Topic 10 Early Church History (100-500 AD)

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Topic 10 Early Church History (100-500 AD)

• The Ancient Church (100-313)
• The Christian Empire (313-500)

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I. The Ancient Church (100-313)

• Separation from Judaism
• Christianity began as sect of Judaism.
• Jerusalem Conference (49) Gentiles included
  without being required to convert to Judaism.
• Fall of Jerusalem (70) growing tensions between
  Jews and Christians.
• Jewish Academy of Jamnia (c. 90)
• Reorganized Judaism along Pharisaic lines.
• Composed a Benediction against the Heretics
  which excluded Christians from synagogues.
• Sealed break between Judaism and Christianity.
• Harsh language about Jews in late NT writings
  reflects tensions of this period (Matthew John).
• Christianity has much in common with Judaism
• OT Scripture
• Worship style
• Baptism
• Same God

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I. The Ancient Church (100-313)

• B. Heresy vs. Orthodoxy
• Ebionites
• Jewish Christian sect which practiced
  circumcision and observed Jewish law.
• Regarded Jesus as human prophet, not divine.
• Gnosticism
• Most important heresy of 2nd-3rd centuries.
• Rooted in dualism of Matter (evil) vs. Spirit
  (good).
• Human being divine spirit entombed in evil body.
• Salvation by secret knowledge (gnosis)
  enlightens, liberates, enables spirit to escape
  from body and material world.
• Ethics either asceticism or libertinism.
• Docetism Christ is purely divine, not a real
  human being only seemed to have a real body
  didnt really suffer, die calls into question
  both incarnation and atonement.
• 1, 2, 3 John confront Gnostic heresy of libertine
  type.

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I. The Ancient Church (100-313)

• B. Heresy vs. Orthodoxy cont.
• Marcionism
• Believed there were two different gods
• God of OT creation law punishment.
• Father of Jesus love forgiveness grace.
• Rejected OT as non-Christian left him without a
  Bible.
• Created NT canon Luke and 10 letters of Paul.
• Ascetic rules like some Gnostics forbade
  marriage and wine.
• Excommunicated in 144. Started his own Marcionite
  church.
• Pastorals (1 2 Tim., Tit.) confront a teaching
  similar to Marcions (1 Tim. 41-5 523 620 2
  Tim. 316).

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I. The Ancient Church (100-313)

• B. Heresy vs. Orthodoxy cont.
• Safeguards of orthodoxy
• Canon (scripture)
• Canon reed g measuring stick g collection of
  authoritative writings by which right doctrine is
  measured.
• OT inherited from Judaism (LXX version).
• NT developed over several centuries (see notes
  on Topic 1).
• 200 many lists beginning to resemble ours.
• 367 Bishop Athanasius produced earliest list
  including exactly our 27 books.

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I. The Ancient Church (100-313)

• Safeguards of orthodoxy cont.
• Creeds
• Short statements of core beliefs used for
  teaching doctrine.
• Often revised to clarify theology and exclude
  heresy.
• Apostles Creed (textbook, p. 150).
• Episcopal structure (rule by bishops)
• Hierarchical structure emerged
• Bishop (episkopos) overseer.
• Presbyters elders (priests).
• Deacons servants.
• This structure is already emerging in Pastorals
  (1 Tim. 31-13 517-19 Tit. 15-8). It is
  clearly developed in Ignatius letters.
• Bishop had authority over churches in/around a
  city.
• Authority was based on claim of apostolic
  succession Apostles appointed first bishops,
  conferred authority on them those bishops
  appointed next generation, and so on in an
  unbroken chain.
• Bishops of Rome, Constantinople, Jerusalem,
  Antioch, and Alexandria gained special
  prominence.
• Bishop of Rome became the Pope head of
  Western Church.

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I. The Ancient Church (100-313)

• C. Roman Persecution
• Early NT (before 64) benign neglect
• Numerically small.
• Sect of Judaism (legal).
• Late NT period growing tensions
• Growth separation from Judaism peculiar
  practices.
• Refusal to worship emperor and Roman gods.
• Suspected of disloyalty got blamed for
  misfortune.
• Beginnings of persecution
• Nero (54-68) first emperor to persecute the
  church
• Fire in Rome (64) Nero shifted blame to
  Christians.
• Persecution of Christians in Rome (64-65)
• Traditions that Peter and Paul were executed by
  Nero.
• Domitian (81-96)
• Demanded divine honors pressure to worship
  emperor.
• Persecution of Christians in Asia Minor.
• Revelation of John (c. 95) urges faithful
  endurance assures of Gods victory.

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I. The Ancient Church (100-313)

• 3. Beginnings of persecution cont.
• Trajan (98-117)
• Letters between Trajan and Pliny clarify policy.
• Not seeking Christians out.
• If accused, given chance to renounce
  Christianity prove loyalty by offering incense
  to emperor and Roman gods otherwise, punished.
• 1 Peter written during time of persecution
  which one?
• Typical Roman policy (100-313)
• Illegal suspected.
• Not systematically hunted down.
• Sporadic waves of persecution.

