This is the first post in a five-part series titled 25 Influential figures in Church History.
Christianity wouldn’t be what it is if not for several men who labored faithfully to lay the foundation and build the pillars of the Church. In an endeavor to remember and appreciate their legacy, I have compiled a list of twenty-five men whose works still influence us today. This list is neither exhaustive nor comprehensive, so I encourage you to check out the sources in the footnotes for more information.
Onward we go with the cornerstone and foundation of the Church.
The Founding Fathers (AD 1 – 100)
I call these men the founding fathers because they are the foundation of the church.
Ephesians 2:19-20 says, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.”
1. Jesus Christ (AD 1-33)
I cannot make a list of influential people in church history without mentioning the most prominent name: the man who started it all, and the only one who still lives: Christ Jesus.
Jesus is the Son of God, who became a man in AD 1. He was born of a virgin named Mary and was adopted by her husband, Joseph. Very little is known of Jesus’s life between His childhood and the beginning of His ministry other than a short mention in Luke 2:39-52. During these missing years, Jesus probably lived in His hometown and worked as a carpenter.
When Jesus was thirty, John the Baptist baptized Him, and the Holy Spirit fell upon Him like a dove (Matthew 3:13-17). This event marked the beginning of His public ministry.
And for the next three years, Jesus traveled from city to city, proclaiming God’s kingdom and calling sinners to repentance. He performed numerous miracles like giving sight to the blind, making the lame walk, casting out demons, walking on water, feeding huge crowds with little food, raising people from the dead, and much more (John 21:25).
But despite all the good Jesus did, he wasn’t popular with everyone. The Pharisees, who were the religious leaders, hated Jesus because He exposed their hypocrisy and false righteousness. Consequently, they arrested Jesus under fraudulent charges and ensured He received the death penalty. Even though Jesus was innocent, He willingly let them take Him to fulfill Scriptures (Luke 24:46-47).
He was crucified at age 33.
But three days later, Jesus rose from the dead! He appeared to His disciples and charged them to proclaim the good news and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19).
Right now, Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, but He will return soon! (Revelation 22:13)
2. Paul the apostle (AD 5 – 64 or 67)
Paul, formerly Saul, was born in Tarsus, Cilicia, which is modern-day Turkey. He was an Israelite from the tribe of Benjamin, as well as a Roman citizen. He was a very pious Jew, and studied under Gamaliel, a well-known rabbi, to learn the law of God (Acts 22:3).
As a Pharisee, Paul was zealous for God and hated Christianity.
He was present during the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, and approved of the execution (Acts 7:58; 8:1). Paul was also instrumental in the persecution of the early church. He began “ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women, and committed them in prison.” (Acts 8:3)
But one day, while Paul was traveling to Damascus to arrest more Christians, he had an encounter with the risen Jesus (Acts 9:1-22). This encounter marked Paul in such a profound way that he converted to Christianity and became an apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13).
His life post-conversion was marred with hardships such as imprisonments, beatings, and shipwreck. But he never gave up on Jesus. He said in Romans 8:18, “for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” And in Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
So he spent the remainder of his life traveling and preaching the gospel. His writings and teachings have influenced millions of Christians and make half of the New Testament
Paul was martyred by decapitation under emperor Nero’s command in AD 65 or 67.
3. John the apostle (AD 6 – 100)
John, son of Zebedee, was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He also might have been Jesus’ cousin as some scholars believe Salome (the mother of John) and Mary (the mother of Jesus) were sisters.
Before becoming a disciple, John and his brother James were fishermen and worked with Peter. All three became part of Jesus’s inner circle and got the privilege to witness things the other disciples didn’t such as the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-13; Luke 9:28-36), the resurrection of Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:37), and Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:37).
But of the three, John was probably the closest to Jesus. John referred to himself as the apostle whom Jesus loved (John 13:23;19:26; 21:7), he was the only disciple present during the crucifixion and was the one to whom Jesus entrusted the care of His mother (John 19:26-27).
After the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, John became a pillar in the early church. He relocated to Ephesus in Asia minor and pastored a church founded by Paul, where he wrote his Gospel and three epistles.
Late in life, John was exiled to the island of Patmos by the Roman emperor Domitian. Some legends say John got banished because he was thrown in boiling oil and came out unscathed. It was during his exile on Patmos that John received a vision from Jesus and wrote the book of Revelation. (Revelation 1:9)
After Domitian’s death in AD 96, John returned to Ephesus and remained there until his death. He was the only disciple who didn’t die as a martyr.
4. Peter (AD 1 – 64 or 68)
Peter, also known as Saint Peter or Simon Peter, was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He was a fisherman from Bethsaida and worked with the Zebedee brothers. All three formed Jesus’s inner circle.
When Peter first met Jesus, Jesus changed his name from Simon to Cephas (Aramaic) or Petras (Greek), which means rock (John 1:40-42). And later, when Peter confessed that Jesus was the messiah and the Son of the living God, Jesus said, “you are Peter and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:16-18). The words of the Lord came to pass, and Peter became a pillar of the early church (Galatians 2:9).
On the day of Pentecost, Peter was the first one to preach the gospel (Acts 2:14). And about three thousand people received his words and were baptized (Acts 2:41). He was also the first to baptize a gentile in the name of Jesus, and thus showed the gospel was also for gentiles.
Peter spent his life preaching the gospel and doing God’s work. He wrote two divinely inspired epistles, and many scholars believe the Gospel of Mark is actually the gospel of Peter. They believe John Mark, who was Peter’s companion, heard the story from him and penned it.
Peter was martyred by Emperor Nero between AD 64 and 65. Jesus prophesied how Peter would die in John 21:18-19, and how it would glorify God. According to church tradition, Peter asked to be crucified upside down because he didn’t find himself worthy of dying the same death as Jesus since he denied Him.
