The Study of History

Class Prayer

Objectives  What is history and by extension Church History?  Why study Church History?  If you are going to study Church History you need to define the Church?  What are the problems in studying Church History?  What are the rewards in studying Church History?  What time period does these classes cover?

What is history and by extension Church History?  producing narratives  education and awareness of the present  to find out about what happened in the past and render it intelligible

Secular Definition  “History is the humanistic, interpretive study of past human society, the purpose of which is to gain insight into the present with the fervent hope of perhaps influencing a more favorable future course for the human race.”  Donald Gawronski, History: Meaning and Method, Sernoll, Inc., 1967 (p. 9)

Why study Church History?  for its own sake (i.e. for the pure enjoyment of the stories)  for the sake of the present (i.e. to learn from the past to prevent the same mistakes from happening)  for the sake of philosophy (i.e. to learn who and what we are)

“It is always essential for us to supplement our reading of theology with the reading of church history…If we do not, we shall be in danger of becoming abstract, theoretical, and academic in our view of truth; and, failing to relate it to the practicalities of life and daily living, and we shall soon be in trouble.”

Luke 1:1-4  Dedication to Theophilus  1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. ESV

If you are going to study Church History you need to define the Church?  “The catholic or universal church, which is invisible, consists of the whole number of the elect that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one, under Christ the Head thereof…The visible church...consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion…Unto this catholic visible Church, Christ hath given the ministry, oracles, and ordinances of God, for the gathering and perfecting of the saints…”  Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 25, 1-3  Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the "subordinate standard" of doctrine in the Church of Scotland, and has been influential within Presbyterian churches worldwide.

What are the problems in studying Church History? (i.e. the problem of selection).  PEOPLE  INTERNAL  EXTERNAL  TIME  GOD

Secular approaches  Pre-modern or ideological  See supplemental from Eusebius

Eusebius: was a Roman historian, of Greek descent, exegete and Christian polemicist. He became the Bishop of Caesarea about A.D 314.

Voltaire: French Philosopher and Historian

Friedrich Hegel: German Philosopher

Karl Marx: German Philosopher and Economist

Post-Modern or Deconstructive

The Bible believing evangelical Christian Historian  God is sovereign over all events (Genesis 1:1).  And since God has revealed Himself, it is possible to know something about Church History  “by research and prayer they are trying to do this task of studying the history of God’s people.”

Rewards in studying Church History  God’s glory  Our benefit and blessing  The good of the church

What time period does these classes cover?  The post-apostolic period beginning around 100A.D.  Ending with the 12 th /13 th centuries A.D.