The origin and development of the church in the New Testament era

This study considers the question as to how the church originated, in view of the fact that it was not founded or intended by Jesus, and examines how it developed during the course of time covered by the writings of the New Testament. It concludes firstly that the church did not originate as a single entity, but as different believing communities following the death of Jesus, secondly that the delay of the parousia resulted in the institutionalizing of the church and consequently, in the loss of what can be regarded as some of the basic and most important characteristics of the church, especially as far as Paul's understanding is concerned. The study concludes with a list of what could be regarded as common features of the church as portrayed by most of the documents of the New Testament.