History of Christianity

Jesus Christ (Artist's impression)

Christianity is the largest religion in the world and its teachings are derived from the life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in the 1st century A.D.

The historicity of Jesus focuses on whether Jesus Christ existed as a real historical person, or whether he is simply a mythological imagination. The evidence for the existence of Jesus is overwhelming, as is agreed upon by every professor in every academic institution in every relevant field in the world. In other words, for someone to argue that Jesus never existed (and thus is merely a myth) is to place himself against not only the field of scholarship and the historical record, but even against reason and common sense.

Evidence for the historicity for the resurrection of Jesus Christ

See also: Evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ

"The Resurrection" by Carl Heinrich Bloch.

Key evidences of the resurrection of Jesus Christ include:

1. Early accounts. The sources for Jesus are remarkably early, especially in comparison to sources for other ancient historical figures. The gospels were written relatively soon after the resurrection. Most of the Saint Paul’s letters were written previously to 60 A.D. Furthermore, Paul records an ancient creed in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, which notes the appearances of Jesus to both individuals and groups; this creed can be traced back to within a few years of the resurrection itself (this creed dates to 30-35 A.D.).

2. Multiple eyewitness accounts. There are 11 accounts of Jesus appearing after the resurrection to individuals/groups. According to 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, over 500 people saw Jesus alive after his resurrection, in addition to Peter, James, Paul, and the rest of Jesus's disciples. At the time Paul reported these events around 55 A.D., many of the individuals Jesus appeared to were still alive and could be spoken to (this was approximately 25 years after Jesus’ death and resurrection).

3. Extrabiblical Christian, Jewish and pagan accounts of the resurrection. For example, Josephus, Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, etc.

4. Embarrassing details. Women's testimony was considered unreliable at the time of Jesus. The gospel accounts of Jesus's resurrection report that women were the first people to see Jesus appear from the tomb after the resurrection.

5. Enemy attestation. The Jews and Romans both claimed that Jesus's body was stolen as an excuse to explain away the resurrection. This however was not a credible excuse. The Roman seal was placed over the tomb of Jesus. The seal over the tomb designated that the tomb was occupied and both the power and authority of Rome stood behind the seal. Breaking the Roman seal was punishable by death.).

6. The empty tomb. The Romans, Jews, and Christians knew where Jesus was buried, but his body was never produced.

7. Explosive emergence and growth of the early church. See: Historical examples of the exponential growth of Christianity

8. Transformation of the apostles. The apostles of Jesus were transformed from being timid to being bold witnesses who were eventually martyred. Eyewitnesses don't die for a lie. It is almost universally accepted by historians that the disciples genuinely and firmly believed they had encountered the resurrected Jesus.

9. The conversion of the Apostle Paul. Paul was transformed from being a fervent persecutor of Christianity who killed Christians to being its most ardent supporter. Paul said he had encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus post Jesus's resurrection.

10. Expected event. Jesus foretold his resurrection ((That is why the tomb was guarded) and Old Testament prophecies alluded to it via messianic prophecies. Prior to the resurrection, Jesus was known as a miracle worker. See: Bible prophecy

Early Christianity

See also: Early Christianity and Church Fathers

Early Christianity is generally considered as Christianity before the Council of Nicea which occurred in 325 A.D.. However, some scholars consider early Christianity to be the time between the life of Jesus Christ, in the early first century, and the reign of the Roman emperor Constantine (306–337) (Constantine was the first Roman emperor to become a Christian).

History of early Christianity

• History of early Christianity, Encyclopedia Britannica
• Early Church History (30 - 311 A.D.) - Historian Michael Phillips Lecture - (Audio recording)

Christianity timeline

See also: Great Schism and Protestant Reformation

Growth of Christianity

See: Growth of Christianity and Future of Christianity

The prominent historian Sir Diarmaid MacCulloch, professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University, indicates that he believes Christianity faces a "bright future" worldwide (See also: Global Christianity).

According to MacCulloch, "Christianity, the world's largest religion, is rapidly expanding – by all indications, its future is very bright."

See also: Future of Christianity

Christianity has seen tremendous growth over its 2000-year history. Christianity has recently seen explosive growth outside the Western World (See: Global Christianity). In 2000, there were twice as many non-Western Christians as Western Christians. In 2005, there were four times as many non-Western Christians as there were Western World Christians. There are now more non-Western missionaries than Western missionaries.

In March 2024, Frontier Partners International reported:

“

The Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary recently reported that global Christianity is experiencing remarkable growth, defying expectations and surpassing population rates. Contrary to the anticipated slowdown, the Christian population is projected to climb from over 2.52 billion to 2.63 billion, representing a 1.08 percent growth, and is expected to surpass 3 billion by 2050. Within Christianity, certain denominations are witnessing even more rapid expansion. Notably, Protestants (1.63 percent), independents (1.96 percent), evangelicals (1.66 percent), and Pentecostal/charismatics (1.48 percent) are identified as the fastest-growing groups, showcasing the diverse nature of the faith’s evolution. The growth of Christianity is particularly pronounced in the global south, with Africa and Asia emerging as the fastest-growing regions. Africa, in particular, has undergone a remarkable transformation, evolving from having less than 10 million Christians at the turn of the 20th century to now being home to 734 million Christians, growing at a rate of 2.64 percent. By 2050, Africa is projected to host more Christians than Asia and Latin America combined. Intriguingly, the report indicates that Christianity is not only growing in numbers but is also expanding geographically. In 1900, 95 percent of the world’s Christians lived in predominantly Christian countries. However, the trend is shifting, with a decline of 0.17 percent between 2020 and 2024, indicating that more Christians are residing in diverse, non-Christian majority nations.

”

In 2023, the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary reported that there are over 2.6 billion Christians worldwide and this number will increase to 3.3 billion Christians by 2050.

In 2011, the American Spectator declared concerning research published in the International Bulletin of Missionary Research: "The report estimates about 80,000 new Christians every day, 79,000 new Muslims every day, and 300 fewer atheists every day. These atheists are presumably disproportionately represented in the West, while religion is thriving in the Global South, where charismatic Christianity is exploding."

Despite strong persecution in the Middle East, thousands of Muslims are turning to Christ.

External links

• What is the history of Christianity?, Got Questions Ministries
• History of Christianity
• How did Christianity change from a persecuted minority to the largest religion in the world?, Historyskills.com
• Christian History timeline: 2,000 years of Christian history, Christian History Institute
• History of Christianity

Videos:

• History of Christianity - video playlist, Video playlist