How Old is Christianity?

Posted by Brian Tubbs Oct 13, 2008

The beginning of Christianity centers on Jesus of Nazareth, a first century Jewish leader crucified by Pontius Pilate. If you want to know the origin of Christianity, you must start with Jesus.

Of course, there are some who argue that Jesus never lived at all - that he is a myth. These folks, while vocal and quite visible on the Internet, are not supported by serious scholarship. Scholars overwhelmingly accept that a first century teacher named Jesus lived in the first century and amassed a sizable following in Jewish Palestine. The evidence for Jesus is irrefutable.

While Jesus' historicity is pretty much beyond dispute, not everyone accepts him as the divine Son of God. In fact, many argue that the beliefs surrounding his "deity" are rooted in pagan traditions. If you're familiar with these claims or find yourself in agreement with them, I encourage you to read Lee Strobel's The Case for the Real Jesus. His interviews with reputable scholars pretty well demolish this idea. You can find a summary of the arguments against Christianity's alleged pagan roots in the article: "Is Christianity Based on Paganism?"

Others say that Jesus never really claimed to be God. One only needs to read the Gospels to see that Jesus quite clearly associates himself with God, such as his statements: "Before Abraham was, I am" and "I and "I and the Father are one." Not to mention that Jesus takes it upon himself to authoritatively interpret and update the Old Testament and forgives sins.

Christianity then begins with and centers on Jesus Christ, and his claim of deity. But, the roots of Christianity extend before Jesus' time in the first century. But not before Jesus himself.

How old then is Christianity? The Apostle John answers this, when he writes: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1). Later, John tells how the Word "became flesh." John was writing of Jesus, and made clear that the story of Jesus (and thus the underpinning of Christianity) began not in the first century - but in the very beginning of time itself.