Session 6 – The end of the early church

In this last session we will look at Constantine, Nicea, Augustine, and

John Chrysostom

We can by no means give all the information on any of those topics, but will get a very brief overview of those

individuals and the council

Emperor Constantine

A huge turning point in Christian history is the conversion of Constantine

Although there is much debate on how genuine his conversion was, it

played a huge role on the development of the Church

Some say that he claimed it simply for control because the Christians were

becoming the dominant group very fast

His conversion story is well known

He was in the process of taking control of both the east and the west portions of the Roman Empire, and during this he claimed

he had a vision

He said he had a vision of the cross

and was told to fight for this

He then won a major battle and

took control of the entire roman

empire

He issued the edict of Milan, which was given to stop the persecution

of the Christians

Everything literally changes overnight for the Christians, going from persecution to

being able to live normal lives

Some in the early church have called Constantine the 13th Apostles, because he

did so much good towards the church

Eventually the west/Rome portion of the empire would collapse… Constantine

moved the capital to Constantinople and the empire lasted around a thousand years

The council of Nicea

The council was called by Emperor Constantine

The primary goal of the council was the deal with the Arian heresy that had become a problem in the

early church

Constantine called the council due to instability inside the church (which

translated to instability in the empire) which he didn’t like

The council had 20 Canons it discussed and agreed upon, not all having

to do with Aryanism

There are many erroneous things said and written about the famous Council of Nicea.

For example, it was not:

- the beginning of the "Catholic Church"

-when Christianity decided Jesus was divine

- - when the New Testament was made official

To quote Eusebius Pamphilus: “The most distinguished of God’s ministers from all the churches which abounded in Europe, Africa, and Asia assembled here. The one

sacred building, as if stretched by God, contained people from [a very long list of

nations]. There were more than 300 bishops, while the number of elders,

deacons and the like was almost incalculable…

…Some of these ministers of God were eminent for their wisdom, some for the strict living, and patient endurance of persecution, and others for all three.

Some were venerable because of their age, others were conspicuous for their

youth and mental vigor, and others were only just appointed. The Emperor

provided them all with plenty of food.”

Hundreds of bishops attended, mostly from the eastern churches. Only around

eight officials came from western churches - Rome sent only two presbyters.

The council voted on the views of Arius, and the majority rejected them and said he couldn’t hold his position in

the church anymore

Here is a sample of the Canons from the Council of Nicea in 325 AD:

Canon 4 - a bishop should be appointed by all the bishops of that province...at least three bishops should meet to make this decision.

Canon 5 - provinces should honor excommunications pronounced by other 

bishops in other provinces

Canon 6 - gives the bishop of Alexandria authority over bishops in Libya and other 

local provinces

Canon 10 - no lapsed believer should be ordained

Canon 15 - ordained leaders shall not move from city to city on their own 

accord

On July 25, 325 AD Constantine called for a fairly festive banquet to close the council.

Constantine had already gifted several bishoprics with funds and buildings prior to Nicea, but now he showed more generosity,

bestowing funds on many bishops in the great hall.

Constantine went around the hall greeting bishops, kissing many on the very wounds

that had been caused by Roman persecution.

Though the emperor was filled with great optimism, many bishops were not as thrilled.

It was also clear that the Church now was under a certain amount of governmental

control. Where bishops had been excommunicated, the emperor had

maneurvered to reverse those decisions, as with Eusebius.

Now an excommunicated bishop could be exiled by the government

Despite all this, the majority were happy because peace had come to the empire for the Christians, and

the persecution was over

Problems they dealt with (Arius) would still continue over the next several years

in the church

Augustine of Hippo was born in Thagaste, (the

modern day city of Souk Ahras in Algeria), on the

13th of November in 354. He died on the

28th of August in 430 in Hippo Regius (the modern day city of Annaba in Algeria)

November 13, 354 - August 28, 430 A.D.

