APPLICATION OF EARLY

CHURCH HISTORY
Apostles to Pre-Reformation
Syllabus Review
Introduction to Church History

o What is church history?

 History
 Church history
 Warrant for the study of church history

o Importance of church history

Introduction to Church History

o What is history?
 Everything that has ever happened in the past?
The French equivalent for the English word history, is “historie” and German equivalence
is “Geschichte,” both means ‘to happen’. History is “an incidence, and an actual event in
time and space as a result of human action(s) or inaction(s).”
This is not very useful, however, because, until we get a time machine, we cannot know
everything that happened.

 The written record of what happened in the past or put another way,
history is what historians write?
But historians usually refer to their own body of writing as historiography, not history. A
written record depends upon primary sources, what the historian terms evidence.
Introduction to Church History

o What is history?
 History involves Information about the incident
The information that one gets about an incident (that does exist in the present),
through the historian’s research and reflections.

 Inquiry or research to check as well as to find data about the past?

 Brittanica's definition
History is a discipline that studies the chronological record of events, usually
attempting, on the basis of a critical examination of source materials, to explain
events.
Introduction to Church History

o What is history?

 The interpreted record of the socially significant human past,

based on organized data
collected by the scientific method
from archaeological, literary, or living source.
Introduction to Church History
o What is church history?

 The study of past events, councils, and affairs pertaining to the

church.
 "The story of the Christian community and its relationship to
the rest of the world throughout the ages" (A. M. Renwick).
Introduction to Church History
o What is church history?

 “Church History, then, is

The interpreted record of the origin, progress and impact of
Christianity upon human society,
based upon organized data gathered by scientific method from
archaeological, documentary or living sources.

It is the interpreted and organized story of the redemption of man

and the earth” (E. E. Cairns).
Introduction to Church History
o Definition of Church

 Local/visible church vs universal/invisible church.

- The Greek word for church is “Εκκλησία”
- a designation for the people of God
that is an assembly of people called out by God
(universal/invisible church).
- Its visible existence, however, has forms of organization and
structures (local/visible church).
Introduction to Church History
o Warrant for the study of church history

 We learn from church history how God’s plan of redemption

has worked out from the time of the end of the first century until
today – History is His Story just as much as it is ours.
 Studying church history demonstrates concretely that the
Christian faith is historical in character – it deals with real
people in real places in real time. .
Introduction to Church History
o Importance/value of church history

 The study of church history is meant to provide more than just

inspiration.
 Serious reflection on the past
- protects us from error,
- reminds us of God’s faithfulness
- motivates us to persevere.
Introduction
o Importance/value of church history

 Reminding the root of our faith

 In order to understand where we’re going, we need to
understand where we came from.
 This is the value of history in general.
 God’s preservation
 Church history solidifies our faith
Introduction to Church History
o Importance/value of church history

 Christianity is the acts of God in time.

 Withouthistory, Christian theology becomes theoretical rather
than practical.
 Christianityis first and foremost the acts of God in time (and
ultimately in Christ) more than it is morality, doctrinal
formulations, or a worldview.
Introduction to Church History
o Importance/value of church history

 Protection from error.

 Irish philosopher Edmund Burke: “Those who don’t know history
are doomed to repeat it.”
 The study of church history helps protect us from repeating the
foolish mistakes of others.
Introduction
o Importance/value of church history

 Reminder of God’s faithfulness

 To study church history demonstrates the working of God and
his unbending faithfulness.
 Christians must regularly reflect upon this truth in a world where
there is increasing persecution of the church and the future
seems uncertain.
 Scripture provides a wealth of history to remind us of God’s
steadfast faithfulness.
Introduction to Church History
o Church History Outline

1. The Age of Jesus and the Apostles (6 B.C. – A.D. 70)

2. The Age of Catholic Christianity (70 – 312)
3. The Age of the Christian Roman Empire (312 – 590)
4. The Christian Middle Ages (590 – 1517)
5. The Age of the Reformation (1517 – 1648)
6. The Age of Reason and Revival (1648 – 1789 )
7. The Age of Progress (1789 – 1914)
8. The Age of Ideologies (1914 – 1989)
9. The Age of Technology and the Spirit (1990 -
 I. Beginning of the Church

