ascent session 2 – the history of...

AscentSession2–TheHistoryofChristianity

PhasesofChurchHistory

EarlyChurchHistory• TheSpreadofChristianityintheEmpire(to100)• TheStruggleoftheChurchforSurvival(100-313)• TheSupremacyoftheChurch(313-590)

MedievalChurchHistory• TheRiseoftheEmpireandLatin-TeutonicChristianity(590-800)• Feudalism,Islam,andtheGreatSchismof1054(to1054)• TheSupremacyofthePapacy(1054-1305)• MedievalSunsetandModernSunrise(1305-1517)

ModernChurchHistory• ProtestantReformationandRomanCatholicCounter-Reformation

(1517-1648)• TheNewWorld(to1783)• MissionsandModernism(1789-1914)• ChurchandSocietyinTension(1914-Present)

Definitions

Catholic• FromLatin:“universal”• Usedinmanyearlycreeds• Theterms“catholic”and“church”upuntil1517• “Roman”or“RomanCatholic”aftertheReformation

Orthodox• FromGreek:“correctopinion”or“rightthinking”• SevenEcumenicalCouncilsheldbetween325and787withtheaimof

formalizingaccepteddoctrines(orthodoxy)• Stillusedtodefinebiblicalbeliefs• “OrthodoxChurch”intheEast(andRussia)aftertheSchismof1054

Protestant• From:LetterofProtestationwrittenbyGermanLutheranPrincesin

1529againstRomancondemnationofthe“Protestants”• AmovementtocorrecterrorsintheRomanchurch,whichleadtoa

fullbreakwithRome• Manycommoncorebeliefs(againstpapalauthority,twosacraments,

justificationsbyfaithalone)althoughthereisnocentralstructureandmoredividedtheologicallyandecclesiastically

EarlyChurchHistory

InTheFullnessofTime• RomanContributions(POLITICAL):“unity”ofmankind;

freedomofmovement;roads;Romanarmy• GreekContributions(INTELLECTUAL):language;emptinessof

gods&philosophy• JewishContributions(RELIGIOUS):existenceofGod;

monotheism;messianichope;morallaw;OldTestament;meaningofhistory;synagogue

TheSpreadofChristianityintheEmpire(to100)• TotheJewFirst• AndAlsototheGreek

TheStruggleoftheChurchforSurvival(100-313)

• ExternalPressuresØ PersecutionØ PaganIntellectuals

• InternalPressuresØ Heresy

• ApostolicFathersØ ClementofRomeØ IgnatiusØ Polycarp


• PeakofPersecution(Decius,Diocletion–3rdCentury)Ø BanningofMeetingsØ DestructionofChurchesØ DepositionofOfficersØ ImprisonmentØ BurningofScripturesØ Death

• EdictofMilan(313)

TheStruggleoftheChurchforSurvival(100-313)• StrongChurchCenters• NearlyAllCornersof

theEmpire• ByAD250,5to15%of

theRomanWorldwasChristian


• DevelopmentoftheCanon• CreationofaCreed(i.e.,TheApostle’sCreed)• ObediencetotheBishops

Ø ExpandedpowerØ HierarchicalorganizationØ ApostolicSuccessionØ ExaltationoftheLord’sSupper

• ALiturgy• ABuilding

Ø BasedontheRomanBasilica

TheSupremacyoftheChurch(313-590)• ConstantineandtheEdictofMilan(313)• ThePriceof“Acceptance”• NiceneCreed(325&381)• Ambrose,Theodosius&the

ExpansionthethePoweroftheBishop

TheSupremacyoftheChurch(313-590)

• TheFallofRomeØ PowervacuumØ Importanceofthemonasteries

• BarbarianInvasions• AugustineofHippo• Benedict&Scholastica

MedievalChurchHistoryTheRiseoftheEmpireandLatin-TeutonicChristianity(590-800)

• GregoryIBecomesPopeintheWestØ SupportsBenedictinesØ Supportsmissionarywork,esp.EnglandØ DevelopsDoctrineofPurgatoryØ ShapedtheMassØ GregorianChant

• JustinianRulesintheEastØ CodeofCivilLawsØ ReconquersNorthAfricaØ BuildsHagiaSofia

Feudalism,Islam,andtheGreatSchismof1054(to1054)• Feudalism

Ø AroseaftertheFallofRomeinthevacuumofacentraltemporalauthority

Ø NosocialmobilityØ DeclineinChristianfaithØ FarlessintheEast

• IslamØ Muhammad(570-632)

Ø SpreadofthefaithbytheswordØ FinallyturnedbackbyCharles(The

Hammer)MartelattheBattleofTours(711)butremainedaconstantthreatintheEast

Feudalism,Islam,theFranks,andtheGreatSchismof1054(to1054)

• FrankishDominationofEuropeØ CharlemagneØ BeginningoftheHolyRomanEmpire

• Schismof1054Ø Severallong-standingdisputesØ EastwascutofffromtheWestforgood

andbadØ Madeformalaninformaldivision

alreadyexistingØ ResultingstagnationintheEast

TheSupremacyofthePapacy(1054-1305)

• TheCrusadesØ JerusalemfelltotheMuslimsin638Ø Access,allowedatfirst,becamefordifficultØ PopeUrbanIIØ Peasant’sCrusadeØ 1stCrusade(1096-1099)–captured

JerusalemØ 2ndCrusade(1147)–failureØ 3rdCrusade(1189-1192)–somesuccessØ 4thCrusade(1200)–negotiatedsuccessØ Children’sCrusade(1212)Ø FallofAcre(1291)Ø CrusadesinEurope

