Do NOT call them the dark ages!

With the Roman Empire crumbling around them, those who called themselves Christian faced entirely new struggles to both survive and spread the faith in new and dangerous times. The church emerged as a stabilizing and unifying force in the West but, some might argue, at the cost of compromising the faith in order to appease the Barbarian hordes that threatened to detroy everything. Gone were the days of the Early Church, gone were the days of the Imperial Church, here were the dawning days of the Barbarian Church.

CH1A03-Christian History

1 November 2010

In the Valley of the Shadow of Death
The Fall of Rome, the Rise of the Papacy & Celtic Christianity

I. The Great Recession

A. The invaders

B. is for Barbarians

C. Muslim Forces

D. In the east

E. In the west

F. Descent into Darkness

II. The Great Ascension

            A. Victory over Arianism

            B. Monasticism

            C. The Papacy

                        i. Gregory the Great

                        ii. Donation of Constantine & Isidorian Decretals

III. How the Irish Saved Civilization

            A. peregrini

            B. Patrick

            C. is for Columba

            D. The Conversion of the English

                        i. The English missionaries

IV. The 2, 4, 6

2 events

Synod of Orange (529): Working against the Semi-Pelagianism of its day, this council had much to say concerning the constitution and fallen nature of humanity, together with God’s remedy of redemption through his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. The synod drew its inspiration from Augustine who had died almost a century before.

Barbarian Invasions (A.D. 500-950): For the sake of argument, these are the dates given to discuss the series of crushing military blows that would come to shape Western Europe as well as Christianity in those regions. Dated from the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West.

4 Terms

peregrini: From the Latin peregrinus meaning "from abroad" these “Intrepid Irish Adventurers for God” went into Western Europe and helped spread Christianity to numerous pagan tribes as well as be instrumental in the Christianizing of the British Isles. Their work helped the Church function throughout the 6^th to the 10^th centuries before Scandinavian raiders greatly damaged Ireland’s monastic communities.

Isidorian Decretals: Forgeries from the ninth century professing to have been written by one Isidore Mercator. The decretals depicted that the Popes of Rome were considered superior from the beginning, permitted all bishops to appeal directly to the Pope thus limiting archbishops and regarded Bishops and Popes as free from secular control.

servus servorum Dei Latin for ‘servant of the servants of God.’ It was a name given to Gregory the Great. It did not originate with him, but it did seem to suit his character.

Donation of Constantine: Most likely an Eighth-century forgery. It proclaimed to be written by Constantine describing his conversion, baptism and healing from leprosy by Pope Sylvester I. In it Constantine, out of gratefulness, hands over his Roman palace and the territories of Italy to the Pope and his successors.

6 names

Patrick (ca. A.D. 387-461): The patron saint of Ireland. Although much of his life is wrapped in hagiography and legend, it is fairly safe to say that he is largely responsible for the conversion of the Ireland to Christianity.

Columba (A.D. 521-597): Irish monk who began the monastery on the Isle of Iona (extant today). Iona was the launching point for many Irish missionaries that were destined to bring Christianity to numerous Barbarians, including the tribes on the neighbouring island of England.

Gregory ‘the Great’ (A.D. 540-604): Arguably one of the most influential popes ever. He worked tirelessly to both unite the greatly fractured Western European tribes as well as brought a new period of primacy to the papal office. He was instrumental in increasing the prestige of the Church throughout the West.

Augustine of Canterbury (d. 26 May 604): Appointed by Pope Gregory (the Great) to evangelize the English. He was remarkably successful and eventually established his archbishopric in Canterbury. He also established an important bishopric in York, both of these remain in existence in this very day. His work tied the English Church to Rome until the time of Henry VIII.

Julian I: Byzantine Emperor who did much throughout the 6^th century to strengthen the Roman Empire and spread Christianity as well. A thoughtful scholar, statesman and faithful Christian who did much to spread and support Chalcedonian Theology.

