Earlier this month, I was afforded the thrilling opportunity to attend a study trip to Turkey with Brad Gray (www.walkingthetext.com) to, in a sense, augment my Old Testament study with a New Testament flair. We visited the sites of the 7 churches of Revelation and other peripheral Greco-Roman cities.The trip centered around this question: What changed Asia Minor? How and why did Christianity explode early?
The following is a brief rundown why Christianity flourished early on despite the duress and persecution it faced. When Julius Caesar died in 44 BC, a comet appeared in the sky during games held in his honor, thereby providing confirmation that he was divine (according to Suetonius the comet was actually Julius ascending to the gods). This is the derivation of Emperor worship which became popular during the 1st AD. Part and parcel of the Emperor's duties was to promote the pax romana (Roman peace) across the entire empire. When an Emperor ascended the throne, his political initiative to set things in order under Roman rule was called his Gospel. All who fell in lockstep with his ideology (gospel), obeyed his decrees, and lived life according to his institutionalized Roman law received eternal life and forgiveness of sins. Sound familiar? Furthermore, the current ruling Caesar was hailed as "the divine son of god." All who worshiped him inherently proclaimed him as savior of Rome.
The authors of the New Testament ascribed the same political jargon to Jesus. Christian theology ran parallel to Roman theology. Early Christians likely struggled to win converts based on theological doctrines alone. Any informed Roman could counter a Christian argument by simply stating, " We have a savior, too. His name is Caesar." Both parties shared the same religious language. What set the Christians apart was their deeds. The Christian lifestyle ran perpendicular to Roman social conventions. In other words, what changed Asia Minor and sparked the explosion of Christianity early wasn't so much what they believed but what they did.
Exposing people to Christian faith today takes a lot more than simply spewing classical evangelical dogma-isms. I would argue, for the majority of non-followers of Jesus, the pontification of Jesus, at first exposure, by using phrases like "Jesus died for your sins" rarely wins peoples hearts. Ecclesiastical recitation works for those already in the game. What makes outsiders do a double take is how we live-for good and for bad. Theology asserts and practice converts. Here is one example Christians implemented to influence people in Asia Minor.
The Roman's propagated a stratified social system with no interaction between upper and lower classes. By contrast Christians ate meals together, inviting members of the Decurians, Freeborn, Freedmen, and Slaves to all interact as one group. Slaves were given the same privileges as the Decurians-full meals and no scraps. The value of slaves, women, and children were elevated and all social agendas among the Christians were based on love. Everyone was equal. And this was revolutionary to Roman society-not so much what they believed (although that informed their ethical and moral code) but how they treated those positioned on the lowest rungs of society. Paul appeals to Philemon to show mercy and welcome his slave Onesimus as a brother. Philemon carries every right to execute Onesimus for absconding. However, Paul subversively undermines the Roman social system by elevating Onesimus' status to a Freedman.
Christianity exploded on the scene in Asia Minor because the people on the ground lived out the life of Jesus. Believing isn't enough-even the demons believe God exists. A tangible, existential embodiment of Jesus changes lives. All the letters to the 7 churches of Revelation revolve around the concept of deeds. The letter to Ephesus in the book of Revelation was likely the first delivered on the mail route and sets the tone for the 6 that follow. Jesus praises their orthodoxy (theology) but critiques their orthopraxy (practice). Our actions are important to Jesus because they represent who he is. As James writes, "faith without deeds is dead."
Connected to the aforementioned idea and what may be the linchpin for the causation of a 180 in Asia Minor are Jesus' actions themselves. If Jesus only came to tell us what he believed but didn't accompany his message with healings, teachings, and other demonstrations of love, what good would he have been? According to Roman theology, the citizen sacrificed for Caesar. Jesus sacrificed for us, a work/deed self-referentially. And the early Christians of Asia Minor got it.
Below are pictures of an early house church from Priene. It was in these types of settings where early Christians, the majority of whom were Jews, probably gathered.
