|
|
Christian
Church History – ADDDAA
|
|
A.D. (Anno
Domini)
Year of the LORD - Used in dating the
Christian Era
|
|
A.
|
D.
|
D.
|
D.A.
|
A.
|
A.
|
100
Apostolic
Fathers
|
310
Dawn of Doctrine
|
604
Dark Ages
Defections
Dominance
|
1224
Dawn/Awakening
|
1517
1/2 Awakening
|
1947
Awakening /
Full Potential
|
The Christian Church history divisions
I have chosen to assist recall and are somewhat arbitrary.
Each division is approximately 300 years, except for the
period from 604 to 1224, which is about 600 years. Also, the
present Awakening period, which I have begins in 1947,
provides a sense of importance to our lives today. Are we at
the beginning of an important potential Awakening of
Christian believers. I firmly believe, the potential exists
for a Worldwide Great Awakening. Jesus needs the hearts,
voices, and hands of His followers right NOW!
Securing an abbreviated text is a
possible first step towards greater understanding. I suggest
Justo Gonzales, Church History, An Essential Guide
from Abington Press, as a beginning primer. Also, because
history is told through the lives of persons, an
Encyclopedia or selected biographies from the library are
helpful. My recent Microsoft Encarta 97 Encyclopedia that
came with my computer is of great value in word and person
searches.
Christian Church history spans two
thousand years; from the life of Christ and the early church
to our present day. The New Testament tells the first
century life of Christ and the Apostolic Age (AA). The
Apostolic Age ends with the death of the Apostle John at the
end of the first century A. D. Church history provides a
rich heritage and lessons upon which to build in the next
millennium. As noted earlier, it is the author’s
position that we live in the Information Age. Concise
written materials and oral sharing will be required for
Christian lay persons to be effective in carrying out the
"Great Commission" and sharing the Gospel.
A. D. refers to Anno Domini, Year of
our Lord. AD is used to date the Christian era. To assist my
recall of history and dates I currently tell the story of
Christian Church history in five sections, utilizing an
acronym ADDDAA. Telling Christian church history in six
pages does not do justice to the overall subject. As I teach
among Lay persons I find they are hungry for information on
Church History. Bible references for reading are reduced in
these sections to allow increased study of books and
historical information. The six sections upon which I have
organized Christian church history are arbitrary, and may be
altered based upon reader’s preferences:
|
ACRONYM
– ADDDAA
"Church
History Cue"
|
Time
Period
|
Key Recall
Information
|
|
A –
Apostolic Fathers
|
about 100 AD
to 313
|
Death of
Gospel Writer John to Constantine - Edict of
Milan
|
|
D/D –
Doctrine leads to Dogma
|
314 to 604 A.
D.
|
Constantine
gains power to Pope Gregory I dies
|
|
D - Dark
Ages
|
604 to 1224
A. D.
|
Divisions,
Defections, Papal Dominance in Church
|
|
D
|
1224 to 1517
|
Decline
Papacy / Dawn Awakens – Aquinas/
Luther
|
|
A –
Awakening ½
|
1517 to
1947
|
Reformation
-United States Emerges as World Leader
|
|
A –
Awakening, Full Potential
|
1947 to
Present
|
The Apologist
/ Believer Emerges
|
|
ADDDAA
- Apostolic Fathers
|
READ: Irenaeus, Tertullian,
Cyprian, Polycarp, Ignatius, Clement, Origen
SUMMARY
OBSERVATIONS
Blessed are you when
people insult you, persecute you……great is your
reward in heaven. Mt. 5:11-12.
The Emperor Nero committed suicide in 68 AD. During August
70 AD Jerusalem fell to Romans and was leveled. The last
Jewish outpost, Masada was overtaken in May, 73 AD. Roman
soldiers found 960 defenders had committed suicide, rather
than submit to Roman rule. Roman rulers showed little
tolerance for religious zealots who would not render homage
to the Emperor ahead of other gods.
