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.
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What this dot point is asking
You need to explain how the gospel spread from Jerusalem outwards: the witness of the apostles, the work of Stephen and Philip, the conversion of Paul on the Damascus road, and Paul's missionary journeys into the Gentile world, and then evaluate the role of key events such as Stephen's death. Acts is structured around Jesus's command to be witnesses "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8), and this dot point traces that expanding mission.
The witness of the apostles in Jerusalem
Stephen and Philip
The conversion of Paul
Paul's missionary journeys
Paul's missionary journeys carried the gospel into the Gentile world. Setting out from Antioch, he travelled through Cyprus and Asia Minor, then into Greece, founding churches in cities such as Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth and Ephesus, and preaching to both Jews (in synagogues first) and Gentiles, as in his speech at the Areopagus in Athens. His pattern was to plant a church, move on, and keep in touch by letter. Acts ends with Paul preaching in Rome, the heart of the empire, fulfilling the movement of the gospel "to the ends of the earth".
Evaluating the death of Stephen
A model evaluation paragraph might run: "In Luke's presentation, the death of Stephen does more to spread the gospel than to hinder it: the persecution it unleashed scattered the Jerusalem believers across Judea and Samaria, and 'those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went', so the very attempt to crush the movement dispersed its witnesses and carried the message beyond the city for the first time, and Stephen's death also stands in the background of Saul's later conversion. Yet it would be one-sided to ignore the real cost: the persecution brought genuine suffering, imprisonment and fear, and the gospel's spread owed much to other factors too, Philip's preaching, Peter's outreach, and above all Paul's mission. The judgement, therefore, is that Stephen's martyrdom, in Luke's theology of a Church that grows through suffering, advanced the gospel by scattering its witnesses, though this advance came at a heavy price and worked alongside other causes."
Try this
Q1. Who was the first Christian martyr? [2 marks]
- Cue. Stephen, one of the seven, stoned after his speech, with Saul approving.
Q2. Explain what happened at the conversion of Paul on the Damascus road. [6 marks]
- Cue. The risen Jesus appeared in a blinding light asking why Saul persecuted him; blinded, Saul was healed and baptised by Ananias and commissioned to take the gospel to the Gentiles.
Q3. "Paul was the most important figure in the spread of the gospel." Discuss. [12 marks]
- Cue. Weigh Paul's journeys, letters and mission to the Gentiles against the contributions of the apostles, Stephen, Philip and the scattered believers, and the role of the Spirit. Reach a judgement.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of CCEA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
CCEA AS 4 201912 marksExplain the importance of the conversion of Paul for the spread of the gospel.Show worked answer →
An AO1 question, so reward accurate exposition of the conversion and its
consequences.
The conversion. Explain that Saul, a zealous Pharisee persecuting the
Church, was confronted by the risen Jesus on the Damascus road, blinded,
and told that he would be sent to the Gentiles; he was baptised by Ananias
and began to preach Jesus.
The importance. A strong answer shows the consequences: the chief persecutor
becomes the leading missionary, the apostle to the Gentiles, whose journeys
and letters carry the gospel across the empire.
Accurate detail of the event and its results reaches the top band.
CCEA AS 4 202212 marksComment on the view that the death of Stephen did more to spread the gospel than to hinder it.Show worked answer →
An AO2 evaluation question, so argue both sides and judge.
Supporting the claim. Stephen's martyrdom triggered a persecution that
scattered the believers, who preached wherever they went, spreading the
gospel beyond Jerusalem into Judea, Samaria and beyond.
Challenging the claim. The persecution also caused real loss and fear, and
the spread owed much to other factors, such as Philip's preaching and
Paul's later mission.
A judgement that, in Luke's presentation, Stephen's death advanced the
gospel by scattering witnesses, while acknowledging its cost, reaches the
higher bands.
Related dot points
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Sources & how we know this
- CCEA GCE Religious Studies (2016) specification — CCEA (2016)