Christian Origins & Early Schisms

UsefulCharts is constructing a family tree of the major Christian denominations. Matt Baker's series traces Christianity from its Jewish origins through successive theological divisions, institutional changes, and the emergence of distinct churches. The completed chart is intended to become a poster, although the number of episodes required has not been determined.

Christianity developed out of Second Temple Judaism. Understanding its earliest divisions requires examining ancient Israelite religion, the Jewish sects of the Roman period, and the different ways early Christians interpreted Jesus and Jewish religious law.

Ancient Israelite religion originated in the kingdoms of Israel and Judah during the Iron Age, approximately 1000–600 BCE. The presenter distinguishes between the traditional biblical account of its origins and an alternative reconstruction based on archaeology, secular history, and literary analysis of the Bible.

The traditional biblical account traces Israelite religion to God's revelation to Abraham. Abraham's descendants became the Israelites, were enslaved in Egypt, and were subsequently led out of Egypt by Moses after God revealed himself to him.

According to the biblical narrative, the Israelites conquered Canaan and established a kingdom that later divided into Israel and Judah. This interpretation holds that the Israelites originally knew the one true God but increasingly worshipped other gods, bringing about the destruction of their kingdoms.

The northern Kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians, while the southern Kingdom of Judah was subsequently conquered by the Babylonians. In the traditional religious interpretation, these defeats were consequences of the Israelites' disobedience to God.

An alternative historical reconstruction proposes that the Israelites emerged from the Canaanite population. According to this interpretation, Canaanite communities surviving the Bronze Age collapse in the hill country joined with neighboring groups to form a tribal confederation that eventually developed into the Kingdom of Israel.

The early Kingdom of Israel was probably polytheistic under the archaeological-historical interpretation. Rather than beginning with exclusive worship of one God, its religious practices may have evolved gradually toward monotheism.

Some Israelite priests promoted henotheism before full monotheism became established. Henotheism means worshipping one particular god without denying the possible existence of other gods. These priests promoted the worship of the deity represented by the four Hebrew letters traditionally known as the Tetragrammaton.

The presenter uses the name Hashem instead of pronouncing the divine name. He explains that, as a Jew, he avoids pronouncing the four-letter name of God. Hashem is Hebrew for "the Name."

Jerusalem became the principal religious center after the Assyrian conquest of Israel. Judah survived the initial destruction of the northern kingdom, allowing the Temple of Hashem in Jerusalem, subsequently called the First Temple, to become increasingly important.

Israelite religion became progressively more monotheistic as Jerusalem and its temple gained importance. The presenter places this religious development within the broader political history of Israel and Judah rather than treating monotheism as necessarily established from the beginning.

The Babylonian conquest of Judah resulted in the destruction of the First Temple and the exile of Judah's elites. The presenter places the Babylonian exile approximately between 586 and 516 BCE, identifying it as a decisive transition in Jewish religious history.

The name Jews derives from Judah. By the Second Temple period, the descendants of the earlier Israelites were increasingly identified by a name associated with the southern kingdom.

Persia's conquest of Babylon enabled the restoration of Jewish religious life in Jerusalem. The Persian rulers permitted the Jews to return and rebuild their temple, creating the religious institution known as the Second Temple.

Second Temple Judaism directly descended from ancient Israelite religion but developed under significant foreign influence. The presenter argues that Jewish encounters with Persian and Greek civilizations contributed to changes in religious thought.

Zoroastrianism may have influenced Jewish ideas about Satan and the ultimate triumph of good over evil. The presenter suggests that Persian religious concepts contributed to the development of these themes within Second Temple Judaism, although he presents this as a probable influence rather than an established certainty.

Greek conquest and the spread of Hellenism introduced additional intellectual influences into Judaism. Following the Greek conquest of Persia, Greek ideas circulated throughout the Middle East and entered Jewish religious and cultural life.

Second Temple Judaism was not a unified religious movement during the Roman period. It contained competing sects with different social positions, theological interests, religious practices, and political objectives.

The presenter identifies four principal Jewish sects of the Roman period: Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots. Their differences help explain both the development of Christianity and the subsequent emergence of rabbinic Judaism.

The Sadducees represented much of the Jewish religious and social elite. Their membership included priests responsible for administering the Jerusalem Temple, and the presenter identifies them as the sect most receptive to Hellenistic influence.

The Pharisees were more closely associated with ordinary Jewish communities and religious scholarship. They included scribes and scholars who studied and interpreted the Hebrew scriptures, making religious learning an important part of their identity.

The Essenes emphasized mystical and spiritual concerns. They frequently lived apart from mainstream society and showed particular interest in angels, spiritual realities, and the expectation of a Messiah.

The Essenes were probably associated with the production of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The presenter identifies them as the most likely community behind these manuscripts while retaining uncertainty about the attribution.

The Zealots pursued political independence from Roman rule. Unlike the more spiritually focused Essenes, they sought concrete political change, particularly the overthrow of Roman government and the restoration of Jewish independence.

The destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE fundamentally transformed Judaism and Christianity. The loss of Jerusalem's central religious institution forced surviving communities to develop alternatives to temple-centered worship and sacrifice.

The Pharisees were the only one of the four principal Jewish sects identified as surviving the destruction of the Temple. The presenter explains that the Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots eventually disappeared as distinct movements.

The Pharisees established a new religious center at Yavne following Jerusalem's destruction. Their religious leaders became known as rabbis, and their traditions developed into the foundations of rabbinic Judaism.

Modern Judaism traces its principal historical lineage through the early rabbis to the Pharisees. The presenter presents rabbinic Judaism as the surviving continuation of Pharisaic religious traditions rather than a direct continuation of the Temple priesthood.

Early Christianity emerged as an additional Jewish sect shortly before the destruction of the Temple. Unlike the Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots, this movement survived and eventually developed into a separate world religion.

The existence of Christian communities by the end of the first century is historically established regardless of competing beliefs about Jesus. The presenter separates the historical existence of Christianity from religious debates over whether Jesus was divine, merely human, or a historical person.

The earliest Christians were Jews. Christianity initially developed within Jewish religious society rather than beginning as an independent Gentile religion.

Early Christianity probably drew followers from several existing Jewish sects. The presenter suggests that former Pharisees, including Paul, were prominent among early Christians, while other followers may have come from Zealot and Essene backgrounds.

Simon the Zealot provides a possible connection between Jesus' earliest followers and the Zealot movement. The presenter points to the disciple's name when discussing potential Zealot participation in early Christianity.

Essenic religious ideas appear to have influenced early Christianity. Both movements displayed apocalyptic expectations involving hidden spiritual realities and their anticipated revelation.

Early Christianity appears to have drawn comparatively little influence from the Sadducees. Among the four major Jewish sects, the presenter identifies the Temple-centered Sadducees as having the weakest apparent connection to the emerging Christian movement.

God-fearers provided another important source of early Christian converts. These were Gentiles, meaning non-Jews, who sympathized with Judaism and sometimes participated in Jewish customs without formally converting.

Christianity and rabbinic Judaism responded differently to the destruction of the Temple. Christianity increasingly interpreted Jesus as a spiritual replacement for the Temple's high priest, while rabbinic Judaism developed religious practices centered on scripture, prayer, and communal worship.

Christian theology increasingly presented Jesus' sacrifice as replacing the earlier Temple sacrifices. This interpretation allowed Christian religious life to continue without the sacrificial system previously practiced in Jerusalem.

Rabbinic Judaism emphasized Torah study and synagogue prayer as alternatives to Temple worship. These practices became central ways of maintaining religious community and a relationship with God after the destruction of the Temple.

The presenter divides Christianity after 70 CE into three broad early movements: Jewish Christianity, Pauline Christianity, and Gnostic Christianity. These categories represent different interpretations of Jesus, Jewish religious obligations, and the nature of salvation.

Jewish Christians continued observing traditional Jewish religious law while accepting Jesus as an important religious figure. Their practices included circumcision and dietary restrictions such as abstaining from pork.

The Nazarenes and Ebionites are identified as representative Jewish Christian groups. They preserved elements of the Jewish religious identity of the earliest Christians rather than abandoning Jewish customs as Christianity expanded among Gentiles.

Jewish Christian communities gradually disappeared as distinct religious movements. However, the presenter suggests that some of their beliefs may have influenced the subsequent development of Islam.

The presenter compares Nazarene beliefs about Jesus with Islamic teachings. He describes both as recognizing Jesus as an important human prophet and Messiah, born of a virgin, while rejecting his divinity.

Early Jewish Christianity is presented as sharing some characteristics with Islam without being identical to it. The presenter uses the comparison to illustrate how a religious movement could recognize Jesus while rejecting later mainstream Christian doctrines about his divine nature.

Pauline Christianity developed primarily among Gentile converts. Its name derives from the Apostle Paul, whose writings and missionary activity played a major role in extending Christianity beyond Jewish communities.

