The Struggle for Doctrinal Purity

Internal Church Struggles

Early Struggles for Doctrinal Purity

In the early 2nd century, the early church faced some external struggles that could have spelled certain doom for the growth Christianity.

We’ve seen some of the very early persecutions by the state.

But through these, we’ve seen the church survive in this difficult time.

However, in the early 2nd century we’ll also see that the church had to face doctrinal issues We’ll begin to see right away how Christian history fits

into Systematic Theology

Nature of the Early Church

What was the early church like? What were some of the beliefs of the early church?

Through the 6 writings, we see the early church beliefs.

These are NOT supposed books that were left out of the Bible. These were merely letters that explained the issues or beliefs of the early church.

Clement of Rome 93-97 A.D.

Clement is a pastor in Rome. Writes a letter in response to a letter sent to him from a church in Corinth.

There were some problems between membership and bishops. The church had deposed of some of them.

Clement demands they be put back into power and to obey the bishops

So we can begin to sense the power of the bishop over the church. This will be important later on in Church History

Epistle of Barnabas 135 A.D.

This letter emphasized the superiority of Christianity over Judaism.

Not written by Barnabas, fellow traveler with Paul.

Epistles of Ignatius 115 A.D.

Same Ignatius that was martyred for the faith.

There is some debate over how many letters he wrote, the authenticity of those letters and the text itself

A good estimate would be 7 letters that he wrote

In the content of these letters, they would contain many exhortations to the churches to be faithful to the bishops, presbyters, and deacons, whom God had given them

The letter to the church at Rome, Ignatius consistently reiterates his desire to be eaten by beasts in the arena.

Shepherd of Hermas 139 or 140 A.D.

This text was a collection of 5 visions, 12 commands and ten similitudes.

Very much relies on allegory.

One of the visions included a man seeing Rhoda naked and he began to desire her. This was an allegory for maintaining the purity of the church.

Doctrinal ideas that arises out of this letter: Baptism is necessary for salvation, one repentance after baptism, doctrine of purgatory, works are necessary for salvation.

Epistle of Polycarp 115 A.D.

Same Polycarp who would die under Trajan’s policies.

He letter was filled with Scripture quotations and solid theology that would defend the purity in doctrine and steadfastness in service.

Didache or Teaching of the Twelve

165 A.D.

Moral instruction

Mostly written to Jewish Christians

Two Doctrinal issues: 1. Baptism by immersion. There was the exception of

Baptism by pouring if not enough water could be acquired.

2. Lord’s Supper: Only for those who are baptized. ds

Struggle for PurityThese early letters revealed some of the early church doctrines and beliefs

It also shows the churches desire to maintain purity during this early 2nd century.

However, there were various internal struggles that caused the church to defend the Christian faith.

What were some of these struggles?

Early Christian Apologists

Apologetics – Defense of the faith.

It is NOT apologizing for the Christian Faith

Early on we see the church having to defend the faith from some very early struggles within the church.

There was an intellectual opposition against Christianity. This took various forms. A Polemic from Jews had already happened. Greek and Roman philosophers were seriously critiquing

the Christian faith Christians had to begin to defend the faith from these

external pressures

Quadratus 120 A.D.

First known Christian apologist.

He wrote a defense of Christianity to the emperor Hadrian.

He appealed to the healing miracles of Jesus as evidence of his divine power and claimed that some of those whom Jesus had raised from the dead had even survived to his own day.

Aristides C. 140 A.D.

Wrote an apology to the emperor Antonius Pius

He argued the existence of an eternal, perfect creator God was proved by the order of the world, but only Christians rightly knew and honored this God.

He goes on and says pagans, barbarians, and Jews all failed to recognize and respond appropriately to what was disclosed of God’s character in creation

Justin Martyr Justin Martyr is the most significant Christian

apologist

100-165 A.D.

He wrote 2 Apologies.

Justin’s First Apology was written to Antoninus Pius around 151 A.D.

He would reissue the work with a supplementary text that would be renamed Second Apology.

First ApologyThis apology sought to respond directly to pagan criticisms of Christianity.

Justin dismissed these crude ideas that Christians were guilty of cannibalism and incest and argued that in fact their morality was exemplary.

Worship practices were not secret rites involving magic or immortality

Baptism was a process of careful preparation and a solemn declaration of commitment.

First Apology It gave a glimpse of early worship practices

Receiving the Lord’s Supper Prayers, readings from the apostles and prophets The taking of a collection for those in need. The service is lead by the pastor of the gathering.

First Apology The weightiest part of both these works was that

Christian theology is the true philosophy.

He makes connections between Greek philosophy and the beliefs of the Christians.

One was the connection of the Logos to the Christian faith. In Greek philosophy, the Logos was immanent in all reality. Justin connected the Logos with Christ in the incarnation.

