Have you ever wondered what Christians believed in the first few generations after the apostles? Before there were state churches, councils, and denominations? Explore the deeply challenging life of early believers.

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Course Content

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Evangelism in the Early Church
Entertainment
Head Covering
Modest Dress & Cosmetics
Divorce and Remarriage
The Ministry of Widows & Virgins
Our Lord's Prayer
What does "baptized for the dead" in 1 Corinthians 15:29 mean?
Survey: The Life of the Early Christians
Additional Readings: The Life of the Early Christians
Free Course Guide

What This Free Course Covers

The Life of the Early Christians is a free course with David Bercot on how Christians in the first generations after the apostles approached practical questions of discipleship. The transcribed lessons focus especially on the church between about AD 100 and 311, before Christianity became legally tolerated and then closely connected with imperial power.

The course compares New Testament teaching with early Christian writings and applies those sources to daily life issues that remain difficult for modern believers. Lessons address evangelism, entertainment in the Roman world, head covering, modest dress and cosmetics, divorce and remarriage, the ministry of widows and virgins, the Lord’s Prayer, and the meaning of “baptized for the dead” in 1 Corinthians 15:29. The lessons fit together around a common question:

how did early Christians read Scripture, order their lives, and bear witness in a pagan society?

Early Christian discipleship Primary source reading Evangelism and witness Separation from pagan entertainment Prayer and worship Modesty and simplicity Marriage and faithfulness Widows, virgins, and celibacy Resurrection hope Obedience to Scripture

What You Will Study

  • How David Bercot defines the early church period as the Christians living between about AD 100 and 311
  • How early Christians evangelized through martyrdom, informal witness, lifestyle witness, and full-time missionary work
  • How Christians evaluated Roman sports, arena spectacles, theater, banqueting, and wholesome enjoyment
  • How 1 Corinthians 11 and early Christian writings were used to explain head covering and prayer
  • How New Testament passages and early Christian writers addressed modest dress, cosmetics, jewelry, and contentment with God’s design
  • How Jesus’ and Paul’s teachings on divorce and remarriage were read by early Christian writers
  • How 1 Timothy 5, celibacy, widows, and virgins were connected to ministry in the early church
  • How the Lord’s Prayer and 1 Corinthians 15:29 were interpreted in light of early Christian sources

Questions This Course Helps Answer

  • What period does this course mean by “the early church”?
  • How did Christianity spread so rapidly before it was legally tolerated in the Roman Empire?
  • What forms of Roman entertainment did early Christians reject or question?
  • What did early Christians see as better or more wholesome forms of enjoyment?
  • How does the course interpret Paul’s teaching on head covering in 1 Corinthians 11?
  • Why did early Christians connect modesty with the biblical teaching on lust?
  • What did early Christian writers say about cosmetics, jewelry, expensive clothing, and gray hair?
  • How did early Christians understand Jesus’ teaching on divorce and remarriage?
  • What is the “list” of widows in 1 Timothy 5, and why does Bercot think it is often overlooked?
  • How were widows and virgins viewed as having a special ministry to the Lord?
  • Did Jesus intend His disciples to pray the specific words of the Lord’s Prayer?
  • Why does the word “our” in “Our Father” matter for Christian prayer?

Lesson-by-Lesson Guide

Evangelism in the Early Church

This lesson explains how Christianity expanded during the period Bercot identifies as AD 100 to 311. It surveys methods early Christians did and did not use, with attention to martyrdom, informal witness, lifestyle witness, full-time evangelists, and dependence on God’s power.

  • How did early Christians evangelize before Christianity was legally tolerated?
  • What role did martyrdom and daily conduct play in Christian witness?
  • Why does Bercot emphasize God’s power behind early Christian evangelism?
  • How did informal conversations contribute to conversion stories?

Entertainment

This lesson compares common Roman entertainments with early Christian responses to them. It discusses sports, arena spectacles, theater, banqueting, moderation, the Christian love feast, and the possibility of wholesome enjoyment in God’s creation.

  • What kinds of entertainment were common in the Roman Empire?
  • Why did early Christians object to arena spectacles and other public entertainments?
  • How did Christian meals differ from Roman banquets?
  • What kinds of enjoyment does the lesson present as fitting for Christians?

Head Covering

This lesson studies 1 Corinthians 11 and early Christian comments on the head covering or prayer veil. Bercot argues that Paul grounds the practice in headship rather than mere local custom and discusses how early writers handled the phrase “because of the angels.”

