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The Apostolic Age of the history of Christianity is traditionally the period of the Twelve Apostles, dating from the Great Commission of the Apostles by the resurrected Jesus in Jerusalem c. 33 until the death of the last Apostle, believed to be John the Apostle in Anatolia c. 100. Traditionally, the Apostles are believed to have dispersed from Jerusalem,〔(Catholic Encyclopedia: Dispersion of the Apostles ): "The object of the feast (so Godescalcus) is to commemorate the departure (dispersion) of the Apostles from Jerusalem for the various parts of the world, some fourteen years after the Ascension of Christ."〕 founding the Apostolic Sees. It holds special significance in Christian tradition as the age of the direct apostles of Jesus Christ. The major primary source for the ''"Apostolic Age"'' is the Acts of the Apostles, but its historical accuracy is questioned by some. According to most scholars, the followers of Jesus were composed principally from apocalyptic Jewish sects during the late Second Temple period of the 1st century. Some Early Christian groups were strictly Jewish, such as the Ebionites and the early-church leaders in Jerusalem, collectively called Jewish Christians. During this period, they were led by James the Just. According to , they described themselves as 'disciples of the Lord' and () 'of the Way', and according to a settled community of disciples at Antioch were the first to be called 'Christians'. Paul of Tarsus, commonly known as Saint Paul, persecuted the early Jewish Christians, such as Saint Stephen, then converted and adopted the title of "Apostle to the Gentiles" and started proselytizing among the Gentiles. He persuaded the leaders of the Jerusalem Church to allow Gentile converts exemption from most Jewish commandments at the Council of Jerusalem. According to the ''Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church'', Paul's influence on Christian thinking is more significant than any other New Testament author,〔''Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church'' ed. F.L. Lucas (Oxford) entry on Paul〕 however the relationship of Paul of Tarsus and Judaism is still disputed today (see the link for details). After the Destruction of the Second Temple in AD 70 during the First Jewish-Roman War, or at the latest following the Bar Kokhba revolt of 132, Jerusalem ceased to be the center of the Christian church, its bishops became ''"suffragans"'' (subordinates) of the Metropolitan bishop of Caesarea.〔(Catholic Encyclopedia: Jerusalem (A.D. 71-1099) ): "As the rank..."〕 In the 2nd century, Christianity established itself as a predominantly Gentile religion that spanned the Roman Empire and beyond. == Significance == The apostolic period between the years 30 and 100 produced writings attributed to the immediate followers of Jesus Christ. The period is traditionally associated with the apostles, hence the tags "apostolic times" and "apostolic writings". The early church associated the New Testament books with the apostles. Modern "liberal" scholarship has cast doubt on the authorship of some New Testament books - however, most accept that the New Testament books were written during this period. In the traditional history of the Christian church, the Apostolic Age was the foundation of the church's history.〔Brown (1993). p. 10.〕 The ''Apostolic Age'' is particularly significant in Restorationism, which claims that the period exhibited a purer form of Christianity that should be restored to the church as it exists today. The unique character of the New Testament writings, and their period of origin, is highlighted by the paucity of their literary form in later writing. Once the canon of the New Testament began to take shape, the style ceased to be used on a regular basis. Non-canonical writings persisted, but died out within a historically short period of time. Early patristic literature is dominated by apologetics and makes use of other literary forms borrowed from non-Christian sources.〔Brown (1993). pp. 10–11.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「apostolic age」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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