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Church History to the Reformation

  1. Lesson One
    The Birth of the Church
    4 Activities
  2. Lesson Two
    Growth of the Christian Church
    4 Activities
  3. Lesson Three
    The Spreading Flame
    4 Activities
  4. Lesson Four
    Early Christian Life and Faith
    4 Activities
  5. Lesson Five
    The Young Church in Action
    4 Activities
  6. Lesson Six
    The Formation of the Biblical Canon
    4 Activities
  7. Lesson Seven
    The Martyr Faith
    4 Activities
  8. Lesson Eight
    The Age of Constantine
    4 Activities
  9. Lesson Nine
    The Development of Christian Doctrine
    4 Activities
  10. Lesson Ten
    The Emergence of Medieval Christianity
    4 Activities
  11. Lesson Eleven
    Augustine of Hippo
    4 Activities
  12. Lesson Twelve
    The Monastic Movement
    4 Activities
  13. Lesson Thirteen
    Medieval Mission and Evangelism
    4 Activities
  14. Lesson Fourteen
    The Rise of Eastern Orthodoxy
    4 Activities
  15. Lesson Fifteen
    The Iconoclastic Controversy
    4 Activities
  16. Lesson Sixteen
    The Crusades
    4 Activities
  17. Lesson Seventeen
    Mystics and Scholastics
    4 Activities
  18. Lesson Eighteen
    The Medieval Heritage of Beauty
    4 Activities
  19. Lesson Nineteen
    Medieval Spirituality
    4 Activities
  20. Lesson Twenty
    Heretics and Inquisitors
    4 Activities
  21. Lesson Twenty-One
    The Rise of Religious Orders
    4 Activities
  22. Lesson Twenty-Two
    John Wyclif
    4 Activities
  23. Lesson Twenty-Three
    The Renaissance
    3 Activities
  24. Lesson Twenty-Four
    Europe on the Eve of the Reformation
    3 Activities
  25. Course Wrap-Up
    Course Completion
    1 Activity
    |
    1 Assessment

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Lesson Overview

Jerusalem, as the center of Jewish religion and culture, was probably one of the least likely places for a new religion to find focus and gain momentum. Yet, it was exactly here that the church was formed by a sovereign act of the Spirit of God who gave energy and direction to that first generation of believers. This lesson explores the distinctively Jewish context of the church’s first days and ears and the sequence of events that brought the church into being.

Lesson Objectives

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

  • Describe the political and economic character of the religious establishment of Jerusalem.
  • Explain two reasons why Jesus was perceived as a threat to the religious establishment.
  • Explore ways in which the Pentecost festival provided a positive occasion for the birth of the church.
  • Identify ways that the temple and Jewish religious worship served as the foundation for the faith and early life of the Church.
  • Identify the four types of Jews and Jewish proselytes who became Christians.
  • Explain the significance of having Galilean Christians in the leadership of a church full of Judeans.

Personal Reflection

As you proceed through this lesson have the following question in mind.
What was the significance for Christianity of the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus?