Bible Study Series: Driving through Church History · Origins of Church during New Testament Time...

Bible Study Series:Driving through Church

History

Dr. Paul D. Brown

April 2014

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CreditsCredits

History of the Christian Church, Volume I: ApostolicChristianity. A.D. 1-100.

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/hcc1.html Schaff, Philip (1819-1893)

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Overview of StudyOverview of Study

This study attempts the impossible!It surveys the history of the Christian

Church from the time of Christ until thepresent day.It is concerned not only with

ecclesiastical organization and practice,but also with the history of theology,mission and spirituality, and thechanging relationship of Christianity andculture.

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Overview of StudyOverview of Study

The study highlights various cultural,political and theological influences thathave shaped the church’s institutionaldevelopment and explores therelationship between the Christian faithand Western culture.The course uses the historiographical

approach.We will have periodic quizzes during the

course of study

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Orientation of historyOrientation of history

B.C. – Before Christ So all of the Old Testament is B.C. A.D. – Anno Domini (In the year

of our Lord)So most of the New Testament is

A.D.Which comes first?400 B.C. or 40 B.C.?4 B.C. or A.D. 30?A.D. 100 or A.D. 600?

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Who or what is the Church?Who or what is the Church?

The Wine?The Wineskins?Matthew 9:17 Neither do people put

new wine into old wineskins, or elsethe skins would burst, and the wine bespilled, and the skins ruined. No, theyput new wine into fresh wineskins,and both are preserved. [Mark 2:22;Luke 5:37,38]

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History of the ChurchHistory of the Church

The Eternal Plan of God.

In theological sense, Church began inthe Old Testament: the people chosenby God to “the Congregation in thewilderness” (Act 7:38)

The word “church” originated from theGreek “ecclesia” which meant theassembly of citizens in a public place fordeliberations.

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History of the Church: OT

The Hebrew equivalent for “ecclesia” is“qahal” meaning the nation of Israel asassembled before God in a divineatmosphere (Judges 21:8; 1 Chron. 29:1;Deut. 31:30)

Abraham and his descendants werechosen to worship God, to form acongregation to hear the divinecommands, and to proclaim His eternalpromise to the rest of the world.

This was the church in the wilderness

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History of the Church: NTHistory of the Church: NT

Church – Body of Christ– This is my Body, Eat– This is my Blood, Drink

Luke Chapter 22:28-30 He said to the twelve,Ye are they which have continued with mein my temptations. And I appoint unto youa kingdom, as my Father hath appointedunto me; That ye may eat and drink at mytable in my kingdom, and sit on thronesjudging the twelve tribes of Israel.

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Origins of Church during NewTestament Time


The Church did not truly come into existenceuntil the New Testament time.

However, the design of the Church was aneternal plan of God, with Christ as thecornerstone.

Like the Israel of the Old Testament as God’schosen assembly, the church of the NewTestament is His choice through Jesus Christ tounite believers of all nations to share theblessings promised to Abraham: “All the peopleon earth will be blessed through you.”

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Therefore, the “Church” is literally “an assembly of peoplecalled out” from the realm of sin and darkness to bear thelight of the kingdom of God where the light is God Himself.

Jesus used the word “church” only three times in twodifferent passages (Matt.16:18; 18:15-17) When Jesussaid, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock Iwill build my church,” (Matt: 16:18) h used the term inuniversal sense to include all future believers throughoutthe world. Here Jesus meant that Peter is the great leaderof the Church.

In another context Jesus said that the differences betweenbrethren should ultimately be taken to the church (Matt.18: 15-17). Here he used the term in the local sense,referring to a body of believers within a particulargeographic area.

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The Beginning of theApostolic AgeThe Beginning of theApostolic Age The New Testament church began with 120 faithful

who waited patiently in Jerusalem praying forGod’s guidance.

Day of Pentecost – When the Holy Spirit waspoured out on people, Peter addressed the crowdciting the prophesy of the Old Testament “In thelast days, I will pour out my spirit on all people … Iwill pour out my Spirit in those days” (Acts:2:14-2;Joel 2:28, 29)

This was the first Christian sermon, and 3000people were baptized into the new church.

This was the fulfillment of the Old Testamentprophecy.

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The Beginning of theApostolic AgeThe Beginning of theApostolic Age Spread of the early church to other areas: Syria,

Greece, Rome, Italy and Asia Minor. Paul’s conversion to Christianity During his three missionary journeys he

established several churches in the western regionof Asia Minor.

The first European church was established in thecity of Philippi.

Ephesus, Corinth, Thessalonica and the regions ofGalatia had important roles in the spread ofChristianity.

Many of the disciples took the Gospels following theGreat Commission Jesus had entrusted them.

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What became of the 12apostles?What became of the 12apostles? Simon Peter, the first notable leader of the Church

(Acts 1-15; Gal. 2:9) was executed at Rome. It is saidthat he was crucified upside down (cf. John 21:18-19).

James, the son of Zebedee, preached in Judea. He wasbeheaded by Herod Antipas about A.D. 44 (Acts 12:1-2).

John, the son of Zebedee, labored in Jerusalem, andthen from Ephesus among the Churches of Asia Minor.He was banished to the isle of Patmos, liberated anddied a natural death at Ephesus (cf. John 21:20-23).

Andrew, once a disciple of John the Baptist, preached inScythia, Greece, and Asia Minor. He died by crucifixion.

Philip preached in Greece, Phrygia, and Syria, and dieda martyr's death (crucifixion) at Hierapolis.

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What became of the 12apostles?What became of the 12apostles?