Justin weaves together a variety of themes to make his point.

Dialogue with Trypho the Jew

135 A.D.

This is a discussion that Justin held with Trypho, a Hellenistic Jew.

This letter was destroyed in World War II

Reveals something of the character of exchanges between Jews and Christians during this period

Dialogue with Trypho the Jew

In this letter, Justin would show that the true philosophy of Christian faith has its roots in the Jewish Scriptures.

Justin argues that Jesus fulfills the OT Scriptures. Jesus is the fulfillment of the messianic texts The OT points to Jesus and Jesus fulfills the OT While there was some tension between Jews and

Christians this dialogue showed a respectful and tolerant dialogue with each other.

Justin Martyr The Events surrounding his martyrdom:

He had publicly debated two men, Crescens and Marcion. Marcion we’ll get to a little later. However, Crescens was angry that he was defeated by Justin. Crescens brought Justin and 6 of his students to the attention of a Roman prefect, Rusticus around 165 A.D.

They refused to pay homage or loyalty to the Roman gods. So they were condemned, scourged and beheaded.

The early church would give him the last name “martyr” which he is still known by.

Celsus Celsus was a critic against Christianity.

Most historians believe that he responded to Justin Martyr’s two works.

The Early Church Father Origen would respond to many of Celsus’ attacks against Christianity

But his treatise is important for several reasons: Oldest surviving attack on Christianity by a pagan

intellectual Celsus was remarkably well informed about Christian beliefs Established a precedent for later anti-Christian polemic on

several issues: nature of Scripture and relationship between secular reasoning and Christian doctrine.

Early Christian Heresies While Christians were fighting and defending the

Christian faith, there was still the rise of heresies, or beliefs against the fundamentals of Christian faith.

These heresies would require the church to formulate creeds that outlined what the universal church, or all Christians believe.

Gnosticism Derives from the Greek term gnosis, which means knowledge.

They claimed that they possessed a “special” knowledge, reserved for those with true understanding. This knowledge was the secret to salvation.

Salvation was the main concern of the Gnostics.

The Gnostics determined that all matter was evil or at best unreal.

To them the human body is just an eternal spirit imprisoned in our bodies

So the final goal of “salvation” is to escape the body and this material world.

Gnosticism So, how do the Gnostics explain the the origin of the

world and of the body to be explained?

They affirmed that originally all reality was spiritual. The supreme being (Not Yahweh) did not have an intention to creating a material world, but only a spiritual one.

According to the Gnostics: the world is merely an abortion of the spirit and not a divine creation.

So, you see how they are questioning the Creator. So this is why the Church had to defend the faith.

Gnosticism In order to be liberated, a spiritual messenger must come to

this world, to awaken us from our “dream”

Gnosticism found its way into Christianity, they made the spiritual messenger as Christ.

Since the Gnostics saw the body as immaterial, they rejected any notion that Christ had a physical body.

Therefore, they said that it was merely a ghost that seemed like a real body.

Two ways to live this life: Asceticism – punish my evil body in order to purify the Spirit Licentiousness – Lawlessness. The body is going to do bad stuff.

Marcion Marcion knew Christianity, but had a profound dislike for towards

Judaism and the material world.

He developed a Christian worldview that was both anti-Jewish and anti-material.

He was convinced that the world was evil, therefore the creator must be either evil or ignorant.

He concluded that Jesus is not the same as Jehovah, the God of the OT.

He saw the OT God as vindictive, constantly keeping an account on those that disobey him and punishing them.

The NT God is a loving God.

So Marcion saw a dualistic concept of the God of the Bible.

Marcion He compiled a list of books that he considered true

Christian Scriptures: epistles of Paul and Luke, the others he said were plagued by Jewish views.

The Church’s Response to Marcion & Gnosticism Due to Marcion’s influence, the church began to see Gnosticism seep into

the church.

Therefore the church needed to clarify what books they saw as the measure for the church.

This early 2nd century and Constantine hasn’t come on the map yet with the Council of Nicea.

However, very early the church recognized the books that would be used in all churches.

The Muratorian Fragment, 170 A.D. Earliest known Christian Canon

It had the Gospels 13 of the Pauline Epistles 1 John Jude Revelation

The Church’s Response to Marcion & Gnosticism The Muratorian Fragment showed very early what

the church considered to be canonical. These books would be later confirmed at the Council of Nicea.

They also formed an early creed that summarized what the church believes.

The Apostle’s Creed would be the first known creed of the early church.

The Apostle’s Creed I believe in God, the Father almighty,

      creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

      who was conceived by the Holy Spirit

      and born of the virgin Mary.

      He suffered under Pontius Pilate,

      was crucified, died, and was buried;

      he descended to hell.

