Chapter 1 - Preparation Time

The birth of the Church benefited from several conditions according to God's plan: a centralized and orderly empire; a language that is widely understood and very rich and precise in its vocabulary and language for expressing philosophical and theological concepts; a highly developed transportation system and infrastructure; a culture that pervades the entire empire so that cross-cultural evangelism is facilitated; peace and tranquility guaranteed by the military power of Rome; a strong desire for salvation and a growing awareness of monotheism. God arranged it so that Christianity could develop under the auspices of Judaism until it could be self-sufficient; the occurrence of the diaspora since the 6th century BC. was a preparation for the early church missionary movement, for especially the overseas Jews became the starting point for evangelism during approximately the first century and through the diaspora theological concepts of the Bible were introduced to the outside world. All of this helped the church to grow rapidly. God really prepared for the birth of His Son and the birth of the early church.

1.1 Historical Background

Church History. The term history or history comes from the Greek, historia, the verb historio, which means learning through research. While the Church comes from the Portuguese language: igreja, which comes from the Greek: (ekklêsia) which means to be called out (ek = out; klesia from the word kaleo = to call); a group of people who were called out of the world, that is, those who were called out of darkness into His miraculous light. Besides that, in Greek there is another word which means church, namely the curiakon (house) of God. The first ones called by Christ were the disciples, namely Peter and his friends (the twelve disciples). After Jesus' ascension into heaven and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, the disciples became apostles, meaning those who were sent. They were sent into the world to preach the good news, so that the Christian Church was born. The task of their vocation can be formulated in three terms, namely: "martyria" (a testimony that includes both the evangelism and the witness of life, also in the sense of being faithful until a martyrdom),  “koinonia” (fellowship), and “diaconia” (service). Thus Church History is a study of faithfulness, successes and failures in living their calling and obeying the Great Commission of the Lord Jesus.

In his letter to the Galatians apostle Paul said: “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4:4). The birth of the Lord Jesus into this world is a fulfillment of God's promises delivered centuries before; it is also the fulfillment of the prophecies of the prophets prophesied hundreds of years earlier. And this is all according to God's plan.

God's plan for the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ has gone through extraordinary preparations. Where not only through whom He was born, but the place of His birth, the name given to Him, are all predetermined. In fact, everything has been prepared in such a way to welcome His birth.

Center of the World. This happened under the reign of Alexander (336-323 BC) the kingdom of Mekedonia (Greece) was very widespread and eventually included Greece, Asia Minor (Turkey), Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Persia, and Egypt, even Alexander the Great entered India. And reaches the river Ganges in North India. Although his reign only lasted 13 years, his reign had a very decisive meaning for the development of world history and church history. Since Alexander the Great Greek culture (Hellenism) influenced and eventually outperformed all other cultures. The process of Hellenization (Greek) was also continued by the Roman government, which since the 2nd century BC has become a political power in the world.

Cultural unity in the Roman Empire. Although the Romans ruled almost the entire known world at that time, they did not force other tribes and nations to embrace Roman culture. In general knowledge, art, literature, and philosophy, it was Greek culture (Hellenism) that became a unifying tool. In the field of religion and belief, it was the religions of Egypt and Persia that became dominant and flourished throughout the Roman empire. The religious pattern of the Roman empire was generally very wise and gave freedom to each religion to develop. Through the formation of the Roman Empire, a universalist view based on syncretism was developed. To a certain extent, this development also helped prepare the world for the gospel which is also universal.

The understanding and use of the Greek language throughout the Roman Empire, especially in cities, such as Alexandria, Antioch, Palestine: Tiberias and Caesarea Philippi became more important for the development of the church. Therefore Greek is called “koine”, which is a common language or language of association. The New Testament is written in the “Koine” language. Thus the New Testament books do not need to be translated. Early church missionaries did not need to learn new languages ​​every time they entered new territory. The “Koine” language became the language of evangelism. This greatly facilitated the development of the early church.

Infrastructure. It was not only the language that God prepared before sending His Son, Jesus Christ, but the infrastructure was also prepared. The Roman government was very concerned about infrastructure - traffic, transportation, this was intended to develop trade between the provinces of the Roman empire and facilitate the transfer of Roman troops when the rebellion was attacked from outside. Of course, this infrastructure greatly influenced the movement of the early church missionaries to proclaim the Lord Jesus.

World peace. Another thing, apart from what has been stated above, that has also colored the preparations for the birth of the Lord Jesus is the so-called “Pax Romana”. Since 236 BC the Roman government continued to engage in battles with the surrounding nations and one by one they were conquered. It wasn't until 29 BC. the emperor Augustus could close the temple of Mars in Rome, the temple of the god of war, and begin the so-called “Pax Romana”, the peace guaranteed by the military power of Rome. In this case, we see God's preparation for the birth of the church because the peace and order in the Roman empire greatly benefited the missionaries of the early church.

