This book is intended for the general reader who is interested in the formation of the earliest Christian community and its first Christological reflections and convictions.
Formation And Struggles: The Birth of the Church Ad 33-200, by Veselin Kesich
This is a book on Christian history – yes, it will touch on theological issues, but it seems to me more in the tone and spirit of the book of Acts, without the “inspired, God-breathed” part. It is the first book in a series of four books covering this history, from the time of Christ to the mid-fifteenth century...
....The church in Jerusalem was already established by the time Paul entered the scene, led by those who lived with and knew Jesus. Paul’s letters reflected the situations and conditions – the life and struggles – of the early churches in various locations.
After the martyrdom of James, Peter, and Paul, and especially after the destruction of the temple in 70 AD, the partition between Christians and Jews became noticeable – keeping in mind, the “Christians” were considered merely a sect within the Judaism up until that time. but due to this partition, the followers of Jesus were expelled from the synagogues.
From this time, the Christians appeared to the Romans as some sort of new religious group, without roots and traditions. While not rebelling against Roman society, they did reject the cult of the emperor. They would pray for the emperor, but not to the emperor.