Isidore of Seville (AD.. 560-636): His brief summary of Christian doctrine Book of Sentences was to be studied for centuries in the West as a textbook of theology. His name was used in the title of an 9^th century forgery known as the Isidorian Decretals that argued, among other things, that the Bishops of Rome were superior from the beginning of the Catholic Church.

Quotes:

“Christianity continues to bear the imprint of its Jewish heritage and of the Greco-Roman world into which it first moved, but more than any of the other faiths of [humanity] it has proved its capacity to outlast cultures with which it has seemed to be identified and some of which it helped to create.”

~LaTourette, History, 1:271.

“Supreme egotism and utter seriousness are necessary for the greatest accomplishment, and these the Irish find hard to sustain; at some point, the instinct to see life in a comic light becomes irresistible, and ambition falls before it.”

~William V. Shannon

If anyone denies that it is the whole man, that is, both body and soul, that was “changed for the worse” through the offense of Adam’s sin, but believes that the freedom of the soul remains unimpaired and that only the body is subject to corruption, he is deceived by the error of Pelagius and contradicts the scripture which says, “The soul that sins shall die” (Ezek. 18:20); and, “Do you not know that if you yield yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are the slaves of the one whom you obey?” (Rom. 6:126); and, “For whatever overcomes a man, to that he is enslaved” (2 Pet. 2:19).

~Canon 1 from the Synod of Orange (A.D. 529)

The Emperor Constantine the fourth day after his baptism conferred this privilege on the Pontiff of the Roman church, that in the whole Roman world priests should regard him as their head, as judges do the king. In this privilege among other things is this: “We-together with all our satraps, and the whole senate and my nobles, and also all the people subject to the government of glorious Rome-considered it advisable, that as the Blessed Peter is seen to have been constituted vicar of the Son of God on the earth, so the Pontiffs who are the representatives of that same chief of the apostles, should obtain from us and our empire the power of a supremacy greater than the clemency of our earthly imperial serenity is seen to have conceded to it, choosing that same chief of the apostles and his vicars to be our constant intercessors with God.

~Chapter XIV from the Donation of Constantine

© James Robertson 2010

The Empire Strikes Up

Greetings everyone...here are the notes for the class where we begin to explore how Christianity changed and took shape when it was supported by the state. I am looking forward to the interesting discussions that this will, no doubt, create. How are the faithful to respond when they believe their religious institution has been corrupted?

CALLED OUT:

“OFFICIAL” FAITH & THE RISE OF MONASTIC ORDERS

I. Official Faith

            A. Julian “the Apostate”

            B. Julian and Christianity

            C. Faltering of Arianism

                        i. ANOMOIANS

                        ii. SEMI-ARIANS/HOMOIOUSIANS

                        iii. HOMOIANS

II. The Cappodocians

            A. Macrina

            B. Basil “The Great”

            C. Gregory Nyssa

            D. Gregory of Nazianzus

III.Theodosius I & the Nicene Creed (finally!)

IV. Imperium in imperio

            A. War

            B. Wealth

            C. Women

            D. Words

V. Monastic Response

            A. The Beginnings

            B. Monasteries Develop

                        i.Basil of Caesarea

                        ii. Martin of Tours

                        iii. Jerome

                        iv. John Chrysostom

VI. The 4,5,6’s

4 terms

Monasticism: From the Greek “monos” meaning alone, it is a religious way of life characterized by the practice of renouncing worldly pursuits to fully devote one's self to spiritual work. The origin of the word is from Ancient Greek, and the idea originally related to Christian monks.

Semi-Arians: a name frequently given to the Trinitarian position of the conservative majority of the Eastern Christian Church in the 4th century, to distinguish it from strict Arianism

“Spiritual Sisters”: name given to the women who were living in the homes of supposedly celibate priests.

Imperium in Imperio: Latin for “an order within an order” it could also mean something along the lines of what the state empowers an individual or group to do in order to best serve the state.

