The Historical Study of Christianity.....................................................

Lecture 1

C

hristianity began in obscurity as a minor sect of Judaism in the
1 st century of the Common Era. For the first three centuries of its
existence, it offered few signs that it would one day dominate the
world. Over a period of two millennia, it has grown, spread, and constantly
changed, now appearing in every land and every language. It is the largest and
most universal of the world’s religions. This course considers the first three
stages of this grand story, beginning in this first lecture with a discussion of
the importance of applying a historical perspective to Christianity and the
limitations we will face as we embark on this endeavor.

Justifications for Our Study
• Christianity is the world religion that is most explicitly historical in
its character. Its central claim is that the divine enters into human
history in a specific human person and changes it.
o Arguably, it is also the world religion that has most affected
the course of history itself. It is impossible to consider the
historical development of the West without taking Christianity
into account.

o It is, therefore, both natural and necessary to approach this

religion in historical terms.

•    Contemporary ignorance and credulity with regard to Christianity’s

past make historical study imperative.

o Although true historical knowledge is always a fairly rare and

restricted commodity, the present age in particular is neither

interested in, nor well informed about, the past.

o The result of this historical amnesia is that the present

generation is easy prey to distortions of the past.