Syncretism in the Roman Empire. In the Roman empire, the Jews were only a minority. The majority of the population adheres to other religions and cultures, namely the Hellenistic culture. In such a situation it is natural for people to be nervous, feeling alienated in the empire's world which is too large. Thus, they start looking for something that will give them a new grip and hope. And what they find in the following.

The syncretism that occurred in the Roman empire turned out to be one of the things that colored the preparations before the birth of the Lord Jesus. In Egypt, Persia, and Asia Minor (Turkey) many developed which were then also brought to other areas of the Roman empire, such as the religion of Isis and Osiris (from Egypt), the religion of Mithras (from Persia), and the religion of Cybele and Attis (from Asia). Minor) and the Baal religion of Syria. The development of these religions within the Roman empire had two consequences: First, the inhabitants of the Roman empire were able to compare various religions and become accustomed to the emergence and development of new religions, religions it comes out of the tribal environment and becomes universal in nature. Second, the occurrence of religious mixing. The supreme gods of various religions were equated: Zeus (Greek), Jupiter (Roman), Ahura Mazda (Persia), Marduk (Babylonia-Iraq) were considered equal. Thus awareness of monotheism develops and prepares the way for belief in one God. All of these religions also share an element that would later benefit evangelism: they revolved around a god who died and was eventually brought back to life. All of these can be bridges to receive the message of the risen Jesus Christ.

Philosophy. Greco-Roman philosophy also tried to give a new handle to the alienated man. This seems to be a new hope following the absence of answers in mystery religions. The word philosophy or philosophy is taken from the Greek; Philosophia. In this language, it is a compound word and comes from the words (philia = friendship, love etc.) and (sophia = "wisdom"). So the literal meaning is a "lovers of wisdom". Its adherents try to circumvent the beliefs and actions of mystery religions which they consider outrageous: “humans who want to break the shackles of this mortal and all-limited life, the schools of belief (the religions above) show how to get a part in the life of nature/a god who is "ageless" (like a plant, winter/dry seems to die, leaves fall, but in summer/rain arrives, comes back to life). Some use meaningful ceremonies to lead people to a life beyond death. Usually, the ceremonies are kept secret and even now it is not known what exactly is going on in them. These schools are called mystery religions. Examples are the religions of Isis and Mithras. There are also sects that take their members to the wilderness so that there they experience union with the gods through dances that make people become possessed. And some use spells and even witchcraft to give their members more power than usual."

There were several groups of philosophers who emerged at that time, such as the Stoics, Platonism, Epicureanism. At first the philosophers did not want to know about the salvation that must come from without. Inner serenity is salvation. Humans must live according to their nature, by not allowing themselves to be shaken by the events of the world around them. This is the teaching of the Stoics (Greek: hall). It is a school of philosophy originating from Athens (Greece).

Worship of Caesar. In addition to all that has been described previously, the worship of the emperor also colored the world before God brought His Son into this world. This happened when Emperor Augustus came to power. He had restored peace in the Roman State, after a half-century of civil war. They saw Augustus as a savior and built temples and statues for him. But after him, the worship of the emperors increased even more. In fact, the emperors were called the Son of God, and God (Kyrios). The emperor is considered to bring peace and prosperity to his people, as long as his people worship him, by saying the words "The emperor is God" and burning incense in front of his statue. Initially, the emperors were only worshiped after death, but then the State demanded sacrifices for the surviving emperors. And this is obligatory for all residents (except the Jews) in the empire. Anyone who disobeys it is considered an enemy of the State.

Through the explanation above, it would be clear what was conveyed by the apostle Paul to the church in Galatia (4:4), "When the time was fulfilled, God sent His Son...", namely how the conditions that occurred before the birth of the church, and these conditions very profitable for the preaching of the Good News. An orderly imperial state, a language which was widely understood and which had a very rich and precise vocabulary and grammar for expressing philosophy and theological concepts; an advanced transportation system and infrastructure; a culture that pervades the entire empire so that cross-cultural evangelism is facilitated; peace and tranquility guaranteed by the military power of Rome; a strong desire for salvation and a growing awareness of monotheism; God arranged it so that Christianity could develop under the auspices of Judaism until it could be self-sufficient. Also, the occurrence of the diaspora since the sixth century BC was a preparation for the early church missionary movement, because in particular, the overseas Jews became the starting point for evangelizing during the first century or so and through the diaspora theological concepts of the Bible were introduced to the outside world ( proselytes and God-fearing people), who in turn become bridges for the proclamation of the Good News. Now it is clear, that God has really prepared for the birth of His Son and the birth of the first church.

1.2 Early Church 

The Church of Christ began to emerge among the Jews, and its message was addressed primarily to the Jews in dispersion. This is the state of the Jewish nation at that time.

At the time of the birth of the Church, the land of Palestine was subject to Roman rule. The southern part of Palestine (Judea) was headed by a Roman governor, including Pilate, Festus, Felix; The king of the north (Galilee) at that time was Herod Antipas. At that time, the Jews were still given the freedom to worship their God according to the law. Their religious leader was the “Sanhedrin” whose members consisted of priests and scribes, 70 in number, and headed by a high priest. The center of Judaism was the Temple in Jerusalem, but most of the Jews did not have time to worship there, so each Jewish congregation was built a synagogue, where they met on the Sabbath under the leadership of the scribes.

