Introduction

The goal of this paper is to analyze how the church grew in the first and second centuries. During this period, there was considerable Christian persecution, misunderstanding, and conflict.

Unpopular Christians

Christians were unpopular during the first and second centuries for multiple reasons, one of which was widespread misunderstanding. Romans considered Christians to be both incestuous and cannibals based on reports of believers honoring Christ by consuming the body and the blood of Christ in the Eucharist. Because Christians referred to each other as brothers and sisters, some Romans assumed they were taking sexual partners among their siblings (Jones, 2009).

Beyond cannibalism and incest, many Romans also suspected Christianity was a dangerous cult. Since Christians rejected all gods except the God of Israel, they were perceived as arrogant by a polytheistic society where worship and sacrifice to many gods was common practice to “cover all bases” (Jones, 2009). As González (2010) summarizes, “non-Christians imagined Christian worship as an orgiastic celebration filled with Christians eating and drinking to excess, then extinguishing the candles, and venting their lusts in indiscriminate and even incestuous unions” (p. xx).

Christians lived by the words of Christ and held that no person is greater than another. Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia, “There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28, Christian Standard Bible). This ethic challenged entrenched social hierarchies. Romans often disregarded lower classes, including slaves, while Christians affirmed their equal worth (Jones, 2009).

Growth While Being Persecuted

The primary reason the church grew despite persecution was that “God’s Spirit was working” (Jones, 2009). Christian morality also drew many Gentiles toward the faith. Some admired the moral law of Israel but hesitated to convert fully to Judaism due to circumcision. Christianity removed this barrier, as circumcision was not required (Jones, 2009).

Christianity was notably inclusive. Whether a person was a woman, child, slave, Gentile, or Jew, inclusion rested on belief, not status. This insistence on equality attracted many—and Christianity further offered a personal relationship with God to all (Jones, 2009).

False Teachings

Gnosticism and Marcionism were two prominent heterodox movements challenging early Christian teaching. Marcion—who advanced a distinct set of views often aligned with Gnostic themes—taught that “the wrathful God of the Jewish Scriptures was not the same deity as the Father of Jesus” (Jones, 2009). He posited that the God of Israel (Yahweh) was a lesser being who created the material world, while the Father of Jesus was the supreme, all-loving God who neither raised the dead nor punished evildoers.

After efforts to correct his theology failed, Marcion was removed from church fellowship, condemned as a heretic by Christian leaders, and eventually formed his own community. Over time his writings were lost and Marcionism faded.

Importance of the Edict of Milan and the Council of Nicaea

The Edict of Milan resulted from an alliance between Constantine and Licinius and brought a decisive victory for Christian toleration. Persecution ceased; confiscated Christian properties—including buildings and cemeteries—were ordered returned. Crucially, Christians could now gather and worship without fear of death (González, 2010).

The Council of Nicaea produced the Nicene Creed, which articulated the essentials of Christian faith and clearly excluded Arianism. The creed achieved broad reception across both Western and Eastern churches, including the Greek and Russian Orthodox traditions (González, 2010).

Conclusion

In the first and second centuries, Christians were often viewed as a suspect sect due to misunderstandings about their beliefs and language. Despite persecution, believers remained steadfast; the church grew in conviction and number. Under Constantine, imperial policy shifted and persecution ended. Though various false teachings arose, historic Christianity endured.

References

• González, J. L. (2010). The story of Christianity. Volume 1: The early church to the reformation (Rev. and updated [ed.], 2nd ed.). HarperCollins.
• Jones, T. P. (2009). Christian history made easy (Rev. ed.). Rose Publishing.