CHURCH HISTORY
EVERETT FERGUSON
CHAPTERS 3-24
NOT INCLUDED: 9III, 16V, 17VI-VIII, 18IIIA-C, 19III, 22IV, 23VI-VII, 24V
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,3 THE SUBAPOSTOLIC AGE
The removal from the scene of three dominant personalities from the apostolic age - com-
bined with the suppression of the Jewish revolt in Palestine against Roman rule that resulted
in the destruction of Jerusalem - brought a significant new situation to the church in the last
third of the first century. There was mutual rejection by Gentile believers and Jewish believ-
ers.
Three strands of Jewish Christianity were:
1. Ebionites: ‘Gentile converts must submit to the Law of Moses.’ They didn’t believe in
Jesus because of monotheism.
2. Nazareans: They accepted Gentile believers, without expecting them to submit to the
Law.
3. Elkesaites: They absorbed Gnostic tendencies.
In contrast to the little literature preserved from Jewish Christianity, the considerable writ-
ings of Gentile Christians from the late first century to the mid-second century enable us to
see the organizational and doctrinal developments in the church as it adapted to its new
circumstances:
The Apostolic Fathers;
Apocryphal Literature.
THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS
‘Apostolic Fathers’ is de name given to the earliest orthodox writings not included in the
New Testament:
Didache: A manual of church life in three parts. It reflects the continuing concern in
Christian history with how properly to conduct to church affairs - how to regulate
moral life, worship and polity.
Epistle of Barnabas: Its principal concern was the debate with the Jews over the Old
Testament: ‘Whose is the covenant?’ The author answers that it belongs to the later
people (Christians) and no longer to the Jews. The writer has an extreme position of
spiritualizing the Old Testament and denying it to the Jewish people.
First Clement: This letter from the church of Rome to the church of Corinth reflects
the ongoing problem throughout Christian history of division in the church and
therefore the need to promote unity and harmony.
Second Clement: It is a homily of moral exhortation. This sermon shows the persis-
tent Christian concern with moral conduct: how to lead a holy life?
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, Hermas: His work ‘Shepherd’ refers to the idea of the church as eternal and gives in-
formation on its contemporary organization. The special interest of the work con-
cerns what to do about sins after baptism. It reflects the continuing problem of
Christians living in the world while not being ‘of the World’ and how to encourage a
faithful life among those whose first love has cooled.
Ignatius: He wrote seven letters. It is one of the two (the other is 1 Clement) most in-
fluential works of the Apostolic Fathers, that may be seen as representing the differ-
ent tendencies of the Western and Eastern churches: Clement the concern with order
and practical unity that characterized the Catholic church, and Ignatius the almost
mystical sense of piety and spiritual unity that characterized the Orthodox church.
Ignatius was especially concerned about division in the churches occasioned by the
false teachings both of the Docetist (‘Jesus only ‘seemed’ to be truly human’) and of
the Judaizers who promoted Jewish practices. His response to divisiveness was to in-
sist on obedience of Christians to their leaders.
Polycarp: He remains a representative of the pious Christian leader, filled with the
apostolic teaching, who was concerned for righteous living.
Papias: He wrote five book of Explanations of the Oracles of the Lord, which has been
lost. Papias is also our first non-canonical writer to give a specifically millennial in-
terpretation to the Christian eschatological hope.
APOCRYPHAL LITERATURE
Gospels: Gospels reflect types of material found in the canonical Gospels.
o Gospel of Thomas: Gnostic scripture, a collection of sayings of Jesus.
o Gospel of Peter: Passion narrative, implicit Docetic Learnings (and thus reject-
ed early by church leaders)
o Protevangelium of James: About the birth of Jesus, centered on Mary.
Acts: Stories of the travels and adventures of the apostles
o Acts of Peter (orthodox viewpoints)
o Acts of Paul (orthodox viewpoints)
o Acts of John (Gnostic viewpoints)
Epistles
o Epistles of the Apostles
Apocalypses
o Apocalypses of Peter concerning the punishments of various kinds of sinners
in afterlife.
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,LIMITATIONS AND VALUE OF THIS LITERATURE
Apostolic Fathers retreated from the robust doctrines of grace and faith enunciated by Paul
and took refuge in moralism en legalism. Apostolic Fathers were striving to preserve the
fundamentals of the faith in the face of new circumstances and new challenges.
4 THE CHURCH AND THE EMPIRE
The relations of the Church with the Roman Empire constitute one of the major themes in
early Christian history. At first the government of Rome didn’t distinguish Christians from
Jews, whose religion was legally recognized, but the situation changed under Nero. Nero’s
officials apparently took action against the group (not individuals) on account of ‘the name’.
Domitian (81-96) wanted to receive divine honors, but Christians had their own God, so the
reason for the persecution of Christians was a political one.
Trajan (98-117) continued the policy that made Christians punishable ‘for the name’: mem-
bership in the group was sufficient reason for punishment.
Hadrian (117-38) followed the policies of Trajan: punishment ‘for the name’.
Marcus Aurelius’ (161-80) rule saw a worsening of persecution against Christians.
Christians were held responsible for various calamities since they didn’t worship the tradi-
tional gods.
CHARGES AGAINST CHRISTIANS
The Christian Apologists repeatedly responded to three main charges:
1. Atheism: An atheist was someone who did not observe the traditional religious prac-
tices, regardless of what faith he professed. Christian Apologists insisted that Chris-
tians believed in God, but this did not satisfy the basis of objection.
2. Cannibalism: This may derive from Christian language about the eucharist of eating
the body and drinking the blood.
3. Incest: This may have been suggested by Christians’ referring to one another as
brother and sister.
Celsus, a philosopher, wrote the first major surviving attack on Christians, The True Word, in
which he despised Christians and raised philosophical questions about the ‘new religion’.
Origen responded to these attacks.
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, Two (out of four) examples are:
Celsus Origen
If Christianity were true, why had it come so God prepared the way for Christianity and
late in human history? that fulfilled prophecy demonstrated its
truth.
Were not the miracles of Jesus worked by His miracles weren’t worked by magic, be-
magic? cause He never used it for personal gain.
Other charges to Christianity were (sexual) immorality, readiness for martyrdom (= blind
fanaticism) and gullibility.
LEGAL BASIS OF PERSECUTION
The threat of persecution was ever present, but it was not a constant experience.
The main legal basis of persecution was: Christians, for religious reasons, could not engage
in the accepted expressions of political loyalty, so they appeared as a threat to the Roman
state.
Pliny the Younger found three distinct classes among Christians:
1. Those who confessed they were Christians and remained steadfast in the confession;
2. Those who denied who had ever been Christians;
3. Those who had been Christians but had ceased to be such.
Trajan gave the following rules for persecution Christians:
1. Christians were not to be sought out, but if accused and convicted they were to be
punished.
2. No anonymous accusation were to be received.
3. The deniers were to be pardoned.
CHRISTIANS APOLOGISTS OF THE SECOND CENTURY
Tatian composed a harmony of the four Gospels, the Diatessaron. His approach to apologet-
ics was the negative one of tearing down the pagan alternative.
Athenagoras of Athens argues in his Plea the superiority of Christian morality and Christian
views of God over pagan descriptions of their gods. He also gives an early formulation of the
doctrine of the Trinity.
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