A. The Historical Context of the Early Church

 The Roman World
 Jesus’ birth under the emperor Augustus, his ministry under Tiberius,
 The Bible mentioned the Roman governors and other officials.
 The army—the legions made up of Roman citizens and the auxiliaries composed of
native peoples—was a constant presence on the frontiers and in provinces where
disturbances were frequent. The peacetime duties of soldiers were the building of roads
and securing the safety of travel.
 Roman law is one of Rome’s enduring legacies to the Western world.
 Latin not only was the official language of government but also became the common
language in the western provinces; from the second century and after, Christianity in
those regions expressed its message in Latin.
 A. The Historical Context of the Early Church
 The Roman World: Roman Rule (B.C. 63 – 70 A.D.)
 Political Loyalty.
 One man ruled the empire – the emperor
 Caesar Augustus reigned from c. B.C. 27 - AD 14.
 Political and social stability.
 The pax Romana under Augustus provided political and social stability, which made
possible the easy movement of ideas and people.
 The Roman roads were one such example of this peace and easy movement.
 Economy - A great network of trade bound together the costal cities of the Empire into a
single shared economy.
 A. The Historical Context of the Early Church
 Roman Rule (B.C. 63 – 70 A.D.)
 Intellectual and religious culture.
 The dominant culture was not actually Roman, but Greek.
 By the end of the 4th century BC, the language and values of Greek civilization spread
from Greece across the whole Eastern world.
 Philosophy
- The 1st and 2nd centuries AD mark the high-point of Stoic and Cynic influence
- Yet the general movement is towards the collapse of philosophy into religion
 Greco-Roman Religion.
- Emperor cult was the most dominant and was an expression of patriotic allegiance.
- Gods of the Pantheon were becoming more myths to the people than a
representation of their true beliefs.
 A. The Historical Context of the Early Church
 The Greek World
 Greek influences were predominant in language, education, literature, and
philosophy at the beginning of Christianity.
 The Greek cultural influences were felt in Rome and regions to the west, even
among those who did not speak Greek.
 The great philosophical systems of Plato and Aristotle had been largely replaced in
the Hellenistic age by philosophies more directed to practical and moral interests,
principally Stoicism and Epicureanism, but interest in Aristotle and especially Plato
revived in the early Christian centuries.
 The social lives of people were guided by a combination of Roman legal and Greek
societal norms.
 A. The Historical Context of the Early Church
 The Jewish World
 The period of the Second temple Judaism
 Unifying factors.
 Culture.
- More than doctrine
- Jewish culture bound the Jews together.
 Identity as God’s chosen people.
- God chose them to be the bearers of his truth.
 The Temple, priesthood, and festivals.
- To speak against the Temple was to speak against God (cf. John 2:19).
 A. The Historical Context of the Early Church
 The period of the Second temple Judaism
 Unifying factors.
 Synagogue.
- especially so for Diaspora Jews
- primarily aa a school where children learned the Law and traditions of the
elders.
- A place of worship, civil litigation, and socialization.
 Law and the tradition - especially circumcision, food laws, and the Sabbath.
 Messianic anticipation - Especially in light of Roman occupation in the land God
promised
 A. The Historical Context of the Early Church
 The period of the Second temple Judaism
 Diversity.
 Sadducees.
 Pharisees
 Essenes.
 Zealots.
 Samaritans.
 Peasantry, the am ba-aretz (“the people of the land.”)
 A. The Historical Context of the Early Church
 The period of the Second temple Judaism
 Diversity.
 Sadducees.
- Belonged to priestly aristocracy, had influence in places of power through
family ties.
- Not influential among common people.
- Held only to Torah – the 5 books of Moses
- More likely to cooperate with the Roman secular authorities, as they were
more embracing of Greco-Roman culture.
- They were theologically at odds with the Pharisees at virtually every point.