5 (more) terms

Council of Constantinople: Called by Theodosius in 381 to affirm the Creed of Nicaea and deal with the Arian Controversy. Considered by most as the 2^nd ecumenical council, it was also the first one held in Constantinople (at the church of the Hagia Irene).

Eremetical: solitary monks

Laura: when monks lived in solitude but close enough to encourage fellowship

Cenobitic: when monks lived together in a community, governed by a leader.

Consubstantial: Used to define the term homoousios as it pertained to Jesus’ relationship in the Trinity. The idea was coined by Tertullian & found official sanction in the Nicene Creed.

6 names

Julian “the Apostate” (A.D. 331/332-363): Became Caesar in 355 and renounced Christianity & sought to restore paganism to its former pre-Constantine glory.

Theodosius I (A.D. 347-395): He made Nicene Christianity the official religion of the empire; he was also the last emperor to rule over both halves of the Empire.

Pachomius (ca. A.D. 292-348): Long considered the founder of Christian cenobitic monasticism. His name means “the falcon”

Basil of Caesarea (A.D. 330-379): established guidelines for monastic life that focused on community life, liturgical prayer, and manual labour. Together with Pachomius (A.D. 292-348): he is remembered as a father of communal monasticism in Eastern Christianity.

Jerome (A.D. 347-420): Well known for his work translating the Bible into Latin that came to be known as the “Vulgate”

John Chrysostom (A.D. 349-407): Influential church leader who received the name Chrysostom (which means “golden-mouthed”) due to his reputed eloquence and power as an orator. He also wrote against abuses of power by both the church and the state.

“The essential feature of heresy is that it is not unbelief…in the strict sense of the term, but a form of the faith that is held ultimately to be subversive or destructive, and thus indirectly leads to such unbelief. Unbelief is the outcome, not the form of heresy.”

Alister McGrath Heresy: A History of Defending the Truth, 33.

“No one else but the Saviour himself, who in the beginning made everything out of nothing, could bring the corrupted to incorruption; no one else but the Image of the Father could recreate [people] in God’s image; no one else but our Lord Jesus Christ, who is Life itself, could make the mortal immortal; no one else but the Word, who orders everything and is alone the true and only-begotten Son of the Father, could teach [people] about the Father and destroy idolatry…Two miracles happened at once: the death of all [people] was accomplished in the Lord’s body, and death and corruption were destroyed because of the Word who was united with it. By death immortality has reached all and by the Word becoming man the universal providence and its creater the leader, the very Word of God, has been made known.” Athanasius, The Incarnation of the Word, 4:20, 54.

Writings of Athanasius on Arianism found here

© James Robertson 2010

Conquer: Constantine, Nicaea & Imperial Christianity

The Arch of Constantine

Here are the notes from the impending class on Constantine and the Council of Nicaea and the beginnings of Imperial Christianity. It is not a bad idea to read up as much as possible on this beforehand as this is, arguably, one of the most important developments in the history of the Christian Church.

CH1A03-CHRISTIAN HISTORY I

4 OCTOBER 2010

CONQUER

Constantine, Arians, Nicaea & Imperial Christianity

I. Setting the Stage: Diocletian

            A. Political Unrest

            B. Fiercest Christian Persecutions

II. Constantine

            A. In the beginning…

            B. “By this sign, Conquer!”

            C. Edict of Milan

III. Consolidation

            A. Eastern Christianity & Political Practicality

            B. Consolidation & Constantinople

IV. Christianity in the Empire

            A. Benefits

            B. Change of Roles

            C. A Blessing or a curse?

            D. So…was he?

V. Council of Nicaea

            A. The Rise of Arianism

            B. Constantine Intercedes

            C. The Nicene Creed…Take 1!

            D. Other Decisions

VI. In the Wake of Nicaea

            A. Resurgence of Arianism

            B. Athanasius: The Black Dwarf

            C. The Fall of Nicene Christianity

VII.  The 4, 5,6 7

4 terms

Great Cappadocians: Eastern Christians who argued against Arianism and helped the church see its flaws. They garnered this name because all were born in the Cappodocia. (Also see Names section)

Ecumenical council: Leaders from the entire church were invited to attend. Not ecumenical in the way commonly thought today where members of various denominations work together. Another word to define it would be general council.

