Mark 15:6 Pilate hands Jesus over to be crucified
Matthew 27:15 – 26; Luke 23:13 – 25; John 18: 38 – 19:16
Mark 15:16 Roman soldiers mock Jesus
Matthew 27:27 – 31
Mark 15:21 Jesus is led away to be crucified
Matthew 27:32 – 34; Luke 23:26 – 31; John 19:17
Mark 15:25 Jesus is placed on the cross
Matthew 27:35 – 44; Luke 23:32 – 43; John 19:18 – 27
Mark 15:33 Jesus dies on the cross
Matthew 27:45 – 56; Luke 23:44 – 49; John 19:28 – 37
Mark 15:42 Jesus is laid in the tomb
Matthew 27:57 – 61; Luke 23:50 – 56; John 19:38 – 42
Matthew 27:3 Judas kills himself
Matthew 28:62 guards are posted at the tomb
Mark 16:1 Jesus rises from the dead
Matthew 28:1 – seven; Luke 2.4:1 – 12; John 20:1 – nine
Mark 16:9 Jesus appears to Mary Magdalena
John 20:10 – 18
Matthew 28:8 Jesus appears to the women
Matthew 28:11 religious leaders bribed the guards
Mark 16:12 Jesus appears to two believers on the road – “afterword Jesus appeared in the different form to two of them while they were walking in the country.”
Luke 24:13 – 35
Mark 16:14 Jesus appears to the disciples (including Thomas)
Luke 24:44 Jesus appears to the disciples in Jerusalem
John 20:24 – 31
John 21:1 Jesus appears to the disciples while fishing
John 21:15 – 23 Jesus talks with Peter
Mark 16:15 Jesus gives the great commission
Matthew 28:16 – 20
Mark 16:19 Jesus ascends into heaven
Luke 24:5 – 53
Monthly Archives: August 2015
Chief Priests Plot to Kill Jesus through Trial before Pilate
Mark 14:1 the chief priests and teachers of the law plot to kill Jesus
Matthew 26:1 – five; Luke 22:1 – two
Mark 14:3 a woman anoints Jesus with perfume
Matthew 26:6 – 13; John 12:1 – 11
John 12:12 Jesus rides into Jerusalem on the donkey
John 12:20 Jesus explains why he must die
John 12:37 most of the people do not believe in Jesus
John 12:44 Jesus summarizes his message
John 13:1 Jesus teaches his disciples – Jesus washes the disciples’ feet
John 14:1 Jesus is the way to the father
John 14:15 Jesus promises the Holy Spirit
John 15:1 Jesus teaches about the vine and the branches
John 15:18 Jesus warns about the world’s hatred
John 16:5 Jesus teaches about the Holy Spirit
John 16:33 Jesus teaches about using his name in prayer
Luke 22:31 Jesus predicts Peter’s denial
John 13:31 – 38
Mark 14:10 Judas agrees to betray Jesus
Matthew 26:14 – 16; Luke 22:3 – 6
Mark 14:12 Jesus prepares for the Passover
Matthew 26:17 – 19; Luke 22:7 – 13
Mark 14:17 Jesus and the disciples have the Last Supper
Matthew 26:20 – 30; Luke 22:14 – 30; John 13:21 – 30
Mark 14:32 Jesus agonizes in the garden
Matthew 26:36 – 46; Luke 22:39 – 46
John 17:1 Jesus prays for himself
John 17:6 Jesus prays for his disciples
John 18:20 Jesus prays for future believers
John 18:1 Jesus completes his mission – Jesus is betrayed and arrested
Mark 14:43 Jesus is betrayed and arrested
Matthew 26:47 – 56; Luke 22:47 – 53; John 18:1 – 11
Mark 14:53 high priest questions Jesus
Matthew 26:57 – 68
John 18:12 [Annas] questions Jesus
Mark 14:66 Peter denies knowing Jesus
Matthew 26:69 – 75; Luke 22:54 – 65; John 18:25 – 27
Mark 15:1 religious leaders condemn Jesus
Matthew 27:1, two; Luke 22:66 – 71
Luke 23:6 Jesus stands trial before Herod
Mark 15:2 Jesus stands trial before Pilate.