In 112 AD Pliny, a Roman Governor of
Bythenia (Northern Turkey today) adopted a policy of local
and sporadic persecution of Christians. Christians could be
put to death after three opportunities to recant their
faith. PAX Romano (Peace within the Empire) was generally
pursued but local persecutions occurred under Trajan (116
AD) and Marcus Aurelius in 167 AD. Rome’s
3rd century decline led to broad and severe
Christian persecution throughout the Empire. Emperors Decius
(249 AD) and Diocletian (early 300’s) believed
Christians’ lack of loyalty to the Emperor
"Non-Servium" weakened the army and threatened unity of the
Empire.
In 312 AD Constantine defeated
Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge (outside Rome). On the eve
of the battle Constantine saw a sign of conquering under the
Chi Rho (Christ) sign. Placing crosses on his soldier’s
shields, Constantine viewed victory as having the Christian
God with his forces. Converted to Christianity, Constantine
signed the "Edict of Milan" in 313 allowing Christians to
follow their faith unimpeded. Persecution of Christians
ended.
The aged Bishop Ignatius of Antioch
was condemned to death 107 AD. Martyrs often saw their
purpose to be imitators of Christ’s passion. Bishop
Polycarp of Symrna was a martyr and one of Apostolic
Fathers. Bishop Polycarp studied under the Apostle John.
Some of his writings almost made the NT canon. Martyred at
age 86 (155 AD) he stated to his accusers: "For eighty six
years I have served him, and he has done me no evil. How
could I curse the king who saved me?"
Early church fathers, like their
NT predecessors, defended the Christian faith. Today their
writings provide independent reinforcement of traditions
regarding NT canon writings. Their writings also addressed
heresy and schisms. Heresy included; Gnosticism, Marcionism,
and Motanism. Schisms were divisions in the early church at
the theological and practice level. Important early church
fathers include the following five Chruch Fathers with
notations on their roles and contributions:
|
CHURCH
FATHER
|
WORK
EFFORT
|
OUTCOME or
RESULT
|
|
Irenaeus
(130-202 A. D.)
|
"Against
Heresies", -
|
Christ as
fulfillment of Creation
|
|
Tertullian
(145-220 A.D.)
|
Trinity
– "One substance three roles"
|
Jerusalem
religious center, Athens Philosophy
center.
|
|
Cyprian
|
Wrote " On
Unity of the Church"
|
Roman
Catholicism – those not in the church, not
Christians,Church is Where the Bishop is..
|
|
Clement (died
215 A. D.)
|
Alexandrian
School – Egypt
Wrote, The
Tutor
|
1st
treatise on conduct and Christian
ethics.
|
|
Origen –
(died 254 A.D.)
|
Student of
Clement, Origen wrote Hexapla
|
Synopsis in 6
columns of Old Testament. Allegorical study of
scripture.
|
REFLECTIONS
I offer a prayer of thanks for
Apostolic Fathers who preserved the faith as
martyrs.
ADDDAA
– Doctrine ® Dogma
READ: Church Councils, Fall of
Rome, Augustine, Jerome, Athanasius, Basil, Gregory
I
SUMMARY
OBSERVATIONS
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord
God Almighty….God in three persons, blessed
Trinity
Constantine, from the West, (Britain)
won a series of victories and by 322 AD had won the throne
of the Roman Empire. He reigned until his death in 337.
Emperor Constantine hoped church unity would become the
"cement of the empire". Constantine moved the Empire’s
center from Rome to Byzantium (renamed Constantinople). With
Constantine’s conversion, the authority of the state
was used to settle theological questions through ecumenical
church councils. The purpose of church councils was to
define Orthodoxy and denounce heresy. In
325
the first such council convened in
Nicea with Constantine presiding. This was the first of four
councils the places, dates and Primary Decisions
were:
|
Church
Councils 325-451 A. D.
|
|
Date
|
Place
|
Primary
Question
|
Council
Affirmed
|
|
325
|
Nicea
|
Arianism®
Heresy (Christ’s full deity- Nicene
Creed)
|
Jesus
fully Divine
|
|
381
|
Constantinople
|
Apolinarianism®
Condemned (Greek view of man)
|
Jesus
fully human
|
|
431
|
Ephesus
|
Nestorianism®
Heresy (Two Christs Human, Divine)
|
|
|
451
|
Chalcedon
|
Eutyches®
Condemned (Christ two natures in one)
|
Christ
is One
|
The early creed, "Jesus is Lord" had
been refined into the Trinity. The New Testament
canon (a measuring rod) was finalized into 27 books in 367
AD. Through the councils a new relationship between the
church and government was defined. Constantinian
Christianity, the Imperial Church emerged. A. Harnack
(German – Historian) noted centuries later three
"C’s", Canon, Creed, and Constitution emerged during
this period. Stan Nelson, (GGBTS) contrasts the Early Church
and Constantinian Views.