 A. The Historical Context of the Early Church
 The period of the Second temple Judaism
 Diversity.
 Pharisees
- High interest in keeping Judaism
- Emphasized practical piety. They were the biblical fundamentalists of their day.
- The most influential group among the people, especially through the synagogues.
- Emphasized the tradition of the elders.
- Theological emphases:
- They believed in the true and living God, angels and spirits, the sovereignty of
God, prayer, the necessity of faith and good works, the last judgment, a coming
Messiah, and the resurrection of the dead.
 A. The Historical Context of the Early Church
 The period of the Second temple Judaism
 Diversity.
 Essenes.
- They are the group that kept the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran
- Theologically speaking, they believed themselves to be God’s faithful
remnant spoken of in the Old Testament.
- Strict predestinarians
- Lived communally, looking for a political Messiah(s)
 Zealots.
- Used physical violence to overthrow their political oppressors
- Wanted to bring about the rule of God through the people of Israel.
- Considered themselves patriots; however, they were often little more than
hired guns (assassins).
 A. The Historical Context of the Early Church
 The period of the Second temple Judaism
 Diversity.
 Samaritans.
- Multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, syncretic Judaism
- Not permitted to participate in the rebuilding the Temple
- Very resentful of the Jews
- Set up their own Temple on Mt. Gerizim
 Peasantry, the am ba-aretz (“the people of the land.”)
- Majority of the people living in Palestine
- This group made up most of Jesus’ disciples.
 A. The Historical Context of the Early Church
 Roman Rule (B.C. 63 – 70 A.D.)
 General Disposition.
 Sense of pessimism about really being able to know truth.
 Turing away from outward, future oriented pursuits.
 Loss of confidence in being able to find meaning from every day life
 There was a movement towards a kind of monotheism; polytheism is dead.
 A deep concern for ethics and issue of human meaning and happiness.
 A. The Historical Context of the Early Church
 Roman Rule (B.C. 63 – 70 A.D.)
 The birth of Christianity.
 Torah-centered belief mixed with cautious Hellenization.
 In Diaspora, a large population of “post-Jews”
- discontented with Judaism and so influenced by Greco-Roman religion and
philosophy that their Judaism became nothing more than an ethnic description.
 Roman Empire: Herod the Great, Roman ruler
- launched a massive rebuilding and refurbishing of the Temple.
- makes high priesthood completely political appointment.
 Greek setting: language, philosophy, social value
 B. Jesus and the Beginnings of the Church
 The Ministry of Jesus.
 Jesus was born about 4 BC or earlier, while Herod the Great, by the
will of Rome, was the king of Judea.
 The theme of his message: “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and
believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15).
 popularfollowing and aroused hopes for the imminent God’s mighty
intervention in the history of his people.
 His death and resurrection that was God’s vindication of Jesus.
 B. Jesus and the Beginnings of the Church
 The founding of the church in Jerusalem
A. The church began at Pentecost
B. The first church in Jerusalem: Jews and Gentiles
C. The church was led by apostles. The overall leader was Peter (for 25 years)
D. Antioch, the first major Gentile church.
E. The message of the church
: the resurrection of Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit leading.
F. The rapid growth
G. Much opposition from the Jews due to the sense of losing their power.
H. Relations between Rome and Christianity
: from moderate to good from about B.C. 161 to the first century.
C. The Separation between Judaism and Christianity
 Result of the destruction of the Temple – redefining themselves.
 Judaism
a) “fence-building” - greater emphasis on tradition.
b) Jewish believers are being separated from synagogue worship
C. The Separation between Judaism and Christianity
 Result of the destruction of the Temple
 Christians
a) “moving out on its own.”
b) Reformation of Judaism around Jesus as the true Judaism.
c) toward Gentile predominance.