Donatism: Belief that, if a leader faltered under persecution, everything he did for the church was rendered invalid. This would have profound consequences for North African churches in the time of Augustine.

Arianism: The belief that Jesus was the first-born of creation and that there was a time when Jesus did not exist. It was named after its proponent and leader, Arius.

5 events

Era of Martyrs (A.D. 303-305): Under Diocletian’s edicts the Christian church endured some of the most vicious persecution, arguably, in its history

Edict of Milan (A.D. 312-313): Ordered by Constantine and Licinius to affirm Gallerius’ decision to legalize Christianity.

Athanasius’ Easter Letter (A.D. 367): A list of the canonical writings for his congregants and churches. It affirms the 27 NT books we have today and it was affirmed by the Synod of Carthage in A.D. 397.

Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325): Considered the first general council of the church. Constantine invited leaders from every region to discuss the Arian Controversy. The Council decided (among other things) in the Deity of Christ, that Arianism was wrong, & belief in the Trinity.

Milvian Bridge (A.D. 312): Constantine’s famous victory over his rival Maxentius took place at this bridge outside of Rome. It was before that battle the Constantine is reported to have seen the chi rho in the sign and heard, “By this sign, conquer.” The ensuing victory made him the supreme leader of the western empire & is credited with inspiring him to convert to Christianity.

7 names

Eusebius of Caesarea (A.D. 226-339): The father of Christian history. He wrote the first history of the early church up to and including the time of Constantine.

Constantine (A.D. 272-337): The First Roman Emperor to convert to Christianity and ushered in the era of Imperial Christianity.

Athanasius of Alexandria (A.D. 293-373): Nicknamed “Black Dwarf” by his critics, he became one of the greatest champions of Nicene Christianity. His teachings were well respected but he paid for his beliefs and was exiled on, at least, five separate occasions.

Arius (A.D. 250 or 256-336): Presbyter from Alexandria who, in combating modalism, argued that Jesus was the firstborn of God’s creations. He was a charismatic leader and his teachings were popular for many years.

Basil of Caesarea (A.D. 329-379): One of the Great Cappodocians; opposed Arianism and helped develop foundational Christian theology.

Gregory Nazianzus (A.D. 329-389): One of the Great Cappodocians; opposed Arianism and helped develop foundational Christian theology.

Gregory Nyssa (A.D. 330-394): One of the Great Cappodocians; opposed Arianism and helped develop foundational Christian theology. Basil’s brother.

Quotes:

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of all things, visible and invisible, and in one Lord, Jesus Christ the Son of God, the only begotten of the Father, that is, of the same substance [ousias] of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one substance [homoousion] with the Father, through whom all things came to be, those things that are in heaven and those things that are on the earth, who for us men and for our salvation came down and was made flesh, and was made man, suffered, rose the third day, ascended into the heavens, and will come to judge the living and the dead. We believe also in the Holy Spirit.

~The Creed of Nicaea (NOT the Nicene Creed yet)~

“in conference concering the security of the realm, we decided…the worship of God ought rightly be our first and chiefest care, and that it was right that Christians and all others should have freedom to follow the right kind of religion they favoured; so that the God who dwells in heaven might be propitious to us and to all under our rule.”

~Excerpt from the Edict of Milan~

 © James Robertson 2010

There Just Is NOT Enough Time on Mondays!

Here are my notes from Monday's class related to the formation of the canon. Although there was no Bible (as we think of it today) until later in the 4th century, there is strong evidence for a an accepted codex of scriptures authenticated by the early church. I regret that we did not have more time to go over the subtleties of canonical development in class but I welcome any questions or concerns.