|
Early
Church Views
|
Hebrew
Emphasis, Simplicity, Inclusiveness,
Underground
|
|
Constaninian
Views
|
Greek
Emphasis, Elaborateness, Exclusiveness, Favored
Position
|
Church writers and
leaders developed during this period of church and state
bonding;
|
Church
Writer or Leader
|
Subject
|
Outcome
|
|
Athanasius,
Bishop Alerandria
|
Defends
Nicene Creed
|
Easter
Letter of 367 AD defines New Testament
Cannor
|
|
Basil
(Caesarea died 381)
|
Basil’s
Rules
|
Guidelines
for Monastic Life , affirms Trinity and Nicene
Creed
|
|
Jerome
of Bethlehem
|
Translated
Bible into Latin (Vulgate/ Common
language)
|
Remains
official Bible of Catholic Church
|
|
Augustine
of Hippo–(b354-d430 in Tagaste, N
Africa)
|
Writes
Confessions, a spiritual autobiography
City of God, depicts two cities Worldly /
Godly. So prolific "no man has ever read his entire
works"
|
Mother
Monica was devout Christian, Traveled to Carthage,
prostitute bore him a son, Adeo, in Milan, "Garden
experience" converts, returns to Africa.
|
|
Gregory
I (540-604)
|
Defines
Liturgy, purgatory, and functions of
Bishops
|
Many
non-Catholic historians count him as 1st
Pope of Catholic Church
|
REFLECTIONS
We thank God in the United States for
separation of church and state and religious
freedom.
ADDDAA
– Division, Defection, Dominance
READ: Crusades, Great Schism,
St. Patrick,
Eastern, Western, Greek, Russian
Orthodox Churches
SUMMARY
OBSERVATIONS
Satan to Jesus; All this I will give
you if you bow down and worship me. (Mt. 4:9)
With the fall of Rome in 410 AD
culture took a step backwards. Greek philosophy, Egyptian
commerce and other advancements lost favor and a tribal,
feudal "Dark Age" began. Numerous kingdoms were established;
Franks, Saxons, Ostrogoths, Vandals, Angles, and Visigoths,
(as example) each with a King, land system and Lords. Wars
were common and borders changed from time to time. The
church had been joined to the Empire. Now it increasingly
relied upon church monasteries as the right arms of Popes to
cope with invasions and chaos brought to its lands. A unique
Monastic movement under St. Patrick in the 5th
century is increasingly receiving scholarly study today
because of its unique "seeker" hospitality to those in
need.
The setting in the Arab world was
different. Mohammed (570-632) felt his kin needed a book
like the bible to guide their lives. Allah (god) disclosed
the Koran to him over a period of time. Islam became a
sternly masculine religion of warriors who conquered Egypt,
destroyed the Persian empire, marched across North Africa,
took possession of Spain and in 732 were finally stopped by
Charles Martel at the battle of Tours (France). The Holy
Land, Africa, and Arabia were lost to Christian influence.
Enlightenment in mathematics, trade, linens, and building
were made during this period in the Arab world.
In addition to changes because of the
Moslem phenomenon, distinctive Western and Eastern branches
of the church emerged. After Gregory I, (d. 604) the papacy
had its ups and downs, achieving a height of influence under
Innocent III (d.1216). The Eastern Church (i.e. Orthodox,
Greek Orthodox) experienced controversy over the use of
icons (flat pictures painted in oil on wood). John of
Damascus (d.749) greatest theologian of the Eastern church,
gave theological justification for the use of icons as aids
to worship; the view which prevails today. Vladimere ( of
Kiev, d.1015) christianized Russia according to the Eastern
tradition. Final division between the Eastern Church and The
Roman Catholic Church occurred when Patriarch of
Constantinople and the Pope each declared the other
"Excommunicated."
