyond its earliest Jewish communities.
Eucharist: A Christian ritual meal commemorating Jesus through bread and wine or their equivalents. Shared meals became a central practice of Christian worship and communal identity.

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