ABSTRACT
From the gospels of the New Testament as well as information from Jewish, Greek and Roman sources, it appears that a Jewish sect of Christians emerged during the years of unrest following Herod's death in 4 bce. According to the Christian scriptures, Jesus of Nazareth spent most of his life in Galilee where he acted as a healer, exorcist and itinerant preacher who proclaimed the imminent arrival of the Kingdom of God. Paul – a Jewish from Tarsus in Asia Minor – played a pivotal role in the spreading of the gospel. His letters to scattered Christian communities provide first-hand evidence of the growth of this new religion. Paul travelled around Asia Minor and Greece as a Christian missionary. A theme in Paul's letters is his rejection of the demands of the Mosaic law: it is unnecessary, he argues, for Christians to be circumcised and to follow Jewish food regulations.
