Heart and History of the Early Church Session 5: Teachers of
the Early Church
Slide 2
Apostles Creed (150 A.D.) Then called the Symbol of Faith A
doctrinal statement put together to recognize the true believers
from those, like the Gnostics and Marcionites, who were heretics
The creed first showed up in a question formula to be sited before
baptism
Slide 3
Apostles Creed (150 A.D.) I believe in God, the Father
almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ,
his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born
of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he
rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand
of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead. I
believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion
of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Slide 4
Final Observations about Heresy and Canon Marcion and Gnostics
said that true knowledge was revealed to those who were going to be
saved. Christians believed that true knowledge was already given
them through the words and life of Jesus in the recognized Gospels.
Unity of the orthodox church, catholic church means universal
church. Apostolic succession meant a shared faith. Authority in the
early church was based not on power but on the truth found in Jesus
identity as the son of God. This truth has been passed on through
the reliable witness of the writings recognized by the early
church. They witnessed to truth of his life, death, and
resurrection and the life that he calls us to lead
Slide 5
Early Christian Documents Early Christian writings did not
attempt to delineate a comprehensive doctrine of Christian faith.
They wrote dealing with specific issues going on in specific
churches. This is true of the New Testament Epistles. No New
Testament document is meant to be a systematic theology of
Christian belief. The canon is our standard or rule of faith. The
Christian teachers, whose documents have survived for us, who wrote
directly after the NT period are known as the Apostolic
Fathers
Slide 6
Apostolic Fathers Didache- early church teaching about church,
leaders, baptism, prayer, Lords supper, and Christian morality.
(late 1 st century) Clement of Rome Epistle to the Corinthians (ca.
97) 2 Clement- addressed to Corinth using Clements name but not
from him. It is the earliest Christian sermon we have. (early 2 nd
cent) Ignatius we have 7 of his letters (ca. 106) Papias- survives
as quotes from Irenaeus (late 2 nd cent) and Eusebius (4 th cent)
(ca. 120)
Slide 7
Apostolic Fathers Epistle of Barnabas (ca. 70-150) Attacks
Judaism and heavy in OT prophesies Epistle to Diognetus (ca.130)
Argues against paganism and Judaism The Shepherd of Hermas- covers
need for penance and the possibility of forgiveness of sins after
baptism (ca. 145) Polycarp of Smyrna Epistle to the Philippians
(ca.150) Martyrdom of Polycarp
Slide 8
A.M. After Marcion (ca. 150) Christians recognized the need to
collect the recognized apostolic writings that would become the
rule of faith for Christians, the New Testament Along with
collecting the New Testament, many began to see the need for a
comprehensive exposition of the faith This led to the extensive
works of Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and
Origen
Slide 9
Irenaeus (130-200) Grew up in Smyrna, Asia Minor Disciple of
Polycarp (Bishop of Smyrna) who was a pupil of the Apostle John
Became the bishop of Lyons in southern France Wrote 2 important
works: Demonstration of the Apostolic Faith Against Heresies
Slide 10
Wrote primarily as a pastor, shepherding his flock, not as a
scholar Wrote against Gnosticism God is loving creator Grand goal
of God is the incarnation Topics are covered such as angels, the
Devil, the Word, the Holy Spirit, Humanity, Incarnation,
redemption, the church, and Spiritual growth. Irenaeus sees the
grand vision of God working in history. This is seen the most in
the incarnation. Irenaeus (130-200)
Slide 11
Clement of Alexandria (150-215) Born in Athens, where
philosophy was supreme In Alexandria, Egypt, he found his thirst
for knowledge of the truth satisfied in Christianity Became a
Christian Instructor in Alexandria, the intellectual center of the
Roman world Was not a pastor but a thinker and scholar His main
concern was to prove that Christianity was not an absurd
superstition to pagan intellectuals
Slide 12
Clement of Alexandria (150-215) Uses Greek philosophy to make
his point that the true philosophy, or truth, is found in Christ He
saw allegorical interpretations in Scripture, beyond the contextual
or historical background His interpretation of Scripture has had a
lot of criticism Clements's contribution was developing a stepping
stone in theological reflection
Slide 13
Tertullian (160-225) Quintus Septimius Florens (a.k.a
Tertullian) was from Carthage, North Africa but converted in Rome
when he was 40 years old Wrote in defense of Christianity in the
rhetoric of a lawyer (he could have been one) Wrote a case against
the heretics. He wants to take away their rights to use the
Scriptures. The church is the only one that has the rights to
interpret Scripture. (Argument used by Catholics against the
Protestants in the 16 th cent)
Slide 14
Tertullian A Christian who is still searching for further truth
lacks faith Speculation should not be done In 207, Tertullian
became a Montanist Montanus, was a pagan priest who became a
Christian in 155 A.D. He began prophesying that a new age of the
Holy Spirit had begun that involved a rigorous moral life The
church declared this heresy because they were claiming that the
last age of history had dawned in them (not in Jesus and coming of
the Holy Spirit at Pentecost)
Slide 15
Tertullian While a Montanist he gave the first understanding of
what later became the orthodox formula for the Trinity One nature
in three persons. He later left Montanism and started his own
little sect called the Tertullianists Summary: Attacked Heretics.
Became one. Then wrote orthodox doctrine. First to write in
Latin
Slide 16
Origen (185-254) Disciple of Clement of Alexandria, North
Africa Born of Christian parents, his father was killed during a
period of persecution when a teenager. Origen wanted to offer
himself as a martyr but his Mom stopped him. Trained catechumens
(candidates for baptism) under the bishop of Alexandria. Started a
school of Christian philosophy. Jealousy and conflict between he
and the bishop, Demetrius, caused him to leave and settle in
Caesarea where he wrote for twenty more years
Slide 17
Origen (185-254) He died at the age of 70 due to injuries
suffered from torture from persecution Wrote a large amount of
literature including theological works, commentaries on most of the
books of the Bible, and sermons His topics included most doctrines
of the Bible, spirituality, and philosophical speculation
Slide 18
Heart and History of the Early Church Session 5: Teachers of
the Early Church