Matthew 27:11 – 14; Luke 23:1 – five; John 18:28 – 37; John 19:1 -21
The Gospels: Jesus Rides into Jerusalem through Teaching to Remain Watchful
Mark 9:14 Jesus heals a demon – possessed boy
Matthew 17:14 – 21; Luke 9:37 – 43
Matthew 17:24 Peter finds the coin in the fish’s mouth
Matthew 10:17 Jesus prepares the disciples for persecution
Matthew 11:1 Jesus teaches about the kingdom: Jesus uses John’s doubt
Luke 7:18 – 35
Matthew 11:20 Jesus promises rest for the soul
Mark 9:30 Jesus predicts his death the second time
Matthew 17:22, 23; Luke 9:44, 45
Mark 9:33 the disciples argue about who would be the greatest
Matthew 18:1 – 6; Luke 9:46 – 48
Mark 9:38 the disciples forbid another to use Jesus’ name
Luke 9:49, 50
Luke 9:42 Jesus warns against temptation
Matthew 18:7 – nine
Matthew 18:10 Jesus warns against looking down on others
Matthew 18:15 Jesus teaches how to treat a believer who sins
Matthew 1821 Jesus tells the parable of the unforgiving debtor
Mark 10:1 Jesus teaches about marriage and divorce
Matthew 19:1 – 12
Mark 10:13 Jesus blesses little children
Matthew 19:13 – 15; Luke 18:15 – 17
Mark 10:17 Jesus speaks to the rich young man
Matthew 12:38 religious leaders asked Jesus for a miracle
Matthew 19:16 – 30; Luke 18:18 – 30
Matthew 20:1 Jesus tells the parable of the workers paid equally
Mark 10:32 Jesus predicts his death the third time
Matthew 20:17 – 19; Luke 18:31 – 34
Mark 10:35 Jesus teaches about serving others
Matthew 20:20 – 28
Mark 10:46 Jesus heals a blind beggar
Matthew 20:29 – 34; Luke 18:35 – 43
Jesus Heals Demon Possessed Boy through Blind Beggar
Mark 9:14 Jesus heals a demon – possessed boy
Matthew 17:14 – 21; Luke 9:37 – 43
Matthew 17:24 Peter finds the coin in the fish’s mouth
Matthew 10:17 Jesus prepares the disciples for persecution
Matthew 11:1 Jesus teaches about the kingdom: Jesus uses John’s doubt
Luke 7:18 – 35
Matthew 11:20 Jesus promises rest for the soul
Mark 9:30 Jesus predicts his death the second time
Matthew 17:22, 23; Luke 9:44, 45
Mark 9:33 the disciples argue about who would be the greatest
Matthew 18:1 – 6; Luke 9:46 – 48
Mark 9:38 the disciples forbid another to use Jesus’ name
Luke 9:49, 50
Luke 9:42 Jesus warns against temptation
Matthew 18:7 – nine
Matthew 18:10 Jesus warns against looking down on others
Matthew 18:15 Jesus teaches how to treat a believer who sins
Matthew 1821 Jesus tells the parable of the unforgiving debtor
Mark 10:1 Jesus teaches about marriage and divorce
Matthew 19:1 – 12
Mark 10:13 Jesus blesses little children
Matthew 19:13 – 15; Luke 18:15 – 17
Mark 10:17 Jesus speaks to the rich young man
Matthew 12:38 religious leaders asked Jesus for a miracle
Matthew 19:16 – 30; Luke 18:18 – 30
Matthew 20:1 Jesus tells the parable of the workers paid equally
Mark 10:32 Jesus predicts his death the third time
Matthew 20:17 – 19; Luke 18:31 – 34
Mark 10:35 Jesus teaches about serving others
Matthew 20:20 – 28
Mark 10:46 Jesus heals a blind beggar
Matthew 20:29 – 34; Luke 18:35 – 43
The Gospels Mary and Martha through Transfiguration
Luke 10:38 Jesus visits Mary and Martha
Luke 11:1 Jesus teaches his disciples about prayer
Luke 11:14 Jesus answers hostile accusations
Luke 11:29 Jesus warns about unbelief
Luke 11:33 Jesus teaches about the light within
Luke 11:37 Jesus criticizes the religious leaders
Luke 12:1 Jesus speaks about hypocrisy
Luke 12:13 Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool
Luke 12:22 Jesus warns about worry
Luke 12:35 Jesus warns about preparing for his coming
Luke 12:49 Jesus warns about coming ____
Luke 12:54 Jesus warns about the future crisis
Luke 13:1 Jesus calls the people to repent
Luke 13:10 Jesus heals the crippled woman
Luke 13:18 Jesus teaches about the kingdom of God
Luke 13:22 Jesus teaches about entering the kingdom