This Great Schism refers to a final
break between the Eastern and Western churches traditionally
is dated 1054. In 1432 Constantinople (headquarter of the
Eastern Church) fell to the Moslems, but the Patriarch was
able to maintain his functions, though limited for some
centuries. On December 7, 1965, mutual excommunications of
Eastern and Western Churches were cancelled, Pope Paul VI
and Patriarch Athenagoras I in an effort to draw the
churches together.
The strength of the Papacy was
demonstrated by playing a role in choosing a leader of the
Franks, Saxons, Ostrogoths etc. Through passing a Papal
Blessing on a leader, the tie between Rome and rulers became
known as the Holy Roman Empire. For centuries Christians
held the Holy Land (which had been in Moslem hands for
centuries) in high esteem. From 1090 to 1270, with Papal
blessing, eight attempts were undertaken to regain the Holy
Land. It was also hoped that the defeat of the Moslems would
save the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople would be won, and
the Eastern and Western branches of the church could be
reunited. The Moslems, at first defeated because of
divisions, eventually were united in a common front and
expelled the crusaders. Whatever the goals of the Crusades,
positive results were short lived, and in the longer term
the Crusades drained valuable resources and proved
tragic.
REFLECTIONS
Help me to preserve, in times of
challenge and difficulty to appreciate the resources
available today to followers of Christ today.
ADDDAA
– Dawn of: Awakening - Decline of Papacy
READ: Plagues, Aquinas,
Gutenberg, Huss, Wycliffe, Avignon Papacy
SUMMARY
OBSERVATIONS
I know that my redeemer lives and in
the end he shall reign upon the earth. (Job 19:25) Unwise
Crusades to recapture the Holy Land drained resources and
confidence. By the end of the 13th Century the
Roman Christian church was in disarray. In 1347 the great
plague (Bubonic) struck Europe. The Hundred Year’s War
(1337-1475) was underway. Popes resided in Avignon, France
from 1309 to 1377 and were controlled by French Kings. A
schism in the Roman Catholic Church occurred from 1378 to
1414. Two Popes (one in France and One in Rome) claimed
authority. Yet, the early Dawn of an Awakening toward
Reformation could be detected.
The Hundred Year War (1337-1475)
primarily involved France and England. Historians point out
that the war so involved the rest of Europe it can be called
the "First European War". In 1347 the great plague (Bubonic)
struck and it is estimate that nearly one third of the
European population died from related causes in the next
decade. Broad economic turmoil existed. Yet God had servants
at work. The following synopsis utilizes Microsoft, Encarta
97 Encyclopedia as an example how quickly individuals,
places, or events can be studied in the Information
Age.
Saint Thomas Aquinas –
(1225-74) was an Italian philosopher and theologian whose
works made him the most important Scholastic philosophers
and a leading Roman Catholic theologian. Born to a nobel
family he joined the Dominican Order against the wishes of
his Mother. After a year of confinement in the family
castle, he was released in 1245 to study in Paris and pursue
his desired calling. Advancing quickly, Aquinas was awarded
a doctorate in theology in 1256 and a professor at the
University of Paris. To understand the crucial importance of
Aquinas for Western thought, Aristotle’s works had been
translated into Latin in the early 13th Century.
The vigor, clarity, and authority of Aristotle’s
teachings restored confidence in empirical knowledge.
Commentaries by Averroes and other Islamic scholars needed
to be carefully reckoned with. More successfully than any
other theologian or philosopher, Aquinas organized the
knowledge of his time to serve his faith. Author of more
than 80 works, most important are; Summa Contra
Gentiles and Summa Theologicia. The latter
focuses on God, the moral life of man, and
Christ.
John Wycliffe – (circa
1330-84) an English philosopher, theologian, and religious
reformer was educated at Oxford. In 1376 Wycliffe enunciated
the doctrine of "dominion as founded in grace," according to
which all authority is conferred directly by the grace of
God. Pope Gregory XI in 1377 issued several bulls accusing
him of heresy. Wycliffe was condemned by the archbishop of
Canterbury in 1381 and expelled from Oxford in the same
year. After his death in 1384 Wycliffe’s Bible appeared
in 1388 fulfilling his goal to make the Bible available in
common language. His writings strongly influenced John Huss
in Bohemia.
