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How do today's Christians' values compare with the values of the earliest Christians?

Earliest Christian values

Values & practices of Jesus & earliest Christians - quotations from writings before 313 A.D. (version 5.1.4.1)

     
The quotations below are representative of all known pre-313 A.D. writers on each particular topic. The purpose here is to present unedited, genuine Christianity as understood and practiced by the earliest Christians. To view and print only this table, without the quotations, click here.
     
What earliest Christians did & encouraged
What earliest Christians did not do & discouraged
Active non-violence* Adultery*
Almsgiving* Anger*
Benevolence to strangers & enemies* Astrology
Christian healing* Bearing/using weapons against others*
Christian perfection* Capital punishment
Compassion* Charging interest on loans*
Correction of others, supportively* Divorce* (with a few exceptions)
Financial and/or other support of church -- but not tithing Greed*
Forgiveness to all, including enemies* Hatred*
Generosity to all, including enemies* Hypocrisy*
Honesty* Idolatry*
Humaneness* Immorality*
Humililty* Intoxication
Inclusiveness & equality* Judging others*
Justice* Lustful looking*
Marriage sanctity* Materialism*
Mercy* Nationalism
Modesty* Pederasty (sexual relations between a man and a boy)
Morality and ethics* Polygamy*
Overcoming evil with good* Pornography
Peace-making* Possessiveness*
Prayer for all, including enemies* Prejudice*
Purity* Promiscuity*
Repentance* Religious talk without compassionate life*
Unconditional love for all, including enemies* Revenge*
Wisdom* Self-righteousness*
Women & men: both in leadership roles* Spiritualism
Suits against others*
What earliest Christians did & encouraged
What earliest Christians did not do & discouraged
DIVIDED OR UNCERTAIN VIEWS: Abortion ? | Same-sex orientation ?

* Those taught by Jesus are marked with an asterisk.


CHRISTIAN STANDARDS & HOW THEY WERE APPLIED -- Beginning in 313 A.D., Christian teachings and practices began to dramatically change, but prior to 313 A.D. the Christian attitudes and practices listed above were standards advocated by most Christians within their own Christian communities. Christians did not attempt to force those attitudes or practices on non-Christians. Christians did feel free to include them as part of the gospel, the Good News, they preached to non-Christians -- not as a judgmental rebuke but as joyful witness to the freedom of their own life in Christ. As Christians today, if we try to force our moral standards on the entire population of our nations or on the world, we are abandoning primitive Christianity, and we are participating in the reenactment of the Constantine's cooption and corruption of Christianity that began in 313 A.D. (See http://www.bibletexts.com/terms/313ad.htm.) On the other hand, we, like our earliest Christian brothers and sisters, are free to include our moral values as part of the gospel, the Good News, we live and preach to others -- not as a judgmental rebuke but as a joyful witness to the freedom of our own life in Christ.

OTHER RESOURCES YOU CAN EXPLORE -- In additional to the representative quotations below, the following are a few resources to further explore the attitudes and practices of Jesus and earliest Christians prior to 313 A.D.:


All biblical quotes below are from the Today's English Version (a.k.a., Good News Bible), unless otherwise designated.

EARLIEST CHRISTIANS PRACTICED & TAUGHT

 

 

Active non-violence*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

We who formerly murdered one another now refrain from making war even upon our enemies.

 

Active non-violence*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Almsgiving*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Benevolence to strangers & enemies*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Christian healing*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Christian perfection*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Compassion and Humaneness*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Correction of others, supportively*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Equality and Inclusiveness* - regardless of gender, race, nationality, religion, social or economic status
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

Jesus typically spoke in parables -- very socially disturbing parables. They turned the world upside down and inside out for his hearers. Some parables illustrate his challenge to Jewish men as the only ones having power or deserving a role as an example. [See the parable of the leaven (Mat 13:33, Luk 13:20-21, Thomas 96), the parable of the lost coin (Luk 15:8-9), and the commentaries on them at http://www.bibletexts.com/texts/parables.htm#leaven and http://www.bibletexts.com/texts/parables.htm#lost-coin.]

That Jesus talked freely with woman -- even a Samaritan woman (!) -- was another social/religious taboo that Jesus broke. Jesus is pictured as unaffected by such restrictions.

When Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is within you" (Luk 17:20,21, Thomas 3:1-3, Thomas 113, Thomas 51:2, Gospel of Mary 4:4-5, Dialog of the Savior 9:3), the overall message of his words and his life would indicate that he was not limiting how much of that kingdom was present in his hearers -- whether male or female.

