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CHURCH HISTORY The Church Under Attack!. The picture of the Early Church. Acts 2:46-47. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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CHURCH HISTORYThe Church Under
Attack!
The picture of the Early Church
“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in
their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,47 praising God and enjoying
the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were
being saved.”
Acts 2:46-47
“With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money
from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had
need.”
Acts 4:33-35
The Jewish Persecutions
20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his
master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed
my teaching, they will obey yours also.
JOHN 15:20
“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”
Tertullian
Early Persecutions1. Persecution of Peter and John (Acts 4)2. Persecution of the Apostolic group (Acts 5)3. The stoning of Stephen (Acts 7)4. Under Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12)
The Roman Persecutions
The Duration:From 60 AD to 313 AD
Nero 54 - 68 ADReason:
Nero blamed the Christians for the burning of Rome
Martyrs:Peter and Paul
In his Annals, Tacitus states that "to get rid of the report, Nero
fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class
hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace"
Domitian 81 – 96 AD
Reason:Christians were charged for
atheism because they refused to worship the Emperor
John the beloved was exiled in Patmos
Trajan 96 – 117 ADReasons:
Conversion from paganism and Unbending in their faith and
practicesMartyr:
Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch
“May the wild beasts be eager to rush upon me. if they be unwilling, I will compel
them. come, crowds of wild beasts; come, tearings and manglings, wracking of bones and hacking of limbs; come, cruel tortures
of the devil; only let me attain unto Christ.”
Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch
Hadrian 117 – 138 AD
Christians were persecuted in moderation.
“Eighty and six years have I served him, and he has never done me
wrong; how can I blaspheme him, my King, who has served me? I am a
Christian.”
Polycarp of Smyrna
Marcus Aurelius 138 – 161 AD
Reason:Accusers of Christians were given
rewards for the confiscated properties.
Martyrs:Justin Martyr and Blandina, a slave girl
"Though beheaded, and crucified, and thrown to wild beasts, and chains, and fire,
and all other kinds of torture, we do not give up our confession; but, the more such
things happen, the more do others in larger numbers become faithful."
-- Justin Martyr
Septimus Severus 193 – 211 AD
Reason:Syncretism and To stop proselyting
Martyr:Irenaeus
Maximinus the Thracian 235-238 AD
Local persecution and not empire wide
Decius 249-251 AD
Reason:Refusal to sacrifice to the gods and
thereby guilty of high treason
Valerian 253 – 260 AD
Reason:Refusal to sacrifice to the gods
Martyr:Cyprian, Origen and Sixtus II
Diocletian/Galerius 284 – 311 AD
Reason:Influenced by Galerius and for
political unity
Christians refused to join the army or left it
4 Edicts which ordered the burning of Christian books and churches.
1. All church buildings were to be destroyed, all bibles burnt, and all Christian worship forbidden
(303)
2. All clergy arrested and imprisoned (303)
3. All clergy must offer sacrifice to the gods or face torture (303)
4. All citizens throughout the empire were to sacrifice to the gods or face execution (304)
General Reasons for Persecution
1. Jewish fears2. Roman political suspicions3. Social reasons4. Economic reasons5. Religious reasons
Specific Reasons for Persecutions
1. Charges of incest2. Charge of cannibalism3. Lack of patriotism4. Anti-social5. Causes of disasters6. Refusal to worship the emperor7. The fact of being a Christian
Purposes of the Persecutions
1. For Christians to apostatize2. Martyrdom of the obstinate
Positive results of the Persecutions
1. Purification of the Church2. Expansion and growth of the
Church3. Development of NT canon4. Relationship of Church to the State
1. Controversy over deserters.2. Poor literature.3. Fanaticism and false doctrines.
Negative results of the Persecutions
The Lapsed and the Confessor Controversy
To those appointed to see the sacrifices: From Aurelia Charis of the Egyptian village of Theadelphia.
“I have always continued to sacrifice and show reverence to the gods, and now, in your presence, I have poured a libation and sacrificed and eaten some of the sacrificial meat. I request you to certify this for me below.”
SAMPLE OF LIBELLUS
The Final Victory
306: Constantine proclaimed emperor of the West, but the West was
divided between Constantine (Britain, France, and Spain) and
Maxentius (Italy and Northwest Africa). Constantine tolerant;
Maxentius anti-Christian.
Battle of the Milvian Bridge (312 AD)
Lactantius:“Constantine received a dream to put the
Christian symbol on the shields of his soldiers.”Eusebius:
“Constantine saw a vision in the sky with the words: ‘in this you shall conquer’”
Chi Rho symbols
The Edict of Milan313 AD
THE EDICT OF MILAN
“Our purpose is to allow Christians and all others to worship as they
desire, so that whatever Divinity lives in the heavens will be kind to us.”
The Battle of Chrysopolis 324 AD
(in Bithynia, Asia Minor)between Constantine and
Licinius