Christian History

The Early Church

The church began at Pentecost, about fifty days after Jesus' resurrection, when his followers in Jerusalem received the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim the risen Christ (Acts 2). From a small band of Galilean disciples it grew quickly across the Roman world. The first believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to shared meals and prayer, and to caring for the poor, and many held faithful even under persecution.

It began at Pentecost

The book of Acts tells the story: after Jesus' resurrection and ascension, his followers waited in Jerusalem, and at the Jewish feast of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came upon them. Peter preached the risen Jesus, and thousands believed. This is the church's birthday, and it is worth noting that from the very first sermon the message was already the death and resurrection of Jesus as Lord and Messiah (Acts 2:36).

Life together

The earliest Christians met in homes, shared meals, prayed, cared for widows and the poor, and welcomed outsiders. Their common life was so distinctive that observers noticed it. A generation later a Roman governor, Pliny the Younger, wrote to the Emperor Trajan (around 112 AD) describing Christians who gathered before dawn to sing to Christ 'as to a god' and bound themselves by oath to do no wrong.

The apostles and the spread

The apostles, especially Peter and Paul, carried the message beyond Jerusalem to Samaria, Antioch, Asia Minor, Greece, and eventually Rome. Paul's letters, written in the 50s AD, are among the earliest Christian documents we have, older than the written Gospels, and they already confess Jesus as Lord and worship him (Philippians 2:6-11). The faith was never merely a Western movement: it took root early in the Middle East, North Africa, and toward the East.

Under Rome

For its first three centuries the church often lived under suspicion and, at times, violent persecution, under emperors such as Nero, Domitian, Decius, and Diocletian. Persecution was usually local and sporadic rather than constant, and scholars debate its scale, but real it was: many died rather than deny Christ. That changed in 313 AD, when the Edict of Milan granted Christians legal toleration across the empire.

What this means for us

The early church is a mirror. It was small, poor, and powerless, yet it changed the world not by force but by love, truth, and the courage of ordinary people who had met the risen Jesus. What held them was not an institution but a Person. The same Christ who filled that upper room still gathers his people today.

Frequently asked questions

When and how did the Christian church begin?

The church began at Pentecost, about fifty days after Jesus' resurrection (around 30 to 33 AD), when his followers in Jerusalem received the Holy Spirit and Peter preached the risen Christ. About three thousand believed that day (Acts 2).

How did the early Christians live?

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to shared meals and prayer, and to caring for the poor and the sick. They met in homes, welcomed outsiders, and were known for a common life so generous that outsiders remarked on it (Acts 2:42-47).

Were the first Christians persecuted?

Yes, though usually in local and sporadic ways rather than constantly. Under emperors such as Nero, Decius, and Diocletian many Christians suffered and died. Legal toleration came with the Edict of Milan in 313 AD.