July 10, 2005

The Body of Christ

History of the Church - part 3
Steve Lane

A. Introduction - Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses

Hebrews 12: 1 - 3
The remnant, at times, was very small an dabscuer, even though the church may have been huge

You are writing a chapter with your life, which may or may not be recorded in earthly history books, but will surely be recorded in the books of heaven.

1 Corinthians 15: 58
1 Corinthians 16: 13 - 14

B. Time line

From the very beginning... Christianity no easy road

Acts 7: 54 - 8: 4

64 AD Great fire of Rome
54 - 68 Nero
64 - 313 The persecuted church, 10 waves of persecution. After each, the church comes out stronger.

64 - 68 Paul beheaded, Peter crucified
70 Jerusalem destroyed along with the Temple
81 - 96 Domitia persecution
93 - 96 The Apostle John banished to Patmos
97 All 27 books of the New Testament written by this year
98 Death of John
135 Bishop of Rome elevated. Elders/Bishops - stay from elder rule - end up opening the door for Pope (modern problem of CEO) - more admin, more responsibility, not the reality of Jesus the Head, but less real authority - obey leaders, submit to those who labor - qualifications, unity
150 Justine Martyr writes Apology. Tortured and beheaded. "You can kill us, but you cannot do us any real harm."

Marcus Aurelius Emperor
156 Polycarp Bishop of Smyrna, aged church leader burned in the arena. "Your fire burns for an hour and goes out, but the fire of the coming judgment is eternal."
177 Irenaeus becomes Bishop of Lyons
196 Tertullian, Apologist fought Gnosticism. "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church."
200 Long battle with Arianism begins [denying the deity of Christ]
203 Unknown Perptua, young lady from Carthage, North Africa. Refused simple ceremony to worship the Emperor. Went to arena.
205 Origen begins writing
251 Cyprian writes on the unity of the Church, encourages too much priest-like power for bishops
303 Emperor Diocletian brought violent persecution
311 Galerius orders tolerance
312 Constantine sees sign, burning cross in the sky before battle at Milvian Bridge
313 Constantine issued Edict of Milan, and gave freedom to all religions

Constantinople becoming Eastern center of Rome and of Christianity
325 Council of Nicaea, to settle Arian dispute

340 - 397 Ambrose the Preacher
345 - 407 Chryssostom, called the golden-mouthed. Lived like a monk and because one in the Syrian mountains. Became Bishop of Antioch [Antioch, literal: School of Alexandria allegorical] the Bishop of Constantinople.

The pulpit became a battlefield against evil; a calling that lead to exile and death.
387 Augustine converted, wrote "City of God, Confessions, Salvation by Grace"

"When I though of devoting myself entirely to you, my God... it was that I wished to do it, and that I wished not to do it. It was I. And since I neither completely wished, nor completely refused, I fought against myself and tore myself to pieces."

"Put on the Lord Jesus and make no provision for the flesh..."
405 Jerome completes the Latin Vulgate
410 Rome falls, sacked by the Visigoths; (Many groups, Barbarians to follow.) Bishop of Rome elevated - talked them out of killing.

Byzantium Empire still strong, until 1057
431 Concil of Ephesus
452 Leo 1 saves Rome from Attila the Hun and Vandals by talking them into letting the city alone, used the papas - convinced of the Peter succession arguement.
529 Benedict of Nursa - founder of monastery of Monte Cassino - Rule; permanence, obedience to the Abbot, but the discipline took into account fallible human beings. Teaching centers, hostels, copied scripture, highest spiritual and intellectual achievement coupled with physical labor. Not all accepted whipping the flesh into submission, etc.
540 - 604 Pope Gregory; made tradition equal with the Bible. Purgatory, Mass as sacrifice, accepted superstitions and stories of his time. Should be able to trace back to the New Testament everything needed to be saved.
580 Developing concepts of Mary
590 Gregory claims to be head of all bishops. Gregorian chants
622 Islan appears. Mohammad from Mecca has vision, by 632 most Arab nations made Islamic by the Muslim armies. Began to have victories over Byzantine forces - Syria, Damascus and Jerusalem - North coast of Africa, then Persia, then Spain. Threatened to take Western Europe. Byzantine Empire pushed back to what is now Turkey. Charles Montel drove them back from Europe in 722 at the Straights of Gibraltar

Both Popes and Kings claimed supreme authority in all areas both secular and sacred
1054 Eastern and Western Church splits

Pope becomes single-most institution in Western Europe for 250 years. Teaching that the Roman Church held the keys to heaven promoted this idea.

Interdict - no baptisms, no masses, no confessions, etc.
1204 Pope Innocent 4th Crusade sacks Constantinople and a blood crusade against Waldensians (Bible authority)

Inquisitions to oppose heretical groups - Friars enforced - opposed many Bible -believing groups like the Waldensians and the Anabaptist. Rumblings of a return to biblical Christianity