...Henry Chadwick’s The Early Church is the first of a remarkable seven volume series of the story of Christianity published by Penguin Press in England. This volume, first published in 1967 and revised in 1993, maintains present day relevance. Because of its broad sweep, the text is not drastically altered by recent discoveries or interpretations. Constantine’s “Donation” remain the fraud we studied generations ago. Because the author has focused heavily upon the developing theology and creedal development of Christian identity, and drawn extensively on Christian Fathers and congenial classical authors and philosophers, there is an element of timelessness to the text. Chadwick begins with a survey of first century Christian relations with brother...
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...Early Christian Martyrs SAINT HIPPOLYTUS OF ROME: *Summary* (based on other researches) Basic Profile Saint Hippolytus was born in Rome in the 2nd century. Hippolytus was a presbyter of the Church of Rome at the beginning of the third century. He was also a chief guard and a military leader. Saint Lawrence, who was imprisoned under his jurisdiction, converted Hippolytus to Christianity. Hippolytus was known as one of the most prolific writers of the early Christian Church. He was once referred to as the first Anti-pope due to various conflicts with the popes of the time. Eventually, the issues were resolved and he became a prelate. Saint Hippolytus was prosecuted and martyred on August 13 for assisting at the burial of Martyred Saint Lawrence. When was the year of Saint Hippolytus’ martyrdom? Saint Hippolytus gained the title of a martyr by dying in the mines in the year of AD 235. How did Saint Hippolytus die? Saint Hippolytus buried the martyr, Saint Lawrence’s body. Emperor Valerian was immediately informed about this, and Saint Hippolytus was then arrested. Valerian told Hippolytus to join them offer sacrifices to gods and he’ll set him free, but then he refused to and confessed himself a Christian and that he is a soldier of Christ who desires to die for Him. Because of this, the saint himself was tied to wild horses, which dragged him over the stones to his death. Who was the emperor reigning at that time? Valerian was the emperor reigning at that time...
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...Roman art is seen as materialistic and Christian and Byzantine art are noted as spiritual. There is a distinct character to both the religious influence of Christianity and the declining Roman Empire. Art in many aspects of all of the above are imitations of reality and the reality concerning the Christian and Byzantine time was not so materialistic and possessed more intricate and mystical communications. The art during this period was amalgamated with the faith of Christianity making a clear distinction between Early Christian and Byzantine art difficult. Early Christian art was similar to Roman artworks there was no actual difference regarding technique only the content of the work. I found the artworks in the catacombs the most amazing...
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..."THE CRUSADES: SALVATION OR EXPLOITATION?" (Insert Name) (Institutional Affiliation) A crusade was a term mostly used in the eleventh and sixteenth centuries BC to describe Christian campaigns against Muslim brethren (Oludyke, 2012). Initially, these campaigns were meant as avenues for Christians to affirm their devotion to their faith and to win the hearts of non-believers. The first of such public rally was demonstrated by Pope Urban II of 1095. This was a botched mission meant to restore access to the holy lands around Jerusalem by Christians (Oakland, 2007). This war lasted 200 years in favor of the non-believers. In the modern world, however, rogue evangelists and religious leaders have misused these forums as strategies for exploitation. According to White (2012), unlike the early Church whose lifestyle was one of denial and total devotion to the gospel, our present religious leaders flaunts a flashy and opulent lifestyle. To achieve this standard of living, many evangelists in the modern society organizes highly hyped multinational and expensive crusades designed to arm-twist naïve and poor followers into enriching church coffers (Bravia, 2014). Believers from all walks of life flock at such gatherings in anticipation to finding solutions to their problems or receiving miracles of some form as promised by these selfish evangelists in a bid to woo attendance. Further, these crusaders trick their congregations...
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...or there to insure a constant Christian appearance without inconveniencing ourselves. There are many verses that deal with what a Christian must face in order to reach heaven. Matthew 7:13-14 expresses that Christian life is not easy but filled with hardship. This verse eventually evolves into the name and definition of Early Christians which...
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...Book Review on Augustine as Mentor CHHI 520D18 LUO (Fall 2013) Church History I Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary Reed E. Harvey (ID# 24867788) December 16, 2013 THESIS STATEMENT Determine whether the mentoring approach used by Augustine, an Early Church Father is yet relevant for today’s church. TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction …………….……………………….………………………………….…4 II. Brief Summary ……….…………………………………………….………………...4 III. Critical Interaction ………………………………………………………………….6 IV. Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………7 Working Bibliography …………………………………………………………………...9 I. Introduction This review will provide a summarization and critical interaction with the text: Augustine as Mentor authored by Edward L. Smither. Smither is associate professor of Church History and Intercultural Studies at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. Other areas of scholarly interest include the Early Church, evangelical missions among Arabs and the history of missions. The thesis of this text is, “that Augustine effectively mentored spiritual leaders and set them apart for needed ministries in the church.” II. Brief Summary Smither sets the table for this text through an in-depth analysis and look at mentoring in the first century. Special emphasis centered on mentoring done by Jesus with the Disciples as found in the Gospels and with the Apostle Paul from the book of Acts and Paul’s epistles. Smither’s...