Augustine of Hippo

He was a leader in the North African Church

His father died at an early age, and his mother (a Godly women) raised him

Augustine might be the most pivotal theologian in church history

Augustine was a great influence on the reformation that would come a

thousand years later

In his early life, he dabbled in types of Gnostic beliefs, and his mother kicked him out of the house when

he was doing that

Some people have fast conversion stories (Paul) but some have slow ones

Augustine's conversion was slow

He struggled with sexual sin (living and having relations with women)

early on in his life

He went to university and was influenced by the teaching of Ambrose

who was a professor

After struggling with his sin and desires, and finally becomes a Christian

When he joins the ministry and becomes bishop at Hippo, he begins to live a

celibate life style

It’s said that if someone claims they’ve read all of Augustine, they are lying

Augustine died in Hippo at the age of 75 when the Vandals were besieging the city (and

eventually took it)

Before the siege was complete and before Augustine had died, one of his helpers took his library and hid it so it wouldn’t

be destroyed

We will look very quickly at the list of writings by Augustine

There are so many that we won’t even read all the titles

386 Against the Academics386 On the Blessed Life

386 On Order386/387 The Soliloquies

386/387 On the Immortality of the Soul386-429 Letters

387/391 On Music387/389 On the Catholic and the Manichaean Way of Life

387/388 On Magnitude of the Soul388/389 On Genesis, Against the Manichees

388-395 On Free Choice388/395 Eighty three Different Questions

389 The Teacher389/391 On True Religion

391 On the Usefulness of Believing

392 Debate with Fortunatus the Manichee392/393 On the Two Souls, Against the Manichees

393 On Faith and Creed393/394 Alphabetical Psalm Against the Donatists

393/394 On the Literal Interpretation of Genesis. (An unfinished book)393/394 On the Sermon of the Mount

393-430 Sermons394 Against Adimantus

394/395 Explanation: Epistle to the Galatians394/395 Incomplete Explanation: Epistle to the Romans

395 On Continence395 On Lying

396 To Simplicianus, On Different Questions396 On the Christian Struggle396-426 On Christian Teaching

396-420 Expositions on the Psalms397 Against the Basic Letter of the Manichees

397-401 Confessions397-398 Against Faustus the Manichee

397/398 Against Felix the Manichee398 Sermon on Christian Discipline

399 On the Nature of the Good399 Against Secundinus the Manichee

399 Questions on the Gospels399-419 The Trinity

400 On Faith in Invisible Realities400 Consensus of the Evangelists

400 Against the Letter of Parmenian400 On the Work of Monks

400 On Catechizing Beginners400 Comments on Job

400 On the Inquiries of Januarius (Letters 54-55)400/401 On Baptism Against the Donatists

401 On the Good of Marriage401 On Holy Virginity

401/405 Against the Letters of Petilianus401-415 On the Literal Interpretation of Genesis

401 Against Cresconius the Grammarian405 On the Unity of the Church

406 On the Divination of Demons406/412 Exposition on Six Questions - Raised by Pagans

406-430 Tractates on the Gospel of John407/409 Tractates on the First Epistle of John410 On the Destruction of the City of Rome

411 Concerning the One Baptism, Against Petilian412 On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins and

infant.baptism412/413 On Faith and Works

412 On the Spirit and the Letter412 Brief Meeting with the Donatists

412 On the Grace of the New Testament (Letter 140)

413 On Seeing God (Letter 147)413-427 City of God

414/415 On Nature and Grace414 On the Good of Widowhood

415 Against the Priscillianist and the Origenists415 To Jerome (Letters 166-167)

415/416 On the Perfection of Righteousness417 On the Proceedings concerning Pelagius