The Apostle’s Creed       The third day he rose again from the dead.

      He ascended to heaven

      and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.

      From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

      the holy catholic* church,

      the communion of saints,

      the forgiveness of sins,

      the resurrection of the body,

      and the life everlasting. Amen.

Other Heresies Ebionism – 2nd century, hold over from the Judaizers

(Believed you must obey the entire law even after becoming a Christian), the movement grew in Palestine. Denied the deity of Jesus, virgin birth, the cross, Jesus called Messiah because he kept the law

Montanism – came from Montanus of Phyrgia, declared the Age of the Holy Spirit. Montanus came close to declaring he himself was the Holy Spirit. Cerenthius believed that Jesus was only adopted by God (Baptism proved that). Jesus would lost that adoption through his death.

Other Heresies Novatianism – arose out of the persecutions of

Decius and Diocletian. During the persecution of Decius, Novatian was a bishop. He believed that those who burned incense should not be allowed in the church.

Donatist believed the same thing as Novatianism

Arianism – Will be discussed a little bit later, but Arianism stripped Christ of his divinity and made him more man. This heresy would be dealt with at the Council of Nicea.

The Teachers of the Church

Irenaeus of Lyons

Born around 130 A.D.

Admirer of Polycarp

He would be elected bishop of the church of Lyons after the bishop before would be martyred

His most famous work was Against Heresies.

Irenaeus of Lyons In Against Heresies, he seeks to refute gnosticism.

He sees history being guided by the Sovereign LORD’s hand.

Clement of Alexandria Born in Athens.

Parents were pagans, but Clement was converted at a young age, but do not know the circumstances as to how.

More of a thinker and a searcher than Irenaeus.

He wanted to convince to pagan intellectuals that Christianity was not the absurd superstition that some claimed it to be.

Tertullian of Carthage Native to the North

Africa in the city of Carthage

Converted to Christianity when he was 40 yrs old.

Wrote Prescriptions Against Heretics.

He became a Montanist, which is one of the great mysteries of Christian History.

Origen of Alexandria Disciple of Clement

Son of Christian parents.

He was a scholar, teacher, and ascetic

Produced several writings, approx. 800 works

He would combat Celsus in his work Against Celsus

He believed in an allegorical exegesis of the Bible

More Platonist than Christian

Persecution in the 3rd Century

After a relatively a few years of no known persecutions of Christians. Christians saw a rise in persecution by three Roman emperors

Septimius Severus, Decius and Diocletian

Septimius Severus Put an end to a series of civil wars that had weakened the

Empire.

Barbarians were a constant threat, feared the legion might rebel, so he felt he needed religious harmony among the Empire.

He proposed Sol Invictus or the Unconquered Sun and to subsume, that is to condense all the various religions and philosophies then current, which included Christianity.

He would outlaw Judaism and Christianity under penalty of death, all conversions. Added to the still in effect threat of Trajan’s policies

Septimius Severus In 202, this became a landmark in the history of

persecutions aimed directly at new converts and their teachers

Irenaeus was killed under Severus as was Origen’s father.

Most famous martyrdom: Perpetua and Felicitas, around 203 A.D.

The work Martyrdom of Saints Perpetua and Felicitas recounts this martyrdom.

Decius 249 A.D. came into power.

Christian historians paint him as cruel. History shows him to be a Roman of old style, who wanted to return Rome to her former glory.

Decius saw that the people abandoned their gods and that was why there was unrest.

Decius purpose was not to create martyrs but apostates or those who reject Christ and pledge loyalty to the gods.

In the edict that Decius issued, now lost, he ordered that Christians ought not be persecuted, but rather the worship of the gods be now mandatory throughout the Empire.

The amount of Christians who actually died as martyrs was relatively small since his goal was not to kill Christians, but restore Rome to former glory.

Disorganization of the church

Within a few years after, questions began to arise as to what to do with those who had lapsed or those who denied Christ in face of persecution

There was a discussion between Cyprian and Novatian. Cyprian felt he needed to flee in order to secure a place for other leaders of the Church. Novatian did not.

He (Cyprian) believed the unity of the church was important

Novatian believed these lapsed Christians had it easy for re-entry into the church.

It was out these episodes that the penitential system developed which the Reformation would protest against.

Diocletian and the Great Persecution

The church enjoyed a relatively long period of peace.

In the 4th century however, the last and worse persecution broke out.

Galerius a ruler under Diocletian saw the attitude of Christians towards military service as troubling.

Diocletian and the Great Persecution

Galerius convinced Diocletian to expel all Christians from the legions. In some areas, they tried to make some Christians deny their faith.

In 303, he again convinced Diocletian to issue an edict not to persecute Christians but to remove them from positions of responsibility in the Empire.

The edict also ordered all Christians building and books be destroyed.