What role did Jesus' disciples play in establishing Christianity?

Answer 1

AnswerStrangely, there is no genuine extra-biblical evidence that any of Jesus' disciples ever played any part in the spread of Christianity, except perhaps for Peter. For example, Thomas is widely credited with establishing Christianity in India or, alternatively, among the Parthians, but these are traditions for neither of which there is any evidence. Tradition credits Peter with leading the Roman Christians, but Paul's epistles show that there was already a community of Christians in Rome before Peter could have left Palestine, and Clement of Rome seems to have been unaware that Peter ever went to Rome - Peter may have played no greater role than as the assistant to James, leader of the Jerusalem church. Acts of the Apostles gives Peter the senior role and credits him with converting many of the Jews in Jerusalem, several thousands on each of several occasions, yet by the time of the Roman-Jewish War of 66-70, the Christian population of Jerusalem seems to have been insignificant. Acts also credits Peter with proposing that Gentiles be allowed to become Christians without the need for circumcision, yet Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, says that Peter actually opposed these reforms. The apostle John was credited with being the author of the Book of Revelation and therefore of having been exiled to Patmos, but most biblical scholars now say that John of Patmos, the author of Revelation, could not have been the apostle John. Few modern scholars give any credence to the many elaborate stories of the martyrdoms of the disciples, leaving us without any firmly based traditions about the missionary travels of the disciples.

The four New Testament gospels were written anonymously, and during the second century the Church Fathers attributed two of the gospels to the disciples Matthew and John, as well as attributing the other two to Paul's colleagues, Mark and Luke. However, scholars say that none of the gospels could really have been written by an eyewitness to the events they portray or even by someone close to an eyewitness. Jesus' disciples did not even play a part in documenting his life and mission.

Outside the gospels, the disciples are an enigma. Apart from Peter, James and John, whom Paul knew only as seeming to be pillars of the Jerusalem Church, there is no actual proof that there even were twelve disciples of Jesus.

Answer 2

AnswerStrangely, there is no genuine extra-biblical evidence that any of Jesus' disciples ever played any part in the spread of Christianity, except perhaps for Peter. For example, Thomas is widely credited with establishing Christianity in India or, alternatively, among the Parthians, but these are traditions for neither of which there is any evidence. Tradition credits Peter with leading the Roman Christians, but Paul's epistles show that there was already a community of Christians in Rome before Peter could have left Palestine, and Clement of Rome seems to have been unaware that Peter ever went to Rome - Peter may have played no greater role than as the assistant to James, leader of the Jerusalem church. Acts of the Apostles gives Peter the senior role and credits him with converting many of the Jews in Jerusalem, several thousands on each of several occasions, yet by the time of the Roman-Jewish War of 66-70, the Christian population of Jerusalem seems to have been insignificant. Acts also credits Peter with proposing that Gentiles be allowed to become Christians without the need for circumcision, yet Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, says that Peter actually opposed these reforms. The apostle John was credited with being the author of the Book of Revelation and therefore of having been exiled to Patmos, but most biblical scholars now say that John of Patmos, the author of Revelation, could not have been the apostle John. Few modern scholars give any credence to the many elaborate stories of the martyrdoms of the disciples, leaving us without any firmly based traditions about the missionary travels of the disciples.

The four New Testament gospels were written anonymously, and during the second century the Church Fathers attributed two of the gospels to the disciples Matthew and John, as well as attributing the other two to Paul's colleagues, Mark and Luke. However, scholars say that none of the gospels could really have been written by an eyewitness to the events they portray or even by someone close to an eyewitness. Jesus' disciples did not even play a part in documenting his life and mission.

Outside the gospels, the disciples are an enigma. Apart from Peter, James and John, whom Paul knew only as seeming to be pillars of the Jerusalem Church, there is no actual proof that there even were twelve disciples of Jesus.