The Biblical History of the Origins of Christianity. Part 1
Gennady Gumilevsky
The ABCs of Faith: "Christianity is a divinely revealed religion founded by God, based on faith in the One God in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; faith in Christ as the incarnate Son of God, Savior, Redeemer; faith in the truth of the doctrine of salvation taught through Him; and faith in the Church He founded."
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Everything in this article is taken from the Bible and based on the Bible, so the authorship belongs not to me, but to the Bible—the greatest book of all time. So, how did Christianity begin among the first people?
Abel and Christ
"By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained testimony that he was righteous... The just shall live by faith" (Hebrews 11:4; 10:38; also 11:5-7)
"Adam knew Eve his wife; And she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have got a man from the Lord. And she again bare his brother Abel. Now Abel was a shepherd of the sheep (Christ said of Himself, "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep" - John 10:11), but Cain was a tiller of the ground. After some time, Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord, and Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of their fat. And the Lord had respect to Abel and to his offering, but had no respect to Cain and to his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell" (Genesis 4:1-5). The fruit of the ground (the fruit of the dust) and the fruit of the firstling of the flock differ in that Abel's sacrifice became a symbol of GOLGOTHA, when God Christ sacrificed himself for the salvation of people.
According to the definition of the word "faith," Adam, Eve, and Cain were not believers, for although they knew of God's existence, they did not trust Him and lied to Him. Abel not only became a believer, the first among men, but he was also a prototype of Jesus Christ and His Golgotha. Abel was killed by his brother Cain, and Christ was killed by his fellow Jews. Cain symbolizes the spiritual leaders of the future Israel, who betrayed Christ to execution. Jesus Christ and Abel were killed out of envy. And this is where their similarities lie. Let's examine all this in more detail.
Adam and Eve knew God and spoke with Him. However, we cannot call them believers, since, according to the Bible, believers are only those who love God, who believe His Word and fulfill His Word, who strive to avoid actions in life that are not pleasing to Him. The first believer and Christian was Abel (see Epigraph!). When God gave Adam and Eve Seth in place of the murdered Abel, and Seth had a son, Enos, "then began people to call on the name of the Lord" (Genesis 4:26). From this time on, we can say that there were many believers. From the generation of Seth, we know two deeply religious men: Enoch and Noah (5:24; 29:32). The first believers did not belong to any nationality. There was one people of one nationality with a single language, all of whose people descended from the family of Adam, just as all people later after the flood descended from the family of Noah, but were divided into nationalities because of sin. (Genesis, chapter 11)
The faith of Abel, Enoch, and Noah was continued by Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses. They were not Jews, as the Jews from the two tribes of Israel would later be, but together they played a decisive role in the formation of the believing people that became Israel. The long period of the Mosaic Law began, on which the entire life of Israel was built until its increasing fall into sin before the periods of dispersion and the rejection of the Messiah. But before that, a deeply religious man, Abraham, having found mercy with God, laid the foundation for the Jewish people, continuing the original faith, the Christian faith. Judaism, initially held by only a portion of Jews and having a positive meaning, later degenerated into Pharisaism and a distortion of the true, original faith of Abraham and Moses.
Believers, right up until Golgotha, always offered sacrifices to God for the sins of their lives. The first sacrifices to God were made by the children of Adam and Eve as a gift to Him. "Cain brought an offering to the Lord from the fruit of the ground. And Abel also brought, but only from the firstlings of his flock and from their fat. And the Lord had respect to Abel and to his offering, but He had no respect to Cain and to his offering." (Genesis 4:1-5) The elder son, Cain, was a farmer, and the younger son was a shepherd. Why did the Lord only respect Abel's sacrifice? Cain's sacrifice was bloodless, while Abel's involved the shedding of blood.
"And the Lord God made garments of skins for Adam and his wife, and clothed them" (Genesis 3:21). God provided clothing for Adam and Eve after the Fall, when He expelled them from Paradise. This meant they were forced to live in a different climate, and therefore a different temperature. Clothing made of animal skins provided protection and salvation. Christ became salvation for huThe Biblical History of the Origins of Christianitmanity. Clothing covers human nakedness. Clothing became a prototype of Christ, who saved people on Golgotha ;;and clothes people with His righteousness.
The great shepherd for the people who continued the faith, beginning with Abel, was the Messiah—the Son of God, who visited people in human form and in the flesh to save them from their sins, to save His "sheep"—the Jewish believers of Israel, as well as all believers before them who lived before Golgotha ;;and all subsequent believers—Christians, who believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And just as with the sacrifice of Abel, Christ was revealed to the world as "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). God chose Abel's sacrifice because it was a type of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the salvation of mankind and the shedding of His blood on the cross of Calvary.
Abel's sacrifice foreshadowed for the Jews and all other peoples the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the salvation of all believers. Only the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, on Golgotha ;;became the sacrifice that could completely cleanse from all sins not only Abel but also all subsequent people who truly believe in God. This also applies to Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and so on: to all the twelve Apostles and Christians for whom Christ our Lord "by His own blood entered once into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption" (Hebrews 9:12).
The Bible draws our attention to the fact that "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Hebrews 9:22). Thus, we know that the Savior of mankind, the Son of God, is our Lord Jesus Christ, "in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1:14). The blood of Abel's sacrifice, and Abel's being the shepherd of his sheep, foreshadow the Great Golgotha, where the Lord Shepherd Himself offered Himself as a sacrifice.
On the Significance of Abraham's Sacrifice of His Son Isaac
Abraham's sacrifice was neither a heroic deed nor a crime, but it had great significance in the history of Christianity. What was its purpose and what is its significance? This article also discusses this, but first, the Bible: "And it came to pass after these things, that God tested Abraham and said unto him, Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." God said, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and go thee to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I shall tell thee of" (Genesis 22:1, 2).
The incidents were connected to Abraham's weakness, when he voluntarily left the Land of Canaan, designated by God for Abraham to inhabit, and also after he hid in Gerar the fact that his sister Sarah was Abraham's wife—that is, he lost his nerve, fearing that he would be killed for his wife Sarah (Genesis 20:11). Abraham, therefore, could have allowed himself to think that he had sinned before God and needed to offer a sacrifice to Him. All of this, and perhaps other things, could have served as the reason for God's temptation of Abraham. God neither commanded nor forced Abraham to do this; such words are not found in the Bible, but the word "TEMPTED" does exist.
Bible Dictionary: "Temptation is translated from Church Slavonic as 'test.' The meaning of 'test' is the revelation (testing) of a person's true inner inclinations and qualities through a dangerous, difficult, or tempting situation.... Temptation is an invitation to commit sin. It can come on a mental level, in the sensory realm, or on a purely material plane, when someone specifically tempts... But you can commit sin, or you can choose not to commit it (Archpriest Filin). Just as shadows follow bodies, so too do temptations follow the fulfillment of the commandments, for no one, as St. Anthony the Great said, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven without temptations. So, do not be surprised, my son, that while you are concerned about your salvation, you encounter temptations and sorrows (St. Abba Dorotheus)."
It is frightening to even think about Abraham possibly murdering his son Isaac. The murder of not only one's son but also another person is a grave crime and a very dangerous sin for the murderer: "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are... hatred, murders, and the like... those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God" (Gal. 5:18-21). Therefore, some ask: what was Abraham's test? Wasn't his own life more precious to Abraham than his beloved son? Wasn't Abraham's consent to murder a crime? Yes, it is, and that is why God did not allow this crime. The actual act is considered a crime, not the thoughts about it in the mind, and that is why God did not allow this crime, but He did allow such thoughts as a temptation for Abraham.
The words of this 22nd chapter are astonishing: "God said, 'Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you of...' Then they came to the place God had told him of. And Abraham built an altar there, arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar on the wood." All of this speaks volumes about the future events at the sacrifice on Golgotha, since the wood represents the wooden cross that our Lord was to carry to the place of execution (John 19:17), and other facts.
These following words from the Bible indicate that Abraham knew from God everything in advance, that he should not have killed his son. So, to his son's question: "Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" (verse 7), "Abraham said (to Isaac): 'God will provide Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son'" (verse 8). These words indicate that it was not Isaac who was intended for the sacrifice, but Jesus Christ. "And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh. Therefore to this day it is said: 'In the mount of Jehovah it shall be provided'" (verse 14).
The second proof lies in the answer to the youths: "Then Abraham said to his youths, 'You remain here with the donkey, while I and the SON go over there and worship, and WE WILL RETURN TO YOU.'" Verse 5 is plural. Abraham was a deeply religious man, a righteous man, and therefore could not lie, as he knew it would be a sin before God. There are not, and cannot be, verses in the Bible that conceal a lie.