TheSupremacyofthePapacy(1054-1305)

• OtherKeyEventsØ AlfredtheGreattranslatestheBibleinEnglandØ Hungarians&PolesarewontoChristianityØ ChristianityreachesIceland&GreenlandØ BohemiaiswonØ RussiaiswonØ PopesbecomemorepoliticalØ CanonizationofsaintsØ BeliefintheimmaculateconceptionofMaryØ WilliamtheConquerorinvadesEngland(1066)Ø Monasteriescontinueasprimarylearning

centersandecclesiasticalreformØ BeginningsofGothicarchitecture

MedievalSunsetandModernSunrise(1305-1517)• FeudalismwasFadingAway• EarlyReformAttempts&NewOrders

Ø Waldensians(late12century)Ø Franciscans,Dominicans,AugustiniansØ TheScholastics(Anselm,Aquinas)

• MoralLowPoint• HundredYear’sWar(1337-1443)• BlackDeath

MedievalSunsetandModernSunrise(1305-1517)• AdditionalReformers

Ø Wycliffe(England)Ø Hus(Bohemia)

• RenaissanceinItaly• FallofConstantinople(1453)• Inquisition&Corruption• Gutenberg

Ø 1stPrintingPress(1453)

ModernChurchHistoryProtestantReformationandRomanCatholicCounter-Reformation(1517-1648)

• TheChristianHumanists• Erasmus• Zwingli• Calvin• Melanchthon• MartinLuther

• ProtestantReformationandRomanCatholicCounter-Reformation(1517-1648)

• MartinLutherWittenbergChapelDoor-31October1517ProtestantReformationandRomanCatholicCounter-Reformation(1517-1648)

• UlrichZwingli• JohnCalvin• Anabaptists• ProtestantReformationandRomanCatholicCounter-Reformation

(1517-1648)• Counter-Reformation• IgnatiusLoyola• FrancisXavier• PopePaulIII

ProtestantReformationandRomanCatholicCounter-Reformation(1517-1648)• Meanwhile,BackinEngland…• HenryVIIIandHisQuestforaSon

Ø “DefenderoftheChurch”(1520)Ø Henrywantsadivorce(1529)

Ø Pope(Clement)refusesØ HenrydeclareshimselfHeadofthe

ChurchofEnglandØ Catholic,notProtestantØ HenryinstitutessomereformsØ BloodyMary&ElizabethI

• Tyndale&KnoxinScotland• ProtestantReformationandRomanCatholicCounter-Reformation

(1517-1648)• Summary

ProtestantReformationandRomanCatholicCounter-Reformation(1517-1648)

• Copernicus&Galileo• Politics&the30YearsWar

Ø PeaceofAugsburg(1555)Ø Protestantsvs.CatholicsØ HREmperorvs.PrincesØ Francevs.HabsburgsØ PeaceofWestphalia(1648)

• PuritansinEngland

Ø FocusonScripturesØ KingJamesBibleØ ThePilgrimsØ The“MiddleRoad”ofQEI

TheNewWorld(to1783)

• Columbus(1492)• QuicklyfollowedbyotherEuropeanPowers

Ø Spain&PortugalØ FranceØ GermanicStatesØ NetherlandsØ GreatBritain

• French&IndianWar• AmericanRevolution

TheNewWorld(to1783)• French&IndianWar(1754-1763)• AmericanRevolution(1775-1783)

Revivalism,Missions,andModernism(1783-1914)

• Optimism&ModernismØ Britainabolishestheslavetrade(1807)Ø Waterloo(1815)bringspeacetoEuropefor99yearsØ IndustrialRevolution=lowerprices&goodsformore

peopleØ MedicaldiscoveriesØ TheAmericanWestiswon

• StormCloudsØ People=commoditiesØ SlaveryØ Loveofthings&ofman’sabilityto

fixeverythingØ RationalismØ AmericanCivilWar

MissionsandModernism(1783-1914)• PrevalenceoftheSocialGospel• Response(i.e.,Spurgeon)• ActionsoftheRomanCatholicChurch

Ø Confirmationof7sacramentsØ AddedtheApocryphatotheBibleØ SalvationonlythroughRomeØ DenouncedharmonywithcultureØ DenouncedanylimitstopapalauthorityØ DeclaredthedoctrineoftheImmaculateConceptionØ VaticanII(1962-1965)loosenedmanyCatholicpositions

ChurchandSocietyinTension(1914-Present)• TheWorldWars&Man’sEmptiness• TheStruggleforMeaning• ThePrevalenceofFalseDoctrine

Ø ClaimsofadeeperunderstandingØ DenialofthefulldeityofChristØ RejectionoftheinerrancyofScriptureØ Self=GodØ SalvationbyChristComing,notHisatonementØ RejectionoftheVirginBirthØ Salvationbyillumination

• OurGodReignsØ God,notman,issovereignoverallØ Hanginthere!

SuggestedResourcesforFurtherStudy

• Bruce,F.F.,NewTestamentHistory,Doubleday,1972.• Cairns,EarleE.,ChristianityThroughtheCenturies,Revised&

EnlargedEdition,GrandRapids:AcademieBooks,1954,1981.• Noll,Mark,A.,TurningPoints,DecisiveMomentsintheHistoryof

Christianity,GrandRapids:BakerBooks,1997.• Schaff,P.,&D.S.Schaff.HistoryoftheChristianChurch.Oak

Harbor,WA:LogosResearchSystems,Inc.,1997.• Vos,HowardF.,IntroductiontoChurchHistory,Nashville:Thomas

NelsonPublishers,1994.

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