Paul died shortly before the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. The presenter credits him with writing a substantial portion of the New Testament and introducing Christianity to large numbers of non-Jews.

Paul argued that Gentile Christians were not required to observe traditional Jewish customs. His teachings rejected the necessity of practices such as circumcision and Jewish dietary restrictions for non-Jewish followers of Jesus.

Paul's central theological argument was that Jesus' death and resurrection established a New Covenant. In the presenter's account, this covenant superseded the earlier requirements of Jewish religious law.

Pauline Christianity removed a major barrier to Gentile participation in the Christian movement. By not requiring converts to adopt Jewish religious practices, it offered a form of Christianity more accessible to non-Jewish populations.

Gnostic Christianity represents a third broad category of early Christian religious thought. The presenter cautions that Gnosticism was not a single organized denomination but a modern classification encompassing several different movements.

The Valentinians and Sethians are identified as examples of early Gnostic groups. Although they differed from one another, the presenter considers their shared religious characteristics sufficient to group them together for the purposes of his family tree.

Gnostic movements generally emphasized the superiority of the spiritual world over the physical world. The presenter describes their outlook as treating material existence negatively while regarding spiritual reality as fundamentally more important.

Gnostic Christians emphasized Jesus' divinity while downplaying his humanity. This distinguished them from Jewish Christian groups that placed greater emphasis on Jesus as a human religious figure.

The term Gnosticism derives from the Greek word gnosis, meaning knowledge. Gnostic movements placed particular importance on possessing special or secret knowledge about spiritual reality.

Gnostic Christianity eventually disappeared as a distinct major branch. The presenter nevertheless identifies Mandaeism, a small religion still practiced today, as a possible surviving tradition with historical connections to early Gnostic Christianity.

Pauline Christianity ultimately became the dominant form of Christianity. Jewish Christian and Gnostic movements declined, while the theological tradition associated with Paul developed into the principal historical lineage of mainstream Christianity.

Traditional Christian and secular historical interpretations explain Pauline Christianity's dominance differently. From the traditional perspective described by the presenter, Pauline Christianity represents authentic Christianity and its competitors were heretical movements. From a secular perspective, the three early movements were competing interpretations, with Pauline Christianity eventually emerging as the dominant one.

Between approximately 180 and 313 CE, Christianity became increasingly unified. Historians sometimes refer to the developing mainstream Christian community of this period as the Great Church.

The Great Church period marked Christianity's consolidation into a recognizable and increasingly organized religion. Christian communities became more closely connected, doctrinal positions became more established, and the number of adherents increased.

The Edict of Milan in 313 CE gave Christianity legal recognition within the Roman Empire. Emperor Constantine the Great and his co-emperor Licinius issued the edict, protecting Christians from persecution and permitting the religion to operate legally.

Constantine did not make Christianity the Roman Empire's official state religion. The presenter specifically distinguishes the legalization of Christianity in 313 CE from its later establishment as the empire's official religion.

Constantine convened the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE. Christian bishops gathered to clarify major theological disputes and establish authoritative statements of Christian doctrine.

The Council of Nicaea produced the original Nicene Creed. The creed established a framework of theological beliefs that would become foundational to mainstream Christianity.

The Nicene Creed became a major standard for distinguishing mainstream Christianity from other Christian movements. The presenter states that virtually every major Christian denomination today accepts its principal doctrinal positions.

Arian Christianity emerged as an important competitor to Nicene Christianity. It followed the teachings of Arius and disagreed with the theological conclusions established at Nicaea.

Arian Christianity should not be confused with the term Aryan. The presenter explicitly distinguishes the theological movement associated with Arius from the similarly pronounced term spelled with a different letter.

Arius taught that Jesus had not existed eternally. According to the presenter's explanation of Arian theology, Jesus was brought into existence by God and was therefore subordinate to God the Father.

Arian Christianity also understood the Holy Spirit differently from Nicene Christianity. The presenter describes Arian belief as distinguishing the Holy Spirit from God the Father and Jesus the Son within a theology that rejected their Nicene co-eternity.

Nicene Christianity teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are co-eternal. None has a beginning, and all three have always existed.

Nicene Christianity defines God as one essence existing in three persons. This understanding of the Trinity distinguishes Nicene theology from Arian interpretations of the relationship between God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

Arian and Nicene Christianity coexisted for a substantial period. The presenter associates Arian Christianity particularly with newly Christianized Germanic peoples, while Nicene Christianity was prominent within the Roman Empire.

