concerning an end of the world are called eschatology (from the
Greek eschatos, meaning last).
In fact, the Jews did revolt against Roman rule. In A.D. 66 a group
called the Zealots began a national uprising. They resisted Rome
successfully for a time, but in 70 a Roman army captured Jerusalem
and destroyed the Temple. After the destruction of the Temple,
Pharisaism became the dominant force within Judaism, and the
synagogue became the chief Jewish religious institution. Meanwhile,
however, other events had taken place among the Jews of Palestine--
events that were to change the world.
NEW TESTAMENT: ORIGINS OF CHRISTIANITY
Jesus was born in Palestine about 6 B.C. (placing his birth at A.D.
1 is based on an inaccurate 6th-century reckoning). He spent his
youth in Nazareth in Galilee. When he was grown, he began to preach
and teach about what he called the Kingdom of God. Sometimes his
teaching about the Kingdom had an eschatological side--the Kingdom
would come soon--and sometimes it stressed the Kingdom as already
here. Like the prophets of earlier times, he called for a renewal of
faith in God, and he criticized the beliefs and practices of many
religious leaders, including the Pharisees and Sadducees. His deep
confidence in God made a powerful impression on his listeners, and a
small group of followers gathered around him. About A.D. 30 he and
his followers visited Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish festival of
Passover. When he entered the city, his followers and other Jews
hailed him as the Messiah. The Temple authorities and the Roman
officials took alarm. Jesus was arrested and quickly put to death.
You might have expected Jesus' followers to go back to Galilee and
never be heard from again. Instead, they had an electrifying
experience. They believed that Jesus had risen from the dead, that
he had sent his Spirit into them to increase their faith and
understanding, and that he wanted them to carry his message to the
ends of the earth. Under the leadership of Peter and James, they
preached that Jesus was the Messiah--that the Messiah was not a
political or military leader, but a suffering servant of God. From
the Greek Christos (which, like Messiah, means anointed), the new
faith came to be called Christianity. Jesus had spoken of God as his
Father; the Christians preached that Jesus was the Son of God, and
that his followers could join with him as children of God. They
expected the glorious, eschatological return of Jesus at an early
date, to put an end to sin and sorrow.
Some Jews accepted Christianity, but many did not. It wasn't long
before Paul, a Jew who became a Christian about A.D. 35, carried the
message of Jesus to large numbers of Gentiles in different parts of
the Roman Empire. For a time, there was controversy between those
