Christianity is the second-largest religion in the world. The rise of Christianity was not instantaneous but gradual. We can say that Christianity only began to resemble the religion it is today several centuries after the life of Jesus, particularly after the Reformation and the formation of the Protestant branch of Christianity. Its beliefs, structures, and global reach developed over time.
The question of whether Jesus Christ intended to form a new religion is often debated among historians and theologians. While Christianity today stands as one of the world’s largest religions, its origins suggest a more gradual and complex development rather than the result of a deliberate plan by Jesus to establish a separate religion.
As a Jew who was teaching out of Torah, why didn’t Jesus ask Gentiles to convert to Judaism? Was Jesus in favour of a concept of religion, or perhaps Jesus was against any concept of religion? Would Judaism be able to spread the Gospel in the same way as Christianity did? Was forming a new religion His goal?
These questions are important to ask because, almost 2,000 years after Jesus’ resurrection, we just assume that this was Jesus’ plan and that this is what Jesus would have wanted to do. As always, it is important to investigate the scripture and see what the Hebrew Bible was saying about the Gentiles and what Jesus said when he was on earth. As a Jew, who was teaching nothing new but out of Torah and bringing people back to the Law, however, with a different interpretation, why was it assumed that a new religion was necessary?
To understand Jesus’ intentions, it is important to consider the historical and religious context in which he lived. Jesus was born, lived, and died as a Jew in Roman-occupied Judea. His teachings were deeply rooted in Jewish traditions, scriptures, and laws. Many scholars argue that Jesus did not seek to create a new religion but rather to reform and renew Judaism. His message often focused on themes such as repentance, compassion, justice, and the coming Kingdom of God, which he presented as a fulfillment of Jewish expectations rather than a break from them.
Jesus’ followers initially saw themselves as part of Judaism. Early Christians continued to worship in synagogues and observe Jewish laws. It was only after Jesus’ death that his followers began to reinterpret his life and teachings in ways that gradually distinguished them from mainstream Judaism.
A key figure in this transformation was, of course, Apostle Paul, who spread Jesus’ message to the Gentile communities. Paul’s teachings emphasized faith in Christ over strict adherence to the Jewish law, making the movement more accessible to the Gentiles and accelerating its expansion beyond its original cultural context. His main argument with other disciples was that Gentiles didn’t have to convert to Judaism or observe the Law; they only had to believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus. This argument was captured in the book of Acts:
“And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question.”
“So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles, and they caused great joy to all the brethren. And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.” Acts 15: 1-5
Here, as we can see, all Jews believed it was necessary for the new believers to follow the same customs as Jews, the same Law applied to them, too. It was mainly because of God’s commandment in the Old Testament:
“One ordinance shall be for you of the assembly and for the stranger who dwells with you, an ordinance forever throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord. One law and one custom shall be for you and for the stranger who dwells with you.’ ” Numbers 15: 15-16
“You shall have the same law for the stranger and for one from your own country; for I am the Lord your God.’” Leviticus 24: 22
“One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.” Exodus 12: 49
Very clear that God ordained one law for all; therefore the ask of the Pharisees was not out of the ordinary, but they were just following God’s ordinances.
“Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between them and us, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.” Acts 15: 6-11
Therefore, Peter convinced others that not only the Law was “a yoke on the neck” that even their fathers couldn’t keep, therefore not necessary for the Gentiles, but also that faith was sufficient. He convinced others by explaining that if they received the Holy Spirit, it was not necessary for them to follow the Law.
“Therefore, I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood.” Acts 15: 19-20
This was confirmed by the Apostle Paul that they should not trouble Gentiles about the Law, but only ask them not to eat food sacrificed to idols.
“But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, ‘If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” Galatians 2: 14-16
Here Paul criticized Peter for suddenly not wanting to eat with the Gentiles because they were not circumcised, whereas before he had no problems with that. Paul called Peter a hypocrite and highlighted that he himself was not following the Law and living as a Gentile, and suddenly, with a different crowd of Jews, he was acting as a devoted follower of the Law.
This gave Paul an opportunity to highlight that even Jews are not able to follow the Law; therefore, why bother Gentiles? Besides, Paul highlighted that man is not justified by the Law. This gave a strong message to the Gentiles that there is no need to follow the Law, and this pattern continued throughout different circumstances. This resulted in confusion among the Gentiles about how they were supposed to follow God and if they had different rules from the Jews. And those debates and different opinions started to grow stronger and stronger.
This resulted in the creation of different sects like Marcionites, Ebionites, Gnostics, etc. They all had different views on what was important and what rules applied to the Gentiles. However, the messages that Paul was spreading started to solidify among the Gentiles, and Paul became the main figure in forming rules and regulations for the Gentiles.
The letters of the Apostle Paul to different churches and communities became foundational texts of Christianity and part of the New Testament Canon. They were also written before the Gospels, and many people viewed them as having more authority.
It is also important to mention growing separation and conflicts between the Jews and the Gentiles. Jews didn’t agree with the fact that Gentiles didn’t follow the Law, as they were always coming back to the scripture from the book of Leviticus, Numbers or Exodus; however, Gentiles were following Apostle Paul’s authority over what was written in the Hebrew Bible. Also, Gentiles were rejecting Jews because of their rejection of Jesus. Therefore, Gentiles welcomed changes like different days of worship and different customs to distinguish themselves from the Jews.
Over the following centuries, Christianity developed its own doctrines, leadership structures, and sacred texts. Events such as the Council of Nicaea helped to define core beliefs, while the eventual separation from Judaism became more pronounced. By the time Christianity was adopted as the official religion of the Roman Empire under Constantine the Great, it had clearly emerged as a distinct religious tradition.
Moreover, Christianity is also based on the scripture from the Gospel of Matthew:
“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16: 18
However, when analyzing this text based on the Greek language, it is evident that there was play in language, where Jesus was using a pun between Petros (Peter/small rock) and petra (rock/bedrock). The Catholic church used this as a justification for its papacy and claimed that Peter was their first pope, but much historical evidence suggests that Peter was never in Rome.
Moreover, church/assembly – ekklesia, referring to a gathering or assembly of people, does not necessarily only mean church as a building, but it can also refer to a home gathering. Given this historical progression, it seems unlikely that Jesus intended to find a new religion in the way we understand Christianity today. Instead, Jesus’ role can be seen as initiating a movement within Judaism that was later shaped and expanded by his followers in response to new cultural and historical circumstances.
Moreover, Jesus was following the Hebrew Bible, where it is written that there will be a new grafted-in branch to the Jews.
“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called:
THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Jeremiah 23: 5-6
‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will perform that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah:
‘In those days and at that time I will cause to grow up to David A Branch of righteousness; He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In those days Judah will be saved, And Jerusalem will dwell safely. And this is the name by which She will be called:
THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.’ Jeremiah 33: 14-16
Therefore, while Christianity is rooted in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, it is more accurate to view it as a religion about Jesus that developed after his death rather than the one he consciously established.
The transformation from a small Jewish reform movement into a global religion was a gradual process, influenced by key individuals like the Apostle Paul and Apostle Peter, historical events, and evolving interpretations of Jesus’ message.
Today, Christianity is the largest religion in the world with over 40 thousand different denominations, differences in interpretation of the scripture, and its understanding will continue until Christianity realizes that Apostle Paul was, in fact, a false Apostle and Christianity is actually Paul’s religion that people follow.
By Dagmara Z.