The First Christians

S1, E11: A team of field investigators uncovers the clues that will recreate vanished or hidden worlds. They use the latest research, expert analysis and cutting edge graphic technology to take us back. The 1st century AD. In the aftermath of Jesus' crucifixion barely a hundred of his followers survive. Persecuted by the authorities, they are a cult on the verge of extinction. Yet within a few decades the new religion of Christianity will have thousands of believers spread around the Mediterranean and across the Roman Empire. The man responsible is St Paul. Once a fanatical persecutor of Jesus' followers, he undergoes a miraculous conversion, and gives his life to spreading the gospel. We revisit the places that were first to hear Paul's message and were altered forever. From his birthplace - the port of Tarsus whose mixture of Roman and Jewish culture helped to form him, we follow the sophisticated systems of trade and transport which helped Paul travel 20,000 miles in his lifetime. We enter the highly sophisticated city of Ephesus where, at the site of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, he confronted a powerful cult. We rebuild the temple of Artemis, the pagan idol who had stood for 500 years until Paul's world triggered its decline and destruction. In Cappadocia, in the Turkish desert, we find evidence of how the new religion reached a mysterious community of cave-dwellers. We reveal some of the earliest Christian churches. Carved out of volcanic ash, they have survived for centuries. These Christian communities are so persecuted that they seek refuge by literally heading underground. Our investigators enter the vast subterranean cities they built to accommodate up to 30,000 people. St. Paul laid the foundations for what will become the world's largest religion. He shaped our world. Now, using the latest research and computer animations, we recreate the Lost World that shaped him.