Luke 13:31 Jesus grieves over Jerusalem
Luke 14:1 Jesus heals the man with dropsy
Luke 14:19 Jesus teaches about seeking honor
Luke 14:15 Jesus tells the parable of the great feast
Luke 14:25 Jesus teaches about the cost of being a disciple
Luke 15:1 Jesus tells the parable of the lost sheep
Luke 15:8 Jesus tells the parable of the lost coin
Luke 15:11 Jesus tells the parable of the lost son
Luke 16:1 Jesus tells the parable of the shrewd manager
Luke 16:19 Jesus tells about the rich man and the beggar
Luke 17:1 Jesus tells about forgiveness and faith
Luke 17:11 Jesus heals 10 men with leprosy
Luke 17:20 Jesus teaches about the coming of the kingdom of God
Luke 18:1 Jesus tells the parable of the persistent widow
Luke 18:9 Jesus tells the parable of two men who prayed
Luke 18:15 Jesus blesses little children
Matthew 19:3 – 15; Mark 10:13 – 60
Mark 6:14 Herod kills John the Baptist
Matthew 14:1 – 12; Luke 9:7 – nine
Mark 6:30 Jesus feeds 5000
Matthew 14:3 – 21; Luke 9:10 through 17; John 6:1 – 15
Mark 6:45 – Jesus walks on water
Matthew 14:22 – 33; John 6:16 – 21
Mark 6:53 Jesus heals all who touch him
Matthew 14:34 – 36
Mark 7:1 Jesus teaches about purity
Matthew 15:1 – 20
Mark 7:24 Jesus sends a demon out of the girl
Matthew 15:21 – 28
Luke 19:1 Jesus brings salvation to Zacchaeus’ home
Mark 7:31 the crowd marvels at Jesus’ healings
Matthew 15:29 – 31
Mark 8:1 Jesus feeds 4000
Matthew 15:32 – 39
Matthew 8:14 – Jesus warns against wrong teaching
Matthew 16:5 – 12
Mark 8:22 Jesus restore sight to a blind man by spitting on the man’s eyes
Mark 8:27 Peter says Jesus is the Messiah
Matthew 16:13 – 20; Luke 9:18 – 20
Mark 8:31 Jesus predicts his death the first time
Matthew 16:21 – 28; Luke 9:21 – 27
Mark 9:1 Jesus is transfigured on the mountain
Matthew 17:1 – 13; Luke 9:28 – 36
The Gospels Religious Plots to Kill Jesus through Good Samaritan
John 11:45 religious leaders plot to kill Jesus
Luke 7:11 Jesus raises a widow’s son from the dead
Luke 8:1 women in the company of Jesus and the disciples
Luke 7:36 a sinful woman anoints Jesus’ feet
Matthew 8:16 Jesus teaches about fasting
Matthew 8:19 Jesus teaches about money
Matthew 8:25 Jesus teaches about worry
Mark 1:29 Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law and many others
Matthew 8:14 – 17; Luke 4:34 – 41
Mark 1:40 a man with leprosy came to him
Matthew 8:1 – four; Luke 5:12 – 16
Matthew 8:18 Jesus teaches about the cost of following him
Luke 9:51 – 62
Mark 2:1 at Capernaam
Matthew 9:1 – eight; Luke 5:17 – 26
Mark 2:13 – Jesus eats with sinners at Matthew’s house
Matthew 9:9 – 13; Luke 5:27 – 32
Mark 2:18 religious leaders asked Jesus about fasting
Matthew 9:14 – 17; Luke 5:33 – 39
Mark two – 23 disciples picked wheat on the Sabbath
Matthew 12:1 – eight; Luke 6:1 – 5
Matthew 9:27 Jesus heals the blind and mute
Mark 3:1 Jesus heals a man’s hand on the Sabbath
Matthew 12:9 – 14; Luke 6:6 – 11
Mark 3:7 large crowds follow Jesus
Matthew 12:5 – 20
Mark 3:20 Jesus accused of being Satan
Matthew 12:22 – 37
Mark 3:31 Jesus describes his true family
Matthew 12:46 – 50; Luke 8:19 – 21
Mark 4:1 Jesus tells the parable of the four soils
Matthew 13:1 – nine; Luke 8:4 – eight
Mark 4:10 Jesus explains the parable of the four soils
Matthew 13:10; Luke 8:9 to 18
Matthew 13:24 – Jesus tells the parable of the weeds
Matthew 13:36 Jesus explains the parable of the weeds
Matthew 13:44 Jesus tells the parable of hidden treasure
after you 13:45 Jesus tells the parable of the pearl merchant
Matthew 13:47 Jesus tells the parable of the fishing net
Mark 4:26 Jesus tells the parable of the growing seed
Mark 4:30 Jesus tells the parable of mustard seed
Matthew 13:31, 32
Matthew 13:33 – Jesus tells the parable of the _____
Mark 4:35 Jesus calms the storm
Matthew 8:23 – 27; Luke 8:22 – 25
