First Event. The Salvation of Israel 2000 Years Ago: The Early History of Jewish Christians and its Mystery

Joseph Kwon

Mar 21, 2023

Looking back at 2,000 years of history from the perspective of Israel's salvation, the most powerful acts of salvation occurred during the time of Jesus and the early period of the Book of Acts after His ascension. Although many Jewish leaders at the time rejected and resisted Jesus as the Messiah, the biblical record shows that a multitude of Israelites simultaneously believed in and followed Jesus.

While there are not enough specific materials from 2,000 years ago to provide precise statistical figures, historical estimates suggest that the number of Jews who believed in early Christianity was very large and continued to increase.

Historians estimate the resident population of Jerusalem between AD 40 and 50 to have been 60,000 to 100,000. It is estimated that the number of Jews believing in Jesus in Jerusalem during this same period could have reached up to 20,000 (Hengel, M. 1989). Calculating with a midpoint resident population of 80,000, this corresponds to approximately 25% of the total Jerusalem population. The fact that 25% of the population in Jerusalem, the center of the Jewish religion, believed in Jesus suggests that a higher proportion of Jews across the entire population of Israel believed in Him.

Furthermore, even during the period of the Temple's destruction in AD 70 and the Bar Kokhba revolt in AD 135, the bishop of the Jerusalem church was a Jewish Christian (Eusebius of Caesarea. c. 325). Paul also centered his evangelistic ministry on the Jewish diaspora scattered throughout the Roman Empire, often preaching the Gospel around diaspora Jewish synagogues. And it was through these Jews who believed in Jesus that the Gospel was witnessed to the Romans. In other words, Jews who believed in Jesus played a vital role in early church history, and their proportion was very high.

Following Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, an enormous number of Jews continually grew in number. It is presumed that the disciples at the time were filled with hope and conviction—supported by archaeological sites and recently confirmed evidence—that soon all Israel would come to believe in Jesus.

Archaeological Artifacts and Literary Evidence Confirming the Early Jewish Christian Community

The following are major archaeological and literary evidences proving the reality of early Jewish followers of Jesus. Note that the mere appearance of Yeshua (the Hebrew form of Jesus' name) in archaeological artifacts does not prove the existence of many Jewish Christian communities, as Yeshua was a common name in Israel at the time. Names like Joshua, Isaiah, and Hosea are all derived from the same root meaning "Savior" or "Salvation." Since Yeshua, meaning Savior, was a crucial concept throughout the Old Testament, it was frequently used. Therefore, the widespread existence of Jews believing in Jesus across Israel can be inferred by the presence of connected terms used by early Christians—such as Lord, Christ, and Ichthys—alongside the name Yeshua.

The Remains of Peter’s House (Capernaum, Late 1st Century): Excavations led by the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land (SBF) at Capernaum discovered evidence that a house was converted into a Christian meeting place from the late 1st century. Traditionally believed to be Peter’s house since before the 4th century, it shows the form of a house church used by early Jewish followers of Jesus, evidenced by the Jewish domestic structure inside a Jewish village and graffiti referring to Jesus as Lord (Loffreda, S. 2005).

Christograms: Early Christian symbols such as ΧΡ (an abbreviation for Christos) and ΙΧΘΥΣ (Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior) have been found in Jewish synagogues and household ruins in the Galilee and Golan regions. These symbols, also confirmed on parchment and ceramic fragments (ostraca) from before the 2nd century, suggest the presence of Jewish-Christian groups within the Galilean Jewish communities (Fine, S. 2005).

The Nazareth Inscription: Estimated to be from the 1st century and currently housed in the Louvre Museum in France. This edict prohibiting tomb violation, believed to have originated in Nazareth, is interpreted as a Roman response to the spread of the rumor of Jesus’ resurrection in Judea. It is considered indirect evidence that faith in Jesus after His death was spreading very early in the Jewish region (Smallwood, E. M. 1976).

Evidence of Messianic Jewish Communities (Josephus and Other Literature): The historian Josephus alluded to the existence of Jewish communities of Jesus-faith by mentioning James, the brother of "the one called Christ, Jesus" in his Antiquities. Furthermore, Jewish-Christian groups such as the Ebionites / Nazarenes, which emerged in the late 1st to early 2nd centuries and believed in Jesus as the Messiah while observing the Law, are recorded in numerous historical documents, providing certain literary evidence of their existence (Josephus. 1965).

Hebrew Gospel of Matthew Tradition: The tradition, cited by Eusebius and Papias, that Matthew's Gospel had an original Hebrew version, suggests a substantial community of Jesus-faith targeting Hebrews, proving the continuity of the church within the land of Israel.

