In the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, the traditional Greek religion was being undermined by many new mystery religions and cults. Greek philosophers either tried to explain their religion using logic and reason, or just became atheists. The Romans even continued the Greek religion, but changed the names of the gods and started the cult of the emperor.
After the Jews were conquered by Alexander the Great, they returned to Israel, but shortly after were occupied by Rome. Some Jews never returned to Israel, instead settling in Egypt and Europe. The Jewish religious leaders taught that their messiah would be an earthly, political leader and would free them from Roman bondage.
When the Jews arrived back in Israel, the only religious record they had left was the Law of Moses, which they strictly followed. The main Jewish religious leaders were the Scribes and the Sanhedrin, who were a group of Scribes and Priests, along with a group called the Elders.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem to his virgin mother Mary and spent His childhood in the Galilean town of Nazareth. Jesus first taught in the Temple at age 12, and started His public ministry around 30 AD when He was baptized by John the Baptist. Jesus gathered 12 of His most loyal followers to preach with Him, and taught them to spread the gospel and heal diseases. Jesus eventually grew a large following, many of them persuaded by His great miracles.
The Jewish religious leaders did not believe Jesus was the Son of God, so when He proclaimed Himself to be the Christ, they took it as blasphemy, which was punishable by death under their law. The High Priests paid one of Jesus’s unfaithful disciples, Judas Iscariot, to hand in Jesus to the authorities. Jesus stood in front of the Roman Provincial Governor, Pontius Pilot, who found him innocent of treason against Caesar, but to prevent a revolt sentenced him to death by crucifixion.
Three days after His death, Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to His disciples, instructing them to continue preaching the Gospel in other countries. After 40 days, Jesus ascended into heaven. His disciples preached that in order to receive salvation, you must repent of your sins, follow Jesus’s teachings, and be baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity.
The disciples wrote down Jesus’s life and teachings into the Gospel of the New Testament, which was written between 50 and 100 AD. The first Bibles were composed in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. The Book of Matthew was written for Jewish Christians, and Mark and Luke were directed towards Gentiles. John’s Gospel emphasized the divinity of Christ and repentance. Later, letters and books recorded by the Apostles Paul, James, Jude, and the Disciple Peter were added to the Bible.
As Christianity spread, so did its enemies. First the Jews, then Romans, Greeks, and eventually other religions like Islam and heresies inside the Church. Many early Christians sacrificed their lives for the Holy faith.
