Summed up in a catchphrase, the History of the First Christian Century would be: "The Church rises, the Synagogue falls". Seen through a theological lens, we could say, "God elects His Church, reprobates the Synagogue". And we see then how the history of the 1st Century confirms the Truth of Christ's Word in the Gospel: "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit." (Mat 21:43). As we scroll back through the pages of history, we see that this is what took place. He who knows the true history almost knows, or comes, to the True Faith. Because History is ultimately His Story, and His Imprint is all over it. The Historical Evidence for the Divine Origin of Christianity is strong.
The 3 best sources to trace this history are (1) the 4 Gospel Records, the best historical biographies in existence, confirmed by the blood of martyred eyewitnesses, and by the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ Himself, who maintained that He was the Son of God even to His own Holy Sacrificial Death, as the Apostles would later maintain it to their own. (2) the Book of Acts, which is sometimes called "The Fifth Gospel", or "The Gospel of the Holy Spirit", or "The Gospel of (the first part of) Church History", because it is the record of the Acts of some of Christ's Apostles, mostly St. Paul's, for most of their lives until nearly their deaths. This will be covered and elaborated upon in this series. And for further and later events, we will consult the (3) Ecclesiastical History of St. [[Eusebius]], who brings us down to the time of the Emperor [[Constantine]], and for reason of which St. Eusebius is rightly called "the Father of Church History".
=== The first third of the first century: (from 2 BC - 33 AD) ===