John Huss – (circa
1372-1415) Bohemian religious reformer whose efforts to
reform the church anticipated the Protestant Reformation and
led to his being condemned a heretic by the Council of
Constance. He was burned at the stake in July 1415. The same
Council ordered that Wycliffe’s body disinterred and
burned.
Johann Gutenberg – Between
1450 and 1456 this German printer perfected printing with
movable metal type. The first 42 line Bible, Latin Edition,
was printed at Mainz, Germany and a duplication revolution
was underway.
REFLECTIONS
Lord we thank thee for pioneers of the
faith who stood the watch at this crucial time of an early
dawn in new thought and printing reproduction.
ADDDAA
Awakening ½
READ: Luther, Calvin, Zwingli,
Henry VIII, Wesley, Reformation
SUMMARY
OBSERVATIONS
Jesus shared with his
followers….You are the salt of the earth….You are
the light of the world.. (Matthew 5:13-14) The name
"Renaissance" or rebirth is applied to history implying
negative judgement of the previous period. The counterpart
in literature for this time is "humanism". Interest in
antiquity applied in the arts. The invention of the printing
press is dated at this time providing multiple copies of
books such as the Gutenberg Bible. Columbus set sail and
discovered the "New World" in 1492.
Church history from 1517 forward can
be told under three broad types of Reform:
1. Classical / Magisterial
– Depended upon the Magistrates (Government) to protect
its leaders; thus the church / state relationship is
defended. Most Protestant denominations were spawned under
this reform. The three dominant figures in the Reformation
on the Continent were educated men; Luther, Zwingli, and
Calvin. All affirmed the great Reformation principles of
scripture alone, faith alone, and grace alone. In England
and Scotland the monarchy (Henry VIII) played a dominant
role in pulling away from Rome.
Luther (1483-1546) is
considered the dominant figure of the Reformation. Romans
1:17 "the righteous shall live by faith" became
Luther’s doctrine of "justification by faith". On
October 31, 1517 Luther nailed his work, "95 Theses", to the
castle church in Wittenberg, dating the beginning of the
Protestant reformation. The Edict of Worms (1521) named
Luther a heretic. Fredrick the Wise gave him refuge and
Luther translated the scripture into German.
Zwingli (1484-1531) Swiss,
priest in Zurich, major work Commentary on True and False
Religion (1525) focused on authority of scripture. In
1531 five Catholic cantons attack Zurich by surprise.
Zwingli died in the battle.
Calvin (b.1509 Lyon, France)
Trained in law, became theologian. Major work
Institutes contributes systematic theology to
reformed church. Happily married, lived in Geneva, set up
"Consistory" to enforce doctrine.
Henry VII (ruled England
1509-1547) political break with Rome, reform in England less
driven by theology.
2. Radical - Goal was restore
the New Testament Church. Church is made up of believers,
only. A separate Church and State is necessary. Believed
Classical / Magisterial reformers (Luther, Calvin, Zwingli)
only went ½ way. An overlooked segment of Reformation
until scholars (Williams-Harvard) published The Radical
Reformation in 1947. Founders of the Anabaptist
(2nd Baptism) movement (Grebels, Blaurock, Manz)
broke away from Zwingli. Idea of believer’s church
proved sound; secrecy, pacifism, communal life, and
rejection of state role limits initial impact.
3. Catholic / Counter –
Moral and administrative reforms implemented. Jesuit order
under Iganatius Loyola established to support papacy, engage
in missions, and develop education. Council of Trent in
mid-sixteenth century more rigidly defines Catholic doctrine
in opposition to Protestantism, declares Vulgate (in Latin)
as official Bible and defines the church along traditional
medieval lines. The traditional Catholicism of Trent
dominated the RCC until the Second Vatican Council
(1962-65).
REFLECTIONS
I must continue to read and learn on
these subjects!!
ADDDAA
- Awakening Apologist Believer – Full
Potential
READ: Graham, Bright, Hybels,
Schaller, Schuller, Warren, King, Traotman,
Shoemaker
SUMMARY
AND OBSERVATIONS
Neither is new wine put into old
wineskins-the skins burst-new wine is put into fresh
wineskins. Matthew 9:17 Religious expression took new form
in Europe’s State churches that fostered "Mainline" U.
