Spread outside Judea by missionaries likePeter and Paul, the
Jesus movement caught on quickly among Jews and non-Jews around
the Roman Empire. With success, however, came challenges:
challenges from hostile locals, imperial forces and from
conflicting ideas within the movement itself. Paul -- adamant
that there was no time for conversions -- fell into open and
angry confrontation with some of the oldest Jesus followers.
Peter, it seems, tried to mediate the conflict. "The Rock"
became a stepping stone between the camps and, for a crucial
period, helped keep the movement together. But the center could
not hold. Paul struck out on his own, planting churches in his
image around the Mediterranean and writing letters that would
become central to all later Christian theology. Finally, in 70
AD, disaster struck the headquarters of the Jesus followers.
After decades of rising tension, Judea erupted in revolt against
Rome. War had been raging for four years. And when Rome finally
established control, it destroyed much