Part 2

Early Church 100-325 AD

Student of Origin in AlexandriaOrator and master teacherMade bishop of Caesarea with only 17

followers (10 was required to have a bishop) at 40 yrs old

13 years later when he was 53 there were only 17 unconverted

Gregory of Thaumaturgus (“wonder-worker”) (213-270) in Pontus

Divergent views led to constant debates, not evangelismJudaizers, Docetism, Gnostics, Marcionism, Montanists,

Monarchians, Novatimists, Donatists, Arians, Nestorians, Monophysites (Eutychianism and Apollinarism)

1. Gnostics:Matter is evil – Spiritual knowledge, esp. of God, is goodMysticalLed to asceticism and monasticism

2. Montanism: charismatic-prophetic movement3. Arianism: Rejection of trinity; Christ is created being With no agreement as to who Christ was, evangelism

became an argument of Creeds Conversion meant the acceptance of a Creed

Controversy and Missions

A “knowledge” that is mystical, secret, higher, intuitive or divine and existential -- as opposed to knowledge that is learned, episteme, beliefs and assumptions from evidence outside of one

Oriental mystic syncretism + Greek philosophy + Judaism Dualistic: Christ was an emanation or emissary of light from the

Kingdom of Light who appeared in a body Material, matter, flesh, and creation are all evil Non-tangible, spiritual and mystical are good

The mythological-cosmological drama of a divine element “falls” into the material realm, lodging in a human, then seeks to return to the divine realm through a process of awakening (thus salvation). Thus individual redemption is elevated to cosmic significance.

Manicheanism is the Persian gnostic school version of Augustine Died as a religion, but concepts infected Catholicism by asceticism,

monasticism and distinction between clergy/laity. Bogomils, Paulicians and Cathars adapted much

Gnostics

Spread of Manichaeism 300-500

Claimed the return of prophecy and miracles in the continuation of revelation and ecstatic experience and Montanus was Paraclete

Oneness view of GodMontanus and 2 prophetesses, Priscilla and

Maximilla, prophesized in ecstatic trances, that New Jerusalem would be in Pepuza in Phrygia

Condemned in Synod of Iconium in 230Tertullian was his disciple migrated to N Africa

Wrote against GnosticsTaught the substance of the Church was the Spirit, not

the episcopacy, nor the sacraments. Teacher of Cyprian, professor of Augustine

Montanus (AD 150), Phrygia

Accused of reviving an old heresy of Montanus (150) and Sebellius (215) who taught the oneness of God who appeared in different forms – Oneness doctrine of United Pentecostals today

Arius doubted the Trinitarian view of God, which had been view of Church for 300 years – Stated there was a time when Jesus did not exist

Challenged by Athanasius, archdeacon of Alexandria because controversy was splitting the church

In 321 removed from bishopric, but controversy forced Council of Nicea 325 and continued in the East

Arianism (318), AriusBishop of Alexandria, Egypt

Alexiandria

Attempted to find a middle ground in the trinity issue: Accused of teaching against the incarnation: the divine could not have part of human nature or suffering of Christ;

He said Christ was two different persons (one divine, one human, unmingled everlastingly united in one body). He was accused of denying the incarnation or the God suffered.

Refused to call Mary, “the mother of God”, (Theotokos, “God bearer”) rather he said, “mother of Christ” (Christotokos) or Mother of just His human side, not the divine.

Controversy led to Council of Ephesus in 431 Union of human and divine in God-Man was necessary to make the

payment to satisfy the penalty for an infinite number of human sinners.

Condemned at Council of Ephesus before his defense from Antioch could arrive!

17 other bishops agreed with Nestorius and were deposed.Later the emperor Theodosius II changed his support of Nestorius

to exile him to a monastery in Egypt.

Nestorius (386-451)

The Nestorian church split off from Western Byzantine Church and was accepted in the East, Assyrian Church

Persecuted by Syria, they found refuge in Persia (462); their school of theology was transferred from Edessa to Nisibis, Persia, when closed by emperor in 489. Later modifications moved back toward Catholicism.