S. denominations: Lutheran (German), Methodists and Baptists
(English Separatism), Reformed (Dutch), Presbyterian
(Scotland) and Episcopalian (Church of England) are
examples. The 19th Century saw the unparalleled
spread of Protestant Christianity as the birth of the modern
missionary movement was sparked by activities of men such
as: William Carey, (India), and later David Livingstone
(Africa), Hudson Taylor (China) and others.
The 18th Century in America
was not only an important century for establishment of a
nation (American Revolution late 1700’s), but it was
also was a time to define roles of the state in relation to
religion and the church. Isaac Backus, tried to address the
Continental Congress in 1784 in Philadelphia regarding
problems he saw in Massachusetts regarding religious
liberty. Thomas Jefferson, joined with John Leland (a
Baptist) as the Virginia debated a Bill in 1787 for a
general assessment religious tax with designation
possibilities for specific denominations. Initially, this
sounded like religious freedom. States supported religions
contributors desired. Leland argued for a complete
separation of church and state with individuals enjoying the
right to freely associate or not associate with a religious
group. Jefferson saw the merits of Leland’s position
and drafted the Virginia bill acknowledging separation of
Church and state. The Virginia statutes were redrafted for
the Bill of Rights and amended to the U. S, Constitution, to
guarantee religious freedom and separation of church and
state. The previous four centuries have represented
transitions for the United States to a position of world
leadership in 1947:
|
The United
States –
|
|
Century
|
Transition
to Position of Leadership
|
|
17th
(1600’s)
|
Colonies
settled from a diverse, primarily European
stock
|
|
18th
(1700’s)
|
American
Revolution, Independence from Britain
|
|
19th
(1800’s)
|
Nation
divided, Civil War, reunited
|
|
20th
(1900’s)
|
World
War I & II and Cold War – United States
emerges as the leader of the free World
|
The enlightened settlement World War
II has led to defeated countries, (Germany and Japan)
attaining a strong peaceful recovery in the short span of 50
years. The 1990’s witnessed the end of the Cold War and
freeing of Eastern Block nations held back by totalitarian
Communism. As we approach the year 2,000 the United States
has the potential of leading a great awakening of spiritual
focus in the world.
I view 1947 as a year the potential
for a full awakening within the Christian Church in America
began. In that year Harvard scholar, George H. Williams
wrote The Radical Reformation. He emphasized the
importance of restoring early church made up of believers.
Believer based movements, led by servants of the Lord, with
a Bible base Jesus is Lord focus have developed in the past
50 years both within the Church and Para-church. For
example:
|
SERVANT
|
Organization
|
|
Billy
Graham
|
Billy
Graham Evangelistic Association
|
|
Sam
Shoemaker
|
Pittsburgh
Experiment
|
|
Dawson
Traotman
|
Navigators
|
|
Elisabeth
Elliot
|
Women’s
Ministries
|
|
Bill
Bright
|
Campus
Crusade for Christ
|
|
A.
Wetherall. Johnson
|
Bible
Study Fellowship
|
|
Robert
Schuller
|
Crystal
Cathedral and Hour of Power TV Ministry
|
|
M.
L. King, Jr.
|
Souther
Christian Leadership Council
|
Lyle E. Schaller, noted parish
consultant and author of 40 books dealing with church
dynamics, points out "Made in America" Churches (High Belief
Certainty – Local Authority Trust) are experiencing
important growth. Strong Western Europe denomination roots
(Belief Ambiguous - Local Authority Limited) are not
experiencing growth. Schaller also notes by the year 2025
50% of believers will be attending churches with 600-800
members led by a blended staff of professional and trained
lay persons. Community churches focusing on a believers
commitment (Willow Creek-Hybels, Overlake- Saddleback –
Warren) are instances where staff multiplication through
Care Group lay leaders has resulted in
Mega-Churches.
REFLECTIONS
As we approach the 21st
Century equipped believers can be the light of the world.
The U. S. potentially can be the city on the hill. One of
the keys to a full potential Awakening will be equipped,
believing lay persons.
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