The Goths, Vandals, and Lombards are identified as Germanic peoples associated with Arian Christianity. Their adoption of this theological tradition helped sustain Arianism outside its original intellectual setting.

Arian Christianity gradually declined as Nicene Christianity became dominant. The movement eventually ceased to represent a major surviving alternative to the Nicene tradition.

The Edict of Thessalonica in 380 CE established Nicene Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire. Emperor Theodosius I issued the edict, marking a further transformation in Christianity's political and institutional position.

The Edicts of Milan and Thessalonica had different consequences. Milan legalized Christianity under Constantine and Licinius in 313 CE, whereas Thessalonica established Nicene Christianity as the imperial state religion under Theodosius I in 380 CE.

The Council of Constantinople was the second ecumenical council. Held around the same period as the Edict of Thessalonica, it introduced revisions to the Nicene Creed.

The Council of Constantinople is omitted from the presenter's denominational chart because it did not produce a major schism. Its doctrinal importance is acknowledged, but the chart prioritizes developments that created distinct branches of Christianity.

The Council of Ephesus in 431 CE was the third ecumenical council and produced a major division within Nicene Christianity. The presenter identifies this event as the point at which the Church of the East separated from the developing mainstream.

The Church of the East was associated with the Sasanian Empire in Persia. Its communities existed largely outside the Roman Empire, placing them in a different political setting from the churches participating in the Roman imperial religious structure.

The Church of the East was associated with theological positions commonly described as Nestorianism. The term derives from Nestorius, whose teachings became controversial during the disputes surrounding the Council of Ephesus.

The central dispute associated with Nestorianism concerned the relationship between Jesus' divinity and humanity. The presenter explains that the Council of Ephesus rejected what it regarded as an excessive distinction between Christ's divine and human aspects.

The Church of the East developed separately following the controversy surrounding Ephesus. Its divergence produced a Christian tradition distinct from the churches that accepted the council's theological conclusions.

The Assyrian Church of the East is identified as the principal surviving independent denomination descended from the historical Church of the East. The presenter places its main geographical base in northern Iraq.

The Assyrian Church of the East is described as having approximately 400,000 members. The presenter identifies Awa III as its patriarch at the time of the episode.

The Council of Chalcedon in 451 CE was the fourth ecumenical council and caused another major division. This controversy resulted in the separation of the Oriental Orthodox Churches from the churches that accepted Chalcedon's theological definition.

The Oriental Orthodox Churches rejected the theological position established at Chalcedon. Their separation created a major surviving branch of Christianity distinct from both the Church of the East and the Chalcedonian churches.

The presenter groups the Oriental Orthodox Churches and the Church of the East under the broad classification of non-Chalcedonian Christianity. In contrast, churches accepting the Council of Chalcedon's theological conclusions are classified as Chalcedonian.

The Oriental Orthodox Churches are associated with Miaphysite theology. The term derives from Greek words meaning one and nature, referring to their understanding of the united divine-human nature of Jesus Christ.

The theological distinction between Miaphysite and Chalcedonian Christianity concerns Christ's nature. The presenter describes Miaphysitism as understanding Christ's divinity and humanity in one united nature, while Chalcedonian theology describes Jesus as one person possessing two natures, divine and human.

The Chalcedonian controversy concerned how Jesus could be both divine and human. The division arose from competing theological formulations rather than disagreement over whether Jesus was religiously important.

Five major centers of Christianity eventually emerged, forming the structure known as the Pentarchy. The term derives from the Greek word for five and refers to Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem.

Each of the five principal Christian centers was headed by a patriarch. The ecclesiastical jurisdictions associated with these centers became known as patriarchates.

Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem served as important centers of Christian authority. Their positions became central to the institutional organization of Christianity and the disputes that subsequently divided its churches.

The Council of Chalcedon produced particularly important schisms within the patriarchates of Alexandria and Antioch. Both cities developed competing ecclesiastical authorities representing different theological traditions.

Alexandria was located in Egypt and became a major center of Miaphysite Christianity. Christians there who rejected Chalcedon's definition formed the tradition known as the Coptic Orthodox Church.

The Coptic Orthodox Church emerged from the Miaphysite community associated with Alexandria. Its separation established an enduring Oriental Orthodox patriarchal tradition alongside the Chalcedonian patriarchate.

Antioch, located in Syria, also experienced a division over Chalcedonian theology. Christians supporting Miaphysitism developed the tradition known as the Syriac Orthodox Church.

