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Church History

Church History. Lecture 3 – The Second Century The Challenge of Greek Philosophy See pages 120-140 of Latourette , plus class handouts. Greek Culture. Many gods (polytheism) often in a hierarchy Sexually promiscuous, homosexuality accepted

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Church History

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  1. Church History Lecture 3 – The Second CenturyThe Challenge of Greek Philosophy See pages 120-140 of Latourette, plus class handouts

  2. Greek Culture • Many gods (polytheism) often in a hierarchy • Sexually promiscuous, homosexuality accepted • Widespread use of drugs & prostitution in religion • Ecstatic worship • Mystery religions • Philosophy (Aristotle, Plato, Socrates) • Sharp distinction between spirit(good) and matter (evil) • Mystical and symbolic, numerology, astrology • Strong belief in “Fate”: prophecy, Sibyls, oracles

  3. The Tension For New Converts • Very hard to find the balance • Either totally rejected Greek culture and went to the opposite extreme (e.g. compulsory celibacy) • Extremism / legalism • Or tried to synthesize Greek culture and the Christian faith (and sometimes became heretical) • Anti-nomianism (rejection of the law), syncretism (mixing up paganism and Christianity)

  4. Gnosticism • Gnosis = knowledge • Gnosticism = salvation by knowledge • No sin, only ignorance of divinity / spirituality • Sharp distinction between spirit and matter (dualism) • This world created by an evil god “demiurge” • True God is love and is unknowable • Many layers of spirit beings • Many different kinds of Gnosticism • Some very strict morally, others allowed promiscuity as the body ‘did not matter” and what was done in the body did not affect the spirit.

  5. Marcionism • Marcion (110-165AD) a wealthy shipping magnate went to Rome and about 138 AD started teaching that: • The “God of the Old Testament” was evil and was the demiurge • That Judaism was the religion of this “evil god” and the otherwise unknown God of love was revealed in Christ • That only the letters of Paul and the gospel of Luke were the Scriptures • An attempt to return to pure grace and to the pure gospel untainted by law • Tended to ‘cut and paste’ the Bible • Forbad marriage, strict celibacy

  6. Simon Magus & Babylonian Religion • Simon Magus was a magician from Samaria (see Acts 8:9-24) who tried to buy the power to confer the power of the Holy Spirit • He is mentioned as having great occult powers by many early church fathers • Early church fathers taught that Simon Magus was the source of all heresies • Simon Magus taught that knowledge conferred supernatural powers • Had a system of ‘divine emanations’ • Simon was worshipped by his followers • Taught Babylonian occult mysteries in Rome • Supposedly fell to his death in a confrontation with the Apostle Peter in Rome

  7. Montanism • Montanus was from Phrygia, Montanism flourished in the second half of the second century • Stressed the spiritual gifts, speaking in tongues and prophecy, lived very holy lives • Was popular in Phrygia and North Africa • Expected the imminent return of Jesus Christ and a literal 1000 year reign (known as chiliasm) • The great apologist Justin Martyr eventually joined • Not so much a heresy as an extreme. Montanus and his two female prophets tended to see themselves as anointed and infallible

  8. The Danger Of Defining The Faith • Every attempt to ‘standardize’ Christianity tends to also factionalize it. • There is a strong tension between truth and love – if we emphasize truth too much we can end up being judgmental and unloving but if we emphasize acceptance to much we can admit rampant heresy. • Many disputes were completely unnecessary (such as the long dispute over the date of celebrating Easter) • Other disputes (such as that over celibacy) come from cultural over-reaction

  9. The Rise Of The Bishop Of Rome • The notion of Apostolic Succession • The ‘primacy of St. Peter” – many good popes at first esp. Leo the Great • Rome was where Peter and Paul were and was the center of the Roman Empire • Jerusalem, Carthage, Alexandria and Constantinople were competitors for a while • Acts seems to support Rome as the place where the gospel ends up • At first was just ‘first among equals’ • Gradually increased in power as center of empire shifted to Constantinople and the pope was no longer overshadowed by the Emperor and his court.

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