Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 1
The teacher emphasizes that for the first 8–10 years “every single Christian that existed was actually a Jew,” and that disciples weren’t called “Christians” until Antioch around 14 years after the resurrection; how should that reshape the way we imagine “normal Christianity,” and what assumptions do we import when we read the New Testament as if “Christian” was always a separate religion from Judaism?
Another way to ask: For the first years after Jesus rose, believers were Jews and weren’t called “Christians” yet. How should that change what we think “normal Christianity” looked like, and what wrong ideas do we bring when we read the New Testament like Christianity was always separate from Judaism?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
Based on the speaker’s teaching, “normal Christianity” at the beginning looked like Jewish believers living inside Judaism while recognizing Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament promises, not an instantly separate religion with a new label. This challenges our habit of reading the New Testament as if “Christian” identity was already fully separated from Jewish life and categories from day one.
- “For the first 8 to 10 years… every single Christian that existed was actually a Jew.”
- He notes the first Gentile converts are tied to Acts 10 around “40 AD,” roughly 10 years after the resurrection.
- “They still weren’t called Christians… until… Antioch… about 14 years after the resurrection.”
- “The lines between being a Christian and being a Jew could have been a little bit fuzzy.”
- Early Christians were “viewed as nothing more than a new sect within Judaism.”