The Syriac Orthodox Church became another major branch of Oriental Orthodox Christianity. Like the Coptic Orthodox Church, it maintained a religious hierarchy separate from the Chalcedonian churches.

The Armenian Apostolic Church became associated with the Miaphysite tradition. The presenter places its participation shortly after the major divisions involving Alexandria and Antioch.

The Coptic Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox, and Armenian Apostolic Churches formed the three original autonomous Oriental Orthodox traditions in the presenter's classification. Additional independent Oriental Orthodox churches emerged during the twentieth century.

Alexandria continues to have competing Orthodox patriarchal authorities. The presenter identifies Theodore II as the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria and Tawadros II as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria at the time of the episode.

The Coptic Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria also uses the title Pope. Tawadros II is therefore known as Pope Tawadros II, demonstrating that the title is not exclusive to the head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Antioch likewise retains separate Eastern Orthodox and Syriac Orthodox patriarchal traditions. The presenter identifies John X as the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and Ignatius Ephrem II as the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch at the time of recording.

The competing patriarchates of Alexandria and Antioch are institutional consequences of ancient theological disagreements. The existence of parallel patriarchal authorities illustrates how divisions originating in the fifth century continue to shape Christian organization.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church became independent from the Coptic Orthodox Church in 1959. Its establishment as an autonomous church expanded the number of independent Oriental Orthodox traditions.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is identified as the largest Oriental Orthodox Church. The presenter estimates its membership at approximately 40 million and identifies Matthias as its patriarch at the time of the episode.

The Eritrean Orthodox Church subsequently became independent from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The presenter dates this development to 1991, linking the Eritrean ecclesiastical tradition to the earlier Ethiopian and Coptic Christian lineages.

The Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Churches both use the term Tewahedo in their names. The presenter explains that the word comes from Ge'ez and means unified, reflecting their theological understanding of Christ's nature.

The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church represents an Oriental Orthodox tradition based in India. It originated within the jurisdiction of the Syriac Orthodox Church.

The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church established its independent ecclesiastical position in 1912. The presenter identifies this development as another important expansion of the autonomous Oriental Orthodox churches.

Oriental Orthodox Christianity includes distinct Egyptian, Syrian, Armenian, Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Indian traditions. These churches share a broad Miaphysite theological identity while maintaining separate geographical, historical, and institutional lineages.

The Assyrian Church of the East and the Oriental Orthodox Churches represent different historical divisions. The Church of the East is associated with the Council of Ephesus in 431 CE, while the Oriental Orthodox separation is associated with the Council of Chalcedon in 451 CE.

The Church of the East should not be confused with the Eastern Orthodox Church. The former traces its independent historical development through the Persian Christian tradition, while the latter belongs to the Chalcedonian tradition examined in subsequent episodes.

Oriental Orthodox Christianity should likewise not be confused with Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Although both use the term Orthodox, their historical separation and theological classification differ, particularly concerning acceptance of the Council of Chalcedon.

The early Christian family tree contains several different kinds of religious division. Jewish and Pauline Christianity differed over adherence to Jewish law, Gnostic movements emphasized spiritual knowledge and the nature of material existence, Arianism disputed Christ's eternal divinity, and the later ecumenical councils addressed formulations of Christ's divinity and humanity.

Political geography played an important role in the development of separate Christian traditions. The Church of the East developed within the Persian imperial environment, while Arianism spread among Germanic peoples and Nicene Christianity gained official recognition within the Roman Empire.

The Christian branches that survived were not necessarily those that appeared first. Jewish Christianity represented an early continuation of Jewish religious practice, while Pauline Christianity became dominant and later developed into the mainstream tradition from which additional churches separated.

The historical sequence distinguishes early movements that disappeared from churches that survived as independent institutions. Jewish Christian groups, Gnostic Christian movements, and Arian Christianity declined, whereas the Assyrian Church of the East and multiple Oriental Orthodox Churches continue to exist.

The first episode ends before the major division between Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. The presenter's initial objective is to establish Christianity's Jewish origins and explain the earlier theological disputes that produced the Church of the East and Oriental Orthodox traditions.

The second episode is planned to examine the Chalcedonian Pentarchy and the Great Schism between Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. It will also explain the organization of these churches, particularly the different branches within Eastern Orthodoxy.

The third episode and subsequent installments are planned to cover Protestant denominations. The presenter expects this portion of the family tree to involve a substantially larger number of divisions as the chart expands into the many branches of Protestant Christianity.