Here are my notes, I hope they prove helpful:

IV. The Canon

1. Old Testament
1. About the time that the OT books were becoming a standard form the writers of the NT were hard at work writing books that would come to be the NT.
2. It is important to note that, at this time in particular, it was the verbal reading of the works of faith that were more important than individual reading. Guttenberg’s press has changed the way we view this and has opened up the early church’s scriptural tradition to what I think is somewhat anachronistic criticisms. Jack & Jill analogy
3. Paul mentions in perhaps his earliest letter 1 Thess. 5:27 to have his letter read to all the brothers and sisters.
4. The OT books were read and interpreted in the light of Christ’s life, death and resurrection. Since the early church would not have any kind of written account of Jesus’ life (that we know of) until Mark (most likely) but even that was not until 30 years after Jesus’ ministry. But we do have evidence that Jesus’ teachings were valued as highly as the OT. In 1 Timothy 5:18 we have a teaching of Jesus quoted along with Deut 25:4.
5. For an entire generation after Christ’s death the teachings of Jesus were transmitted orally

2. So, what do we with that?? Why the delay
1. First: the apostles were living books. As long as they were alive and present in the church there was not the need as they were a record of the life and teachings of Jesus. 1 Cor. 15:6 (eyewitnesses to the resurrection) Papias (2^nd cent. Bishop) writes: “ I do not think that I derived so much benefit from books as from the living voice of those that are still surviving.” Eus. iii. 39.3
2. Second: They had the OT, they did have a Bible, just not the same Bible we have today.
3. Third: the tradition of the day was to pass on info orally. It was a highly illiterate culture, people frequently were taught in the synagogue and there was very little private reading. Remember that Jesus even said “You have heard it said…” (Matt 5:27). Jewish tradition had been handed down orally for centuries as some rabbis did not like the written word. 

3. The need for written works
1. Do not think that the oral tradition=confused/wrong/influenced ideas about Christ.
2. Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to hold to their traditions which they were taught either by word or epistle (2 Thess 2:15).
3. However, as Christianity grew and apostles were traveling all over the empire the need to write letters of correction, instruction grew. Plus young converts needed to be admonished, corrected and encouraged. There were a few other reasons that written accounts were needed:

                                              i.     New converts needed written records of the sayings and deeds of Jesus. The Gentiles often had no access to eyewitness accounts

                                            ii.     As the gospel spread into the Greco-Roman regions they were going into increasingly literate cultures

                                          iii.     Heretical teachings forced the church to figure out what made a doctrine apostolic.

                                            iv.     Pastoral reasons to have written documents: what did Jesus say about divorce? Sex? The Sabbath? Food laws? Circumcision? This is one of the ones that argues for the authenticity of the early writers. Circumcision was one of the major issues in the early church yet Jesus said nothing about it. It would have been easy to make something up and end the debate but the early church did not because there was nothing to report even though the point was so contentious…that is a good lesson for us still today: Do Not Put Words in Jesus’ Mouth.

d.    Once the NT books were written they were collected and eventually these 27 books comprised the NT. However, a great many other books were also being written as well as the oral teachings of Jesus were still making the rounds so a distinction between canonical and non-canonical needed to be made.

4. Agrapha (not written)
1. Luke 1:1-14 other people had also written accounts of Jesus
2. There were sayings of Jesus that were not written (agrapha) in the canonical gospels. Not uncommon in the early church 
3. Jesus, in Acts, is recorded as saying "It is better to give than to receive." However, that saying does not appear anywhere in any of the Gospel accounts. Also, the end of John's Gospel notes that his account did not include everything said and done by Jesus and if someone were to attempt to do such a thing the entire world would not be able to contain all the stories that could be told. This should remind us that we do not know everything there is to know about Jesus and fill us with humility. The Gospel writers were not being paid by the word but had limited space to record what each thought to be central to their understanding of the Jesus event. Therefore, many things were left out due to spatial constraints.
4. Just remember that this is just one more example of the oral tradition of our faith preceding the written