They became the greatest missionary church of all time, spreading to China, Mongolia and Korea by 635

“They expanded rapidly. Asia was widely covered by missionaries. They had no fund to support their mission stations financially; there were no mission boards to direct their activities…Yet they carried the torch of the Gospel all across the vast Asian continent, at the cost of great personal suffering and often martyrdom, for untold numbers of laymen and clergy alike were let by the Holy Spirit to push the frontiers of the Kingdom of God far and wide…The missionaries traveled on foot; they had sandals on their feet and a staff in their hands, and carried a basket on their backs, and in the basket were the Holy Writ and the Cross. They took the road over deep rivers and high mountains, thousands of miles. On their way they met many heathen nations and preached to them the gospel of Christ… Around the fourteenth century, this missionary enterprise started to decline. There was persecution, deception, extermination by Mongols.” (Professor P.Y. Saeki, Waseda Univ., in Tokio)

Nestorians, the untold heros

A Chinese monument to Nestorian missionaries in 635

Public preachingTeaching new converts and leaders in the

churchesHouse churchesOral witness and personal testimonyPersonal contact with changed believersPublic testimony before threatening tribunalsSocial actions of compassion

Missionary Methods of Ante-Nicean era

State ReligionEdict of Tolerance (311) ended the Diocletian

persecution. This was an indulgenceEdict of Milan (313) officially legalized Christianity

by Emperors Constantine (West) and Lucinius (East)Confiscated properties returnedMotive was “so that public order may be restored and

the continuance of Divine favor”Christians at first were free to practice religionTheodosius I (347-395) made Nicene Christianity

the official religions in 381, which included the co-equality of the Spirit

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Remains of Imperial palace at Milan

Council of Nicea (325) Arian (non-Trinitarian) controversy disrupted the unity of

Empire If Christianity was the unifying religion of the Empire, then all

Roman Christians must believe the same way Arianism appealed to pagan theologians and emperors who

held that Christ was a created Being, inferior to the Father. Their oneness is only in thought and will, not in a unity.

Bishops were given the power to decide and enforce decision Athenasius, archdeacon from Alexandria, was key factor

against Arianism, who felt any means was justified to repress the Arian heresy

Christ was defined as truly God and truly man Later Arian Emperors, (Constantius II, Valens, including the

Gothic, Vandal and Lombard emperors) would reverse this decision, exiling Athenasius

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Nicaea or modern Iznik

Results of Nicean Council (325) and Chalcedon (451) (Bithynia)

The gospel became a God-activity and offered good-news that God effected a perfect salvation

Much of Eastern Christianity was cut off Assyrian Church, Persian Church, Armenian Church, Syriac

Church, Coptic Church, Indian Church, etc. over Christology

Most Oriental (Eastern) Orthodoxy held to Miaphysitism (in the one person of Jesus Christ, Divinity and Humanity are united in “one nature” (physis).

Considered a form of Monophysitism (which the Oriental Orthodox churches reject as well as Chalcedon Council)

Future Arian emperors would seek to reunite these groupsChristianity and the will of God became identified with

the will of the state

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Chalcedon

Post-Nicean Church Government favor brought Government involvement Government used the Church to Christianize (or Romanize)

fringe elements, frontier people groups inside and outside the Empire

Immigrants were forced to become Christian to become Roman – often enforced with the sword

Non-Trinitarian Christians fled to East “Conversion” to Christianity was equated to becoming a Roman

citizen The Parochial system of Roman government was applied to the

Church Divided the Empire into parishes By 400 this was established from Italy to France

Just before Constantine’s death, he attempted to reinstate Arius, but he died before he could and exiled Athanasius.

Confusion continued with various Arian emperors that followed. 13

Ruins where Nicean Creed was affirmed

Photo used with permission from http://www.pbase.com/osmantanidik/image/56992742

Bibles50 valium Greek Bible ordered for churches in

ConstantinopleCodex books written in uncials (1” high, capital letters)Minuscules (small letters) not introduced until 750 and

not fully replaced until 1050.Hundreds of MSS assured people would hear God’s

Word in churchesBy 367 final agreement on NT canon (of 27 books)

By Synod of Rome (West) (382) and Synod of Carthage (East) (397) an undisputed canon of Scripture was agreed upon

Now people had a canon of authority to base their faithIn 405 Jerome translated an approved Bible into Latin

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Growth in 5th and 6th centuries

With approval and mandate of the emperor to convert the Empire, the churches grew beyond ability to control, train and organize.

Arianism (often the belief of emperors and army) was opposed by Athanasianism

Evangelism was replaced with political alignment and political correctness and creedal acceptance

Mandated no restriction to church membership for the unity of the empire, that is, the bishops were order to accept everyone without discrimination of beliefs.

