Bulletized

Traditional Christian Narrative:

• • Founded by Jesus Christ, with apostles and their successors (bishops) spreading the faith.
  • Culminated in the conversion of Emperor Constantine and establishment of a Roman State religion.
  • Jesus's ministry in Galilee and Judea (30s A.D.), claiming to be the Messiah, commissioning apostles, predicting his death and resurrection.
  • Executed by Romans, resurrected, appeared to disciples.
  • Apostles spread the Gospel to Jews, then Gentiles.
  • Apostles founded congregations and appointed overseers/bishops.
  • This narrative was promoted by bishops to justify their authority and claim apostolic succession from Jesus.
• Critique of the Traditional Narrative:
  • Anachronistic and retrospective, a perspective of the "winning" group.
  • Actual detailed history is more complicated.
  • In the 2nd century, multiple Christianities existed side-by-side.
  • Before Constantine, no single Christian Church structure or central authority.
  • Proto-orthodox sources portrayed competitors as heretics.
• Major Early Christian Groups (examples, not exhaustive):
  • Proto-Orthodox Christianity:
    • Rejected adherence to Jewish law (e.g., kosher, circumcision) but retained Jewish scripture as prophecies of Jesus.
    • Developed complex christology (Jesus fully human, fully divine) and theology (Trinity).
    • Monotheistic, rejected cosmic dualism (evil as absence of good).
  • Marcionites:
    • Led by Marcion of Sinope (late 1st/early 2nd century).
    • Rejected most of Christianity's Jewish inheritance.
    • Promoted dualism (cosmic battle between good and evil).
    • Viewed Old Testament God as an evil, lesser god.
    • Considered Paul the chief apostle, rejected Old Testament canon and all other early Christian texts except Paul's letters and Luke (and even those were edited).
    • Introduced the idea of a "canon" of scripture.
  • Gnostics:
    • Developed philosophies rejecting the physical/material world in favor of the spiritual.
    • Elaborated on Middle Platonism with complex mythologies about angelic divinities.
    • Possessed "gnosis" (secret knowledge of the true God), kept secret.
    • Rejected Jesus's humanity; believed physical bodies, sex, procreation were evil.
  • Judaizing Christians (e.g., Ebionites):
    • Opposite end of the spectrum from Marcionites/Gnostics.
    • Maintained Jewish law (written Law of Moses), concentrated in Syria/Palestine.
    • Rejected oral law developed by rabbis.
    • Considered Jesus the Jewish Messiah, but not God (low christology).
• Chronology of Early Christianities:
  • Jesus did not found a church; he gathered disciples.
  • Congregations and institutional church formed after Jesus's death.
  • Marcionism's origin is traceable to Marcion.
  • Gnosticism may have very early roots, possibly pre-Christian or proto-Gnostic Jewish.
  • Priority between proto-orthodox and judaizing Christians is debatable.
  • Historical Jesus and his disciples were Jews who lived as Jews; Jewish Christians go back to Jesus.
  • Proto-orthodoxy largely traced to Paul, often considered Christianity's "second founder."
  • Paul (never met historical Jesus) argued non-Jewish converts need not adhere to Mosaic law.
  • Paul's writings central to proto-orthodox development.
  • Paul admitted conflicts with other Christians, including Peter and James (Jesus's brother), regarding Jewish law.
  • Paul (who was not one of Jesus's original disciples) claimed authority from a vision of Christ, not from human apostles.
  • Traces of this division exist in the Bible (e.g., Paul on justification by faith vs. James on justification by works).
  • Paul's opponents (James's church) had "credentials" from Jerusalem, forcing Paul to argue his divine commission.
  • Paul sarcastically called his opponents "super apostles."
  • At the end of his life, Paul felt deserted by followers in the Greek East and planned to evangelize in Spain.
• Historical James the Just (Jesus's brother):
  • Confirmed by Josephus and Paul as leader of "the poor" in Jerusalem (mendicant community, shared property, sought daily bread).
