Part 2 - Paul

Again I will give a brief summary of some of the points in Part 2.

Paul set the early tone of what would later become Christianity in his Letters.

Paul believed that the end of days and Jesus second coming were imminent.

The early Jewish 'Jesus Movements' were diverse in their opinions and interpretations.

Paul wanted to include Gentiles in his new version of the Jewish religion. He wanted to do this by allowing them to leave aside Jewish dietary restrictions and circumcision.

Paul went to Jerusalem from Antioch and spoke to James ( said to be the brother of Jesus ), Peter and John who were the leaders of the movement in Jerusalem. They agreed to his loosening of the rules for Gentiles and Paul was asked to collect money from his followers to send back to the movement in Jerusalem which he said he would do.

Not long after Paul returned to Antioch Peter met him there. Peter was eating with Paul's Gentile followers and he was spoken to by some of the others from Jerusalem and so he stopped eating with them. Paul and Peter then had a serious argument about it. Paul subsequently left Antioch and continued his work at Ephesus in Asia Minor.

Jesus preached to the rural peasants and villagers but Paul worked in the cities. His followers included upwardly mobile wealthy merchants as well as the poor and those in between, but none of the entrenched top tiers of society like the aristocracy.

After building his ministry in Asia Minor for ten years Paul returned to Jerusalem with the money he had promised to collect. But when he arrived he was arrested and sent to Rome for trial.

Around 64AD Paul and Peter were killed. James was killed a few years later.

In 66AD the first Jewish revolt against Roman rule began.

In 70AD the Romans sacked Jerusalem, destroyed the temple and carried off its sacred artifacts as loot.