1. Foundation and Origins
Early Christianity

2. Overview of the Chapter
Introduction
Beginnings and Church Offices and Officers
Pagan and Christian
Persecutions
Constantine
Post-Constantine

3. Beginnings and Church Offices and Officers
The smallness of the very beginnings
Paul’s conversion and the news to the Gentiles
Relationship with traditional Judaism
Gnosticism
With success comes need for order
Apostolic Succession
Bishops (episcopus – overseer)
Priest and Bishop as Christ
See of Rome and the Pope
Petrine Doctrine

4. Pagan and Christian
Image on page 43: Churches were built upon pagan temples
Some practices were built upon pagan practices: Easter
Earliest Christians as uneducated
Later converts from the educated
Justin Martyr and pagan learning
Philo, Clement, Origen
Origen’s Three Points
Tertullian

5. Persecutions Stephen, first martyr told in Acts
Jews and Romans as persecutors
Nero, Trajan and 2nd century persecutions
Expressions of Martyrdom Ignatius and Polycarp
The response of Polycarp and relics and saint worship
Pilgrimage
Saint
3rd and 4th Century persecutions of Decius, Valerian, Diocletian
Story of Lawrence
Image of St. Eustace on page 49

6. Constantine Constantine comes to rule in 306
Battle at Milvian Bridge, near Rome, 312
Edict of Milan 313
Donatists
Arian and Sabellian heresies
Council of Nicea 325 – First Ecumenical Council
2nd Ecumenical Council at Constantinope 381
Nicene Creed
Persistence of Arianism

7. Post-Constantine New forms of martyrdom Asceticism
Church becomes Imperial
Church vs State: Ambrose versus Theodosius
Donation of Constantine
New Disputes: Monophysites and Nestorians
3rd Ecumenical Council at Ephesus 431
4th Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon 451