2.1 - Hebrews & Hellenists

Synopsis

After Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, the Jesus movement spreads like wildfire throughout the Roman Empire. A rift develops between Hebrews and Hellenists over circumcision. Missionary expansion and the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 makes Christianity a majority-Gentile movement.

Key Quotes

• “Awe came upon everyone because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles.” (Luke, Acts of the Apostles)
• “The issue of circumcision became a point of conflict between more traditional Jewish Christians in Jerusalem and the more heavily Gentile congregation in Antioch.”
• “Since the destruction of Jerusalem happened exactly 40 years—Passover to Passover—after Jesus’ crucifixion, Christians saw it as God's judgment on the Jewish people for rejecting their Messiah ...”

Reflection Questions 

• What kind of opposition did the early church encounter from the Jewish religious establishment and the Roman state?
• What did the Jerusalem council decide on the question of circumcision? How did it reach its conclusion? (Acts 15)
• How did the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome in A.D. 70 make Christianity a predominantly Gentile movement?

Further Reading

• Fuller Seminary, “The Hellenistic Widows”