  • Known as "the Just" for devotion to the law.
  • Epistle of James attributes many Jesus sayings to James himself, suggesting James and John the Baptist were also highly important in his group (low christology).
• An Alternative Narrative of Christian Origins:
  • Original disciples of Jesus and the "Jamesian church" may represent the continuity of early Christianity.
  • Jewish Christians (possibly Ebionites) may be the original group.
  • Pauline Christianity (proto-orthodoxy, Nicene Christianity) may technically be the "break-off" due to Paul's influence.
  • Some 1st-century Christians (e.g., author of Matthew) promoted adherence to Jewish law (Matthew 5:17-19).
• Decline of Jacobite Christianity:
  • Jamesian Church, based in Jerusalem, declined rapidly after Jerusalem's destruction by Romans in 70 A.D.
  • Paul's view of the law gained dominance in rapidly growing convert communities.
  • Continuity between "the poor" of Jerusalem and the Ebionites is suggested (fled to Pella).
  • Adherence to Mosaic law increasingly viewed as heresy by proto-orthodox bishops.
  • Epiphanius identified Pella as a center for Nazarenes and Ebionites (distinct Jewish Christian sects, both honored James and emphasized Mosaic law).
• Lost Jewish Christian Scriptures:
  • Hoped to provide a window into historical Jesus or earliest movement, but existing texts don't predate canonical texts.
  • Early Aramaic texts (if any) were not preserved.
  • Jewish Christian scriptures seem to be a reaction to Greek-written scriptures.
  • "Gospel of the Hebrews" is a general term for probably at least three distinct lost gospels: Gospel of the Hebrews, Gospel of the Ebionites, and Gospel of the Nazarenes.
• The Lost Gospel of the Hebrews:
  • Known only through quotations by proto-orthodox writers (Clement, Origen, Jerome).
  • Ninth-century source: ~2200 lines long (few hundred shorter than Matthew).
  • Only about seven fragments survive.
  • Fragment 1 (Christ's Incarnation): Christ entrusted to Michael (a mighty power), who became Mary. Christ in her womb for seven months (a sign of greatness, like Apollo, Dionysius, Moses, Caesar).
  • Fragment 2 & 3 (Jesus's Baptism): Holy Spirit descends, rests, and calls Jesus "my son," saying "you are my rest, my first begotten son." Jesus calls the Holy Spirit "my mother" and is taken by the hair to Mount Tabor.
    • Suggests Holy Spirit as a heavenly mother, divine feminine (spirit and wisdom are feminine in Hebrew/Greek).
  • Fragment 4 (Seeking Wisdom): "He that seeks will not rest till he finds; and he that has found shall marvel; and he that has marveled shall reign; and he that has reigned shall rest."
    • Parallels Jewish wisdom tradition (e.g., Wisdom of Solomon: desire for wisdom leads to ruling). Views Jesus as a son of Holy Spirit (holy wisdom), advises seeking wisdom.
  • Fragment 7 (Post-Resurrection Appearance): After resurrection, Jesus appears first to James (his brother), who had been fasting since the Last Supper. Jesus breaks bread and says, "My brother, eat thy bread, for the son of man is risen from among the sleep."
    • Emphasizes James's authority (Gospel of Thomas also has Jesus designate James as leader).
  • Summary: Independent tradition, not dependent on other known gospels. Jerome's claim of Hebrew origin is discounted; likely composed in Greek. Theology rooted in Jewish wisdom tradition, high christology with unique ideas about Jesus's relation to Holy Spirit and Mary's identity.
• The Lost Gospel of the Nazarenes:
  • Identified as distinct due to contradictions with other "Gospel of Hebrews" texts (e.g., different baptism story).
  • Closely related to Matthew; most scholars believe it's an edited version of Matthew. (Some polar opposite views exist.)

Nazarene vs. Nazarite: Nazarite is a religious vow (e.g., Samson, not cutting hair). Nazarene refers to Jesus of Nazareth, a synonym for Christians in the NT. By 4th century, proto-orthodox used "Nazarene" for Jewish Christians adhering to Mosaic law.