5. Parallel Literature
1. The vibrant/creative faith of the early church inspired many other writings. Some of which were so popular that they made it into some NT collections (listed on hand out)
2. Clement of Rome’s letter is found in Codex Alexandrinus 
3. Various genres were imitated (Gospels, letters, apologies [anon. Letter to Diognetus] and books that imitated the Letter of Revelation [even popular back then!] Shepherd of Hermas is one of those and it, along with Epistle of Barnabas are included in Codex Sinaiticus)
4. The Gospel mimics have gained a lot of popularity lately in our culture. They tend to be fantastical in nature, strong Gnostic tones and written later than the apostolic writings.

6. Other Writings
1. See hand out for info

II. The Process of Canonization

1.     collecting the canonical books

a.     Paul’s writings: remember that these letters are earlier than our Gospels, they are among the earliest of all the books of the NT that we possess. 

b.     Within the NT Paul’s letters are shown to have high standing 2 Peter 3:16. paraphrase: people are twisting Paul’s complicated ideas to suit their own theologies, just like they do with the other scriptures Paul’s teachings are put on par with the OT

c.     Clement (A.D. 95), Polycarp, Ignatius all reference Paul. It appears that by 100 A.D. his works are well known and well circulated.

d.     It is odd though because Paul’s letters were casual in tone (some of them) and he was even aware that some were not read to the churches (he tells the Thessalonians to read his letter to everyone 1 Thess 5:27). The first letter to the Corinthians, the one that was apparently badly misunderstood, is lost to us (1 Cor 5:9)  and we do not have his letter to the Laodicians (Col 4:16). 

e.     Two theories how the letters were collected: 1) a process that went on over time 2) an historical event led to the collection of Paul’s letters.

f.      The fact that the order of the letters is different in different eras of the early church seem to show that the letters were collected at different Christian centers. E.g. the Corinthian church holds on to their letters but also was able to procure letters to other churches…but the letters to them will be first since they bear the most relevance to their church. Paul even recommended that churches do this when he encouraged the Colossians to share letters with the Laodiceans (Col 4:16)

g.     Those who think it happened at once cannot provide the event that would have occasioned the collecting of the works.

h.     We have to be satisfied with theories since we do not know either way. But it does appear that the collection of the 4-fold gospels as we now have them happened around the same time as the collection of Paul’s letters.

i.      The Gospels: We have no idea how many gospels originally existed as Luke mentions that others had done the work of reporting about Jesus (Lk. 1:1)

j.      Since the earliest one is approx. 60 A.D. there are about 30 years of oral transmission.

k.     The first reference to a canonical gospel is in the Didache 

l.      The Didache warns against hypocrisy but to pray “as the Lord commanded in his Gospel” a reference to the Lord’s Prayer.

m.   Works that talk about the Gospels: Papias mentions gospels by name (Eus. iii 39.16), Justin’s Apology (A.D. 150) talks about the “memoirs of the apostles” as “gospels” Irenaeus defends the 4 fold gospel in A.D. 180 saying 4 points on the compass, 4 elements…Marcion whittled down the 4 fold to one in his canon (A.D. 140) and Tatian’s harmony of the Gospels (A.D. 160) called the Diatessaron

n.     Debate does exist within the early church as to why a 4 fold gospel. While that may seem scary to us remember that it does show that the 4 fold gospel was in existence by the start of the 2^nd century.

o.     Acts does double duty: it continues the story of the gospels and also provides the setting for the epistles. Acts is the center that holds the other two “wings” of the NT together. In this book we see that Paul was not the only one spreading the XN church. It also, some believe, allowed the other letters to be secured in the NT canon.