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I. The Ancient Church (100-313)

• Christian response martyrs and apologists
• Martyrs
• Those willing to witness to the faith by dying
  for it.
• Became heroes of Christianity.
• Ignatius of Antioch (died c. 110).
• Taken to Rome to be placed in arena.
• Wrote 7 letters to churches on the way.
• Begged Romans not to intervene.
• Apologists
• Writers who defended Christianity against
  charges atheism, cannibalism, immorality, etc.
• Justin Martyr (d. 165) defended attacks from
  Jews and pagans.

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I. The Ancient Church (100-313)

• Later persecutions
• Septimius Severus (c. 200) decreed death
  penalty for converting to exclusivist religion
  (Judaism and Christianity).
• Decius (c. 250) ordered everyone to sacrifice
  to Roman gods and receive a certificate.
• Diocletian (284-305)
• Most severe period of Roman persecution.
• Christians were expelled from army buildings
  seized scriptures destroyed lost legal rights
  many tortured and executed.
• Tertullian (d. 222) The blood of the martyrs is
  the seed of the Church.

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II. The Christian Empire (313-476)

• Constantine (306-337)
• Battle of Milvian Bridge (312)
• By this sign you will conquer.
• Attributed victory to Christian god.
• Edict of Milan (313)
• Ended persecution.
• Legalized Christianity.
• Imperial establishment of Christianity
• Christianity becomes the favored religion.
• Church becomes powerful and wealthy.
• Large church buildings are built.
• Clergy acquire civil authority.
• Worship becomes more formalized.
• Sunday becomes a public holiday.
• Christian symbols appear on coins.
• Emperor begins to meddle in church affairs.
• Constantinople (ancient Byzantium) becomes new
  capital.
• By end of 4th cent., Christianity was official
  state religion.

Basilica of St. John Lateran
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II. The Christian Empire (313-476)

• Christian reactions to establishment
• Accommodation/welcome
• Most welcomed the changes.
• Eusebius wrote church history glorifying
  Constantine and the establishment of Christianity
  as the religion of the empire.
• Caution/resistance
• Many thought church was becoming too worldly.
• Gave boost to monastic movement.
• Rise of monasticism
• Not brand new but received major boost.
• Types of monasticism
• Eremitical
• Lone hermits (monk living alone).
• Anthony of Egypt (3rd cent.).
• Cenobitic (communal)
• Monks or nuns living communally in a monastery.
• Pachomius established 1st monastery c. 320.
• Monastic rules featured vows of poverty,
  celibacy, obedience.
• Influence Most learning/books during middle ages
  were preserved in monasteries.

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II. The Christian Empire (313-476)

• D. Theological controversies
• Arianism
• Arius Christ not fully divine not coeternal
  with God the Father.
• Created as firstborn of all creation.
• There was a time when he was not.
• Heteroousios Christ is of a different
  substance than Father.
• Athanasius Christ is coeternal with the Father.
• Homoousios Christ is of same substance as the
  Father.
• Wanted full divinity of Christ.
• Constantine summoned church council to resolve
  dispute.
• Council of Nicaea (325)
• First of 7 ecumenical councils (worldwide all
  bishops invited).
• Three main parties
• Arius heteroousios (different substance).
• Athanasius homoouios (same substance).
• Compromise homoiousios (similar substance).
• Ruled in favor of Athanasius and full divinity of
  Christ.

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II. The Christian Empire (313-476)

• D. Theological development cont.
• Nicene Creed
• More detailed than Apostles Creed.
• Incorporates anti-Arian language
• Christ is true God from true God.
• Christ is begotten, not made.
• Christ is of the same substance with the
  Father.
• Further controversies
• Council of Constantinople (381)
• Revised Nicene Creed.
• Clarified equality of Father, Son, and Holy
  Spirit.
• Council of Chalcedon (451)
• Jesus was truly God and truly human.
• Two natures in one person.

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II. The Christian Empire (313-476)

• Important theologians
• Augustine (354-430)
• Most influential theologian since Paul.
• Doctrines of grace, original sin, and
  predestination.
• Confessions autobiography classic of Christian
  devotional literature.
• City of God defense of Christianity during
  decline of empire.
• Jerome (345-419)
• Translated Latin Vulgate.
• Followed the more inclusive OT canon of the
  Septuagint (Greek version).
• Official Bible of Western church.

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Byzantine Empire
Constantinople (ancient Byzantium)
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The Nicene Creed

• WE BELIEVE in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
  maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen
  and unseen.
• We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only
  Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God
  from God, Light from Light, true God from true
  God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the
  Father. Through him all things were made.
• For us and for our salvation he came down from
  heaven by the power of the Holy Spirit he became
  incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made
  man.
• For our sake he was crucified under Pontius
  Pilate he suffered death and was buried. On the
  third day he rose again in accordance with the
  Scriptures he ascended into heaven and is seated
  at the right hand of the Father.
• He will come again in glory to judge the living
  and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
• We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the
  giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and
  the Son. With the Father and the Son he is
  worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through
  the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and
  apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for
  the forgiveness of sins. We look for the
  resurrection of the dead, and the life of the
  world to come.
• Amen.