 The destruction of Jerusalem marks the end of the apostolic age.

 C. The Separation between Judaism and Christianity

 The Separation between Judaism and Christianity

 Theological Considerations.
 Regarding the Mosaic Law and the Temple
: Judaism - for his special people, the Jews.
: Christianity – temporary,
- pointing to the coming Messiah, who would fulfil all
righteousness for all people.
- The central purpose of the Old Testament was to promise the
Messiah. He has come. Jesus is his name.
C. The Separation between Judaism and Christianity
 Mission to the Gentiles
A. Paul’s conversion
B. Paul’s work – 13 letters to the churches in the Asia Minor
C. The Propagator of the Gospel.
1. from Antioch to Rome.
2. urban centers and began in the synagogue.
3. organized a church as self-governing church.
4. self-supporting church
5. These churches also became self-propagating
 D. Church in the Subapostolic Age
 The removal of Jerusalem as a geographical center of Christianity
 The removal from the scene of three dominant personalities from the
apostolic age
 the suppression of the Jewish revolt in Palestine against Roman rule (66–
70/73) that resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem,
 The banishment Jews from Jerusalem after Bar Kokhba revolt in 135
 The Palestinian church itself became Gentile church
 D. Church in the Subapostolic Age
Apostolic Fathers
 EarlyChurch Fathers - leaders in the church for the first six
centuries of church history such as Polycarp, Clement of
Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, and Irenaeus
The Didache and 1 Clement overlap in time the later
New Testament writings.
Apostolic fathers
Subset of early church fathers
Traditionally connected directly with the apostles
themselves
 D. Church in the Subapostolic Age
 Apostolic Fathers
 Writings of Apostolic
Fathers
 E. Church Life in the 1st Century
Church Life in the Apostolic Age
a common faith in Jesus and a common core of
apostolic teachings that set limits to the diversity.
The Old Testament Scriptures as the Word of God
and commitment to interpret them in the light of the
new revelation in Jesus Christ.
Common practices – baptism, the Lord’s Supper,
Sunday assemblies and moral emphasis.
daily observance of prayer to Jesus and his teachings
about prayer.
 Reflection
 Christianity is not a new religion. Rather, it reformed the Judaism as
true Judaism.
 Christianity is a historical faith. It is not an esoteric, philosophical, or
abstract school of thought. The whole faith is rooted and centered
upon the person of Jesus Christ who lived in this world.
 Church History is not just a series of dates, names, and places. It is
the study of the only true walk of faith. That means that the only true
doctrinal foundations come through this line.
 God has used historical settings to be established more firmly through
the historical background.
 II. The Church and the Empire
A. The First Conflicts with the States
 Persecution from Jews
 ForJews who rejected Christianity, it was a new heresy, tempting
good Jews to become heretics.
 It was Jews who persecute Christians (in the New Testament).
 Romans preferred to stay out of such matter.
 Distinction between Christians and Jews
 Messianic expectation
 Christian proclamation to the Gentiles: to become participants of
the promise Abraham and his descendants
 As Jewish nationalism increased and led to rebellion against
Rome, Roman authority began to give attention of Christianity
as different from Judaism.
 A. The First Conflicts with the States
 Attitudes of the Empire toward Christians
 At the beginning, depended on the attitude of the local officials.

 Indifferent or not antagonists until provoked.

 Christians were now recognized by the authorities in Rome as
distinct from Jews.
 AfterNero’s persecution, Christians now recognized by the
authorities as distinct from Jews.
 Persecution was always present as a possibility.
 A. The First Conflicts with the States
 Persecution
 Attitudes of Pagans toward Christians
 popular enmity.
 In good times people will tolerate others with strange customs
or beliefs,
 In bad times they take a more negative attitude.
 James was stoned to death in Jerusalem in AD 62 on the
authority of the High Priest.
 Christianswere blames for various calamities since they did not
worship the traditional gods.
 The Christian Apologists repeatedly responded to three other
charges: atheism, cannibalism, and incest.
 A. The First Conflicts with the States
Persecution
Accusation against the Christian way of life
a. Anti-social
1) Christians did not go to the arena because they believed it glorified
violence. Christ is the giver of life, not death.
2) Many Christians did not allow their children to be publicly educated
because their education involved the worship of pagan deities.
3) Christians rejected abortion.
 A. The First Conflicts with the States
Persecution
Accusation against the Christian way of life
a. Anti-social
1) Christians opposed easy divorce. The vast majority did not permit a
divorced person to remarry and many even disapproved of widows
and widowers remarrying.
2) Many Christians would not fight in the army because it not only
involved the worship of pagan gods, but also because many
Christian leaders objected to killing another human being for any
reason.
 A. The First Conflicts with the States
 Persecution
 Accusation against the Christian way of life
b. Atheistic
1) Because Christians would not confess the lordship of the Emperor or
other deities, but only Jesus Christ.
c. Cannibalistic
1) Christians often met in secret because of their experience of intense
persecution. This secrecy created a very active rumor mill and
obviously gross misunderstanding about the Christian faith and
practice.
2) The church’s celebration of the Lord’s Supper was thought to be
cannibalistic.
 A. The First Conflicts with the States
Persecution
Accusation against the Christian way of life
d. Incestuous: Christians were thought to be incestuous (excessively
close and resistant to outside influence) because they referred to one another
as brother and sister.
e. Anti-establishment: Since the Christians would not acknowledge
state religions, they were seen to be potential political threats.
 A. The First Conflicts with the States
 Persecution
 The legal basis of the persecution
 Christians worshipped a man who had been crucified by the judicial
decision of a Roman governor. That circumstance would always be
prejudicial against Christians.
 An imperial decree : “Being a Christian is forbidden.”
 Emperor Trajan
 Christians were not to be sought out, but if accused and convicted
they were to be punished.
 No anonymous accusation to be received.
 The deniers were to be pardoned;
 punishment was on the basis of the “name.” - “I asked whether they
were Christians.”
 A. The First Conflicts with the States
 Nero’s Persecution.
 Nero’s persecution took place after a fire that burned six days
and nights took down 10 of Rome’s 14 districts.
 First, blamed the fire on Christians.
 Later, they were persecuted for the mere fact of being
Christians.
 Persecution under Domitian
 Domitian loved and respected Roman tradition.
 Christians rejected to worship Roman gods and traditions
 The emperor persecuted Jews and those who followed
Jewish practice
 Only in Rome and Asia Minor areas
 A. The First Conflicts with the States
 Persecution