3.     Need for Canon:

a.     See hand out

4.     Criteria for Canonization

a.     Apostolicity: eye witnesses. They taught the early church so their work was seen as authoritative. They were in Jesus’ confidence and, as such, were seen to be in possession of the closest source of Jesus’ teachings. In fact, the popularity of some of the apocryphal writings was due in large part to the fact that an apostle’s name was attached to it.

b.     However, it is not enough to think of apostolicity was simply a matter of being written by an apostle but being apostolic in content. This was sometimes referred to as the “canon of truth”

c.     Orthodoxy or Canon of Truth: in Latin known as the Regula Fidei or Veritatis  this “rule of faith” was more or less the same in the various geographical areas of the empire, and was regarded as a key to the interpretation

d.     Not a book per se…more like the content of the Christian faith where the books of the Bible were the authoritative source but the “rule of faith” was the substance.

e.      Spirit attestation: there was something about these books that just have God in them. That may make us uneasy to say but there is a large collection of 1^st cent Christians that can attest that these books “felt alive” when they first heard them with an open heart.

f.     While this is an important principle it must be seen as operating in conjunction with the other principles. The Bible did not come together based on feelings necessarily but on quantifiable ideas that we can research, critique and review.

h.     Catholicity: a book’s universal acceptance. A document acknowledged in only a small part of the world was not likely to gain acceptance into the Canon.

i.      Some came into play in different parts at different times (e.g. Revelation and Hebrews).

j.     Chronology of Composition: only books written during what has come to be known as the “period of the incarnation” (Oscar Cullman). This is the period from the birth of Christ to the death of the last apostle.

k.      Once the apostles pass away so does the only source of direct revelation. They can appoint bishops but not other apostles.

l.     It is not a question of which book is better or more interesting but, rather, whether or not the book is apostolic.

m.     All books that come from the postapostolic period must be judged in light of the ones that came from the ‘period of the incarnation’

n.    Used in public worship: few early Christians would have owned copies of a complete collection of NT books. Because a) they did not exist yet in their full form b) attaining manuscripts was costly and c) most of them were illiterate.

o.     But the writings of the apostles were read in the churches and the believers heard them.

p.      There were some non-canonical books that were also read but that was before the time of the closing off of the canon. Examples of this can be found in the Muratorian canon of the Revelation of Peter: “some will not read it in church” and the Shepherd of Hermas should be read in private but not in public.

q.     Other works might be good and even inspirational but they cannot claim to be authoritative

5.     NO council ever made a book of the Bible canonical, they simply affirmed those books that through long usage had found to speak with the voice of the living God. (Ewert, 129)

6.     Heretics as Motivation to Compile the New Testament

a.     Marcion: had the gospel of Luke (with Jewish references cut out) and the writings of Paul. As far as we know the first person to attempt to create a canon of scripture. Thought Christianity had been Judaized and set himself to the task of bringing the church back to “true” Pauline Christianity.

b.     Marcion of Sinope came to Rome from Pontus in approx 140.

c.     He could not make the churches give up the OT or the other gospels but they did begin to set limits to the canon in light of his actions

d.     Open canon of Montanism: Montanus believed he was the coming paraclete mentioned in the gospel of John and that he was the mouthpiece of the Holy Spirit. Along with Prisca and Maximilla  he went about prophesying in the name of the Spirit and predicting Christ’s imminent return.

e.     This raised the question of whether or not the final revelation of God was to be found in Christ.

f.      Approximately A.D. 180 the church realized that such an openness could bring a lot of mischief and forced them to take a clearer position on the limit of the canon.

g.     While new insights happened all the time the final word of revelation was located in the time of the apostolic writings.

For an excellent book on this topic and how the English Bible came into existence see David Ewert. From Ancient Tablets to Modern Translation: A General Introduction to the Bible

  © James Robertson 2010

Word Dwelled Among Us Handout (27 Sept)

Statue of Peter Preaching. (date unsure).

Here is the handout for the class that will take place on 27 September. Please note the links throughout the handout that will take you to some excellent websites containing relevant primary source material.

