Birth of Christianity–18 Feb 2026
The accounts of Jesus’ teaching, his crucifixion and his resurrection were passed on orally and then written about by many different people who often differed on fundamental issues. There was no central authority to resolve these differences. Jesus was seen by his followers as Christ, the Anointed One. But what did that mean? By 200 C.E., a new religion had developed throughout the Roman Empire. It wasn’t official and it wasn’t unified. There were many schools of thought. Yet the followers of Jesus were no longer simply a sect of Judaism but a religion for all people. They had birthed Christianity. What was this new religion and what did it stand for? How had it succeeded through such turmoil? And historically speaking, how do we know what we think we know about Jesus and his disciples?
Steve Henrikson is a teacher of history and philosophy whose career has spanned six decades in private schools on the East Coast and in California. His undergraduate degree is from Carleton College and graduate degree is from Northwestern University.