Mark 5:1 Jesus sends the demons into a herd of pigs
Matthew 8:28 – 34; Luke 8:26 – 39
Mark 5:21 Jesus heals a bleeding woman and restores a girl to life
Matthew 9:18 – 26; Luke 8:40 – 56
Mark 6:1 the people of Nazareth refused to believe
Matthew 13:53 – 54
Mark 6:7 Jesus sends out the 12 disciples
Matthew 10:1 – 16; Luke 9:1 – six
Luke 10:1 Jesus sends out 72 messengers
Luke 10:17 the 72 messengers returned
Luke 10:35 Jesus tells the parable of the good Samaritan
The Gospels John the Baptist through raising Lazarus
John 3:22 John the Baptist tells more about Jesus
Luke 3:19 Herod puts John in prison
Mark 1:14 Jesus’ ministry in Galilee
Matthew 4:12 – 17; Luke 4:14, 15; John 4:43 – 44
Mark 1:16 Jesus calls four fishermen: Simon and Andrew; James and John
Matthew 4:18 – 22
John 1:35 the first disciples followed Jesus
John 2:1 Jesus turned water into wine
Luke: 5:1 Jesus provides a miraculous catch of fish
John 2:12 Jesus clears the temple
Mark 1:21 Jesus teaches with great authority
Luke 4:31 – 37
John 4:1 Jesus talks to a woman at the well
John 3:1 Nicodemus visits Jesus at night
Matthew 5:3 the Beatitudes
Matthew 5:5 Jesus gives the Sermon on the Mount
Luke 6:17 – 26
Matthew 5:13 Jesus teaches about salt and light
Matthew 5:17 Jesus teaches about the law
Matthew 5: 21 Jesus teaches about anger
Matthew 5:27 Jesus teaches about lost
Matthew 5:30 Jesus teaches about vows
Matthew 5:38 Jesus teaches about retaliation
Matthew 5:43 Jesus teaches about loving enemies
Luke 6:27 – 36
Matthew 6:1 Jesus teaches about giving to the needy
Matthew 6:5 Jesus teaches about prayer
Matthew 6:16 Jesus teaches about fasting
Matthew 6:19 Jesus teaches about money
Matthew 6:25 Jesus teaches about worry
Matthew 7:1 Jesus teaches about criticizing others
Luke 6:37 – 42
Matthew 7:7 Jesus teaches about asking, seeking, knocking
Matthew 7:13 Jesus teaches about the way to heaven
Mark 7:15 Jesus teaches about fruit in people’s lives
Luke 6:43 – 45
Matthew 7:21 Jesus teaches about those who build houses on rock and sand
Luke 6:46 – 40
John 4:27 Jesus tells about the spiritual harvest
John 4:39 many Samaritans believe in Jesus
John 4:46 Jesus heals a government official’s son
John 5:1 Jesus heals a lame man by the pool
John 5:19 Jesus claims to be God’s son
John 5:31 Jesus supports his claim
John 6:22 – Jesus is the true bread from heaven
John 6:41 the Jews disagree that Jesus is from heaven
John 7:60 many disciples desert Jesus
John 7:1 Jesus encounters conflict with the religious leaders – Jesus’ brothers ridicule him
John 7:10 Jesus teaches openly in the temple
John 7:32 religious leaders attempt to arrest Jesus
John 7:46 Jesus forgives an adulterous woman
John 8:12 Jesus is the light of the world
John 8:21 Jesus warns of coming judgment
John 8:31 Jesus speaks about God’s true children
John 9:48 Jesus states he is eternal
John 9:1 Jesus heals the man who was born blind
John 9:13 religious leaders question the blind man
John 9:35 Jesus teaches about spiritual blindness
John 10:1 Jesus is the good shepherd
John 10:22 religious leaders surround Jesus at Temple
John 11:1 Jesus encounters crucial events in Jerusalem – Lazarus becomes ill and dies
John 11:17 Jesus comforts Mary and Martha
John 11:38 Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead
The Gospels through Temptation
Luke 1:1 Luke’s purpose in writing
John 1:1 – 13 God became human
Luke 1:5 an angel promises the birth of John to Zachariah
Luke 1:26 an angel promises the birth of Jesus to Mary
Luke 1:39 Mary visits Elizabeth
Matthew 1:1 genealogy of Jesus
the genealogy is traced from Abraham through David to Joseph
Luke 3:23 – 38
traces Jesus genealogy from Jesus back to Cainan, who was the great great great grandson of Mathuselah
Mark 1:1 “the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God.
