When Peter left Jerusalem after Herod Agrippa I tried to kill him, James appears as the principal authority. In roughly the same time period Rabbinic Judaism made their circumcision requirement of Jewish boys even stricter. Thus, the Apostolic Decree ( Acts 15:19–21) may be a major act of differentiation of the Church from its Jewish roots although the decree may simply parallel Jewish Noahide Law and thus be a commonality rather than a differential. Later called the Council of Jerusalem, according to Pauline Christians, this meeting (among other things) confirmed the legitimacy of the mission of Barnabas and Paul to the gentiles, and the gentile converts' freedom from most Mosaic law, especially circumcision, which was repulsive to the Hellenic mind. In about 50, Barnabas and Paul went to Jerusalem to meet with the "pillars of the church", James, Peter, and John. 130, when all Jews were banished from the city. James, the brother of Jesus was a leader in the church, and his other kinsmen likely held leadership positions in the surrounding area after the destruction of the city until its rebuilding as Aelia Capitolina, c. The apostles lived and taught there for some time after Pentecost. Jerusalem was the first center of the church, according to the Book of Acts, and according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the location of "the first Christian church". The church is claimed to be at the site of Calvary and the Tomb of Jesus. By the end of the first century, Christianity had already spread to Rome, Armenia, Greece and Syria, serving as foundations for the expansive spread of Christianity, eventually throughout the world.Ī diagram of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre based on a German documentary. Over 40 such communities were established by the year 100, many in Anatolia, also known as Asia Minor, such as the Seven churches of Asia. Many Early Christians were merchants and others who had practical reasons for traveling to North Africa, Asia Minor, Arabia, the Balkans and other places. Early Christians gathered in small private homes, known as house churches, but a city's whole Christian community would also be called a church – the Greek noun ἐκκλησία ( ekklesia) literally means assembly, gathering, or congregation but is translated as church in most English translations of the New Testament. 26–36, perhaps following the Great Commission. The Apostolic sees claim to have been founded by one or more of the apostles of Jesus, who are said to have dispersed from Jerusalem sometime after the crucifixion of Jesus, c. The first followers of Christianity were Jews or proselytes, commonly referred to as Jewish Christians and God-fearers. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers in the Holy Land and the Jewish diaspora. Early Christianity (up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325) spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and beyond.