In its infancy, Christianity was characterized by disunity, heresies, and schisms because of the varieties of beliefs and practices in its first communities. Different groups of Christians battled for supremacy after Jesus' death. Some of his followers believed that after his mortal body died on the cross, Jesus preached to the dead in the netherworld. Some believed that the price of sin was death and that Jesus' death purchased the salvation of humankind. Others rejected that idea, believing instead that salvation was only possible through self-knowing. Some understood their bodies to be the temple of God and yet others loathed the body as a filthy thing and this world as inhabited by negative spirits. Some Christian communities had women priests, were celibate, and practiced vegetarianism while others believed that male priests could have wives and children.

The developing church of early Christians could not be characterized as one big happy family. Almost immediately after Jesus' death, polarization began around the Apostles. Some of Jesus' followers felt a loyalty toward Peter and became his disciples while others felt a preference for James the Just, the Lord's brother. James remained in Jerusalem after the death of Jesus and, as the first bishop of Jerusalem, oversaw the care of the fledgling Christian community there. Others chose to follow Paul or Mary Magdalene. The point is that the Apostles had their own disciples, whom they must have taught as Jesus taught them through sayings, anecdotes, parables, prayers, and deeds. As you shall see in the discussion of the Gnostic texts, even the Apostles' ideas and understanding of Jesus' teachings sometimes conflicted with one another. In the second and third century, these differences translated into thorny theological issues, causing the literalists among them to accuse the others of introducing and spreading heresies. In turn, such accusations necessarily caused a splintering off of groups of Christians who opposed literalism and desired to vigorously defend and practice their beliefs. What the early Christians did share in common were certain practices that celebrated their faith.

It seems imperative to define how the word “orthodox” will be used throughout this book in reference to the earliest Christian communities. Perhaps the term “literalistic” comes closest to defining the community of Christians who believed in the literal interpretation of Jesus' words. This group included Simon Peter. In the absence of a single authority to determine correctness of belief, this group emerged eventually as the dominant Christian community. Only much later could orthodox and unorthodox practices and beliefs be separated.