“The law of the excluded middle” is a maxim asserting that something is, or is not. There is no “middle” ground. A line is either straight or not straight. It cannot be partially crooked or partially straight. If this logic can be applied to the origins of Christianity you could ask, is Christianity of divine origin or of human origin? In this paper I will look at arguments for both the human and divine origins resulting in the rapid expansion of Christianity during the period from Pentecost, 30 A.D., to the insurrection of the Jews in 70 A.D.

Christianity was not a movement whose evolution was gradual. Prior to 30 A.D. there is no reference of Christians or Christianity. Christianity did not exist. Jackson (July) According to the Bible and the Acts of the Apostles a community of believers, consisting of 3,000, were baptized after a passionate speech from Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, on Pentecost. (Acts 2:41) Pentecost is the fiftieth day after the resurrection of Jesus. “What had been a small, local movement within Judaism was transformed into a far-reaching fellowship of many different peoples, well organized and with distinctive worship.” Bainton

The early believers witnessed the miracles performed by Jesus and his Apostles. They believed that no ordinary person could possibly perform these kinds of signs unless they were empowered by God. (John. 3:12) The Lord had been raised from the dead and was seen by many witnesses during the forty days after his resurrection. These circumstances provided the basis of the divine beginnings of the Christian movement.

Gibbon believed the promise of a future life was the second reason for the growth. During this time most believed death was the end. According to Aristotle death was to be most feared of all things, for after death there appeared to be nothing, no good or evil. So in the midst of a life with this belief, hearing a promise of life after death would certainly entice many to become part of the new movement. Gibbon wrote: “When the promise of eternal happiness was proposed to mankind on the condition of adopting the faith, and of observing the precepts, of the Gospel, it is no wonder that so advantageous an offer should have been accepted by great numbers of every religion, of every rank, and of every province in the Roman Empire.” Gibbon (1776 p. 402)

So can this line be partially straight? Is it possible that the combination of divine and human actions formed this nearly cataclysmic explosion? In examining the actions of the Apostles, the stories of miraculous events, the near perfect organization of the Church’s structure and the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, it is hard to imagine the spread of Christianity occurred through purely human action. Even amongst the strong arguments posed by Edward Gibbon, there is room for the divine. Even Gibbon admits the stories of miraculous events are one of the primary reasons for the growth of the movement. Gibbon would contend these stories may not be true. Even if Gibbon is correct and these stories are, in fact, “stories,” would that make them any less miraculous in that they were helpful in converting hundreds of thousands of pagans to a new way of life. They helped allow criminals become useful members of a new society. They provided a new attitude of forgiveness and discipline. They helped a society gain respectabili

Some topics in this essay:
Empire” Gibbon, Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon, Empire Ward, Leaders Church, According Aristotle, God John, Pentecost Acts, Christianity Christianity, Origins Christianity, jackson july, 30 ad, spread christianity, roman empire, ward et al, gibbon believed, stories miraculous, resurrection jesus, christian movement, movement gibbon, life death, stories miraculous events, et al 1998,