Early Church History - Introduction to Christianity - Lecture Slides, Slides of Religion

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Early Church History (100-500 AD)

I. The Ancient Church (100-313)

II. The Christian Empire (313-500)

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 Docsity.com

I. The Ancient Church (100-313)

B. Heresy vs. Orthodoxy – cont.

3.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 Marcion’s (1 Tim. 4:1-5; 5:23; 6:20; 2 Tim. 3:16).

I. The Ancient Church (100-313)

B. Heresy vs. Orthodoxy – cont.

4.Safeguards of orthodoxy

• Canon (scripture)
  • “Canon” = reed  measuring stick  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.

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 God’s victory.

I. The Ancient Church (100-313)

3. Beginnings of persecution – cont.

c. 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? d. Typical Roman policy (100-313)
• Illegal; suspected.
• Not systematically hunted down.
• Sporadic waves of persecution.

I. The Ancient Church (100-313)

5.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.”

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

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.

II. The Christian Empire (313-476)

D. Theological development – cont.

3. 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.”

4. 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.

Byzantine Empire

Constantinople

(ancient Byzantium)

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.