 Accusation against the Christian way of life

• Septiminus Severus (202-11) - Conversion to Christianity was forbidden.
• Maximinus (235-36): Execution of many Christian church leaders.
• Decius (249-51)
• It was the first Empire-wide persecution of believers
• Christians required by the state to return to paganism or face torture and death.
• Valerian (257-60)
• It was illegal for Christians to assemble.
• Attempted to murder all the church’s leaders (bishops and presbyters).

 Roman persecution increased and continued until 311 A.D.

 B. Christian Responses to the persecution
 Results of the Persecution in the church
a) The blood of the martyrs became the "seed of the church.“
b) By the year 200, Christians could be found in all parts of the
Empire.
c) By 300, various estimates place the size of the church at between
5 and 15 percent of the Roman Empire. The population of the
Empire was estimated at 50-75 million, so Christians would be
between 2.5-11.25 million.
d) The Diocletian persecution forced upon the church the problem of
the Canon.
• No one wanted to die for non-canonical books.
• Thus, final decisions were to be made: Christ or Caesar?
 B. Christian Responses to the persecution
TwoResponses: Apologetics and Martyrdom
Apologetics
The apology, “a defense.”
 Christians put in writing the statement of their case and their plea
for tolerance.
 They also told the story of their faithful members who died in
testimony to their faith.
 Apologists put in writing the statement of their case and their plea for
tolerance. They also told the story of their faithful members who died in
testimony to their faith.
Martyrdom, “a witness.”
 III. Development of Christianity
A. Heresies and Schisms in the 2nd Century
 Orthodoxyand Heresy
 Notable heresies and heretics.
a. Gnosticism
1) The creation of the world was the result of a pre-cosmic
disaster.
2) The elect few has become imprisoned in matter.
3) Dualists, believing that the spirit is everything, the body
nothing.
4) the existence of an ultimate spiritual being. This being is
superior to the physical world and its creator
5) Rejected the doctrine of the resurrection of the body,
preferring the Platonic doctrine of the immortality of the
soul.
 A. Heresies and Schisms in the 2nd Century
Orthodoxy and Heresy
 Notableheresies and heretics.
b. Montanism
1) Montanus from Mysia claimed to receive special
prophecies and revelations from God that told him that he
had been specially chosen as God’s mouthpiece.
2) Emphasized charismatic, ecstatic experiences (tongues,
prophecy, etc.).
3) Emphasized the nearness of Christ’s return.
4) The church’s opposition
- the Christian revelation was complete. Nothing new in
principle could be added to the apostolic deposit
of faith.
 A. Heresies and Schisms in the 2nd Century
Orthodoxy and Heresy
Notable heresies and heretics.
c. Marcion
1) Wealthy ship-owner from Sinope.
2) He loved the teachings of Jesus and Paul.
3) God in the Old Testament as God of harsh
judgements, fighting and smiting.
4) He compiled a bible from disciples’ writings, choosing
the Gospel of Luke, and ten letters of Paul
5) Docetic as well, Marcion held that Christ had a body
only in appearance.
 A. Heresies and Schisms in the 2nd Century
Orthodoxy and Schisms
Notable Schisms
a. Montanism
1) Founded by Montanus as an attempt to bring the
church out of formalism and the dependence on
human leadership into a life of absolute dependence
and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
2) inspiration was immediate and continuous – declared
himself the mouthpiece of the Paraclete.
3) believed in the imminent second advent of Jesus
Christ.
4) Condemned in c. 190
 A. Heresies and Schisms in the 2nd Century
 Orthodoxy and Schisms
 Notable Schisms
a. Donatism
1) Named after the Berber Christian bishop Donatus Magnus
2) Rejected a Carthaginian bishop because he had 'handed
over" the Scriptures under force - Christian clergy must be
faultless for their ministry to be effective and their prayers
and sacraments to be valid.
3) Donatists consecrated their own bishop, thereby, in effect,
establishing a separate church.
4) Condemned by Council of Arles in 314.
 B. Responses to the Heresies and Schisms
The Role of heresies and schisms
a) Providentially, it stimulates to the growth of the church.
b) Heresies compelled the church towards self-examination,
conscious reflection, clearer thinking and formulation of its
commitments.
 A. Heresies and Schisms in the 2nd Century

