Tovia Singer (born 1960) is a Jewish rabbi. Singer is the founder and director of Outreach Judaism, Indonesia.
Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden beam. The victim is left to hang for several
A church is a building used for Christian worship services and Christian activities. The earliest identified Christian church is a house church
The Book of Psalms ("praises"), commonly referred to simply as Psalms or "the Psalms". This is the first book of the Ketuvim ("Writings"), the third
In his surviving epistles, the Apostle Paul demonstrates almost no interest in the day-to-day earthly life, chronological career, or specific moral parables of Jesus of Nazareth. Instead, his extensive theology is completely fixated on the cosmic, atoning meaning of the crucifixion and subsequent resurrection of the figure he addresses as 'the Lord'. Secular historians analyze this focus to illustrate how early Christian theology transformed from an inward-looking Jewish prophetic movement into a universal savior faith.
Following the crucifixion, leadership of the primary community of believers in Jerusalem fell to Jesus' biological brother, James the Just. Mainstream historical and biblical scholarship confirms that James directed the mother church as an observant Jew, maintaining that followers must continue upholding traditional Mosaic customs and temple practices.
There is no doubt the Jewish religious leaders of Israel were responsible for Jesus' death. The Romans carried out the actuall crucifixion under the authority of Pontius Pilate.
In Jerusalem, the disciple James, who acted as the primary leader of Jesus' immediate followers, strongly believed that their movement's future lay as a distinct religious group operating firmly within the confines of the traditional Judaism religion.
Early Christian bishops organized regional synods and ecumenical councils to systematically define orthodox Christian doctrines and combat widespread heresies. These massive assemblies were essential for creating a unified creed, standardizing the New Testament canon, and establishing clear administrative laws for a rapidly growing global church. Prominent gatherings, like the Council of Nicaea, were often financed and politically mandated by Roman emperors to secure empire-wide religious stability.
Paul's new doctrine met with disapproval from the Jewish-Christians of the Jerusalem Church led by James, who regarded the substitution of Jesus' atoning death for the observance of the Torah as a lapse into paganism.
Paul was duly summoned to Jerusalem by the leaders James, Peter and John to explain his doctrine in 50 AD.
Saint Ambrose (334-397), a keen advocate of church music is credited with introducing it into Christian worship.