Even though the Jews were not persecuted, they felt spiritually oppressed, because they were chosen by God to rule the world but in reality, they were ruled by the pagans. The spirit of nationality lives burning in the hearts of many people so that sometimes some rebel like the Zealots (cf. Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15). Usually, the rebels had to admit defeat in the end, but their hearts eagerly awaited the arrival of the promised Messiah.

In the midst of their anticipation of the coming of the Messiah, they wondered and concluded that in order to have a share in the kingdom of the Messiah, they had to do everything according to the requirements of the Torah. Among them were the scribes who studied and taught all the laws and prohibitions of the Mosaic law. Most of them belonged to the Pharisees (meaning: the alienated), who tried to keep the Torah as carefully as possible, such as fasting, praying, giving alms, keeping the Sabbath day holy. According to them, all that will bring people to the door of heaven. But unfortunately, their piety is only outward and is not followed by inner piety, which is why the Lord Jesus called them hypocrites.

Unlike the Pharisees, there was another group living among the Jews, namely the Sadducees. They rejected any hope of the coming of the Messiah, and they were closer to and in agreement with the Romans and Greeks. There is another school of thought, namely the Essenes, who are concerned with asceticism; they live mainly on the shores of the Dead Sea, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

In general, the Jews held fast to their Holy Book, namely the Old Testament. After the Babylonian exile, the Jews lived in a diaspora. Only one million live in Palestine, while around six million people live outside it. As merchants, they traded grain in cities around the eastern Mediterranean and in the city of Rome. At the time of the Lord Jesus in Rome, there were ten thousand Jews among the six hundred thousand inhabitants of that city. Even though they are scattered, they are still loyal to their religion; they were relieved of the obligation to offer sacrifices to the emperor. They obeyed the Mosaic Law as much as possible. There are synagogues everywhere.

Seeing the lives of the Jews who remained faithful to the worshiping nature of their monotheism, many non-Jews were attracted to officially converting to Judaism (cf. Acts 2:11; 6:5; 13:43) and submitting to the Torah, they were called "proselytes". (“proselytes”=who came here and converted to Judaism. In addition to the proselytes, there are still people who are attracted to the Jewish religion, namely "God-fearing people" who believe in God and like to join in worship in the synagogue, but have not officially embraced Judaism (cf. 13:16; 17:4). The proselytes who received the gospel from the apostles became the intermediaries of the Church to enter the Greco-Roman world.

The Jews living in the diaspora spoke Greek (Koine) because they had forgotten Hebrew. Therefore the Old Testament needed to be translated into Greek, about 200 years BC. where the translation was done in Egypt. The translation is called the Septuagint (meaning seventy, usually written LXX) because it is said that 70 linguists wrote it.

The Early Church. Various views on the founding of the church: among others, such as, First, the church is God's covenant people who are associated with Abraham's call and the promise given to him in the beginning. Second, the church is people who believe in God's promise to Adam (Gen. 3:15). Therefore the church had started long before Abraham's call. The next opinion states that the church began at the time of Christ on earth, but based on the recognition that Jesus' disciples are the core of the church, the church did not exist until the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. However, it must be admitted that the church was already in God's plan in the past (Ephesians 1:4), but in reality, the church began at Pentecost, because the church, by its very nature as the body of Christ, depends on the finished work of Christ (Acts 20:24). 28) and the coming of the Holy Spirit. So the birthday of the church is the day the Holy Spirit descended on the day of Pentecost.10,11,12 The same thing was stated by J.W. Brill emphasized, “The church was formed on the day of Pentecost. Before that day there were people who had believed in the Lord Jesus, but on that day the church was formed. The Lord's disciples gathered together in one accord in Jerusalem and suddenly the Holy Spirit came upon them, and thus the church of Christ was formed. However, the foundation of the church was laid by the Lord Jesus himself, who said, 'On this rock, I will build my church.' (Matthew 16:18,19).”13 The disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, so they dared to testify. about Jesus, and through that testimony people accepted the gospel and believed in Jesus; there a small congregation was formed. They were made up of Jews. The Judeo-Christians were originally still like a Jewish school, where they continued to visit the Temple and the Synagogue and obey the Law faithfully (Acts 2:46, 3:1).

The beginning of the history of the Church can be studied in the book of Acts which describes the life of the early church who were harmonious, united, caring, and faithful in teaching. The congregations are missionary: self-governing, self-supporting (financially independent), self-propagating (actively preaching the gospel), and self-reproducing (establishing evangelistic posts).

The gospel message was initially only accepted by the Jews, but after the death of Stephen made

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Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 19.07.2021
ISBN: 978-3-7487-8910-9

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This book is dedicated to my Dad, Dr. Reymand Hutabarat, Mom, Mrs. Rawyline Hutabarat, and brother, Dr. Francis Hutabarat.