Excavation of Jewish-Christian Tombs in the Middle East (1st–3rd Centuries): Early tombs in the Israel and Jordan regions show inscriptions where Hebrew names and Christian faith markers appear together (e.g., cases similar to Jonathan, servant of Jesus [δοῦλος Ἰησοῦ]), showing the traces of a group who were Jewish yet believed in Jesus (Testa, E. 1972).

The James Ossuary (1st Century): Although subject to authenticity debate, the dating of the inscription itself—"James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus"—is generally accepted, making it an important artifact that hints at the existence of an early Jewish church leader (Routledge, B. 2007).

(Aramaic Inscription: "Ya'akov bar Yosef akhui di Yeshua" ("James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus"))

Literary Records of Jewish Believers Martyrdom: The records of Stephen’s martyrdom (Acts 7) and the persecution of the Jerusalem Church (Acts 8) in the Book of Acts, though not archaeological artifacts, are the most direct historical literary evidence showing that Jews believed in Jesus as the Messiah. Specifically, the case where the name Yeshua (Yeshu/Yeshua) was found with early Christian symbols in a synagogue near the Sea of Galilee supports the existence of early Jewish Christians.

Yeshua Inscription near the Magdala Synagogue (Late 1st – 2nd Century): Graffiti with the name “ישוע (Yeshua)” was found in a house near the 1st-century Magdala synagogue, attracting attention because it was discovered in the same layer (Stratum) as early Christian names and symbols (especially the fish/ICHTHYS symbol) (Aviam, M. 2017).

(Magdala Synagogue ruins, which best maintain the appearance of a synagogue in Jesus' time)

Yeshua Markings in Capernaum Artifacts (1st–3rd Centuries): Personal markings with the name Yeshua were found inscribed on a significant number of ceramic fragments (Ostraca) from the 1st–3rd centuries in Capernaum, the center of Jesus' ministry. Since some of these fragments were found in the same layer as symbols representing early Christianity (ΧΡ, fish), the possibility of them being Jewish Christians has been raised (Tzaferis, V. 1989).

Golan Region Synagogue Artifacts: Cases where the name Yeshua (ישוע) and words related to salvation (ישועה) repeatedly appear in Aramaic inscriptions in the ruins of a synagogue in the southern Golan Heights are interpreted as either common names or the intentional overlapping usage by Jewish-Christian groups.

The Jewish Revolts and the Separation of the Jewish-Christian Community

For Jews, belief in the Messiah was a natural matter. Considering the atmosphere of the time, it is fully understandable why the disciples, despite Jesus’ command to go to all nations, initially focused on the salvation of Jerusalem and Israel. Many people mistakenly believe it was difficult for Jews to believe in Jesus, but the opposite is true. If it was a miracle for Gentiles with no Old Testament background to believe in Jesus, then it was perfectly natural and logical for Jews, steeped in the Old Testament background, to believe in Him.

This is because the countless prophecies in the Old Testament, along with the proverbs, culture, and festivals regarding the Messiah in Israeli society, all provided a perfect explanation when the puzzle piece of Jesus was inserted. It was like an ancient riddle that had remained unsolved for a long time was finally and completely explained through Jesus. Furthermore, the Israeli society at the time was likely pervaded by a messianic atmosphere, linked to the expectation of the Messiah's arrival time in Daniel 9, alongside the blasphemous actions of the Roman emperors. Although Jewish messianic expectations were focused on the restoration of the nation of Israel and the rebuilding of the Davidic kingdom, Jesus’ message and the disciples’ life-risking testimonies had a powerful force to break the stereotypes that had long held Jewish minds captive, enabling them to believe in Jesus as the true Messiah.

However, this phenomenon underwent a mysterious change.

The Jewish revolt that began in AD 70 was born out of the two visions of messianic expectation and the restoration of the Kingdom of Israel. Although no accurate statistics remain for the Jewish proportion of the total Roman population at the time, it is estimated to have been around 7-12% (scholarly estimate: about 8-10%) of the Roman Empire's population, roughly 4-7 million people. Although over 90% of them lived in the Diaspora, the Jewish people, with their powerful religious vision, desire for independence, and strong network, were a concern for Rome (Schäfer, P. 2003).

In AD 40, Emperor Caligula demanded to be worshipped as a living god. Caligula then commanded the governor of Syria to create a statue of himself and place it in the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem Temple. From a Jewish perspective, this was a blasphemous act that violated the first two of the Ten Commandments (worship only God, do not make idols), and was reminiscent of the Abomination of Desolation prophesied in the Book of Daniel. Amidst this great turmoil, the expectation that a Messiah would appear and save Israel from all Roman oppression began to explode among the Jews (Josephus. 1965).

