LDS New Testament Slideshow 29: Post-New Testament Christianity & the Great Apostasy

8/3/2019 LDS New Testament Slideshow 29: Post-New Testament Christianity & the Great Apostasy

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Week 29:Wee :

Post-NewPost-New

TestamentTestament

Christianity andChristianity and

the Greatthe Great

ApostasyApostasyHurricane West Stake

Adult Religion Class


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2

We believe

After the deaths of the Savior and His

Apostles, men corrupted the principles of the

gospel and made unauthorized changes in

Church organization and priesthood

ordinances. Because of this widespreadwickedness, the Lord withdrew the authority

of the priesthood from the earth.

During the Great Apostasy, people were

without divine direction from livingprophets. This apostasy lasted until Heavenly Father and

His Beloved Son appeared to Joseph Smith in 1820 and

initiated the restoration of the fulness of the gospel.

True to the Faith, p. 13


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3

2 Thessalonians 2:3

Let no man deceive you by any means: for

that day shall not come, except there come

a falling away first, and that man of sin be

revealed, the son of perdition.

(apostasia)mutiny, defection, rebellion


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Apostasy from within

11For it hath been

declared unto me of you,

my brethren, by them

which are of the house of

Chloe, that there are

contentions among you.12Now this I say, that

every one of you saith, I

am of Paul; and I of

Apollos; and I of Cephas;

and I of Christ.13Is Christ

divided? was Paul

crucified for you? or were

ye baptized in the name

of Paul?

(1 Corinthians 1:1113.)

13For such are false

apostles, deceitful

workers, transforming

themselves into the

apostles of Christ. 14And

no marvel; for Satan

himself is transformed

into an angel of light.15Therefore it is no great

thing ifhis ministers also

be transformed as the

ministers of

righteousness; whose end

shall be according to

their works.

(2 Corinthians 11:1315.)

9I wrote unto the church:

but Diotrephes, who

loveth to have the

preeminence among

them, receiveth us not.

(3 John 1:9.)


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Myth #1

There was a single Christian church that

progressively changed its teachings and

ordinances until the Nicene Creed and the

creation of the Roman Catholic Church in

the 4th century completed the apostasy.


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Eusebius of Caesarea

c. A.D. 263339.

Bishop of Caesarea

(A.D. 313339).

Author of

Historia Ecclesiastica

(Church History)


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Eusebius view of churchhistory

orthdoxy

heresyheresyheresy

heresy heresy


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Reevaluating churchhistory

orthdoxy


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Gnosticism

(gnsis), knowledge.

Secret knowledge the way to

salvation of the soul from thematerial world.

Human spirits (sparks) trapped in

physical bodies. Separationist Christology.

Many Gnostic sects.

The Sun Cross

or Gnostic Cross


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10

Marcionites

Marcion of Sinope (c. A.D. 85160).

Old Testament God of wrath vs.

merciful God of Jesus

= two Gods.

Docetism, from Greek

(doke), to appear.Marcion of Sinope


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11

Ebionites

True Christianity

= Jewish Christianity.

One God (Old Testament).

Adoptionist Christology.


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12

Montanism

Montanus, Maximilla, Prisca (c. A.D. 150).

The New Prophecy.

Ecstatic visions from the Holy Ghost. Zealousness for martyrdom

& prominence of women .


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Sabellianism

Sabellius, a priest (c. A.D. 215).

Modalism = one God, three different

modes (Father, Son, or Holy Spirit).


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14

Arianism

Arius, a priest in Alexandria,

Egypt (c. A.D. 250c. 336).

Christ not pre-existant, created

by and subordinate to the

Father.

Declared heretical at First

Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325).


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15

Proto-orthodoxChristianity

Before it was the orthodox

majority, it wasproto-orthodox.

Dominant by A.D. 313325.

Destroyed heretical writings.

The Chi Ro, early

Christian symbol

adopted by

Constantine


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Nag Hammadi library

4th-century Gnostic Christian writings

discovered 1945 at Nag Hammadi, Egypt.


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Myth #2

There was a total apostasy from

Christs original teachings.


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Myth #3

The great apostasy was caused

by the Hellenization of Christianity

or the incorporation of Greek philosophy and

culture into the teachingsof the early church.


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Myth #4

The Roman Catholic Church

is the great and abominable church

spoken of in Nephis vision

(1 Nephi 1314).


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The great and abominablechurch

1. Persecutes, tortures, and kills the Saints(1 Nephi 13:5).

2. Seeks wealth and luxury (1 Nephi 13:78).

3. Characterized by sexual immorality (1 Nephi 13:7).

4. Has removed many plain and precious things fromthe scriptures (1 Nephi 13:2629).

5. Has dominion over all the earth, among all nations,kindreds, tongues, and people (1 Nephi 14:11).

6. Is consumed by a great war (1 Nephi 22:1314).

7. Did its work after the death of the apostles(D&C 86:13).


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Opening the seals

The old Catholic church traditions are worthmore than all you have said. Here is a

principle of logic that most men have no more

sense than to adopt. I will illustrate it by an

old apple tree. Here jumps off a branch andsays, I am the true tree, and you are corrupt.

If the whole tree is corrupt, are not its

branches corrupt? If the Catholic religion is a false

religion, how can any true religion come out of it? If the

Catholic church is bad, how can any good thing come outof it? The character of the old churches have always been

slandered by all apostates since the world began.

Joseph Smith, June 1844

History of the Church 6:478


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Thanks for aThanks for a

terrific year!terrific year!

LDS New Testament Slideshow 29: Post-New Testament Christianity & the Great Apostasy

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Transcript of LDS New Testament Slideshow 29: Post-New Testament Christianity & the Great Apostasy