Bartholomew (Nathaniel) became a missionary in Armenia. Hewas flayed to death.

Thomas (Didymus) labored in Parthia, Persia, and India. Hesuffered martyrdom (via spear) near Madras, at Mount St.Thomas.

Matthew (Levi) ministered in Ethiopia and was martyred. James the Less (brother of Jude) preached in Palestine and

Egypt, where he was finally crucified. Jude preached in Assyria and Persia, where he was martyred. Simon the Zealot ministered in Middle east and Africa; was

crucified. Judas Iscariot hanged himself following his betrayal of Christ

(Matt. 26:14-16; 27:3-5; Acts 1:16-20). Of the twelve original disciples, one committed suicide, one

died a natural death, ten suffered martyrdom--four of themby crucifixion.

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The Nature of Church HistoryThe Nature of Church History

I. Whose history is it anyway?A. Is it a history of God at work in His Church?B. Is it a history of the institutionalization and

workings of the church organization?

History has two sides, a divine and a human.

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On the part of God, it is his revelation in theorder of time (as the creation is his revelationin the order of space), and the successiveunfolding of a plan of infinite wisdom, justice,and mercy, looking to his glory and theeternal happiness of mankind.

On the part of man, history is the biography ofthe human race, and the gradualdevelopment, both normal and abnormal, ofall its physical, intellectual, and moral forcesto the final consummation at the generaljudgment, with its eternal rewards andpunishments.

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The idea of universal history presupposes theChristian idea of the unity of God, and theunity and common destiny of men, and wasunknown to ancient Greece and Rome.

A view of history which overlooks orundervalues the divine factor starts fromdeism and consistently runs into atheism;while the opposite view, which overlooks thefree agency of man and his moralresponsibility and guilt, is essentially fatalisticand pantheistic.

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The central current and ultimate aim ofuniversal history is the Kingdom of Godestablished by Jesus Christ.

This is the grandest and most comprehensiveinstitution in the world, as vast as humanityand as enduring as eternity.

Secular history, far from controlling sacredhistory, is controlled by it, must directly orindirectly subserve its ends, and can only befully understood in the central light ofChristian truth and the plan of salvation.

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1:16b All things were created through Himand for Him.

1:17 And He is before all things, and in Himall things consist.

1:18 And He is the head of the body, thechurch, who is the beginning, the firstbornfrom the dead, that in all things He may havethe preeminence. (Colossians 1:16-17)

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The history of the church is the rise and progressof the kingdom of heaven upon earth, for theglory of God and the salvation of the world.

It begins with the creation of Adam, and with thatpromise of the serpent-bruiser, which relieved theloss of the paradise of innocence by the hope offuture redemption from the curse of sin.

It comes down through the preparatoryrevelations under the patriarchs, Moses, and theprophets, to the immediate forerunner of theSaviour, who pointed his followers to the Lamb ofGod, which takes away the sin of the world.

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Its proper starting point is the incarnation of theEternal Word, who dwelt among us and revealed hisglory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father,full of grace and truth; and next to this, the miracle ofthe first Pentecost, when the Church took her place asa Christian institution, filled with the Spirit of theglorified Redeemer and entrusted with the conversionof all nations.

Jesus Christ, the God-Man and Saviour of the world, isthe author of the new creation, the soul and the headof the church, which is his body and his bride.

In his person and work lies all the fulness of theGodhead and of renewed humanity, the whole plan ofredemption, and the key of all history from thecreation of man in the image of God to theresurrection of the body unto everlasting life.

This is the objective conception of churchhistory.

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In the subjective sense of the word, consideredas theological science and art, church history isthe faithful and life-like description of theorigin and progress of this heavenlykingdom.

It aims to reproduce in thought and to embody inlanguage its outward and inward developmentdown to the present time.

It is a continuous commentary on the Lord’s twinparables of the mustard seed and of the leaven.

It shows at once how Christianity spreads overthe world, and how it penetrates, transforms, andsanctifies the individual and all the departmentsand institutions of social life.

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It thus embraces not only the externalfortunes of Christendom, but more especiallyher inward experience, her religious life, hermental and moral activity, her conflicts withthe ungodly world, her sorrows and sufferings,her joys and her triumphs over sin and error.

It records the deeds of those heroes of faith"who subdued kingdoms, wroughtrighteousness, obtained promises, stopped themonths of lions, quenched the violence of fire,escaped the edge of the sword, out ofweakness were made strong, waxed valiant infight, turned to flight the armies of aliens."

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11:35 Women received their dead raised to lifeagain. Others were tortured, not acceptingdeliverance, that they might obtain a betterresurrection.

11:36 Still others had trial of mockings andscourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment.

11:37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two,were tempted, were slain with the sword. Theywandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, beingdestitute, afflicted, tormented—

11:38 of whom the world was not worthy. Theywandered in deserts and mountains, in dens andcaves of the earth.

11:39 And all these, having obtained a goodtestimony through faith, did not receive the promise,

11:40 God having provided something better for us,that they should not be made perfect apart from us.

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12:1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded byso great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside everyweight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, andlet us run with endurance the race that is set beforeus,

12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher ofour faith, who for the joy that was set before Himendured the cross, despising the shame, and has satdown at the right hand of the throne of God.

12:3 For consider Him who endured such hostilityfrom sinners against Himself, lest you become wearyand discouraged in your souls.

12:4 You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, strivingagainst sin.

O MAY ALL WHO COME BEHIND US FIND USFAITHFUL

Bible Study Series: Driving through Church History · Origins of Church during New Testament Time...

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