 As responses to the internal problem of heretical teaching

a) Apologists and polemicists defend the faith in writings
- the apologists sought to give a rational explanation and
justification of Christianity to the authorities
- The polemicists endeavored to meet the challenge of false
teaching with an aggressive condemnation of those teachings.
b) Canon of the New Testament
c) Apostolic Creed, an authoritative statement of belief.
d) sought obedience to the monarchical bishops, among whom the
Roman bishop took a place of leadership.
e) Around 170, the church was calling itself the catholic or universal
church.
 B. Responses to the Heresies and Schisms

Apologetics
The “Apologists”: defenders of the faith
b) Main characters
1) Eastern Apologist: Justin Martyr (100-165 AD)
2) Western Apologist: Tertullian (155-230 AD)
3) Irenaeus of Lyons (b. c. 115 -125 d. c. 130-142 AD)
4) Theophilus of Antioch (d. c. 183-185 AD)
 B. Responses to the Heresies and Schisms

Apologetics
The “Polemicists”
a) the apologists - to give a rational explanation and
justification of Christianity
b) the polemicists - to meet the challenge of false teaching
with an aggressive condemnation of those teachings.
c) Irenaeus, the Anti-Gnostic Polemicist.
 B. Responses to the Heresies and Schisms

The Apologists

The general character and significance of the

apologists
 Illustrate local church life immediately after the death of
the apostles.
 Illustrate problems in the church – false doctrine and
persecution and other localized problems.
 Preserve cardinal doctrines, which demonstrate that key
elements of NT doctrine and practice were preserved in
the church.
 B. Responses to the Heresies and Schisms

The Apologists

The general character and significance of the

apologists
 A high Christology; Christ’s deity was not in doubt in the
2nd century.
 Emphasis on justification by grace, of faith, the
importance of the cross, the confession of Christ.
 Showed the rational character of the Christian faith; its
reasonableness.
 B. Responses to the Heresies and Schisms

The apologists
Significant works
1) The Letter of Clement – written to the Corinthian church
to settle a dispute there.
2) The Letters of Ignatius of Antioch
3) The Didache - the oldest surviving handbook of church
discipline in two parts
4) The Fragments of Papias
5) The Letter of Barnabas
 B. Responses to the Heresies and Schisms

 Apostolic fathers
• Tertullian (c. 155-220)
- Terms like “Trinity,” “substance,” and “person” were first used
by Tertullian, key terminology for the church.
• Cyprian (c. 200-258)
- First early father to set forth a doctrine of Communion in
sacrificial terms.
• Origen (c. 184-254)
- He wrote the first systematic theology (First Principles).
- Allegorical interpretation of Scripture
- Threefold meaning: bodily, moral, and spiritual meaning
 B. Responses to the Heresies and Schisms

 The Rule of Faith

• The correct teaching passed down in the churches by their bishops
and presbyters
• It was termed by Irenaeus as the “rule of faith.”
• It is a summary of the apostolic message
• It contains articles needful for salvation.
• expressed the legitimate content of Scripture, not a separate body of
doctrine.
• Its focus on the historical acts of God’s saving work in Jesus Christ
- His virgin birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and coming again in
judgement.
• They are used to test orthodoxy, to recognize fellow believers, and
serve as a convenient summary of the essentials of faith.
 B. Responses to the Heresies and Schisms

