# When Was Christianity Created? > Acts places the Spirit on the disciples at Pentecost in Jerusalem, and the name Christian at Antioch. Jesus is the one that church confesses. The Council of Nicaea in 325 does not found it. - Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/when-was-christianity-created - Religions: Christianity - Denominations: none - Beliefs: none - Tags: history, church, pentecost - Updated: 2026-10-11 - Author: [Paul Ambrose](https://apologetics.wiki/author/hi-its-paul) ([GitHub](https://github.com/hi-its-paul)) Christianity’s public life in Acts begins at Pentecost, when the disciples in Jerusalem are filled with the Holy Spirit and speak to Jews from many nations. The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. Jesus is the one they confess. The Council of Nicaea in 325 states the faith. It does not create the church. ## Key Points - [Acts 2:1](/bible/acts/2/1) says that when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. [Acts 2:4](/bible/acts/2/4) says they were filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues. - [Acts 2:5](/bible/acts/2/5) says devout Jews from every nation under heaven were dwelling at Jerusalem. - [Acts 11:26](/bible/acts/11/26) says the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. - Jesus is the one that church preaches. [What Religion Was Jesus?](/christianity/what-religion-was-jesus) is his life under the law, before that name. - [Did Paul Invent Christianity?](/islam/did-paul-invent-christianity) is the claim that the faith starts with Paul. [Who Started the Catholic Church?](/christianity/who-started-the-catholic-church) quotes Catholic, Orthodox, and Reformed texts and does not pick a side. - [What Happened at the Council of Nicaea?](/christianity/council-of-nicaea) is 325. [When Was the New Testament Written?](/christianity/when-was-the-new-testament-written) is earlier than that council. ## Pentecost [Acts 2:1](/bible/acts/2/1) is the day of Pentecost, the disciples together in one place. [Acts 2:4](/bible/acts/2/4) says they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. [Acts 2:5](/bible/acts/2/5) sets the crowd: Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven, dwelling at Jerusalem. The first public preaching in this chapter is to them, about Jesus. The books that carry this account are dated on [When Was the New Testament Written?](/christianity/when-was-the-new-testament-written). The copies are [How Many New Testament Manuscripts Are There?](/christianity/how-many-new-testament-manuscripts-are-there). ## The Name at Antioch [Acts 11:26](/bible/acts/11/26), King James Version: > And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. The same verse says Barnabas brought Saul to Antioch, and that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught many people. The name is given to the disciples there. It is not a name the Gospels put on Jesus during his ministry in Galilee. [What Religion Was Jesus?](/christianity/what-religion-was-jesus) ## Who Founded It The church in Acts preaches Jesus crucified and raised. [The Resurrection of Jesus](/christianity/resurrection-of-jesus) [What Is the Deity of Christ?](/christianity/deity-of-christ) [The Trinity](/christianity/the-trinity) is the confession of one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. [Matthew 28:19](/bible/matthew/28/19) is the commission to baptize in that name. [Did Paul Invent Christianity?](/islam/did-paul-invent-christianity) answers the claim that Paul created a different religion from Jesus. [Who Started the Catholic Church?](/christianity/who-started-the-catholic-church) quotes the Catechism, an Orthodox account, and a Reformed confession on whether that church is the one Jesus founded. It does not decide the question. [What Do Anglicans Believe?](/anglican/what-do-anglicans-believe) quotes the Church of England on a British church in the Roman period and on the break with the pope in the sixteenth century. ## Nicaea Is Not the Start [What Happened at the Council of Nicaea?](/christianity/council-of-nicaea) is the council of 325 and the creed it issued about the Son. Bishops met because the faith was already being preached and already being disputed. The council is not the day the church begins, and it is not the day the New Testament was written. [What Is the Coptic Orthodox Church?](/oriental-orthodox/what-is-the-coptic-orthodox-church) quotes Alexandria’s own account of Mark in Egypt and of which councils that church receives. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### When Did Christianity Start? In Acts, at Pentecost in Jerusalem, with the name Christian first used at Antioch. [Acts 2:1](/bible/acts/2/1) [Acts 11:26](/bible/acts/11/26) Nicaea is 325. ### Who Founded Christianity? The church confesses Jesus as its Lord. Paul is an apostle in that church, not a founder who replaces him. [Did Paul Invent Christianity?](/islam/did-paul-invent-christianity) Claims about Peter and the popes are on [Who Started the Catholic Church?](/christianity/who-started-the-catholic-church) and [Who Was the First Pope?](/christianity/who-was-the-first-pope). Those pages quote the churches and do not pick a side. ### Is Christianity Monotheistic? Christians confess one God. [The Trinity](/christianity/the-trinity) is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, not three gods. [Tawhid and Christian Monotheism](/islam/tawhid-and-christian-monotheism) is the same confession set beside the Qur’an. ### What Are the Key Beliefs? One God, Jesus truly God and truly human, and the resurrection. [The Trinity](/christianity/the-trinity) [What Is the Deity of Christ?](/christianity/deity-of-christ) [The Resurrection of Jesus](/christianity/resurrection-of-jesus) [What Do Muslims Believe?](/islam/what-do-muslims-believe) is the neighbor’s confession, not a second copy of these pages. ### What Does “this generation shall not pass” Mean? [Matthew 24:34](/bible/matthew/24/34) has Jesus say that this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled. The verse sits in a discourse about signs, the temple, and the coming of the Son of man. It names “this generation” and “all these things.” It does not print a calendar year. ### Did Christianity Begin as a Rejection of Judaism? The first hearers in [Acts 2:5](/bible/acts/2/5) are Jews in Jerusalem. Jesus himself lived as a Jew under the law. [What Religion Was Jesus?](/christianity/what-religion-was-jesus) [When Was Judaism Established?](/judaism/when-was-judaism-established) The parting is about who the Messiah is, and about whether he is God. [Why Don’t Jews Believe Jesus Is the Messiah?](/judaism/why-dont-jews-believe-jesus-is-the-messiah) ## Passages Quoted on This Page ### Acts 2:1 King James Version. > And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. ### Acts 2:4 King James Version. > And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. ### Acts 2:5 King James Version. > And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. ### Acts 11:26 King James Version. > 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. ### Matthew 28:19 King James Version. > Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: ### Matthew 24:34 King James Version. > Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. ## 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, 2:1; 2:4; 2:5; 11:26](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/acts/2/1). King James Version 2. [Gospel of Matthew, 24:34; 28:19](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/matthew/24/34). King James Version 3. [What Happened at the Council of Nicaea?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/council-of-nicaea) (The 325 creed, quoted on that page from a public-domain English text.) ## See Also - [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. - [The Resurrection of Jesus](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/resurrection-of-jesus) — The Christian claim that Jesus was crucified, buried, and raised, and the main ways that claim is doubted. - [What Do Non-Christian Sources Say About Jesus?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/what-do-non-christian-sources-say-about-jesus) — Tacitus, Josephus, Pliny, and later hostile writers name Jesus or the Christ his followers worshipped. Each notice is early or hostile. None of them proves the resurrection. - [What Religion Was Jesus?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/what-religion-was-jesus) — Jesus was a Jew of the Second Temple period. He was circumcised, kept Passover, and taught in the synagogue. The name Christian is first used at Antioch, after Pentecost. ## History [View history on GitHub](https://github.com/Apologetics-Wiki/apologetics-wiki/commits/main/src/content/articles/when-was-christianity-created.md)