Pre-Reformation To Present - Part 1

Christ Covenant Church

INTRODUCTION

1. What is Church History?

1.1. Definition: The study of the societal, cultural, political, intellectual and institutional factors that shaped popular Christendom or the church into her different branches of belief and denominations.

“The study of the history of God’s people in Christ, a theological claim, or, speaking more neutrally, of those who wanted to be God’s people in Christ.” – Everett Ferguson (CHURCH HISTORY, Volume One)

1.2. What Church History is not: 1) inspired history: which means we must practice biblical discernment with respect to what it approves or condemns, 2) history written by the remnant: the true Christians have always been the few and far between (the remnant). Unfortunately, the acts or beliefs of the remnant are not normally the ones that get recorded in our (uninspired) versions of church history. It is instead popular (Christianity) or what was accepted by the majority (“history is written by the victors”).

2. What portion of Church History will we be studying?

The late Middle Ages through the Protestant Reformation(s) (German, Swiss and English/Continental), the Catholic Counter-Reformation, the Age of Reason, Christian Liberalism, and into present day American Evangelicalism. Our primary source will be: CHURCH HISTORY, Volume Two (CH, V2) by John D. Woodbridge and Frank A. James III

3. What will we be discussing in class?

3.1. A very (very) general overview of the chapter (one chapter per week).

There is far too much history to cover in each chapter to qualify our discussions as anything more than a very (very) general overview of the material. It is therefore up to you to read the entire chapter so that you have the extra bits or details necessary to possess the fuller or more precise picture of what was taking place during that particular time in church history.

3.2. The theological validity and relevancy of various historical events.

We will take time to explore the theological validity and relevancy of various historical events as a means to not only possessing a better understanding of what the Scriptures actually teach, but why the church is where she is today (what we are in the present is a product of our past). It is here, that we will venture into the discipline known as, Historical Theology[1].

*Questions and comments are welcomed! Dialogue over monologue is the goal (where and when practical and appropriate).

4. A very (very) general overview of the major historical and most relevant events (w/respect to where we are headed) that took place from the time of the post-apostolic church up until the beginning of the late Middle Ages - or the place in history where our textbook begins (roughly 100-1300 AD):

4.1. Bishopric as the answer to apostolic absence: the early church’s initial attempt at maintaining unity in doctrine and practice (orthodoxy/orthopraxy) after the death of the apostles was the promotion of a third office in the church besides that of elder and deacon, the office of bishop (a biblical term that seems to be used synonymously with elder in the NT). Bishops were considered the regional authority for those churches in their area (~ 40 churches/7.5k Christians by 100 AD). This new system of governance eventually led to the establishing of a head bishop over the entirety of the church, or pope (“papa”) (See 2nd Council of Constantinople).

4.2. Marcion: 2nd century influential teacher and son of a Roman bishop who was condemned by the early church as a heretic for his teachings: 1) Jesus is the benevolent, true God and Savior who rejected law and obedience for love and faith in contrast to the evil creator god of the Hebrew Old Testament (who demands obedience to his laws and mercilessly punishes those who disobey). 2) Paul was the only true apostle (James was a false teacher), 3) the canon of Scripture consists of only eleven books: a redacted version of Luke’s gospel and ten of Paul’s epistles (also redacted), one of those being his letter to the Laodiceans.

“The Marcionite church expanded greatly within Marcion's lifetime, becoming a major rival to the emerging Catholic church. After his death, it retained its following and survived Christian controversy and imperial disapproval for several centuries. Several theologians have viewed him as a proto-protestant[2].” (Wikipedia)

4.3. The contributions of the early church Fathers, (1st-3rd century church leaders who were the direct or indirect disciples of the apostles): 1) Baptismal regeneration [Tertullian, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Origen] 2) Baptism can only take place in true churches, those holding to the right gospel [Cyprian], 3) Obedience is necessary to salvation [Clement of Rome, Clement of Alexandria, Polycarp, Ignatius, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Melito, Cyprian], 4) We have the freewill and ability to faithfully obey God’s laws [Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tatian, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Melito].

4.4. Roman Emperor Constantine: toleration (the edict of Milan, 313 AD) and state support of Christianity eventually leading to its establishment as the dominant religion, influence and power within the Roman Empire (by 381, e.g., Edict of Thessalonica). As the saying goes, “Rome didn’t die, she just became a church.” (or put the other way, “the church was nationalized and commercialized”).

4.5. Ecumenical Church Councils: another attempt at maintaining unity in doctrine and practice within Christendom (~ 3-4 million Christians by 300 AD) through the: 1) validation/condemnation of doctrine, 2) establishment of canon laws (rules for the churches):

East-West (Great) Schism (1054 AD): This break between churches in the eastern and western world brought into formal existence the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. The differences that ultimately brought their permanent division (in italics): 1) eucharistic ecclesiology (each individual church equals the whole church; every bishop is equal and operates within a confederacy) v. universal ecclesiology (the whole church is identified as only those churches submitted to one supreme bishop, the pope), 2) no bishop is infallible v. the pope is infallible, 3) anti-filioque (HS proceeds from the Father only) v. Filioque (HS proceeds from Father and Son), 4) anti-Immaculate Conception (original sin in Mary) v. Immaculate Conception (no original sin in Mary), 5) no purgatory v. purgatory.

Roman Catholic Crusades (1096-1204): Four military campaigns inspired and supported by the Catholic Church. The common mission: seize back control of the Holy Land (Israel) – most especially Jerusalem (the “city of God”) from the Muslims. Soldiers were recruited with the promise of heaven (their battle would remove sin, the death would be considered an act of martyrdom).

Roman Catholic Inquisitions: At the end of the 12th century, Rome began to hunt down and torture those found guilty of teaching doctrines deemed heretical in regions where the Catholic church reigned supreme. Catholic inquisition continued until the 19th century. Notable examples of groups tortured and killed would include: 1) the Catharists (12th-14th cent., rejected RC: monotheism [good god = NT; bad god = OT], humans were angels trapped in material realm), 2) the Waldensians (13th cent., rejected RC: pope and priesthood, holy water, sacred days and pilgrimages, relics) , 3) the Hussites (tbd in chapter one of CH, V2), 5) the Jews (12th-19th cent.), 6) the Protestants (16th-19th cent.).

[1] “The branch of theological inquiry which aims to explore the historical development of Christian doctrines, and identify the factors which were influential in their formation.” - Alister E. McGrath (Historical Theology)

[2] See Politics of Religion/Religions of Politics by A. Welchman

[3] Not considered among the ecumenical councils since it was attended only by those in the North African synod.