# Did Christianity Exist Before Jesus? > The name Christian is first used at Antioch in Acts 11:26, after Pentecost. Israel’s scriptures already promised a Messiah. They do not call that hope Christianity. - Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/did-christianity-exist-before-jesus - Religions: Christianity - Denominations: none - Beliefs: none - Tags: christianity, messiah, old-testament, history - Updated: 2026-10-12 - Author: [Paul Ambrose](https://apologetics.wiki/author/hi-its-paul) ([GitHub](https://github.com/hi-its-paul)) The name Christian is first used in [Acts 11:26](/bible/acts/11/26), at Antioch, after Jesus had died and risen and the Spirit had come at Pentecost. Israel’s scriptures already promised a Messiah. They do not use the word Christianity. The Son is eternal. That is not the same as saying a church called Christian existed in the Old Testament. ## Key Points - [Acts 11:26](/bible/acts/11/26) says the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. - [Acts 2](/bible/acts/2) is Pentecost, and verse 42 says they continued in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in breaking of bread, and in prayers. - [Micah 5:2](/bible/micah/5/2) says out of Bethlehem shall come a ruler whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. - [Isaiah 7:14](/bible/isaiah/7/14) says a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. - [Genesis 3:15](/bible/genesis/3/15) says the seed of the woman will bruise the serpent’s head. - [John 1:1](/bible/john/1/1) says in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God. [John 8:58](/bible/john/8/58) says, “Before Abraham was, I am.” - [Matthew 16:16](/bible/matthew/16/16) has Peter say, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The Gospels do not use the word Christian. ## When Was the Name Christian First Used? Acts 11:26 says that when Barnabas found Saul and brought him to Antioch, they assembled with the church for a whole year and taught much people, and the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. [(1)](#ref-1) > And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. [When was Christianity created?](/christianity/when-was-christianity-created) is Pentecost, Antioch, and Nicaea in 325. [What religion was Jesus?](/christianity/what-religion-was-jesus) says he was a Jew of his own time, under the law, in the synagogue, and at Passover. The name Christian is later than his ministry. Nicaea did not invent the name. ## What Did Israel’s Scriptures Promise? [Micah 5:2](/bible/micah/5/2) is one of the sentences [the messianic prophecies](/christianity/messianic-prophecies-jesus-fulfilled) and [what Messiah means](/christianity/what-does-messiah-mean) take up. [(3)](#ref-3) > But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. [Isaiah 7:14](/bible/isaiah/7/14) says the Lord himself shall give a sign: a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. [Genesis 3:15](/bible/genesis/3/15) says God will put enmity between the serpent and the woman, and between his seed and her seed, and that her seed shall bruise his head. Those verses promise a person. They do not call his people Christians. [Why don’t Jews believe Jesus is the Messiah?](/judaism/why-dont-jews-believe-jesus-is-the-messiah) and [what is the difference between Judaism and Christianity?](/judaism/what-is-the-difference-between-judaism-and-christianity) quote the Jewish reading of the same scriptures. [Hebrews 11](/bible/hebrews/11) names Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and the rest who lived by faith before Jesus was born. The chapter does not call them Christians. ## Did the Son Exist Before Bethlehem? [John 1:1](/bible/john/1/1) says the Word was in the beginning, was with God, and was God. [John 8:58](/bible/john/8/58) is Jesus’ sentence. [(6)](#ref-6) > Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. [Did Jesus exist before he was born?](/christianity/did-jesus-exist-before-he-was-born) is that claim at length. [The deity of Christ](/christianity/deity-of-christ) and [the Trinity](/christianity/the-trinity) are who the Son is. The eternal Son is not an anachronistic church. The church’s public life in Acts begins at Pentecost. The person the church confesses is the one Micah says was from of old. ## Did Jesus Use the Word Christian? The Gospels do not. Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16 is “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Christ is the Greek word for Messiah. It is not the later name of the disciples at Antioch. [(7)](#ref-7) ## What Did the Church in Acts Do? Acts 2:42 names four things they continued in: the apostles’ doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers. The chapter does not publish a list of seven characteristics. [The resurrection](/christianity/resurrection-of-jesus) is what they were announcing. [Matthew 24:34](/bible/matthew/24/34) says, “This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” The verse sits in the chapter about the temple and the coming of the Son of Man. [What is Bible prophecy?](/christianity/what-is-bible-prophecy) is the site’s page on how prophecy is read. This page does not settle Matthew 24. