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AS 4: The Origins and Development of the Early Christian Church to AD 325

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How did the early Church decide whether Gentile converts had to keep the Jewish law, and why was the Council of Jerusalem so important?

The admission of the Gentiles and the Council of Jerusalem: Cornelius and Peter, the dispute over circumcision and the law, the decision of the Council of Jerusalem, and its significance for the Church's identity.
A CCEA AS 4 guide to the admission of the Gentiles and the Council of Jerusalem. Covers the conversion of Cornelius and Peter's vision, the dispute over whether Gentile converts must be circumcised and keep the law, the decision of the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15, and its significance for the identity of the Church.
14 min answer →

What happened at Pentecost, and how did the gift of the Spirit give birth to the Church and shape the life of the first believers?

Pentecost and the birth of the Church: the coming of the Holy Spirit, Peter's sermon, the response and baptisms, and the life of the earliest Jerusalem community.
A CCEA AS 4 guide to Pentecost and the birth of the Church. Covers the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter's sermon and its use of scripture, the response and the first baptisms, and the shared life of the earliest Jerusalem community described in Acts.
14 min answer →

Why was the early Church persecuted, what forms did persecution take, and how did martyrdom shape the Church up to AD 325?

Persecution and martyrdom: the reasons for persecution, Jewish and Roman opposition, the major persecutions, the place of the martyrs, and the effect of persecution on the Church to AD 325.
A CCEA AS 4 guide to persecution and martyrdom in the early Church. Covers the reasons for persecution, Jewish and Roman opposition, the major imperial persecutions, the place and example of the martyrs, and the effect of persecution on the Church up to AD 325 and the Edict of Milan.
14 min answer →

How did the gospel spread from Jerusalem to the wider world through the apostles, the scattering after Stephen, and the conversion and mission of Paul?

The spread of the gospel: the witness of the apostles, the work of Stephen and Philip, the conversion of Paul, and Paul's missionary journeys taking the gospel to the Gentile world.
A CCEA AS 4 guide to the spread of the gospel. Covers the witness of the apostles in Jerusalem, the work of Stephen and Philip, the conversion of Paul on the Damascus road, and Paul's missionary journeys that carried the gospel into the Gentile world, fulfilling the pattern of Acts 1:8.
14 min answer →

How did the Church develop its leadership, scriptures and doctrine, and why did it need the Council of Nicaea in AD 325?

The development of the Church to AD 325: the growth of ministry and leadership, the formation of the canon and creeds, the Arian controversy, and the Council of Nicaea.
A CCEA AS 4 guide to the development of the Church to AD 325. Covers the growth of ministry and leadership (bishops, presbyters and deacons), the formation of the canon of scripture and the early creeds, the Arian controversy over the person of Christ, and the Council of Nicaea and its creed.
15 min answer →