The Jerusalem Bishops: Christianity's Earliest Leaders

Long before the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, before Constantine, before the Nicene Creed — there was a small Jewish-Christian community in Jerusalem led by men named James, Simeon, and Justus. This episode explores the shadowy early years of the Jerusalem church, from the death of Jesus through the Roman destruction of 70 CE and beyond. Who were these leaders? How did they navigate Roman persecution, Jewish opposition, and the growing influence of Gentile Christianity? We trace the line of fifteen bishops — from James the Just, often called the brother of Jesus, to the final bishop under Hadrian — whose obscurity belies their importance in shaping Christian identity. Along the way, we examine the Pella tradition, the rise of Eusebius as a historian, and the eventual sidelining of Jewish Christianity. A story of survival, adaptation, and a faith in transition.

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