Antioch on Orontes, Ephesus, and Corinth, cities second in wealth and importance in the Roman Empire only to Alexandria in Egypt and to Rome, are inseparably linked with the early history of Christianity. According to the information supplied by Acts it was in Antioch that the word 'Christians' was first used to refer to the adherents to the new religion. Yet it was not only in these great cities that Christianity found adherents, for it gathered them also in far distant ..... | The origin of the church in Turkey goes back to the events immediately following the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ in Judea. On the Day of Pentecost Jews from Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia were gathered in Jerusalem (Acts 2:9–10). Many of these became eyewitnesses to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and Peter’s subsequent sermon. Some were undoubtedly among the three thousand who believed ..... | Christianity, which began as an obscure sect in Judea, survived and shaking off its Judaistic roots developed in the cosmopolitan world of Greco-Roman pagan cults. As it followed its natural path various sorts of local Christianity factions such as Donatists, Novatians, Paulinists, Marcionites, Docetists, Montanists, Meletians and Arians and many others emerged. While some of these disappeared without becoming widespread heresies some shook Christianity at its roots ..... |
