Primitive Christianity (The Early Church or The Ekklesia) transitioned gradually toward Modern Christianity (the Institutionalized Church). Key shifts occurred in the 4th century—most notably Constantine’s conversion and the legalization of Christianity in 313 AD—and a formalized structure was established by the 7th century. “Modern Christianity” is often traced to the 16th-century Reformation, which marked the breakup of the Christian faith into diverse Protestant branches from the earlier Universal Church established under Rome.
Primitive/Early Christianity (c. 30 AD–325 AD): From Jesus’s life through the Apostolic Age to the first major council at Nicaea, this period focused on foundational beliefs and the rapid spread of the faith within the Roman Empire.
Late Antiquity/Patristic Era (c. 325 AD–700 AD): Christianity became state-supported (after 313 AD), developed official doctrines such as the Nicene Creed, and gained structural solidity under emperors like Theodosius, moving away from its persecuted, underground roots.
Medieval Christianity (c. 700 AD–1500 AD): Dominated by the Roman Catholic Church in the West and Byzantine Orthodoxy in the East, this era featured major events like the East–West Schism (1054) and the Crusades.
Modern Christianity (c. 1500s onward): The Protestant Reformation (beginning in 1517) shattered Western uniformity, introducing denominations such as Lutheran, Calvinist, and Anglican. This led to global expansion, Enlightenment challenges, and the diverse expressions of faith that define the modern era.
There was no single “phasing out” year, but rather a gradual shift—from the persecuted Ekklesia, which lacked the institutional religious traditions later introduced in the medieval period, to the diversified, fractured Christianity that emerged after the Reformation in the 1500s.
The first group of followers of Yeshua HaMashiach were treated with severe prejudice because they threatened the surrounding temple-based religious systems. The first disciples were Jewish and saw themselves as a renewal movement within Israel, not founders of a new religion. They continued to attend the Jerusalem Temple and synagogues for some time, even as they proclaimed Jesus as Israel’s Messiah and Lord.
Several aspects of the Ekklesia raised alarm among existing religious and political systems:
- Confessing one God and one Lord, Jesus the Messiah, which clashed with both Roman imperial paganism and local pluralistic worship.
- Refusing to offer sacrifices to other gods or to the emperor, which appeared as political disloyalty and religious subversion.
- The Ekklesia movement challenged the centrality of the temple sacrificial system by proclaiming Jesus as the once-for-all atoning sacrifice. This undermined the theological and economic importance of the temple, helping explain why some temple-connected leaders reacted so sharply. Hostility took different forms depending on context and period—ranging from local opposition and exclusion from synagogues to Roman suspicion and legal persecution, especially when Christians were seen as rejecting the imperial cult and endangering civic peace.
- The early believers faced combined social prejudice, legal punishment, and theological opposition. They were targeted not simply as a moral threat, but because their exclusive allegiance to the crucified and risen Messiah challenged both Jewish temple-centered worship and Roman religious-political expectations. Martyrdom deeply shaped early Christian theology of discipleship, salvation, the church, and the understanding of God’s power manifested in weakness.
Early Christians saw martyrs as imitators of Jesus’ passion, following his pattern of innocent suffering and forgiving enemies. Martyrdom was viewed as sharing in Christ’s death and resurrection, echoing themes such as being “crucified with Christ” and united with him in suffering. The word martyr (martys) means “witness,” and dying faithfully under pressure was considered the ultimate testimony that Christ is Lord. Many accounts portray martyrs seeing their deaths as spiritual battles through which Christ’s power defeated pagan gods and demons, reinforcing the gospel’s truth.
Some early writers taught that martyrdom could bring special reward and even remit sins committed after baptism, pairing “baptism and suffering for Christ” as unique graces. This contributed to a theology in which accepting possible death was seen as the highest form of discipleship—the “best death” a Christian could die.
Jesus taught his followers to expect hatred and persecution, urging them to rejoice in it as proof of true discipleship rather than seek safety through compromise. The apostles echoed this, commanding believers to rejoice when insulted for Christ’s name and to follow his example of suffering without retaliation. Thousands chose torture and death over denying Christ or offering pagan sacrifices, obeying commands like “fear not those who kill the body” and “take up your cross.” Their willingness to die affirmed exclusive loyalty to Jesus as Lord, rejecting emperor worship despite offers of safety for compliance.
After Christianity was legalized under Constantine, some leaders and communities began to pursue imperial favor, wealth, and influence. Later critics viewed this as a compromise—prioritizing comfort over the costly obedience modeled by the martyrs. This alliance with Rome introduced hierarchical structures and cultural accommodations that departed from the persecuted church’s simplicity.
Practices like Christmas (rooted partially in Saturnalia) and Easter (linked to Ishtar or Eostre and symbols like eggs) were adapted from pagan calendars to make evangelism familiar to converts, though later critics such as the Puritans denounced them as syncretism. Hierarchical structures, saint veneration, eucharistic transubstantiation, purgatory, and other unbiblical traditions evolved from Roman administrative influences. These developments fueled the Reformation, as reformers charged religious authorities with drifting from the simplicity of New Testament Christianity. Early church persecutions spanned roughly 30 AD to 313 AD, evolving from local Jewish opposition to empire-wide Roman crackdowns, ending with the Edict of Milan.
Timeline of Key Persecutions:
- 34-35 AD: Jewish leaders stone Stephen, the first Christian martyr; Saul (later Paul) approves and persecutes believers.
- 42-44 AD: Herod Agrippa I beheads Apostle James and imprisons Peter.
- 49 AD: Emperor Claudius expels Jews (including Christians) from Rome due to disturbances.
- 64-68 AD (Nero): After Rome’s Great Fire, Nero blames Christians; Peter and Paul martyred by beheading/crucifixion.
- 90-96 AD (Domitian): Emperor worship enforced; John exiled to Patmos; sporadic violence in Rome and Asia Minor.
- 98-117 AD (Trajan): Christians not hunted but executed if identified; Ignatius of Antioch martyred.
- 161-180 AD (Marcus Aurelius): Philosophical opposition leads to blame for disasters; Justin Martyr killed in Rome.
- 202-211 AD (Septimius Severus): Bans conversions; North African persecutions intensify.
- 235-238 AD (Maximinus Thrax): Targets church leaders like Hippolytus.
- 249-251 AD (Decius): Empire-wide edict requires sacrifices; many bishops (e.g., Fabian) martyred; Origen tortured.
- 253-260 AD (Valerian): Clergy hunted; Cyprian of Carthage and Pope Sixtus II executed.
- 303-313 AD (Diocletian/Great Persecution): Churches destroyed, scriptures burned, universal sacrifice demanded; ends with Galerius’ toleration edict (311) and Milan’s legalization (313).
RELIGION REPLACED A FAITH MOVEMENT AND HAS ESTABLISHED A NEW COUNTERFIT EKKLESIA CALLED THE CHURCH
This is a series of vieos that outline the progress of religion and explains how we got to this current state we are in today.
Should true followers of Jesus Christ assimulate to the world’s standards and traditions? Or should they withdraw from it’s practices?
