FROM THE CRUCIFIXION TO THE BEGINNING OF THE JEWISH REVOLT IN 66 AD

For all those interested in history and who view the present as consequences of the past, when we focus on Jesus’ followers, we face a colossal challenge: The history of Christianity as we know it, studied in most universities and seminaries, is “the history of Catholic Christianity and the results of its reform.” In these articles, I aim to approach the poorly told and little-understood history of Christianity among Jews.

We know that the early church was entirely composed of Jews. However, it’s important to understand that when we say “Jews,” neither we nor the biblical text specifically refers to those born within the tribe of Judah. Instead, it encompasses various concepts that unfortunately are often overlooked in biblical study due to semantic limitations in Spanish. For instance, someone living in Judea is a Jew, as is someone specifically belonging to the tribe of Judah, or someone practicing the religion even if living elsewhere on the planet. All these terms reflect different uses from outside the nation, while within the cultural vocabulary, those who dedicated themselves to a specific religious life of the Pharisees, often referred to as true Jews.

To clarify these distinctions, though challenging in a normal Bible translation due to semantic issues in Spanish, those of us delving into these topics often use neologisms derived from Koine Greek of the New Testament to better express in Spanish what the author originally intended. Thus, here we will use some of these neologisms:

• Judean for one who lives in Judea.
• Judaita for one who is inserted into the tribe through conversion.
• Judaite for one from Israel.
• Judaist for one who practices rabbinic perspective.
• Judaizing for one who sees the rabbinic perspective as the true religion.
• Judaic for one who teaches the rabbinic perspective.

For example, the non-“Jewish” Paul was a Benjamite, not a “Judean” because he was born in Tarsus. Yet, he was a “Judaist” from a “Judaic” household, and upon moving to Jerusalem to study under Gamaliel, he became more “Judaic,” earning the position to serve in the temple as a “Judaizer.” Thus, he had to become a resident “Judean.” Once these terms are clear, we can better understand Jesus’ followers until the beginning of the Judean revolt against Rome, as detailed in the Apostolic Writings.

Jesus preached in Judea, Samaria, Decapolis, and Galilee, with his primary audience being Jews from these regions. During various pilgrimage festivals at the Jerusalem temple, he interacted with Jews from the diaspora, coming from distant regions like Cyprus, Asia Province, and Alexandria, some of them Judaists and others simply Jews. It’s worth noting that even Judeans could be Essenes, Sadducees, or unaffiliated with any sect. Similarly, the diaspora was not a unified group and could be influenced by Judaizers or Greek philosophy.

Following Pentecost, the disciples’ group began to grow significantly, as this pilgrimage festival led many converts to remain. They came from farther regions like Syria and Asia, living alongside Judeans from Jerusalem and those from nearby areas like Galilee. Initially, Jesus’ disciples were predominantly Judean, but after Pentecost, in a single day, the group became more global (Judaic). Hence, there was a need to establish a body of deacons to better serve this diverse and complex new community. Imagine, they were all Jews, but among them were Pharisees, Essenes, Sadducees, and even those who believed more in Greek philosophy, both local and from the diaspora, all learning from the apostles and experiencing life as the body of Christ. However, the situation was highly complex.

Due to the extremism of non-convert Judaizers, their unfamiliarity with creed, and their vision of this new group, persecution began against them in Jerusalem, resulting in several victims. This led many to flee Judea to nearby regions like Samaria and Syria. In Samaria, specifically in the city of Joppa, Peter, through a vision from God, was allowed to preach the gospel to a Roman military officer influenced by Judaizers in Caesarea. This officer prayed and fasted to the God of Israel, a practice uncommon among Gentiles, and he converted, similar to Peter’s own experience with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Thus, God showed the apostle that the gospel was for all humanity, not just Jews. However, since this was not a common occurrence, the church did not actively pursue reaching other Gentiles, as not all synagogues in Judea were filled with Gentiles, and there was an imperial edict preventing Jews from teaching Gentiles unless requested. Therefore, each Gentile who approached the gospel did so by personal decision, although later some took more risks, subtly and carefully planned, as Paul did in Athens.

Jesus’ disciples gathered every Sabbath in synagogues, posing a challenge for Judaics, Judaists, and Judaizers in those regions. These synagogues not only involved directed worship but also study, as is still done today, debating biblical topics in pairs. Hence, Judaists attending these synagogues (since not all Jews attended) began to complain to their Pharisee leaders in Jerusalem, and persecution extended beyond Judea to other regions. Thankfully, amidst this persecution beyond Jerusalem’s walls, their executive leader (Paul) encountered Jesus on the road to Syria and became one of the Messiah’s most fervent followers. Three years later, having grown in faith through direct discipleship under Jesus’ own revelation, he was invited to Antioch in Syria, the same region where he had previously gone to persecute disciples. There, the number of believers was so large that he, along with other servants of God, began to serve, witnessing further growth of the church.

Something started to happen in that congregation: Gentiles, previously attracted to Judaist teachings, also began to convert. This led Judaizers from other synagogues in the city and region to label them Christians, using the Greek substitute for the Hebrew word Messiah, as a way of saying, “You believe in a Greek doctrine and not in the true Messiah.”

During this time, the Holy Spirit separated Barnabas and Paul to go to Jews in dispersion, applying the same experience they had in Antioch. In their first journey, they also preached to Gentiles influenced by Judaizers and others who were able to hear, even if not influenced by Judaizers. They established congregations, majority Jewish with a minority Gentile, led by Judaists. Remember, they couldn’t leave it to just any Judean, as not all knew the entire Scripture well enough to teach, especially not to Gentiles.

Upon their return, a conflict arose between these convert Judaizers and Paul, also a Judaizing convert but of Hillel’s school versus Shammai’s Pharisee school. The Jerusalem church, encouraged by apostles Peter and James, recognized Paul’s perspective as correct and wrote to the Gentiles, advising them not to concern themselves with Judaic practices imposed by non-convert Judaizers. Even as these converts adjusted their teachings to those established by the Messiah, Judaic teachings included both good and antiquated and harmful practices. They were to continue meeting in synagogues and gradually learn from them, as all synagogues were Judaist institutions. Until the apostles and Spirit-sent teachers could instruct them in the details taught by the Messiah.

Paul’s journeys continued, and the church among Gentiles continued to grow. Meanwhile, the church among Jews also grew, equal to or even greater than the Gentile part, encompassing both the diaspora and Judea. When Paul returned to Jerusalem, Peter and other apostles informed him of the significant growth among them. However, with Paul’s visit, they faced a problem: Non-convert Judaizers spread false stories about Paul, claiming he taught all Jews to abandon God’s law given to Moses and the entire Old Testament. This included the only place in the world where these teachings occurred, the synagogues. This falsehood has persisted through history, affecting the majority of Christianity.

While Paul completed the days of his vow, non-convert Judaizers agitated Jews visiting the temple, nearly killing him and putting him on trial. As a Judaic and Roman citizen, Paul escaped and requested to be taken to Rome to present his case before the emperor and have him judge it.

Thus, in the regions of Judea, Samaria, Galilee, Syria, Perea, and Decapolis, a community of converting Jews to Jesus and a minority of Gentiles grew. This mixed group considered themselves the true Israel, often becoming the majority in many synagogues in these regions. This will be explored further in subsequent articles in this series. However, tranquility in these regions ended as Judeans, anti-Roman extremists, and poorly managed imperial leaders created crisis conditions. This led to massacres of Gentiles by Jews, the emergence of Jewish thieves everywhere, and some cities being overtaken by Judaist rebels. Ultimately, the emperor’s order resolved this instability in Judea and Galilee.

To be continued…

Author: Dr. Liber Aguiar.

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