| Revision as of 01:10, 23 November 2004 editGary D (talk | contribs)4,284 editsm Update and add categories← Previous edit | Revision as of 17:35, 19 December 2004 edit undoRobin klein (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users3,580 edits early christians were largely jewishNext edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| The '''Early Christians''' |
The '''Early Christians''' is a term used to refer to the early followers of Jesus of Nazareth, before the emergence of established Christian ]. The term essentially refers to the ] of the early period of ], before it was constituted as the official religion of the ], by emperor ], in ] ] | ||
| The term has an underlying connotation, that of much of the ''early christians'' as being largely ]ish. The term was used by the later ] christians to refers to the early followers of the christ, at a time when what was later called as ] was largely a Jewish sect. The ''early christians'' however mostly refered to themselves as ]s (Acts 24:5, ]). The early Christian-Jewish heritage lingers in the ] tradition in ]. | |||
| Among those writers commonly referred to as Early Christian are: | Among those writers commonly referred to as Early Christian are: | ||
Revision as of 17:35, 19 December 2004
The Early Christians is a term used to refer to the early followers of Jesus of Nazareth, before the emergence of established Christian orthodoxy. The term essentially refers to the Jewish Christians of the early period of Christianity, before it was constituted as the official religion of the Roman Empire, by emperor Constantine I, in 312 A.D.
The term has an underlying connotation, that of much of the early christians as being largely Jewish. The term was used by the later Graeco-Roman christians to refers to the early followers of the christ, at a time when what was later called as christianity was largely a Jewish sect. The early christians however mostly refered to themselves as nazarenes (Acts 24:5, New Revised Standard Version). The early Christian-Jewish heritage lingers in the nasrani tradition in South India.
Among those writers commonly referred to as Early Christian are:
- Clement of Rome
- Ignatius of Antioch
- Papias
- Polycarp of Smyrna
- Justin Martyr
- Tatian
- Athenagorus
- Irenaeus
- Clement of Alexandria
- Tertullian
- Hippolytus
- Origen
- Cyprian
- Dionysius of Alexandria
- Arnobius
- Lactantius
The term is less often, but with equal validity, applied to the authors of the books of the New Testament.
This article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |