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The term '''Early Christians''' here refers to ] of the period before the ] (325). In a narrow sense the term is sometimes used of the very first followers of ] as preached by his ], their contemporaries, and their immediate successors.

==Origin==
] bust showing early use of wearing a ] (3D image)]]
Christianity started out as a ], ], late ], "sect" (] {{bibleverse-nb||Acts|24:5}}; {{bibleverse-nb||Acts|24:14}}; {{bibleverse-nb||Acts|28:22}}), a term, {{Polytonic|αἵρεσις}} in ], applied also to the ]s (] {{bibleverse-nb||Acts|5:17}}), the ] and the ]s (] {{bibleverse-nb||Acts|15:5}}; {{bibleverse-nb||Acts|26:5}}).

Their distinguishing mark was their belief that ] was the ] or ], two words, one of ], the other of ] derivation, that have the same meaning (] {{bibleverse-nb||Acts|2:31-38}}; {{bibleverse-nb||Acts|3:6}}; {{bibleverse-nb||Acts|3:18-20}}; {{bibleverse-nb||Acts|4:10}}; {{bibleverse-nb||Acts|5:42}}; {{bibleverse-nb||Acts|9:22}} etc.).

Their belief quickly spread to non-Jews, whom the Jews called ]s. This spread was seen as fulfilment of ] such as {{bibleverse|Isaiah||49:6}} ({{bibleverse|Acts||13:47}}) and {{bibleverse|Amos||9:11-12}} ({{bibleverse|Acts||15:16-17}}).

Among the earliest Christians, the ] had an acknowledged leadership role, as shown, for instance, in the following episodes recounted in the ]: it was in their teaching that the first Christians "continued steadfastly" (Acts {{bibleverse-nb||Acts|2:42}}); they sent envoys to enquire into novelties that arose (Acts {{bibleverse-nb||Acts|8:14}}); appeal was made to them, along with the ], to settle a dispute about the obligations of Christians (Acts {{bibleverse-nb||Acts|15:2}}). The relatives of Jesus were also prominent.

Later writings, such as the ] (which survives in two third-century Greek fragments and a longer fifth-century translation into ]), attributed prominence among the earliest Christians also to certain individuals mentioned in the canonical (first-century) ]s as associated with Jesus during his lifetime, such as ], ] , ] and his sisters Martha and Mary, and ]. Some of these documents present the figures in question as being among the leadership of the apostles. See, for example

Beginning with the year ], when, according to the ] historian ], the ] blamed them for that year's ], early Christians were objects of at-times intense ] by the authorities of the ]. In spite of that, the Christian religion continued its spread throughout the ].

==Orthodoxy and orthopraxy==
Some claim that Christianity at first had no established ] or ].

], in his ''Rechtgläubigkeit und Ketzerei im ältesten Christentum'' (] 1934; translated as ''Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest Christianity'' 1971), developed the thesis that, in earliest Christianity, ] and ] do not stand in relation to one another as primary to secondary, but in many regions heresy is the original manifestation of Christianity. Bauer reassessed as a historian the overwhelmingly dominant view that for the period of Christian origins, ecclesiastical doctrine already represented what is primary, while heresies, on the other hand somehow are a deviation from the genuine (Bauer, Introduction).

A similar view has been put forward by ], that different versions of Christianity flourished side by side, each holding to its own beliefs as the true version. He wrote, "the lack of uniformity in ancient Christian scripture in the early period is very striking, and it points to the substantial diversity within the Christian religion."

Bauer's was admittedly a minority opinion in contrast to the view (which he himself calls "the overwhelmingly dominant view") that there was, in the early centuries, not just a variety of groups of equal standing, all claiming to be Christian, but also a clear mainstream Christianity which, as shown in ]'s Letter to the Smyrnaeans, was called ] (Smyrnaeans, 8) and condemned doctrines that it judged to be incompatible with the teaching received from the apostles, even to the extent of referring to those who propagated such beliefs as "beasts in the shape of men, whom you must not only not receive, but, if it be possible, not even meet with" (Smyrnaeans, 4).

The ] itself contains warnings against teachings considered to be only masquerading as Christianity (for instance, the ], {{bibleverse||Matthew|24:4-14}}, ] {{bibleverse-nb||2Corinthians|11:13-15}}; ] {{bibleverse-nb||2Peter|2:1-17}}; ] {{bibleverse-nb||2John|7-11}}; ] {{bibleverse-nb||Jude|4-13}}), and shows how reference was made to the leaders of the ] to decide what was correct doctrine and practice: ] {{bibleverse-nb||Acts|15}}, see also ].

