FIVE

The Lasting Legacy of the

Apostle
The Lasting Legacy of the
Apostles This chapter takes us on the road again with Saint
Paul as he preached his way through much of the
Roman Empire. The hazards were constant and
enormous.
And while he made many converts, Paul's message
made enemies too. God kept reaffirming Paul's
efforts, but Paul knew that someday he might have
to pay with his life for going against both Jewish and
pagan beliefs and customs.
The Lasting Legacy
of the Apostles The letters Paul wrote during this period are a precious
legacy of Christian faith and wisdom to which the
followers of Jesus still turn for guidance in the Way of the
Lord.
there were two major developments that had far-
reaching consequences. First, the Gospels and other
Epistles were written and circulated during this period.
Second, the relationship between Jews and Christians
changed quite dramatically.
Paul's Letters: Our Epistles
Paul's only intention was to give advice to the community there. He did not
have time to travel back to Thessalonika again; a letter would have to suffice.
He wanted to moderate their enthusiasm about what they thought would be
the immediate second coming of Jesus.
They thought that Jesus would come to earth again very soon and would bring
his followers with him to heaven. Consequently some of them had quit working
and had lost interest in the world around them.
Paul wanted to affirm the Christian belief that Jesus is coming; however, he
realized that we don't know exactly when. Therefore, he urged the
Thessalonians to go about their business, living as Christians but not ignoring
daily concerns.
Paul's Letters: Our Epistles
The letters of Paul as well as those of Peter, James, John, and
Jude were treasured by the Christian communities. Copies were
made by hand and circulated year after year.
Christian people agreed that certain writings were so valuable for
Christian living that they really were Co Word, equal in value to
the Hebrew Scriptures Accordingly they gathered these writings
together to form the Christian Scriptures.
For letters, most of the people in the first century went to
professional scribes scholars specialized in beautiful handwriting.
Paul's Letters: Our Epistles
Because experts today find several different styles in Paul's letters,
they believe that he, of necessity, used varying methods for his
writing. Is some cases he seems to have dictated slowly, word for
word.
l Finally some of the Epistles that we credit to Paul were possibly
written by his followers perhaps after his death. These writers knew
Paul's thinking, and they felt that they should put his name on the
teachings they learned from him years earlier. They believed that
they were recording Paul's teaching, not their own.
Paul's Letters: Our Epistles
For letters, most of the people in the first century went to professional
scribes scholars specialized in beautiful handwriting.
lBecause experts today find several different styles in Paul's letters, they
believe that he, of necessity, used varying methods for his writing. Is
some cases he seems to have dictated slowly, word for word.
Finally some of the Epistles that we credit to Paul were possibly written
by his followers perhaps after his death. These writers knew Paul's
thinking, and they felt that they should put his name on the teachings
they learned from him years earlier. They believed that they were
recording Paul's teaching, not their own.
Paul's Third Missionary Journey
Ephesus was a meeting place for eastern and western
travelers and traders. the center for the worship of the
Greek goddess Diana
Paul acts of healing the sick.
Many citizens began to abandon the worship of Diana,
goddess of fertility.
Evidently Paul got into even worse trouble with the
Ephesian silversmiths.
While in Ephesus, he wrote two very important letters to
the Corinthians, and one letter to the community.
Paul's Third Missionary Journey
He had to leave the Christian community of Ephesus
and he wrote to the Corinthians perhaps his most
eloquent letter about love and the Lord's Supper.
After visiting different communities in Macedonia,
Paul stayed some days in Troas (troh-asmmunity in
Galatia.
The Gentiles had been freed from Mosaic Law by the
earlier Council of Jerusalem.
The strong interest in the Jewish Law at this time was
largely caused by political factors.
The people of Jerusalem were now once again
suffering from famine
What Did Nonbelievers Think of the
Christians?
Paul Return to Jerusalem
Paul knew that there was trouble ahead for him in Jerusalem
He told the people that he was leaving
As he sailed to Jerusalem and stopped various communities, Paul
seemed to be saying farewell for the last time.
Luke writes that the communities were deeply moved: "When he
had finished speaking, he knelt down with them all and prayed. By
now, they were all in tears; they put their arms around Paul's neck
and kissed him;what saddened them most was his saying they
would never see his face again( Acts20:37)
Paul Return to Jerusalem
These new communities would now have to continue the struggle
to become the Church without Paul.
Luke says that Paul and his band were given "a very warm
welcome" by the Jerusalem community ( Acts 21:17)
The contributions that Paul delivered were the cause of much
thanks
The community were also probably glad to see someone who
could help settle the dispute over Jewish Law
Paul Return to Jerusalem
On the advice of James and other leaders of the community, Paul
took part in one of the services in the Temple to show that he
respected the Law.
Some Jews from Asia saw him and began shouting their protest
Paul was being dragged outside the Temple gates by the mob
The roman military unit stationed in the fortress near the
Temple came charging into the crowd and carried Paul away
from a sure death.
Paul asked the commanding officer to allow him to speak to the
mob outside. He said that he was sent to preach to the Gentiles
Paul Return to Jerusalem
Paul spent the night in prison: the next day his remarks
before the Sanhedrin stirred up another violent disturbance
He was sent to Caesarea, the Roman Capital of Palestine
During the night and with an escort of well over 200 men,
Paul made his trip safely.
The escort was necessary because 40 Jewish men had taken a
vow to kill Paul.
The high priest arrived from Jerusalem to accuse Paul of
stirring up trouble among the Jews. However, Felix the
Roman governor made no decision.
Paul Return to Jerusalem
Under custody in the governor's palace, Paul was free from
restriction and could receive visitors
He was under house arrest for approximately 2 years ( From
A.D. 58 to 60) . Then a new governor named Festus was
appointed
Festus soon offered Paul a chance to defend himself before the
Sanhedrin in Jerusalem
•Paul did a bold thing: he told the governor that he wanted his
case heard in Rome
The Final Years in Rome
A short time later Paul was placed on board a merchant ship
carrying cargo including a group of prisoners, bound for Rome.
The small craft was tossed furiously by several winter storms and
eventually Paul and the others we're ship wrecked on the Island of
Malta.
Paul arrive at Rome he was unexpectedly met and escorted through
the city by a group of Christians.
Paul invited the local Jewish leaders to his house .
Most of them rejected his news about Jesus Messiah
Paul spent the whole of the two years in his own rented lodging.
The Final Years in Rome
He welcomed all who came to visit him, proclaiming the kingdom of
god and teaching the truth about the lord of Jesus Christ with
complete freedom and without hindrance from anyone.
After Paul had left Rome ,a raging fire spread though about the thirds
of the city destroying the small shops,most of the slum even the
palace of the emperor Nero.
No one seemed to know how the fire began but someone had to be
blamed.Through Nero was not in Rome that July night in the year
64,the people suspected that he had ranged for the fire to be started
perhaps so that he could rebuild the city the way he wanted it .
The Final Years in Rome
Nero accused the Christians and many Christians were arrested and
quickly executed.
Many Romans had converted to Christianity,they avoided the pagans
religious ceremonies honoring many gods,yet attending these
ceremonies was considered the patriotic duty of every Roman citizen.
Nero regarded by historians as possibly insane at this time still
needed to blame someone for the deteriorating conditions in Rome.
Paul and Peter both died in Nero's percecutions ,Peter was a Roman
subject and not a citizen,was crucified Paul ,a Roman citizen was
beheaded Luke of course was not there to record Paul.
The Final Years in Rome
To kill the rumours that Nero started the fires that destroyed much
of Rome,Nero charged and tortured some people hated for their evil
practices the group popularly known as Christians.
The founder of this sect, Christ,had been put to death by the
governor of Judea , Pontius Pilate,when Tiberius was emperorThose
who confessed to being Christians were arrested then on
information obtain from them , hundreds were convicted,more for
their anti social beliefs than for fire raising.
In their deaths they were made mockery.
The Final Years in Rome