417 On the Presence of God (Letter 187)418 On the Grace of Christ and Original Sin

418 On Patience418 Proceedings with Emeritus

418 Reply to the Caesarians418/419 Against an Arian Sermon

419 Eight Questions on the Old Testament419 Questions on the Heptateuch

419/420 On Marriage and Concupiscence419/420 On Adulterous Marriages

419/420 Against Adversaries of the Law and the Prophets

419-420 Against Gaudentius a Donatist Bishop419-421 On the Soul and Its Origin

420 Against Two Letters of the Pelagians420 Against Lying

420-422 On the Care of the Dead421 Against Julian

421-422 Enchiridion (Faith, Hope, & Love)422-425 On the Eight Questions, from Dulcitius

425 On the Creed, to the Catechumens426/427 On Grace and Free Choice426/427 On Admonition and Grace

426/427 Retractions427/428 Discussion with Maximus the Arian Bishop

428 Against Maximinus428/429 On Heresies

428/429 On the Predestination of the Saints428/429 On the Gift of Perseverance429/430 On the Usefulness of Fasting

429-430 Incomplete Works Against Julian

“Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything

depended on you.”

“It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes

men as angels.”

Some quotes by Augustine

“If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.”

The problem with talking about Augustine is there is far too much to address

Some of his most known books are Confessions, De Trinitate, The City of God

He addresses many Pagan ideas of his days

He gives us a new idea on addressing the problem of evil

He was the first to suggest that evil is simply the absence of good, and not

something within itself

He says that if God is all good, everything he makes would be good, and evil is

absence of that

A very humorous response that is used today actually originates with Augustine

What was God doing before he created heaven and earth? He was creating hell

for people who ask hard questions.

You cannot overemphasis the impact that Augustine had on the development

of the church

John Chrysostom (347-407 A.D.)

His father died at an early age, and he was raised by his mother

At the age of 40 he becomes a deacon

He was educated by a famous Pagan who said if Chrysostom didn’t become

a Christian, he would have been his successor

Some people loved his preaching so much that they kidnapped him and took

him to Constantinople to be the head of the church their

He had lived a monastic life, and when moved he got rid of all the expensive stuff

that he didn’t think the church needed

He was preaching at a time when the citizens of Rome were rebelling, statues of

Caesar were being pulled down, and people were being put in prison

People were very impressed by him, he spoke against the riots and reminded

people what Jesus said (Give to Caesar that which is Caesars)

He didn’t attend luxurious parties and didn’t ride chariots around the city like previous bishops, he wanted to create a

simple, God focused church and life

He spoke out against horse racing (sports) and gambling, and the crowds who came

to listen to him were huge

Some didn’t like him though…

Some bishops in North Africa got upset and brought false charges to the emperor in attempts to get John

Chrysostom in trouble

The emperor removed him from position of bishop because of these false charges, and

right as he did riots broke out in Constantinople because of it so they

brought him right back

He didn’t back off though like they hoped, and said the same things and

spoke the truth to the people

They took him a second time (trying to do it secretly) and excommunicated him

The emperors wife did not like John Chrysostom though, and pushed to

have him removed/ex-communicated

Immediately more riots broke out, one of which resulted in the cathedral he

preached in being burnt to he ground

He ended up being exiled due to false charges and died in exile

We have 600+ sermons and 200+ letters written by him, he was given the nick

name “The Golden Mouth”

Years later, the son of the emperor who had excommunicated John Chrysostom

gave an order to have his remains brought back to the capital

The emperor publicly repented for what his parents did to him and he was given

great honor from that point onward

“No matter how just your words may be, you ruin everything when you speak

with anger.” – Chrysostom

“A comprehended god is no god.” - Chrysostom

Some quotes by Chrysostom

Memory Verse

Job 8:8 “For inquire, please, of bygone ages, and consider what the fathers

have searched out.

“Let the mouth also fast from disgraceful speeches and railings. For what does it profit if we abstain from fish and fowl and yet bite and devour

our brothers and sisters? The evil speaker eats the flesh of his brother and

bites the body of his neighbor. ” ― John Chrysostom