|Part of a series on| |Part of a series on| Early Christianity
is the period of Christianity preceding the First Council of
Nicaea in 325. It is typically divided into the Apostolic Age
and the Ante-Nicene Period (from the Apostolic Age until Nicea).
The first Christians, as described in the first chapters of the
Acts of the Apostles, were all Jewish, either by birth, or
conversion for which the biblical term proselyte is used, and
referred to by historians as the Jewish Christians. The New
Testament's Book of Acts and Epistle to the Galatians record
that the first Christian community was centered in Jerusalem and
its leaders included Peter, James, and John. Paul of Tarsus,
after his conversion to Christianity, claimed the title of
"Apostle to the Gentiles". Paul's influence on Christian
thinking is said to be more significant than any other New
Testament writer. By the end of the 1st century, Christianity
began to be recognized internally and externally as a separate
religion from Rabbinic Judaism which itse