They were covered in the skins of wild animals torn to death by dogs
crucified or set on fire so that when darkness fell they burned like
torches in the night.
The Way is Now the Church
Paul suggests a reason for the Christian difference in the salutations he uses
in his letters" From Paul...to the Church of God at (Corinthians 1:1) or from
Paul to the churches at Galatia ( Galatians 1:1)
Paul word church, in Greek meant "assembly* that is meeting of citizens in
the civic center of town for the purpose of deciding matters of Government.
Paul used this word to refer to the assembly of people whi believe in Jesus
the Christ, the community.
*For Paul, Church was not a building for worship because Christians
worshipped wherever it was convenient, usually in private homes. Nor was
the Church a powerful institution with well-known leaders and system of
laws.
Christians of the first century saw themselves primarily as people gathered in
an assembly to express their belief in Good News about Jesus Christ and to
break the bread and to say the prayers together. As Church in this sense,
they were definitely different from thier neighbors, and Paul would have
rejoiced had he seen the Church faith in the centuries to come.
The Gospels Emerge
During the last third of the first century after the
deaths of Peter and Paul, Christians in various
churches began to put into a new written form
what they believed and taught about Jesus Christ.
These writings became known as gospels,
meaning Good news. Soon these writing were
consider to be as important as Paul Epistles.
Composing the Gospels was a long process( they
were not completed about A.D.100)
People write the Good news for two compelling
reasons
One of the reason was that only a few of people
who had known Jesus personally were still living.
The Four Evangelists
*Mark
*Matthew
*Luke
*John

