Church History: The First 500 Yrs.

The “unofficial” Top 10 people/events in the first 500 years of Church history Augustine (387 AD) Jerome (405 AD) St. Patrick (432 AD) Council of Chalcedon (451 AD) Gregory I (590 AD) Justin Martyr (150 AD) Iraneus (177 AD) Tertullian (200 AD) Council of Nicea (325 AD) Athanasius (367 AD)

1. Flavius Justinus: Justin Martyr (150 AD) Dispelled many misunderstandings of Christianity Taught “all truth is God’s truth” God was holy and separate from humanity but reached out to us in Christ. Jesus as God’s essence (flame from a candle)

Wrote his apologies (defense of Christianity) to Emperor Antonius Pius Considered the first great apologist to defend Christianity before a hostile Roman government Wrote his apologies (defense of Christianity) to Emperor Antonius Pius Martyred (beheaded) along with six students

2. Iranaeus (177 AD) Wrote book Against Heresies Spoke out against Gnostic heresy

Gnosticism Material world is bad, the spirit world is good. God’s good creation Genesis 1:10,12,18, 21, 25, 31: God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. God was not involved in human history. God is sovereign Hebrews 4:13 “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight” Jeremiah 32:27 “I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” Proverbs 16:4 “The LORD works out everything to its proper end..”

Salvation comes through “special knowledge” (gnosis) Salvation comes through faith in Christ Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith…” Jesus was not really a physical being Jesus was fully human and fully divine John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” John 1: 14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

3. Tertullian (200 AD) Great Christian author & speaker Unique because he wrote in Latin and not Greek Developed the Biblical concept of the Trinity Trinity: 3 persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) sharing one substance.

4. Council of Nicea

4. Council of Nicea (325 AD) Called for gathering of 312 bishops by Emperor Constantine to settle the question of whether Jesus was God. Athanasius spoke in favor of Christ’s deity (thanks Tertullian!) “Jesus co-existed eternally with God the Father. If Christ were not God, then man could not be saved, for only the infinite and holy God could forgive sin.” (John 1:1)

Arius claimed Jesus was a created being. Result? All but 2 bishops sided with Athanasius The deity of Christ became the official orthodox position Arianism was labeled a heresy The Nicene Creed was written

NICENE CREED We believe in one God,       the Father almighty,       maker of heaven and earth,       of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,       the only Son of God,       begotten from the Father before all ages,            God from God,            Light from Light,            true God from true God,       begotten, not made;       of the same essence as the Father.       Through him all things were made.       For us and for our salvation            he came down from heaven;            he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,            and was made human.            He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;            he suffered and was buried.            The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.            He ascended to heaven            and is seated at the right hand of the Father.            He will come again with glory            to judge the living and the dead.            His kingdom will never end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life And we believe in the Holy Spirit,       the Lord, the giver of life.       He proceeds from the Father and the Son,       and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.       He spoke through the prophets.       We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.       We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.       We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,       and to life in the world to come. Amen.

that for our salvation He did not send Matthew Mark Luke John Acts Romans 1,2 Corinthians Galations Ephesians Phillipians Colossians 1,2 Thessalonians 1,2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1,2 Peter 1,2,3 John Jude Revelation 5. Athanasius (367 AD) In his “Easter Letter,” he was the first to recognize the 27 books of the New Testament “God so loved the world that for our salvation He did not send one of His creatures to do the dirty work, but came Himself.”

Canonization: Books of the New Testament? How did the church decide which books would be in the New Testament? Written by an apostle or close friend of an apostle Universal acceptance by the churches Some books took longer to be accepted and were debated: Hebrews James 2 Peter 2 & 3 John Revelation

6. Augustine The most influential Christian author of the first 500 years (and beyond). His theology influenced both Catholics and Protestants.

Two books: Confessions His dramatic conversion story/ testimony “Our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you.” “Happiness is to rejoice in you and for you and because of you. This is true happiness and there is no other. Those who think that there is another kind of happiness look for joy elsewhere, but theirs is not true joy.” “Without you, what am I to myself but a guide to my own self-destruction”

City of God It contrasted worldly kingdoms with God’s kingdom. “…the earthly city glorifies itself, the Heavenly City glorifies in the Lord.”

Other contributions… Developed the ideas of Original sin Atonement All mankind is born sinful and in need of God’s divine grace Atonement Reconciliation of God and humankind through Jesus Christ.

7. Jerome (405 AD) He completed a translation of Scripture into the Latin Vulgate. This was the 1st accurate translation of Scripture into the common language of western Rome – into Latin. Every Middle Ages scholar benefited from Jerome’s translation.

8. St. Patrick He converted most of Ireland to Christianity. He established over 300 churches and baptized 120,000 people.

City of ?

9. Council of Chalcedon (451)

9. Council of Chalcedon (451 AD) Church affirms humanity of Christ’s nature. Do not forget the importance of Christ’s humanity. If so, you forget the great sacrifice that it was. When you think of Jesus, do you think of him as more “divine” or “human”?

Divine and Human natures as two separate persons Human but not fully divine Divine but not fully human One person One person, one nature (essence)

10. Gregory I (590 AD) Pope Gregory I greatly expanded the power & authority of the pope. He wrote books, sent missionaries, governed Rome.

Pope Gregory’s idea of establishing a Christian kingdom was central to Middle Ages thought. A Christian kingdom combined the church with political power. Today we have separation of Church and State.

*Essay: Directions following slides*

Take-Home Essay Use MLA format for paper configuration Now that you have been given a background on ten influential people and events from the first 500 years of Church history, you are going to compose an essay Your essay needs to respond to this question: Of the 10 events and people presented in class, which three do you believe are the most important to the Christian faith today? Explain. Grade: Organization (Hook, Intro, Thesis, Body, Conclusion, etc.) Mechanics (spelling, usage, grammar) Content & Accuracy Sound arguments Resources: Notes & your own thoughts! Use MLA format for paper configuration

1. Font: Times New Roman 2. Font size: 12 pt font 3. Change spacing to 2.0 4. Change spacing: Remove space after paragraph.