Why do all the actions of Abraham's ritual murder of his son so accurately refer to the events of Golgotha? There can only be one answer: they were inspired by God in Abraham. This happened because true believers differ from others in that God—the Holy Spirit—dwells forever in their hearts, helping believers do what is pleasing to God. And the Apostle Paul speaks of this to us: "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (Phil. 2:13) This is what happened to Abraham. Abraham lived about two thousand years before Golgotha. Abraham could not have completed the entire sequence of spiritual actions that were to take place in the distant future at Golgotha ;;without God's inspiration.
Abraham was already righteous before the temptation, and therefore there was no need to test him. "Abraham believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15:6). Abraham could have exercised his right of choice, as Moses did when God wanted to destroy all the Jews and spare only Moses. Moses then said, "If you destroy all the Jews, then destroy me too." Essentially, Moses rejected God's decision, and God then rejected His decision to destroy all the Jews (Genesis 32:14, 32). Abraham's action can also be viewed this way, since God did not force him to kill his son.
Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac was displeasing to God! If it had been pleasing, God would have allowed it to happen. For God, it was enough for Abraham's action to proclaim Christ and the future Golgotha. The murder of Isaac would have achieved nothing, only condemned Abraham, and through him, God. God's purpose for Abraham was not Abraham's murder of Isaac, but the fulfillment of all the actions leading to this, which was necessary to proclaim Christ and the coming Golgotha. Abraham was the executor of the actions God directed him to perform, actions leading to execution, without actually carrying out the execution—that is, actions only before the execution. Abraham was under the influence of the Spirit of God, as if inspired (suggestion, motivation, urge to action).
The second proof lies in the answer to the youths: "Then Abraham said to his youths, 'You remain here with the donkey, while I and the SON go over there and worship, and WE WILL RETURN TO YOU.'" Verse 5 is plural. Abraham was a deeply religious man, a righteous man, and therefore could not lie, as he knew it would be a sin before God. There are not, and cannot be, verses in the Bible that conceal a lie.
Why do all the actions of Abraham's ritual murder of his son so accurately refer to the events of Golgotha? There can only be one answer: they were inspired by God in Abraham. This happened because true believers differ from others in that God—the Holy Spirit—dwells forever in their hearts, helping believers do what is pleasing to God. And the Apostle Paul speaks of this to us: "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (Phil. 2:13) This is what happened to Abraham. Abraham lived about two thousand years before Golgotha. Abraham could not have completed the entire sequence of spiritual actions that were to take place in the distant future at Golgotha ;;without God's inspiration.
Abraham was already righteous before the temptation, and therefore there was no need to test him. "Abraham believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15:6). Abraham could have exercised his right of choice, as Moses did when God wanted to destroy all the Jews and spare only Moses. Moses then said, "If you destroy all the Jews, then destroy me too." Essentially, Moses rejected God's decision, and God then rejected His decision to destroy all the Jews (Genesis 32:14, 32). Abraham's actions can also be viewed this way, since God did not force him to kill his son.
Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac was displeasing to God! If it had been pleasing, God would have allowed it to happen. For God, Abraham's act alone was sufficient to proclaim Christ and the coming Golgotha. Killing Isaac would have accomplished nothing, only condemned Abraham, and through him, God. God's purpose for Abraham was not Abraham's murder of Isaac, but the performance of all the actions leading to this, which was necessary to proclaim Christ and the coming Golgotha. Abraham was the executor of the actions God commanded him to perform—actions leading to execution, without actually carrying out the execution—that is, actions only prior to the execution. Abraham was under the influence of the Spirit of God, as if inspired (suggestion, motivation, urge to action).
Hebrews 11:17 says, "By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac; and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, 'In Isaac shall your seed be called.' For he thought that God was able to raise up even from the dead, and therefore he also received him as a figure." Yes, Abraham, a deeply religious man, knew this, but that's not the main point. In this event with Abraham, God raises a more important question for people if we understand why God led Abraham into the temptation to commit the murder of his son.
The main point contained in the story of Abraham's sacrifice of his son is this! The entire content of the Bible, when we come into contact with it, invisibly exudes Christ within us. And if the Old Testament does this through animal sacrifices, beginning with Abel, then the New Testament is filled with love, which, in its divinity, is revealed to us on the cross of Calvary through the sacrifice of the Son of God, who, having acquired human flesh, gave it up in terrible agony for the salvation of mankind. The sacrifice of Christ, unlike all sacrifices in the history of the people of the Old Testament, was accomplished by divine love. The entire New Testament calls people to love God and love one another. God could not have gone to the cross of Calvary without love for mankind.
