Why was Christianity developed & popularized in and by R

[Zzyzx]

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Followers of Jesus evidently made little headway promoting him as ‘Messiah’ to Jews of Judea – who apparently considered Jesus as a pretender or fake messiah (among other wannabe messiahs at the time).

Paul/Saul and his cohorts appear to have ‘deified’ a wandering preacher that learned the trade from John the Baptist and quit his day job to preach; then got himself executed for bucking Jewish and Roman authorities.

Since the Jews were evidently not buying into the ‘messiah’ concept, Paul/Saul and company started a new religion with Jesus as icon, and pitched it to Rome – far away from where Jesus is said to have lived and preached – to people not in a position to know the circumstances or to have had any direct knowledge of events (that supposedly happened decades earlier).

After a couple centuries it was adopted as Roman Catholicism, the official state sponsored religion of the Empire, and was then spread to Europe (and from there elsewhere).

Why was Christianity developed and popularized in and by Rome and Gentiles -- far from where Jesus is said to have preached?

[Zzyzx]

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There were forests and trees before we called them that, just as there were Christians prior to them be called that. Acts claims that they were called followers of “the Way� before the word “Christian� was created.

Since we are assigning terms to prior times:

Jews who accept Jesus as messiah are known as Messianic Jews

Although that is a modern term, it seems to describe early followers of Jesus.

Additionally, Jesus was a Jew and his followers were evidently Jews -- including Paul/Saul and perhaps Gospel writers.

[bjs]

[Replying to Zzyzx]

You are mostly correct. Messianic Jews are people who accept Jesus as savior but still keep most of the Jewish traditions and laws. Jesus’ earliest followers fit this description for about 20 years after his death. However, the practice of Christians keep the traditions and laws of Judaism saw a quick and steady decline after Council of Jerusalem in 48 AD.

And of course Jesus and the 12 (plus Paul) were born Jewish.

[Jagella]

Why was Christianity developed and popularized in and by Rome and Gentiles -- far from where Jesus is said to have preached?

The official explanation is that the Jews "rejected" Jesus because they could not accept a crucified messiah. Paul, unable to convince his fellow Jews, turned to the gentiles who were generally more willing to believe in a crucified Christ. It seems very possible to me that the Jews never converted to Christianity for other reasons. There may have been no Christ to reject, or the image of Jesus was too pagan for most Jews to accept as a Jewish messiah.

[Zzyzx]

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[Replying to post 22 by bjs]

Mid first century would have been about the time that Paul/Saul was at his peak of preaching the new religion that became Christianity -- based upon deifying Jesus. A couple decades later the Gospel writers (whoever they may have been) further popularized the new religion, moving away from Judaism.

The process of splintering into new competing groups seems typical of religions in general, when a charismatic leader takes followers off in new directions with new 'truths' and perhaps new 'instructions from God'.