And in AD 66, the Jewish war against Rome began during a chaotic period when Rome suffered under the worst emperor, Nero (AD 54–68), and a subsequent year of turmoil when four emperors changed hands (AD 69). This must have been a time full of hope for the Jewish community to achieve independence. However, the rebellion ultimately failed as the Roman general Titus (later Emperor) destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70. Jewish revolts (e.g., the Betar revolt in AD 70, the Bar Kokhba revolt in AD 132–135) continued but ultimately failed, resulting in the Jewish people being scattered across the world in the Diaspora.

During this process, a separation occurred between Jews who believed in Jesus and those who did not. The reason Judaism came to define Christians as heretics was not merely political sentiment but a theological and historical background that clashed with the core Jewish identity. Judaism expected the Messiah to be a leader who would bring political liberation and establish the Law. The perception of God as a man was considered blasphemy, and negating the Temple and the sacrificial system felt like the collapse of the Jewish religion itself.

Against this background, around AD 90 in Yavne, the rabbis, in the process of establishing the orthodoxy of Judaism after the destruction of the Temple, officially excluded Jews who believed in Jesus. In this process, they included a prayer cursing heretics (Birkat Ha-Minim) in the daily prayer, planting collective hatred and jealousy toward Jews who believed in Jesus (Schiffman, L. H. 1998). Surprisingly, this prayer is still used in Jewish synagogues today.

Decisively, during the last Jewish revolt against Rome, the Bar Kokhba revolt (AD 132–135), the most famous Rabbi Akiva recognized Bar Kokhba as the Messiah. However, the Jews who believed in Jesus naturally did not accept him as the Messiah. Consequently, the Jewish nationalist faction regarded Jews who believed in Jesus as traitors to the nation, and from this period, Jewish believers in Jesus were clearly defined as outsiders and heretics in rabbinic literature (Cohen, S. J. D. 1987). Thus, Jews who believed in Jesus began to be marginalized and excluded within Judaism.

Historical Outcome and the Fulfillment of the Mystery

Looking at this historical process, the resulting outcome is difficult to explain without the word "mystery." It could be argued that Jews who believed in Jesus, Jews who did not, and Romans all acted righteously from their own perspectives. However, the result was that Jews believing in Jesus within Israel were gradually cut off and weakened.

Perhaps the passage that most clearly explains this historical process and phenomenon is this verse from Romans:

Romans 11:25 "For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentil¹es has come in."

Of course, the heart of the Apostle Paul, who wrote this passage, was not one of rejoicing in or being indifferent to Israel's downfall. His heart is well revealed at the beginning of Romans:

Romans 9:3 "For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh."

The salvation that began with Jesus was witnessed to the Jews, and many early Jews confessed Jesus as Lord and began to testify to the Gospel of the Kingdom. God's hand rested upon the early Jewish Christians, and the power of this Gospel was explosively spread through the Apostle Paul to the Jewish diaspora scattered throughout the entire Roman Empire. And through these Diaspora Jewish Christians, it began to spread across the entire Roman world with a power that transcended nations.

Yet, through a connection of mysterious historical coincidences, the Jewish believers in Jesus, who were the first runners of the Gospel, began to slowly disappear.

Even the existence of the Jews who believed in Jesus and played a crucial role in the early history of salvation is unknown to many Christians.

In Judaism, which rejected Jesus and excluded Jews who believed in Him, Jesus’ Hebrew name, Yeshua, is still called Yeishu (ישו). This is a curse word created by combining the first letters of the phrase: ימח שמו וזכרו (yimach shemo ve-zikhro), meaning "May his name and his memory be blotted out."

Ironically, the Jews who believed in Jesus were blotted out from the Jewish people. And they were also blotted out from the memory of Christians worldwide.

How these events unfolded will be discussed in the next part.

References

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Cohen, S. J. D. (1987). From the Maccabees to the Mishnah. Westminster John Knox Press.
Eusebius of Caesarea. (c. 325). Church History (Historia Ecclesiastica).
Fine, S. (2005). Art and Judaism in the Greco-Roman World: Toward a New Jewish Archaeology. Cambridge University Press.
Hengel, M. (1989). The 'Hellenization' of Judea in the First Century after Christ. Trinity Press International.
Josephus. (1965). Jewish Antiquities (L. H. Feldman, Trans., Vol. 18). Harvard University Press.
Josephus. (1965). Jewish Antiquities (L. H. Feldman, Trans., Vol. 20, Loeb Classical Library). Harvard University Press.
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