Malachi 3:1; Matthew 11:10; Luke 7:27
Matthew 1:8 an angel appears to Joseph
Luke 2:1 Jesus is born in Bethlehem
Luke 2:8 shepherds visit Jesus
Luke 2:21 Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the temple
Matthew 2:1 visitors arrive from eastern lands
Matthew 2:13 the escape to Egypt
Matthew 2:19 they returned to Nazareth
Luke 1:57 John the Baptist is born
Luke 2:41 Jesus speaks with the religious leaders
John 1:19 John the Baptist declares his mission
Matthew 3:1 John the Baptist prepares the way for Jesus
Luke 3:1 – 18
Mark 1:4 John baptizing in the desert and preaching and baptizing
John 1:29 John the Baptist proclaims Jesus as Messiah
Mark 1:9 Jesus is baptized
Matthew 3:13 – 17; Luke 3:21, 22
Mark 1:12 temptation in the desert
Matthew 4:1 – 11; Luke 4:1 – 13
The Four Gospels
From the Life Application Bible, new international version
Matthew:
author: Matthew (Levi)
purpose: to prove that Jesus is the Messiah, the eternal King
to whom was it written: especially for the Jews
date written: A.D. 60 – 65
special features: Matthew is filled with messianic language (“son of David” is used throughout), there are 53 quotes from the Old Testament, and 76 references to the old testament
Mark:
author: John Mark. He was not one of the 12 disciples but he accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey (acts 13:13)
purpose: to present the person, work, and teachings of Jesus
to whom it was written: the Christians in Rome where he wrote the gospel
date written: between A.D. 55 and 65
Luke:
author: Luke, a doctor (Colossians 4:14) he is the only known Gentile writer in the New Testament. Luke was a close friend and companion of Paul. He also wrote Acts, and the two books go together
purpose: to present an accurate account of the life of Jesus and to present Christ as the perfect human and Savior
to whom it was written: Theophilus (“one who loves God”), Gentiles, and people everywhere
date written: about A.D. 60
John
author: John the apostle, son of Zebedee, brother of James, called “son of thunder”
purpose: to prove conclusively that Jesus is the son of God and that all who believe in him will have eternal life
date written: probably A.D. 85 – 19 written after the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and before John’s exiled to the island of Patmos.
Background to the Gospels
Background to the Gospels
Prophecy of the Messiah
pre-Christian cults
Isis –
originating in Egypt and spreading to the Greek world, Isis was the Sorrowing Mother, the Loving Comforter, the bearer of the gift of eternal life.” She was married to Osiris who died and had risen from the dead. It spread to each of the great cities in pre-Roman times. It was one of the closest pagan cults to Christianity that followed. Will Durrant’s’ Caesar and Christ, the Hellenistic revival, Caesar and Christ page 523
Dionysus
Well before the time of the birth of Jesus, “Egypt, Asia Minor, and Hellas had long since believed in gods – Osiris, Attis, and Dionysus – who had died to redeem mankind. Caesar and Christ page 523
Judas Maccabeus and revolt of the Jews
in 143 BC, Simon Maccabee obtained the independence of Judah from Roman rule. Romans laid siege in 63 BC. The Romans perceived that the Jews would not fight on the Sabbath, they were right, and they took control of Jerusalem and the Temple. They then exacted an expensive indemnity from Judea.
Thereafter, Judea was ruled by Herod the Great, appointed by Rome to rule it. Herod was not himself a Jew, but he sought a cultural unity, encouraging Greek ways dress, and ideas.
Thereafter, Rome was very cautious to limit the possibilities of a further bid for independence of Judea.
The Roman Empire
Attributes of Caesar and other Roman rulers, Caesar and Christ, Will Durant:
Augustus himself became one of the chief competitors of his gods.… Caesar had been recognized by the Senate as a deity, and his worship spread throughout the empire. As early as 36 BC some Italian cities had given Octavian a place in their pantheon; by 27 BC his name was added to those of the gods .… And after his death the Senate decreed that his genius or soul, was thereafter to be worshiped as one of the official divinities.