But Abraham's sacrifice of his son Isaac was not, at its core, based on the divinity of love. This supposed sacrifice in Genesis 22 does not state why it was to be performed, as the fullness of time for this was not yet in place. However, it was intended to draw the later Jews' attention to this wondrous event and fully open their eyes to its coincidence with what actually happened on Golgotha. Abraham's actions in preparing the sacrifice were the fulfillment of divine instructions for the actions God would perform on Golgotha. This had also happened earlier in Abraham's life, when his actions were fully repeated in Israel.
From the very beginning of the Bible, the entire history of the Holy Scriptures is accompanied by a powerful surge of spiritual events, foreshadowing God's personal encounter with people on earth. Abraham's encounter with Melchizedek is one such event. "And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine, and he was priest of the Most High God." Genesis 14:18
The first book of Moses, Genesis, tells us that when Abraham returned from his victory over his enemies, he was met by the King of Salem, who presented him with bread and wine. This is the first account in Scripture where God's representative, His priest and King of Peace, presents Abraham, the founder of the Jewish people on earth, with bread and wine. Abraham's meeting with Melchizedek is no coincidence.
We encounter a similar event a second time, but at the end of the Bible, when God's representative—His Son and Messiah Jesus Christ, who is also the only priest of the Most High God—presented bread and wine to the Jews, instituting the Lord's Supper. Initially, this event symbolizes what became reality in the end, and the Lord explains its meaning to us in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke during the Lord's Supper with His disciples. These two events, distinct in time: one at the beginning of the Bible, the other at the end of the Bible, one in the Old Testament, the other in the New Testament, we can speak of them with confidence that the first has a specific and important meaning. It foretells what will come to pass. And it has already come to pass.
Referring to Psalm 109 of David, the Apostle Paul says of Jesus Christ that He was "designated by God a High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek" (Hebrews 5:10). Melchizedek is a prototype of Christ as High Priest because he was both king and priest; he was king of Salem, i.e., the world; he had neither beginning nor end of days; he was not ordained as High Priest by men. Who then was God's priest? The Bible tells us of many encounters between people and God's Messengers, His Angels. But here Melchizedek is described as having the high title of King and simultaneously being the Priest of God Most High, the Most High—meaning the Heavenly Father. Therefore, it can be assumed that the Lord, the Son of God, Himself met with Abraham. Psalm 76:3 says of Him: "His dwelling place was in Salem, and his residence in Zion" (also Psalm 132:13). After Golgotha, Israel lost the high priesthood, and this is proof that the High Priest was He who "does not need daily, as those high priests (the sons of Levi), to offer sacrifices, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people; for this He did once for all when He offered Himself" (Hebrews 7:27).
Let us now consider Abraham's response to Melchizedek's offer of bread and wine (Genesis 14:20): "And Abraham gave him a tenth of all." This means that Abraham gave a tenth of everything he possessed after the battle. This is the first mention of the word "tithe" in Scripture. Abraham can be considered the first Christian in Israel, having fulfilled the commission of the Son of God, the future Christ, to sacrifice his son. The meeting between Abraham and Melchizedek symbolically reflects events that will occur later and will relate to the fulfillment of both Testaments. If bread and wine symbolize the Lord's Supper, i.e., the fulfillment of the New Covenant, then Abraham's tithing symbolizes and marks the beginning of the tithing of the Jews to the priesthood of Israel, which was fulfilled during the "Old Covenant."
Christianity, in its core essence, is revealed by God at Golgotha, but begins with the creation of mankind through the righteous Abel, after which it is further revealed through Abraham, Joseph, and other righteous men of God. All this suggests that Christianity was the CAUSE of Israel's emergence. However, to this day, Jews do not understand this, as the veil of Moses covers their faces. This is also the fault of those Christians who attribute Christianity only to the time of the New Testament.
The first Christian was Abel, a man of no nationality. The first Jewish Christian was Abraham, a stranger from sinful people after God confused the languages ;;of men, thus creating nationalities on earth. This occurred during the construction of the Tower of Babel, when people desired to exalt themselves before God and make a name for themselves (Genesis 11). The Bible explains to us gradually, from the very beginning of humankind on earth, how Christianity emerged. However, Christianity was established on earth only after the First Coming of the Son of God (the Messiah) and His sacrifice on the Cross of Golgotha ;;in Israel, the state that became the birthplace of Christianity.