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Humiliation of Arius at Nicene 325

Monastery Movement begins

Men seeking freedom from temptation to live and be holy to God in isolated environment to gain acceptance

By 346 there are 500,000 monks in Egypt (7% of pop.)Plagues wiped out most of them John Cassian traveled to Egypt – learned skill

of interpretation/meditation as well as the 4-fold interpretation

Started monasteries with this method“Evangelism” was dependent on itinerary

monks from monasteries who preached in open air

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Contemporary Orthodox Monasticism goals

The monastic rule has as its strength to safeguard the monk in his daily life, helping him, through obedience, to keep unceasing vigil upon his inward integrity so that the union of heart and spirit may become for him a reality and lead him, as far as this is possible upon earth, to union with God. It is the primary rule of the order of Offices and also covers the obedience of intellectual and manual work. Work is itself a prayerful activity with the ascetic end in view of overcoming our rebel nature and to keep us from idleness which is so harmful to the spiritual life. Hagiography, icon painting, Byzantine music, woodcarving, incense preparation, making Church vestments, translating or writing books on the spiritual life and printing them, all arts that originated in Byzantium are still performed and flourish in the Monasteries.

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Key Missionaries in post-Nicean PeriodMartin of Tours (d. 397) – Itinerating missionary in Gaul

Army to monastery to missionary in Gaul Ulfila (d. 383) – Homoean (the Son was “like” the Father) Arian Missionary

to Goths Commissioned a bishop to Goths (Visigoths) in Romania by emperor,

Constantius II, son of Constantine, who was Arian Note: Goths were chief source of mercenary troops for the Empire Created German alphabet and first Bible translation in Visigoth

Ambrose, govenor of Milan, elected bishop to stop Arian riots – Teacher of Augustine of Hippo One of 4 great doctors of Catholic Church – creator of doctrine (Jerome,

Augustine, Pope Gregory the Great) – the 4 doctors of the Eastern church (Athanasius, Chrysostom, Basil and Gregory of Nazianzus).

Persuaded Pope to accept Mariolotry, Immaculate Conception, and fought Arianism

Composed the hymn, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow” as Arian soldiers were about to attack his church. They were unwilling to attack a hymn-singing church!

John Chrysostom – Archbishop of Constantinople Funded schools to train native Gothic missionary evangelists Sent many missionaries to pagan lands and wrote defending Great Commission

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Ulfila 311-382

Patrick of IrelandBritish youth captured in raiding party by IrishEnslaved for six years then allowed to return to

Britain, but captured by French pirates and enslavedEscaped to Britain, where he saw a vision of an

Irishman inviting him to come backSecured permission of the king for religious toleranceIn 15 yrs most of Ireland heard the gospelStrategy was to win the leaders of a people, then

through them, the people would follow.Celtic converts were given intensive training and

ministry involvement (lay movement was their strength)

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Missionary Methods Monasticism: Rule of St. Benedict (547) became the norm:

In Benedict’s rule the monk’s entire waking day, roughly seventeen hours, was divided among three activities: manual labor, the prayerful reading of Holy Scripture (lectio divina), and choral prayer, especially the praying of the Psalms. Even while the monk ate his sparse meals each day, he listened to one of his brothers reading Holy Scripture.

The monks and nuns pursued their goals – purity of heart and the gift of constant prayer – by ingesting massive daily dosages of Scripture. They gave themselves total to God not only by denying themselves and serving others, but by allowing themselves to become saturated in and absorbed by the power of God’s Word. Monks took seriously that principle of Jerome of Bethlehem (347-419) who said, “To be ignorant of the Scriptures is to be ignorant of Christ”

Witness of Lay People: merchants, soldiers, captives and travelers

Apologists – now given official sanction and freedom to publish especially against the heresies resulting from pagan infusion

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Romanian monastery

Doctrinal Controversies in WestPelagianism: Original sin did not affect human nature

– man responsible to choose to be good enough for salvation

Icons (between 4th-8th cent a constant debate to use icons) until forbidden by Leo III between 726 and 730. The 7th Ecumenical Council anathemized any veneration of images as idolatry in 787, but restored by Empress Theodora around 850

Authority of the bishop of Rome (Leo I claimed Petrine Primacy and thus the supremacy of bishop of Rome by 450

Salvation by trust in the Church and/or sacramentsPenance and good worksSalvation through the sacraments aloneEastern Church struggled with deity of Christ and

Western Church, with the means of salvation

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Oldest icon of Christ (6th cent), St Catherine’s monastery, Mt

Sinai

Keys given to Peter

Bishop of Rome’s cathedral