The Jewish people believed that a "political messiah" would eventually overthrow the Roman Empire. Ward et al. (1998) The Jewish people possessed significant faith and belief in their religion. To raise Christianity from the midst of these people was, no doubt, a significant feat.
Generally, the religions of the first century accommodated, or at least tolerated, the philosophical notions and traditions of the varying sections of the society. However, Christians did not follow these ideals. The Christian religion had (has) a strong monotheistic conviction. They refused participation in pagan rituals or submission to societal pressures. Jackson (July) For the Christians, there was but one Lord and one faith. Their belief was in Jesus of Nazareth, whose given name was Joshua ben Joseph. Ward et al. (1998) .
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.
In contrast, we can now examine the arguments of those who attribute the beginning of the Christian movement to human efforts. Historians, as opposed the theologians, more often adopt this point of view. For example, Edward Gibbon, an English Historian whose most famous work was The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, wrote in his work on his beliefs on the growth of the Christian religion. He cited five reasons for the success and growth of Christianity.
The basis of Gibbons beliefs was that the spread of Christianity was born of human intervention and work. Using the very same argument as those believing in divine development, Gibbon cited the monotheistic convictions of the Christians as one of the main building blocks of their faith, calling it the zeal of the Church.