There were, of course, different strands of theological opinion among the mainstream Christians, as there are even among those who fully adhere to a faith as highly articulated as that of today's ]. The room for theological differences within the same body was then greater, since reflection was only beginning on many matters on which the mainstream Church reached a clear conclusion only later.

] was seen as particularly incompatible with mainstream Christianity, which insisted on the reality and essential importance of the life and death of Jesus (cf. ] {{bibleverse-nb||1John|5:5-6}}, and the Letter of Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans). In 144, the Church in Rome expelled ] as a ]. He thereupon set up his own separate ecclesiastical organization, later called ]. According to ] , iv, ] was a candidate for ] (the date would be about 143) and, when passed over in favour of another, "marked out a path for himself" distinct from that of the mainline Christian Church. The ] article on notes: "But on the whole it seems to be clear from the various notices that Valentinus did not, e.g. like Marcion, break with the Church from the very beginning, but endeavoured as long as possible to maintain his standing within it."

Some scholars believe that there were at least three distinct divisions within the Christian movement of the 1st century AD: the ] (led by the Apostle ], with Jesus' disciples, and their followers), ] (followers of St. Paul) and ] (people who generally believed that salvation came through secret knowledge and introspection - for example, {{bibleverse||Romans|16:25|NIV}}, {{bibleverse|1|Cor|2:7|NIV}}). Other scholars believe that Gnostic Christianity was a later development, sometime around the middle or late second century, around the time of Valentinus. Gnosticism was in turn made up of many smaller groups, some of which did not claim any connection to Jesus Christ. Though generally indiscriminately reckoned among the Gnostics, ] actually represents a fourth interpretation of the significance of Jesus. Also significant was ], from which some draw parallels to ].

==Organization==
Christianity continued many of the patterns of Judaism, adapting to Christian use synagogue liturgical worship, prayer, use of Sacred Scripture, a priesthood, a ] commemorating on certain days each year certain events and/or beliefs, use of music in worship, giving material support to the religious leadership, and practices such as fasting and almsgiving.

Christians adopted as their Bible the Greek translation of the Jewish Scriptures known as the ] and later also canonized the books of the New Testament.

A Church hierarchy seems to have been in development at latest by the time of the writing of the ] in the latter half of the first century, and these structures were certainly formalized well before the end of the Early Christian period, which concluded with the ] in 313 and the holding of the ] in 325.

==Significant Early Christian writers==
Dates given, if not otherwise specified, are of their writings, not of their lives.
{|
| valign="top" |
*] 35~65
*], bishop of Antioch, 68~107
*], bishop of Rome, 88~101
*], bishop of Hierapolis, 110~130
*] of Sinope, rejected the ], declared heretical in 144
*] (+153), Gnostic, declared heretical in 175
*], bishop of Smyrna, 110~160
*] ~165
*], bishop of Sardis, ~180
*] ~185
*] ~190
*], bishop of Ephesus, ~196
*], self-proclaimed prophet and founder of ], last quarter of second century
| valign="top" |
*], bishop of Lyons, 180~202
*] ~220
*] (197~230), first Christian writer in Latin, later a Montanist
*] 217~236
*], 185~254, controversial during his life time, condemned at the ] in 553
*], a rigorist and ] in 251
*], bishop of Carthage, 218~258
*], bishop of Alexandria, 248~264
*], bishop of Antioch, condemned at 269 ] for Christological errors
*], crucified in 276
*], bishop of Carthage, (+355), leader of the Donatists from 313
*] ~317
*] ~330
|}

==Significant early Christian texts of disputed authorship==
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*Parts of the ]:
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==See also==
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===Scholars===
*], ''Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest Christianity'' translated in 1971 (from ''Rechtgläubigkeit und Ketzerei im altesten Christentum'', Tübingen 1934)
*], ''The Birth of Christianity: Discovering What Happened in the Years Immediately After the Execution of Jesus'', 1998, ISBN 0060616601
*], ''Unity and Diversity in the New Testament: Enquiry into the Character of Earliest Christianity''. SCM Press 1977 ISBN 0334024366
*], ''The Gnostic Gospels'', 1979, ISBN 0679724532
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*], ''The First Followers of Jesus'' (1978) ISBN 0334004799 & ''The Social Setting of Pauline Christianity: Essays on Corinth'' ISBN 080062095X
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==External links==
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