What did the gospels describe about the Jesus movement?
A The movement and early church had a hierarchy.
B All of Jesus’s followers understood his message easily.
C It was very loosely organized.
D The Jesus movement and Christianity created very little literature.
E Almost all of the members were literate.
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is C: It was very loosely organized.
The Gospels describe the Jesus movement as initially being a loosely organized group of followers who were focused on spreading the teachings of Jesus. Jesus himself did not establish a rigid hierarchy or formal structure within the movement. Instead, he preached a message of love, repentance, and the Kingdom of God, often engaging with people from various walks of life, including fishermen, tax collectors, and sinners. His followers were not all leaders or highly educated, and they did not operate under a centralized system. This lack of organization is reflected in the Gospels, where there is little mention of formal rituals or governance structures during Jesus’s lifetime.
The disciples were often portrayed as struggling to fully understand Jesus’s message, indicating that not all of them easily grasped his teachings. Jesus frequently used parables to explain deeper truths, which suggests that his message was not simple or immediately clear to everyone. The movement’s early days were marked by a certain level of fluidity in terms of leadership, as the apostles and other followers tried to interpret and spread Jesus’s message after his crucifixion.
Regarding the production of literature, while the Gospels and other Christian texts were eventually written down, the movement initially focused more on oral tradition and personal testimony. Early Christian literature was not widespread in the beginning, as many followers likely relied on oral communication to share the message of Jesus. Additionally, most members of the early movement were not highly literate, and the community was largely made up of ordinary people rather than scholars.
Overall, the Jesus movement was characterized by its informal nature, lack of hierarchy, and reliance on oral tradition rather than formal written doctrines.