 The Apostles’ Creed

 Moving out of the second century, a creedal formulation became
necessary to protect the average Christian from the influences
of Gnosticism and Montanism.
 During the period of theological controversy between 313 and
451, universal creeds were made by representatives of the
whole church.
 The Apostolic creed gradually took shape throughout the church
from about A.D. 200 to 750.
 The reason it is called the Apostles’ Creed is that it was believed
to have been created by the apostles themselves as a
baptismal confession.
 B. Responses to the Heresies and Schisms
The biblical canon
a) The church began with a canon of Scripture.
b) Christians placed Jesus at the center of their faith. They
followed the OT as related to Jesus and as interpreted in
reference to him.
c) Added its interpretation by Jesus
d) Jewish heritage, not only the Jewish Scriptures, but also
other writings
e) Limiting the Old Testament to the thirty-nine books.
f) The Roman Catholic Church – added the “Apocrypha” to its
Old Testament
 B. Responses to the Heresies and Schisms
The New Testament Canon
1) Distance themselves from heresy, the fathers
sought to delineate what was Scripture from what
was not.
2) Irenaeus realized that it was necessary to have a
canon or fixed list of authoritative writers of the New
Testament if the Gnostics and their sacred writings
were to be overthrown.
3) Marcion stimulated the church for canon formation
 B. Responses to the Heresies and Schisms
The biblical canon
The formation
1) The Criteria for canonicity
a) Inspiration
b) Apostolicity
c) Applicability to the whole church (catholicity)
d) Widespread acceptance by the people of God –
public reading in the assembly
e) Content/orthodoxy – right doctrine
 B. Responses to the Heresies and Schisms
Orthodoxy and Heresy
The Stages of its formation
* Three stages
1) The Scripture principle - The first stage was marked by the
transition from the oral to the written form of the Christian
message.
2) The canonical principle - The second stage in the formation of
the canon is marked by the transition from recognition of written
authority to explicit recognition.
3) A closed canon - The third stage is the logical move from the
recognition of a canon to the attempt to define its exact limits,
from an “open” canon to a “closed” canon.
 C. The Church in 3rd and 4th Centuries
 The Monarchial Bishop
 During the period between 100-313, the church was forced to
consider how it could best meet the external persecution from the
Roman state and the internal problem of heretical teaching and
consequent schism.
 Around 170 the church was calling itself the catholic or universal
church.
 Practicaland theoretical necessities led to the exaltation of one
bishop's position in each church.
1) The need of leadership in meeting the problems of persecution
and heresy was a practical need that dictated the expansion of
the bishop's power.
2) They also developed the "doctrine of apostolic succession
 C. The Church in 3rd and 4th Centuries
The Monarchial Bishop
 Rome took preeminence
- Based on Matt 16:18 - Christ gave to Peter, who was
presumably the first bishop of Rome, a position of primacy
among the apostles.
- Matt 16:19, Christ also gave Peter the "keys to the
kingdom" and later He specially commissioned him to "feed
His sheep.“ (John 21:15-17)
- The Roman church from the earliest of times insisted that
Peter was the apostolic leader.
 C. The Church in 3rd and 4th Centuries
Order and Authority
 The Apostolic
Succession, Church Unity, and Loyalty
under Persecution
• Apostolic succession and the fight to preserve the church’s
unity
• Apostolicity
- Irenaeus emphasized the organic unity of the church
through the apostolic succession of leaders from Christ
and a rule of faith.
- Ignatius (2nd century) paved the way by arguing that the
bishop was the great bond of church unity and therefore a
powerful defense against heresy.
 C. The Church in 3rd and 4th Centuries