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Did Christianity Exist Before Christ? The name did not. Acts 11:26 is the first use of “Christians.” The promise of a Messiah, and the Son who says “Before Abraham was, I am,” are earlier than that name. ### What Religion Came Before Jesus? In the Gospels he is a Jew. Israel’s scriptures are the books he and his hearers already had. [What religion was Jesus?](/christianity/what-religion-was-jesus) quotes those scenes. ### Did the Bible Exist Before Jesus? The scriptures of Israel did. The New Testament is the apostolic witness after his death and resurrection. [How many times does the New Testament quote the Old Testament?](/christianity/how-many-times-does-the-new-testament-quote-the-old-testament) counts that use. [Who wrote the Bible?](/christianity/who-wrote-the-bible) is the longer account. ## Passages Quoted on This Page ### Isaiah 7:14 King James Version. > Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. ### Genesis 3:15 King James Version. > And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. ### John 1:1 King James Version. > In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ### Matthew 16:16 King James Version. > And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. ### Matthew 24:34 King James Version. > Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. ### Hebrews 11:1–6 King James Version. > [11:1] Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. [11:2] For by it the elders obtained a good report. [11:3] Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. [11:4] By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. [11:5] By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. [11:6] But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. ## Sources Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site. 1. [Acts of the Apostles, 11:26](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/acts/11/26). King James Version 2. [Acts of the Apostles, 2:1–42](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/acts/2). King James Version 3. [Book of Micah, 5:2](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/micah/5/2). King James Version 4. [Book of Isaiah, 7:14](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/isaiah/7/14). King James Version 5. [Book of Genesis, 3:15](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/genesis/3/15). King James Version 6. [Gospel of John, 1:1; 8:58](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/1/1). King James Version 7. [Gospel of Matthew, 16:16; 24:34](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/matthew/16/16). King James Version 8. [Letter to the Hebrews, 11:1–6](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/hebrews/11). King James Version ## See Also - [Did Christianity Spread by the Sword?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/did-christianity-spread-by-the-sword) — Christianity spread for three centuries without state power, under persecution. Later rulers sometimes forced baptism. The New Testament does not command that. - [Did Jesus Really Exist?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/did-jesus-exist) — Yes. Jesus of Nazareth was crucified under Pontius Pilate. Paul, the Gospels, Tacitus, and Josephus all place him there, and a skeptic who rejects the resurrection still says the man was real. - [Does Archaeology Confirm the Bible?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/does-archaeology-confirm-the-bible) — The Pilate stone, the Tel Dan stele, Hezekiah’s tribute on the Taylor Prism, the Siloam tunnel inscription, and the Cyrus Cylinder name people and events the Bible also names. Each find has a limit. - [How Many Times Does the New Testament Quote the Old Testament?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/how-many-times-does-the-new-testament-quote-the-old-testament) — Published counts run from Easton’s 283 to the UBS figure of 343 quotations, with thousands of allusions. This site’s own list is a smaller, sourced set. - [Is the Prosperity Gospel Biblical?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/is-the-prosperity-gospel-biblical) — Teachers cite 3 John 2, Malachi 3:10, Deuteronomy 8:18, Mark 11:23–24, and John 10:10. Other churches cite 1 Timothy 6, Matthew 6, and Hebrews 11. This page reads each sentence in its chapter.