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?

[bjs]

[Replying to Zzyzx]

This is historically inaccurate.

Josephus records the continued presence of those who called Jesus the Christ in Jerusalem late into the first century.

The Book of Acts, a partial eye-witness account, records the seat of authority for Christians remained in Jerusalem throughout the better part of the first century.

It was only later, as the popularity of Christianity grew throughout the Roman Empire, that the focus moved to the capital of the Roman Empire.

[Zzyzx]

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[Replying to post 2 by bjs]

Let's compare historical accuracy.

To whom did Paul/Saul (key early promoter of what became Christianity) preach and address his epistles?

"One of the genuine epistles, Philemon, was written to an individual of Paul's acquaintance. The remaining six were written to churches, or communities, at Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Philippi and Thessalonia."
http://www.answers.com/Q/To_which_churc ... s_epistles

Rome
Corinth Greece
Galatia, Asia Minor
Thessalonia Greece
Philippi Greece

"Where was Paul when he wrote the epistle?"
Romans, 1 & 2 Thessalonians - Corinth 1 Corinthians - Ephesus 2 Corinthians and Titus - Macedonia (also possibly 1 Timothy) Galatians - (possibly in Antioch) Ephesians, Philipians, Colossians, 2 Timothy, Philemon - Rome
http://www.answers.com/Q/To_whom_did_pa ... s_epistles

[bjs]

[Replying to post 3 by Zzyzx]

Paul was an early promoter of Christianity who preached and sent letters to Roman cities.

Paul was not the only promoter of Christianity.

Christianity held a strong presence in the first century in place that Paul apparently never spent a long time preaching in or sent letters to, such as Jerusalem.

[Zzyzx]

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Paul was not the only promoter of Christianity.

Agreed. Gospel writers we among the other promoters and had lasting effect

"Matthew speaks to the Jews
Mark spoke to the Romans.
Luke was a Greek speaking to the Greeks
John wrote to everyone"
https://www.christianity.com/jesus/is-j ... ences.html

Christianity held a strong presence in the first century in place that Paul apparently never spent a long time preaching in or sent letters to, such as Jerusalem.

The strong presence appears to have fizzled out within a generation or two. Judaism (predominant religion of the area during first century) REJECTED the 'Son of God' / Messiah claim. Christianity was marketed elsewhere.

[bjs]

The strong presence appears to have fizzled out within a generation or two. Judaism (predominant religion of the area during first century) REJECTED the 'Son of God' / Messiah claim. Christianity was marketed elsewhere.

Yes, but only in the sense that essentially all the original inhabitants were exiled from Jerusalem after the First (70 AD) and Second (135 AD) Jewish revolts.

The vast majority of those who first accepted the “Son of God/Messiah� claim were Jewish or God Fearers (gentiles with an active interest in Judaism but who had not fully converted).

[JJ50]

Jesus didn't create Christianity, it was created by the gospel writers and that unpleasant guy, Paul.

[bjs]

[Replying to JJ50]

Can you support this claim with evidence?

[Tcg]

[Replying to JJ50]

Can you support this claim with evidence?

The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch, if we trust the report given in Acts 11. Jesus was of course long gone by this point.


How could Christianity exist before there were Christians?




Tcg

[dio9]

[Replying to Zzyzx]

Christians spread through the empire after Jerusalem fell and Judea scattered ceasing to exist as a kingdom. There was no Judea for Christianity to grow in.