Order and Authority

Episcopy
a) Three offices by AD 180: bishop, presbyters, and
deacons
1) The early church saw the bishop engaging in some
apostolic ministry, but not having the status of the
apostles themselves.
2) In fact, the bishops of this era were careful to cite the
apostles as the final authority for faith and life.
 D. The Christian Life in 3rd and 4th Centuries
 Christian Assemblies
 From the earliest days, the church had established the custom of
meeting for communion and worship on the first day of the week,
Sunday, “Lord’s Day.”
 Many Jewish Christians – observe the Sabbath (the seventh day)
as a day of rest, in addition to meeting for the Lord’s supper on the
first day of the week.
 activities in the Sunday assembly:
- readings from the memoirs of the apostles or writings of the
prophets,
- a sermon based on the readings,
- prayer,
- the eucharist of bread and wine mixed with water, and a
voluntary contribution for those in need.
 D. The Christian Life in 3rd and 4th Centuries
Christian Initiation
 Regarding conduct, slaves were taught to please their master,
 married persons to be content with their spouse,
 and unmarried persons to avoid fornication.
 Prostitutes, sodomites,
 and magicians were not even considered for membership.
 Sculptors and painters must not make idols or else they too were
rejected.
 D. The Christian Life in 3rd and 4th Centuries
Christian Life
 faston Wednesday and Friday in contrast to the fasts by Jews
(Pharisees) on Monday and Thursday.
 praying the Lord’s Prayer three times a day.
 Jesus’ interpretation of the law continued to provide the
summary of Christian moral teaching in the Apologists, basic
to the earliest instruction of new converts about the manner of
life expected of Christians.
 D. The Christian Life in 3rd and 4th Centuries
 Christian Life
 faston Wednesday and Friday in contrast to the fasts by Jews
(Pharisees) on the Christian moral life
• central to their argument for the truth of Christianity –
Apologists
• attracted the favorable attention of some pagans.
• not only opposed fornication, adultery, and homosexuality,
but also defended the goodness of marriage against the
ascetic tendencies of the time.
• Charity for the poor and the underprivileged was a
characteristic of early Christianity.
 D. The Christian Life in 3rd and 4th Centuries
Beginnings of Christian Art and Architecture
 The first identifiable Christian art appeared around the year
200.
 Christian
art borrowed from both classical and non-classical
influences on late antique art.
 Thecatacombs, not hiding places in times of persecution, nor
normally places of assembly. The rooms and their entrances
were sometimes decorated with small paintings, and the stone
slabs covering the burial niches in the galleries were
sometimes chiseled with inscriptions or simple pictures.
 D. The Christian Life in 3rd and 4th Centuries
The Church in the later 3rd Century
 The
church order, according to Didascalia (“Teaching of the
Apostles”)
 Christians
keep only the Ten Commandments of the Old
Testament.
 thebishop as the necessary head of the local church – its
teacher and preacher, moral watchman, judge in cases of
discipline, pastor who seeks the lost sheep, and spiritual
physician healing sick souls who repent.
 The bishop was assisted by presbyters as counselors.
 E. Success of Christianity during the 3rd Century

Why did Christianity succeed?

 Internal conditions
 the firm belief in the truth of the Christian religion
 the universal outlook of the Christian faith that was open to
all,
 the effective practice of brotherly love and charity that
produced a society meeting all needs of its members,
 E. Success of Christianity during the 3rd Century

Why did Christianity succeed?

 Internal conditions
 the disciplined self-government of individual Christian
communities that were united with one another,
 the practice of fellowship that gave a strong sense of
community,
 the combination of the strengths of religious practice and
philosophical thought.
 E. Success of Christianity during the 3rd Century

Why did Christianity succeed?

 External evidence
 the spread of Judaism provided a base of operations for
Christian preaching throughout the Roman world
 The Hellenizing of the eastern Mediterranean provided a
common language and ideas,
 The political unity under Rome provided peace, stability,
and possibilities for travel.
 E. Success of Christianity during the 3rd Century
Why did Christianity succeed?
 Christianideas were for the most part acceptable to pagans
 High moral standards
 Monotheism
 a claim to prophetic revelation
 Internal conditions
 Sociological factors
 the positive attitudes toward women, family, and children,
as well
 the care for the sick in times of illness
 F. Persecutions during the 3rd Century

 Persecutions
 Principal Phases
• From the time of the Roman emperors Domitian (d. 96) to
Decius (d. 251), Christianity was understood as distinct from
Judaism.
• Christianity often had its hardest times under the strongest
emperors, such as Marcus Aurelius and Septimius Severus.
• Christianity experienced a particularly favorable situation under
Alexander Severus (222–35) and Philip the Arabian (244–49)
• Under Decius (249–51) and Valerian (253–60), the empire
declared war on the church with an effort at systematic
oppression.
 F. Persecutions during the 3rd Century

 Persecutions

 The Decian Persecution (250 A.D.)

• The first empire-wide, officially sanctioned, persecution
• First, the arrest of the higher clergy.
• Second, a universal order to sacrifice to the gods of the
empire – “certificate of sacrifice”
 F. Persecutions during the 3rd Century

Persecutions
 Valerian resumed the persecution in 257 A.D.
• Priest’s, and the church’s corporate property were seized,
• Christians in the imperial service were sent in chains to
work the imperial estates.
• Reasons? - greed by the rulers, the economic collapse
blamed on the disfavor of the gods, popular hostility
• Probably more significant reason was a conservative
religious policy aimed at strengthening traditional Roman
paganism.