The first person to organize these scraps of writings and to combine them with
the oral tradition of the community was Mark.
Mark probably was the companion of Barnabas and Paul on their first journey and
was later in Rome with Peter.
The second gospel, that of Matthe, was written in the early seventies. The author
seems to have belonged to the community at Antioch.
Since this community was composed of both Jesus and Gentiles, Matthew speaks
of things that interested people of Palestine, such as meaning of the law, and the
coming of the Messiah.
The Four Evangelists
Matthew used Mark's gospel as a reference, but he kept in mind the
traditions of his Antioch community. So he produced what might be
described as a Jewish Christian Gospel.
Luke, a companion of Paul in the later years, wrote the third gospel.
He was a gentile and probably a doctor.
The style of his writing shows that Luke was a gentle person careful
of the feelings of his readers. Besides using such sources as Mark and
Matthew, Luke interviewed people at various places to get material
for this gospel.
He wrote in the latter seventies, very likely in southern Greece. He
wanted to help his gentile Christian readers understand that Jesus
came to save everyone regardless of race.
The Four Evangelists
The gospel according to Mark, Matthew, and Luke are
similar in that they express the same general understanding
about Jesus.
The gospel of John is different from the other eventhough it
is based on the same events in the life of Jesus.
this four Gospel was the last to be written, just at the end of
the first century.
The purpose of the Gospel was to help people believe in
Jesus.
John's gospel talks more about the mystery of Jesus being
God made flesh.
Sunday in the Early Church
 The Church and Judaism

The latter half of the first century saw a dramatic

alternation in the relationship between Christianity and
Judaism
Many of he prosecution of the Jews, even in our century,
were rooted in misunderstandings beginning in the first
century
Jesus was a Jew. While he was growing up his parents
taught him to speak the language (Aramaic) used by the
Jewish people to read the Jewish Scripture, and to say
Jewish prayers.
 The Church and Judaism
He was at home in the great temple in Jerusalem.
The professional Jewish teachers admired him for his learning
Through he criticized hypocrites and those overly strict about keeping
religious rules, he himself kept the Jewish Law the Torah.
Separation between Jewish Christians and majority of the population in
Jerusalem began in the year 62 when James the leader of the Christians
there
During the next four years many Christians left their Jerusalem homes,
crossed the Jordan, and settled in Pella, a Gentile town about sixty
miles away.* In A.D. 66 an official act of rebellion was committed in the
Temple when the daily sacrifice for Nero, the Roman emperor, was
discontinued.
Shortly Jerusalem we as attacked by the strongest Roman army of the
time.
 The Church and Judaism
For four years Jerusalem held out but in the year 70 the Temple
was destroyed and the city taken. With the center of Judaism gone
and thousands killed or imprisoned, it seemed that Israel as a
nation would disappear forever
*Before the revolt against the Romans there was a variety of ways in
which Jews could practice this religion.
As we have seen, there were Pharisees, Sadducee's and Priests, but
there were also some groups who were like monks
The first Christians formed another sect within Judaism, and so
they were tolerated.
However with the defeat or Israel many Jews felt that Judaism was
being destroyed.
Within a few years after the fall of Jerusalem, Christians were no
longer welcome in the synagogues.
The Jewish Christians who had followed the Law all their lives were
hurt and agreed by this rejection.
 The Church and Judaism
A result by at least the years 90, Christianity and Judaism were
definitely separated. And often happens when people who were
once close begin to exclude one another distrust, some bitterness,
and even hatred often took the place of love.
Writing before the separation of the Jewish Christians from
Judaism, Paul reflects little of the later antagonism toward the
Jews.
As we saw Paul was persecuted several times by different Jewish
communities
his Criticism of Jews does not become a general rejection of all
Jews and Judaism
He expresses his disappointed in his fellow Jews because many
could not accept Jesus.
Nevertheless they were still the chosen people , and God had not
broken off the covenant with them.
 The Church and Judaism
Excluding the Christians, from Jewish communities, the Jews were
trying to maintain their identity as a people.
As the number of Christians increase, some of them began to think
that the Jews were no longer God's people.
Even more erroneously, some christian began to blame the Jews
for Jesus death.
as a result, in many places , especially in Europe, the Jews were
persecuted by Christian.
As late as 1965, Vatican Council II saw that it was necessary to
remind Christians that they are united with the Jews as brother
and sister in a common God.
A proper understanding of the gospel will never give anyone a
reason for prejudice against the Jews.
However, the first-century separation generated many centuries of
misunderstanding and intermittent persecution.
 Focus On the Models
• The followers of Jesus were now identified as Christians.
• They got this name because they were living out the values of
Jesus taught.
• In short, they were the body of Christ, the people of God.
• While a few questions about following the original Jewish
Law still remained when Paul return to Jerusalem,these seem,
for the most part, to have been settled.
•The sacramental life of church was still somewhat simple; people
were baptized , listened to the word of God, broke bread together,
and pray.
 Focus On the Models
• Heralding the Word was most obvious during the travel of
Paul, but clearly many other Christian were spreading the Good
news because he church was growing.
• The written copies of the Gospel and Epistle also greatly aided
all the congregation in remaining faithful of Jesus.
• The practice of service to other Christian communities was firmly
established.
• To straighten the church as institutions the apostles who had led
the church left bishop in charge of local congregation.
• Deacons were serving each community too.
 Focus On the Models
•We know little about the church after the deaths of Peter and
Paul until the year 100.
• local congregation must have flourished due to there faith and to
the communal structures that gave them continuity of leadership ,
because by the year 100, the people of God were steadfast,
growing to the point where they were seen s a treat to the Roman
Empire.
•The fledgling Church had all the means necessary to enter into
the second and third centuries- centuries that would test the
Church in fires of persecution.
Thank You for
listening!