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...………………………………………………………………………………... 8 APOSTATES OR THE “LAPSED”…….………………………………………………… 10 MARTYRS AND CONFESSORS………………………………………………………… 12 CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………………. 14 BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………………. 16 INTRODUCTION Certain tensions existed with the rise of Christianity within the Roman Empire. Prior to the advent of Christianity and even up to 200 AD, Rome was relatively tolerant of religions. Judaism was accepted into the mix of various pagan religions of the Empire, and in its infancy Christianity was simply considered a sect of Judaism, which seemed to pose no real threat to the Empire because Jews did not seek to proselytize. However, Christians were zealous in their worship of Jesus and their spreading of His message, so that in the third century Rome’s policy toward the Christians changed. Persecution, though it existed from the time of the apostles, was dramatically instituted as a means of eradicating the growing religion during the third century so that it is looked back on as the “age of martyrs.” Specifically, it was edict of Decius that created great upheaval for the church, both because of his edict and because of the fallout from it and the persecution following it under emperor...
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...Egyptian farmers in 1945. Dated papyrus scraps used to strengthen the bindings of the books helped date the volumes to the mid-fourth century A.D. Photo: Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, Claremont, CA. Until the discovery of the Nag Hammadi codices in 1945, the Gnostic view of early Christianity had largely been forgotten. The teachings of Gnostic Christianity—vilified especially since they were declared heretic by orthodox Christianity in the fourth century—had been virtually erased from history by the early church fathers, their gospels banned and even burned to make room for the view of Christian theology outlined in the canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. But when two peasants discovered the Nag Hammadi texts, a 13-volume library of Coptic texts hidden beneath a large boulder near the town of Nag Hammadi in upper Egypt, the world was reintroduced to this long-forgotten and much-maligned branch of early Christian thought, Gnostic Christianity, from the Greek word gnosis, “knowledge.” The Nag Hammadi codices are 13 leather-bound volumes dated to the mid-fourth century that contain an unprecedented collection of more than 50 texts, including some that had been composed as early as the second century. Learn about the history of Christmas and the date of Jesus’ birth in the free eBook The First Christmas: The Story of Jesus’ Birth in History and Tradition. The Nag Hammadi codices, detail Photo: Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, Claremont...
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...Evangelism in the Early Church [Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, November 14, 1985] by Joel L. Pless The primary mission of the Christian Church is to preach the gospel to all nations, it is to win souls for Christ. The fact that there are approximately one billion at least nominal Christians in the world indicates that Christ’s Great Commission has been at least partially carried out. This monograph will research how and by whom was the Great Commission enacted in the “early days” of the Christian church, during its first four centuries (100-500 A.D.) This research paper will not contribute creatively to the study of theology or methods of evangelism, but it will rather compile from a representative bibliography facts concerning evangelism in the early Church. Granted, research on this topic has been undertaken before by individuals with far greater academic credentials than the writer of these lines. But this monograph will attempt to condense the vast amount of material written on this topic into a monograph on evangelism in the early Church which is long enough to adequately cover the subject but still short enough to be interesting. This essay will approach the topic by asking the basic questions, why?, what?, who?, to whom?, and how?( William C. Weinrich, “Evangelism in the Early Church,” in Concordia Theological Quarterly, vol. XLV, (January-April 1981), pp. 61-74.) When possible, primary sources from the early Church fathers will be quoted in translation. The ultimate...
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...The Role of Women in the Church The role of women in the Christian faith has always been matter of debate. Whether women are equal to men in the eyes of the church still presents itself as a major question as we move into the 21st century. Women are still not allowed to serve as priests or hold major positions in the churches hierarchy. This inferiority is something that is seen as tradition and rarely do people question it. However, in Paul s letters he alluded to a different role that women should take on. He presents the idea that everyone is equal in the eyes of the Lord as long as they have been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Although he was not the first to ever express these beliefs, the idea that Paul presented was quite radical for his time and may not have been taken with the same authority as some of his other teachings. However, the basic formula that Paul used in some of his letters was also presented by subsequent writer’s years after he was finished with his ministry. The most straightforward presentation of Paul s view on the role of women is in Galatians 3:28, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. This statement brought up the idea of baptism and the key role it plays in the life of a Christian. Paul states that when you are baptized in the name of Jesus all worldly distinctions are no longer important. A person is not to be viewed based on past religion, life before baptism, or gender, he or she will now be viewed...