CH1A03 Christian History I

27 September 2010

THE WORD DWELLED AMONG US:

ORTHODOXY, CANON & INTELLECTUAL CHRISTIANITY

“No other religion had so high an ideal of an inclusive community of love. Yet, as we are to see again and again in the course of our story, no other religion has had as many divisions and as many bitter controversies between its adherents.” LaTourette,History, 1:119.

I. Persecution

            A. Nero & The Fire of Rome (A.D. 64)

B. The “Lesser” Persecutors

C. The Wraths of Decius & Valerian

II. The Threats

A. Greek culture

B. Gnosticism

C. Marcion

D. Montanism

E. Novationism & Donatism

III. The Thoughts & the Thinkers

A. Becoming Catholic & Orthodox

B. Apostles Creed (this link incl all versions & an article related to gnosticism)

C. Other Ideas

i. Apostolic Succession

ii. Purgatory

iii. Easter Controversy

iv. Trinity

v. Deity of Christ

D. Irenaeus

E. Tertullian

F. Clement of Alexandria

G. Origen

IV. The Formation of the BibleA. The Canon

i. Old Testament

ii. Why the delay?

iii. Need for written works

iv. Agrapha

v. Parallel Literature

B. Process of Canonization

i. Paul

ii. Gospels

iii. Acts & the “Double Duty”

 C. Criteria

i. Apostolicity

ii. Canon of Truth

iii. Spirit Attestation

iv. Catholicity

v. Chronology of Composition

vi. Use in Worship

V. The 4,5,6

4 Terms

1. Rule or Symbol of Faith: A collection of statements designed to test a Christian’s knowledge of the faith. Today it is known as the Apostles’ Creed.

2. Gnostic: Catch-all term for those who believed that a secret knowledge (gnosis) would set humans free from evil matter to be re-united with divine spirit. Often believed that the God of the Bible was an evil sub-deity & Jesus shared secret knowledge with only one of His disciples.

3. Apologist: Someone who wrote in defense (an apology) of the Christian faith.

4. Diatessaron (ca. A.D. 160): compiled by Tatian simply means a harmony of the Gospels. It is important because this early edition harmonizes the standard four gospels, this argues for the early view of them as a whole unit.

5 Events

1. Montanist Movement (A.D. 156-220): Also known as the “New Prophets” tried to return the church to the NT emphasis on prophecy & an active Spirit. Their harsh morality & inaccurate prophecies led many to reject them.

2. The Criteria for Canonization: What a book needed to be in order to be considered appropriate for inclusion within the Scriptures. (Canon means “Measuring Stick”)

3. Muratorian Canon (pre-A.D. 190): Recognized the NT as we have it without Hebrews, James & Peter’s Epistles.

4. The Easter Controversy: Should Easter be celebrated on Sunday or whatever day of the week the Jewish Festival of Passover fell?

5. Trinitarian Theology: How the early Christians wrestled with monotheism in the wake of their understanding of Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit.

6 Names

1. Marcion (d. A.D. 160): Gnostic that rejected the OT and believed that Christianity had been compromised by Judaism. He used a canon of Paul’s writings (minus the more Jewish ideas) and the Gospel of Luke (likewise redacted).

2. Tertullian (A.D. 160-225): North African Church Father. Used his brilliant legal mind to write against “modalism” (the idea that the Father, Son & Holy Spirit are not distinct). Became a Montanist in later life.

“Praxeas served the devil in Rome in two ways: expelling prophecy and introducing heresy, evicting the Spirit and crucifying the Father.”

Tertullian “Against Praxeas”

3. Origen (A.D. 185-254): Oversaw Alexandria & treated difficult scriptures allegorically.

4. Hippolytus (A.D. 170-236): Roman theologian. Recorded the Apostolike Paradosis (Apostolic Tradition); it included and early form of the Apostles’ Creed.

5. Papias (A.D. 60-130) Apostolic church father, wrote about the origins of the Gospel.

6. Irenaeus (A.D. 130-200): Church Father. Among other things defended Eastern Christians in the Easter controversy.

© James Robertson 2010