  • What does 1 Corinthians 11 say about men, women, prayer, and covering?
  • Does the lesson treat head covering as a temporary custom or an apostolic practice?
  • How did early Christian writers understand “because of the angels”?
  • Why does Bercot connect the issue to God’s order?

Modest Dress & Cosmetics

This lesson connects modest dress with Jesus’ teaching on lust and with apostolic passages such as 1 Timothy 2 and 1 Peter 3. It addresses cosmetics, jewelry, costly clothing, gendered appearance, gray hair, contentment, and the use of resources to help the poor.

  • How does the lesson relate modesty to Jesus’ warning about lust?
  • What do 1 Timothy 2 and 1 Peter 3 say about adornment?
  • Why does Bercot criticize dependence on cosmetics and expensive appearance?
  • How does the lesson connect modesty with contentment and care for the poor?

Divorce and Remarriage

This lesson examines New Testament passages on divorce and remarriage before comparing them with early Christian writers such as Athenagoras, Tertullian, Origen, and the Apostolic Constitutions. Bercot presents the early Christian view as a serious, literal reading of Jesus’ and Paul’s words.

  • What did Jesus and Paul teach about divorce and remarriage?
  • How did early Christian writers apply those passages?
  • How does the lesson handle the exception clause for porneia?
  • Why does Bercot describe modern Christian divorce practice as deeply serious?

The Ministry of Widows & Virgins

This lesson studies 1 Timothy 5 and argues that Paul’s list of widows refers to more than a basic aid list. It also discusses virgins, celibacy, eunuchs for the kingdom, and how later abuses in religious orders affected Protestant attitudes toward these teachings.

  • What is the list of widows in 1 Timothy 5?
  • Why does Bercot think many churches overlook this passage?
  • How were virgins and widows connected with special ministry in the early church?
  • How does the lesson distinguish biblical celibacy from later abuses?

Our Lord's Prayer

This lesson explores whether Jesus meant His disciples to pray the specific words of the Lord’s Prayer and then reflects on the meaning of its petitions. Bercot draws on early Christian writers such as Tertullian and Cyprian and emphasizes prayer as communal, daily, and dependent on God’s protection.

  • Did Jesus give the Lord’s Prayer as words to pray or only as a model?
  • Why does the lesson stress the phrase “Our Father”?
  • How does the prayer teach dependence on God for forgiveness and protection?
  • Why did early Christians value praying this prayer regularly?

What does "baptized for the dead" in 1 Corinthians 15:29 mean?

This lesson focuses on the difficult phrase “baptized for the dead” in 1 Corinthians 15:29. Bercot explains Tertullian’s interpretation, notes that some Gnostic groups practiced vicarious baptism for the dead, and argues that Paul’s main point in the chapter is the resurrection of the dead.

  • Why is 1 Corinthians 15:29 difficult to interpret?
  • What explanation did Tertullian give for baptism for the dead?
  • Why does the lesson distinguish “they” from the Corinthian church as a whole?
  • How does the wider chapter keep the focus on the resurrection?

Survey: The Life of the Early Christians

This lesson is listed as a course survey. No transcript sample was supplied, so its content cannot be summarized beyond the title.

  • What feedback does the course request from students?
  • How can students respond after completing the course?

Additional Readings: The Life of the Early Christians

This lesson is listed as additional readings for the course. No transcript sample was supplied, so the specific readings cannot be identified from the provided material.

  • What additional readings are connected with this course?
  • How can students continue studying the life of the early Christians?

What students are saying

4.95 out of 5 — 19 reviews
Verified Student Aug 29, 2024
★★★★★
How necessary it is for the modern church to understand our history and understand the fundamentals of the early church. We have strayed far in many areas of what was previously established through Christ.
Verified Student Dec 13, 2022
★★★★★
I heard most of these on YouTube, but I don’t just listen once. Very great content and very helpful. Thank you!
Verified Student Dec 23, 2021
★★★★★
I'm thankful for good, solid Bible teaching. Coming from a background of thinking Christians didn't believe their own book I'm really thankful for people who do. With all the differing teaching on what the Bible says it's nice to know what the early believers understood the writers to be saying.
Verified Student Jul 10, 2021
★★★★★
This course helps to put into proper perspective what Paul is meaning. It makes sense when looked at as an arguement for something rather than an approved practice of some.
Verified Student Mar 8, 2021
★★★★★
It is great to have idea of the life of the early christians. It is helpful.
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The Life of the Early Christians

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Course Includes

  • 10 Lessons
  • 8 Quizzes
  • Course Certificate