…
When Augustus visited Greek Asia in 21 BC he found that his cult had made rapid headway there, dedications and orations hailed him as “Savior,” “Bringer of Glad Tidings,” “God the Son of God”; some men argued that in him was the long awaited Messiah, bringing peace and happiness to mankind.
Caligula’s final pleasantry was to announce himself as a God, equal to Jupiter himself.… He set up a temple to his Godhead, with a core of priests and a supply of select victims, and he appointed his favorite horse is one of the priests. Caesar and Christ P.268
The Pharisees and the Sadducees – taken from the International Version
The Pharisees and the Sadducees were the two major religious groups in Israel at the time of Christ. The Pharisees were more religious minded, while the Sadducees were more politically minded. Although the groups disliked and distrusted each other, they became allies in their common hatred for Jesus.”
Characteristics of each group taken from notes of the New International Version:
The Pharisees were committed to obey God’s commandments; they were admired by the common people for their piety, they believed in bodily resurrection and eternal life, they believed in angels and demons; however, they behaved as though their religious rules were just as important as God’s commandments. Their piety was often hypocritical. They believed salvation was attainable by perfect obedience to the law and was not based on forgiveness of sins. They were obsessed with their laws, which deflected their attention from God’s mercy and grace.
The Sadducees believed strongly in the Mosaic law and in Levitical purity. They were more practically minded than the Pharisees. They relied on logic, placing little importance on faith. They did not believe that all the Old Testament was God’s word. They did not believe in bodily resurrection or eternal life. They did not believe in angels nor demons. They were often willing to compromise their values with the Romans to maintain their status and position.
The contribution of Paul, Caesar and Christ the Apostles at page 588
“Paul created the theology of which none but the vaguest warrants can be found in the words of Christ: that every man born of woman inherits the guilt of Adam, and can be saved from eternal damnation only by the death of the Son of God.… Egypt, Asia minor, and Hellas had long since believed in gods – Osiris, Attis, Dionysus – who had died to redeem mankind; such titles as Savior and Deliverer had been applied to these deities; and the word Lord, used by Paul of Christ, was the term given in Syrian – Greek cults to the dying and redeeming Dionysus.
The contribution of John: ibid., at 595
… John, having lived for two generations in a Hellenistic environment, sought to give a Greek philosophical view to the mystic Jewish doctrine that the Wisdom of God was a living being, and to the Christian doctrine that Jesus was the Messiah. Consciously or not, he continued Paul’s work of detaching Christianity from Judaism.
A distinction between “Jesus” and “the Christ.”
Jesus refers to the earthly human: Jesus. “The Christ” refers to the religious meaning of Jesus’ life, i.e. The Son of God, the Sacrificial Lamb.
Of early Christianity and paganism, Caesar and Christ the Apostles, ibid. at 595 writes:
Christianity did not destroy paganism; it adopted it.… The Greek language… became the vehicle of Christian literature and ritual; the Greek mysteries passed down into the impressive mystery of the mass. Other pagan cultures contributed to the syncretistic result. From Egypt came the ideas of a divine Trinity, the Last Judgment, and a personal immortality of reward and punishment; from Egypt the adoration of the Mother and Child.… From Phrygia came the worship of the Great Mother; from Syria in the resurrection drama of Adonis; from Thrace, perhaps the cult of Dionysus, the dying and saving God. From Persia came millenarianism, the “ages of the world,” the “final conflagration,” the dualism of Satan and God, Of Darkness and Light; already in the fourth Gospel Christ is the “light shining in the darkness, and the darkness has ever put it out.” The Mithraic ritual so closely resembled the Eucharistic sacrifice of the mass that Christian fathers charged the devil with inventing the similarities to mislead frail minds. Christianity was the last great creation of the ancient pagan world.
Will Durrant describes the agape love feast of the early Christians, Caesar and Christ apostles, 598:
On a Sabbath evening the dinner began and ended with prayer and scriptural readings, and the bread and wine were blessed by the priest. The faithful appear to have believed that the bread and wine were, or represented, the body and blood of Christ; the worshipers of Dionysus, Attis and Mithras had entertained like beliefs at the banquets where they ate the magical elements or symbols of their gods. The final ritual of the agape was the “kiss of love.”… Tertullian and others denounced it as having lead to sexual indulgences. [This would have been typical of the right of Dionysus] The Church recommended that the lip should not be opened in kissing, and that the kiss should not be repeated if it caused pleasure. In the third century the agape gradually disappeared.
The Bible Through Artists' Eyes 