
Transcriber’s Note
THE APOSTLES.
INTRODUCTION. CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS.
CHAPTER I. FORMATION OF BELIEFS RELATIVE TO THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS.—THE APPARITIONS AT JERUSALEM.
CHAPTER II. DEPARTURE OF THE DISCIPLES FROM JERUSALEM.—SECOND GALILEAN LIFE OF JESUS.
CHAPTER III. RETURN OF THE APOSTLES TO JERUSALEM.—END OF THE PERIOD OF APPARITIONS.
CHAPTER IV. DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT; ECSTATICAL AND PROPHETICAL PHENOMENA.
CHAPTER V. FIRST CHURCH OF JERUSALEM; ITS CHARACTER CENOBITICAL.
CHAPTER VI. THE CONVERSION OF THE HELLENISTIC JEWS AND PROSELYTES.
CHAPTER VII. THE CHURCH CONSIDERED AS AN ASSOCIATION OF POOR PEOPLE.—INSTITUTION OF THE DIACONATE.—DEACONESSES AND WIDOWS.
Following the narrative of Jesus' life and death, this volume turns its attention to the immediate aftermath—the pivotal years when his closest followers began to shape a new movement. The author examines how the small group gathered in Jerusalem transformed grief into a living community, forging doctrines of resurrection, the Holy Spirit, and communal worship. Drawing on original documents, the text offers a scholarly yet readable portrait of the early church's organization and its first trials. The tone balances rigorous analysis with reverence for the subject.
From Jerusalem the story moves outward, tracing the rapid spread of belief through Syria to the city of Antioch, where a predominantly Gentile congregation emerged. Here the apostles, especially Paul, Barnabas, and Mark, launch the first missionary journeys that would carry the message far beyond its Jewish roots. The work also sketches the political and social landscape of the Roman Empire around the first century, providing context for these daring ventures. Readers are invited to witness the birth of a faith that, even in its infancy, began to define its own identity separate from Judaism.
Language
en
Duration
~8 hours (494K characters)
Series
Origins of Christianity, vol. 2
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by KD Weeks, Charlene Taylor and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
Release date
2014-03-08
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1823–1892
A former seminarian turned groundbreaking historian of religion, he became one of 19th-century France’s most discussed writers. He is best known for bringing modern historical criticism to the study of Christianity and for writing with unusual clarity about faith, language, and nationhood.
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