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...was their crime? What gave them the courage to remain firm in the face of such peril? The answer to both of these questions would be Christianity. This is just one case out of hundreds and hundreds where people have willingly become martyrs for their beliefs. Two hundred years earlier, a man named Jesus would start the movement, now known as Christianity, which is only growing bigger and bigger with each passing century. Many kings and great rulers have attempted to halt and annihilate the movement, and even today, some many people deny the very existence of Jesus, and God himself. Despite of all these predicaments, millions upon millions of believers stay faithful to the movement. As a person who believes in God, Jesus, and the Christian movement, I have taken it upon myself to learn more about the history of this fascinating story and the man behind it all. In the course of my research, I have discovered many things I knew and many things I didn’t know. As result, I have found a new, deeper appreciation for my beliefs, and a new and deeper respect for Jesus, the martyrs who died after him, and everything they stood for. So, who was Jesus, what is Christianity, and how did this all start? Jesus was born in Bethlehem in about 4 BC to Mary and Joseph. “His initiation onto the world stage begins with his baptism by John the Baptist” (Collins & Price 24). After that, Jesus began gathering disciples and spreading the Gospel all around Palestine from about AD 27-30. Most...
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...looms. Many fear the overwhelming might of Great Britain, and argue that war against them is a battle the colonies cannot win. But Patrick Henry feels otherwise. He argues that despite being massively outnumbered, the colonies have a force that will tip the scales in their favor. The power of God. In his “Speech to the Second Virginia Convention” Henry pushes the delegates to support war by weaving in biblical references and declaring that America has holy backing, in an attempt to portray the revolution as holy struggle for liberty. One way he reveals the holiness of the American cause is by comparing the colonies to Jesus and the early christians. Henry warns the delegates against being people who “having eyes, see not, and having ears, hear not” when it comes to British oppression (3). In Jeremiah 5:21 this phrase was used to refer to non-christians — those who despite having eyes and ears, were blind to glory of God. This masterfully implies that those against war are like those non-believers, blind to the holy miracle that is occurring in front of them. It also compares the revolutionaries to the original followers of Jesus, because they are the minority that sees what is actually happening, and are fighting for a righteous cause. Building on this comparison, he warns the delegates that Britain will “[betray] them with a kiss,” referencing the kiss that Judas gave to Jesus immediately before betraying him (5). By comparing the British to the Judas, he warns the delegates...
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...examination questionnaire will be provided on the morning of administration. This is a closed-book examination, which means that no other materials are allowed on your desk, or within reach during testing other than a pencil (or two) and the aforementioned examination items. Your success on the examination entails an ability to correctly respond to the questions/prompts within each of the following topics: The Emergence/Spread of the Early Christian Church: 1. Know commonalities between themes in Luke and Acts of the Apostles. 2. Which disciple is chosen to replace Judas Iscariot? 3. Know the significance of the following numbers: 12, 40, and 50. 4. Why is the Pentecost significant in Judaism and Christianity? 5. Identify the three internal conflicts encountered during the spread of the early Christian church. Be able to use their key question and central concerns to identify them in a given scenario. 6. Identify the three external conflicts encountered during the spread of the early Christian church. Be able to use their key question and central concerns to identify them in a given scenario. 7. Who is the undisputed author of the Epistle to the Galatians? 8. What is the significance of temporal (worldly) law in the Epistle to the Galatians? 9. Who does the Epistle to Diognetus state is “…not distinguished from the rest of (hu)mankind either in locality, in speech, or in customs” in 5:1? 10. Who...
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...Book Of Galations The role of women in the Christian faith has always been matter of debate. Whether women are equal to men in the eyes of the church still presents itself as a major question as we move into the 21st century. Women are still not allowed to serve as priests or hold major positions in the church s hierarchy. This inferiority is something that is seen as tradition and rarely do people question it. However, in Paul s letters he alluded to a different role that women should take on. He presents the idea that everyone is equal in the eyes of the Lord as long as they have been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Although he was not the first to ever express these beliefs, the idea that Paul presented was quite radical for his time and may not have been taken with the same authority as some of his other teachings. However, the basic formula that Paul used in some of his letters was also presented by subsequent writers years after he was finished with his ministry. The most straightforward presentation of Paul s view on the role of women is in Galatians 3:28, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. This statement brought up the idea of baptism and the key role it plays in the life of a Christian. Paul states that when you are baptized in the name of Jesus all worldly distinctions are no longer important. A person is not to be viewed based on past religion, life before baptism, or gender, he or she will now be viewed simply as a...
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...most rational thinking people that the Bible as we currently have it today, didn’t just appear one day, but was put together by many different writers, and by many different scholars. So this begs the real question how did the current New Testament come to being and who besides God was behind the publication of the New Testament Canon. I will try in this research paper to paint a picture of how the New Testament Canon came to be, who was involved and what the process was that was used to select the books that were ultimately used. Most scholars agree that the early writers were not aware, or even intended to have books or letters published in the New Testament, they were simply writing to a specific audience. As an example when Paul wrote the numerous letters that were written to the various fledgling churches, like Colossians, Ephesians, etc… Something else was at work here, and that work was done through the early church scholars who reviewed and decided on which books and letters would be included in the Canon. Something else of note is that the original documents that made up the Canon were written on scrolls. These...
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