Under Roman rule in Palestine, which began in 63 B.C.E., the house of Herod gained favor by helping keep peace and collect taxes. After the death of Herod the great in 4 B.C.E., however, Jews were divided in religious and political loyalties. Sadducees remained loyal to Torah, Temple, and Rome; Pharisees advocated innovations in Torah interpretation; the Essenes sought greater purity in religion; and Zealots stirred open revolt against Rome. Romans crucified followers of Judas the Galilean in 6 C.E., casting a shadow over subsequent advocates of religious and political change.
To ordinary people of Palestine, these revolutionaries may have seemed innocent, but they awakened in Jewish leaders a keen sense of impending collapse. Strong personalities stirred the simmering pot. John the Baptist, the son of a Jewish priest, baptized people for their sins in preparation for the imminent arrival of the Kingdom of God.
His cousin, Jesus, was accused of blasphemy for forgiving people’s sins and driving money changers from the Temple. Peter, James, and John, the fishermen from the Sea of Galilee who left their work to follow Jesus, helped organize and announce a new Way of life in Jerusalem. Mary the mother of Jesus would be honored as the mother of God. These troublemakers were exceeded only by another Jew who changed his name from Saul to Paul and brought Gentiles into the Way without requiring circumcision or observance of Torah.
Early Christians, nevertheless, played a little part in the war that Vespasian and his son Titus waged to destroy the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 C.E. Earlier, many Christian leaders had been executed;their revolution of the
Roman Empire was more protracted, not reaching a truce until the time of Constantine or victory until the regain of Theodosius. From these Humble Beginnings and an endorsement from a powerful Roman government, missionary-minded Christians tried faithfully to follow the Great Commission that Jesus gave his followers, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). In this chapter we will see how Jesus and his followers launched their teachings to all the world.