1.
The
first 200 years
Dates of Christ’s Birth and Death
The Christian era begins in the year 0 CE (previously AD) but this is not the year of Jesus’ birth as one might expect. According to tradition, Jesus was born in the reign of Herod who is known to have died in the year 4 BCE (before the Christian era). Most scholars believe that Jesus was born in the period 8-4 BCE and, in the absence of further information, we might as well take the average, 6 BCE, as the date of birth. According to Luke 3:23, Jesus was 30 years old when he began his ministry. The length of the ministry is usually taken to be three years, possibly more. Scholars assume that Jesus died somewhere in the range 27 to 33 CE. Again, to fix ideas, it is usual to take the average, 30 CE, as the year of his death.
Paul and Gospel Dates
The earliest document to be included into what came to be called the New Testament is believed to be Paul’s letter to the Galatians or first letter to the Thessalonians, written about 48 or 49 CE nearly 20 years after the death of the historic Jesus. The letter to the Romans is dated about 58 CE and his last letter, possibly to the Colossians, about 62 CE. Paul is believed to have been put to death by the Roman Emperor Nero in 64 CE.
When Paul died, not a single Gospel had been written. At the time of his death, his letters had no ‘scriptural’ authority - they were simply treasured letters from a revered Christian leader. Paul was a controversial figure and a reading of Galatians shows that he clashed with Peter and the Jerusalem church leaders. There are irreconcilable differences between Paul’s views and the account in the Book of Acts (supposedly about Paul’s work) written some 20-25 years after Paul’s death. For example, Paul never mentions the road to Damascus nor his baptism by Ananias. Paul seems unaware of Jesus’ supernatural birth and has a different notion of his resurrection. Details about Paul will be deferred to a future issue.
The first gospel is attributed to Mark and written about 70 CE, give or take five years. He is believed to have been a follower of Peter in Rome. (Note that it was in 70 CE that the Jerusalem temple was destroyed by the Romans, triggering off the Jewish diaspora.) Matthew’s gospel was written mainly for a Jewish audience around 85 CE in Antioch. Luke also wrote his gospel about this time in Caeserea. It was directed at the Gentiles (non-Jews). Luke was fluent in Greek and did not hesitate to improve on Mark’s sloppy syntax. Luke is also associated with the Book of Acts, written in the period 83 and 90. John’s gospel was completed at the turn of the century.
Was Peter Bishop of Rome?
How long did Peter live in Rome? In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he greeted entire households and named 29 individuals. But he did not mention Peter. Surely this would be an astonishing omission if Peter was living in Rome and was bishop there. Historians today suggest that Peter lived in Rome for three or four years at most. Irenaeus, the influential Bishop of Lyons (178-200), stated that the first Bishop of Rome was not Peter but Linus. The Father of Church History, Eusebius, wrote about the year 300 that “Peter preached to the Jews throughout Pontius, Galatia, … and near the end of his days, tarrying in Rome, was crucified.” In his writings, Eusebius never once referred to Peter as Bishop of Rome.
In the minds of the early Christians, the apostles were in a class apart. Peter did not need a formal title - he was leader of the entire Christian community. Yet unlike Paul, a Roman citizen, Peter was a foreigner in imperial Rome and probably had to restrain an overt show of authority. On 19 July 64, Rome was on fire which raged for a whole week. Ten of the 14 city districts were destroyed. The minority Christians were blamed and set alight in punishment at he circus. Soon after, Peter was imprisoned. Within three years, he was crucified. He chose to hang upside down out of respect for his Master. He is regarded as the first Pope.
The
Early Popes
Here is the list of the first 15 Popes
and period in office.
|
1) Peter
c 64-67 |
|
|
2) Linus
67-76 |
3) Cletus 76-88 |
|
4) Clement I 88-97 |
5) Evaristus
97-105 |
|
6) Alexander I 105-15 |
7) Sixtus 115-25 |
|
8 )
Telesphorus 125-36 |
9) Hyginus 136-40 |
|
10)
Pius I 140-55 |
11)
Anicetus 155-66 |
|
12)
Soter 166-75 |
13)
Eleuterius 175-89 |
|
14) Victor I 189-99 (First
Pope to speak Latin) |
15)
Zephyrinus 199-217 |
The Roman rulers regarded the Christians as a subversive lot and persecutions were launched periodically against them, such as those by Emperor Domitian in 95 and by Marcus Aurelius in 161. Little activity of note has been recorded about the above Popes (barring Peter); they preferred to keep a low profile. However, a major controversy erupted in the second century, leading to the compilation of the New Testament.