In the earliest record of the crucifixion and resurrection (Paul's account in 1Co 15:3-7, which Paul "had received"), there is mention of "the twelve." In fact Paul seems to be saying that according to what he had been told (by James, Peter, and/or John in Jerusalem?), Cephas (Peter) was the first to see the risen Christ. Then the twelve saw him. Then five hundred "brethren" saw him. Then James. Then Paul.

Were all four gospels completely wrong in saying that women were the first to encounter evidence of Jesus' resurrection? Three of the gospels, Matthew (Mat 28:9-10), Mark (Mar 16:9-11), and John (Joh 20:14-18) describe women (always including Mary Magdalene) as the first to see and speak with the risen Jesus. Luke simply says that the women (again, including Mary Magdalene) were the first to be told (by two men/angels) that Jesus had risen. All four of these gospel accounts are not synoptic but clearly are from different sources.

Had the report that Paul had "received" been filtered by Peter or someone else to eliminate all mention of the women that were really the first to see Jesus? Why would such filtering take place? Was it because during the actual ministry of Jesus those women had real clout and that now -- without Jesus around -- the male disciples could recapture the more culturally traditional male authority? Did Peter revert back to his male-dominant Jewish ways, just as in Antioch he had reverted to his don't-eat-with-Gentiles ways? For more on this, see http://www.bibletexts.com/qa/qa078.htm#2.

There are no definitive answers for any of these questions, but there are serious concerns about how accurately the role of women during Jesus' ministry was reported and "received" by the church in the first 2 or 3 decades after Jesus' crucifixion. If filtering did take place, Paul may have been unaware of it. He may have just reported what he had been told. Paul, of course, was really a champion for women's active roles in the early church. For more on Paul's advocacy of women, see http://www.bibletexts.com/women.htm; whereas, James and Peter showed some strong Jewish tendancies (see Gal 2:1-14).

 

Financial and/or other support of church -- but not the practice of tithing
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Forgiveness to all, including enemies*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

If then we entreat the Lord to forgive us, we ought also ourselves to forgive; for we are before the eyes of our Lord and God, and "we must all appear at the judgment-seat of Christ, and must every one give an account of himself." (The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians, Chapter VI)

 

Generosity to all, including enemies*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Honesty*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Humaneness*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Humility and Modesty*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Inclusiveness*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Justice*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Marriage sanctity*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Mercy*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Modesty*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Morality & ethics*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Non-violence*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

We who formerly murdered one another now refrain from making war even upon our enemies.

 

Overcoming evil with good*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Peace-making*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Prayer for all, including enemies*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Purity*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Repentance*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Unconditional love for all, including enemies
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Wisdom*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Women & men: both in leadership roles*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

EARLIEST CHRISTIANS ESCHEWED & DISCOURAGED

 

 

It is important to note that beginning in 313 A.D., Christian teachings and practices began to dramatically change. Prior to 313 A.D. the Christian attitudes and practices listed above were standards advocated by most Christians within their own Christian communities. Christians did not attempt to force those attitudes or practices on non-Christians. Christians did feel free to include them as part of the gospel, the Good News, they preached to non-Christians -- not as a judgmental rebuke but as joyful witness to the freedom of their own life in Christ.

 

Adultery*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Anger*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Astrology
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Bearing/using weapons against others
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Capital punishment
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Charging interest on loans
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

1 Lord, who may enter your Temple? Who may worship on Zion, your sacred hill? 2 Those who obey God in everything and always do what is right,... 5 They make loans without charging interest

Louis J. Swift in his comprehensive article on "Usury" in Encyclopedia of Early Christianity, Second Edition (edited by Everett Ferguson (NY: Garland Publishing, 1998, pages 1150-1151) writes in part:

 

Divorce* (except for infidelity, abuse, or spouse-initiated)
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Greed*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Hatred*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Hypocrisy*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Idolatry*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Immorality
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Intoxication
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Judging others*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Lustful looking*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Materialism*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Nationalism
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Pederasty (sexual relations between a man and a boy)
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Polygamy*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Pornography
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Possessiveness*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Promiscuity*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Religious talk without compassionate life*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Revenge*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Self-righteousness*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Spiritualism
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Suits against others*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Violence*
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

DIVIDED VIEWS: Abortion ?
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

DIVIDED VIEWS: Same-sex orientation ?
Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity"

 

 

 

Copyright 1996-2004 Robert Nguyen Cramer