“The earliest followers of Jesus were all Jewish, so at first there was no particular term for their sect. In general, they were known as ‘Nazarenes’ (see Acts 24:5), meaning followers of the teacher from Nazareth. The term
Christian is first used in Acts 11:26. The followers of Rabbi Jesus believed the Messiah had come in his person, and that his crucifixion and resurrection were signposts of his imminent return to earth to declare the Kingdom f God. Later, they were referred to as
Notzim, a Hebrew word from Isaiah 11:1 meaning ‘branch.’ The Notzrim were followers of the one they believed to be ‘the Branch,’ a poetic appellation for the Messiah.
In general, the Nazarenes did not support active resistance to the Romans, since they were certain that the Messiah would be returning any day. … This placed followers of Jesus in direct opposition to the activism of the Zealots and to those who actively opposed the Empire.”
(Rabbi David Zaslow,
Jesus: First-Century Rabbi, pp. 48-49)
The earliest followers of Jesus weren’t “armed, ready to kill;” the Zealots and other Jewish sects were. (The wars of the Jews ensued, and they were soundly defeated by the Empire; the Temple destroyed.)
@Wrangler @Armour of God @NayborBear
Time passes. The followers of Jesus remained obedient to his teaching and the teaching of the apostles under severe persecution until …
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… the shift occurred in the 4th century, which you deny.