History of Christianity (Session 3)

The age of catholic christianity - 70AD-312AD
What is the difference between an apostle and a disciple?
A) Disciple - “Learner/follower of Christ"
B) Apostle - Someone who witnessed or saw the ministry and resurrection of Jesus or saw Jesus after the Resurrection.
Apostle’s Creed - Written between 140-180 AD
• Definition-The Apostles' Creed was an early statement of Christian belief based on a theological understanding of the gospels, the New Testament letters, and the Old Testament.
“I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s 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 into hell, 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 life everlasting. Amen.”
THREE elements of the Apostle’s Creed:
1. A summary of the early church teachings
2. Set forth specific doctrines of the early church (i.e. This is what we believe. This is why we believe it. This is what it looks like for the church.)
3. One of the oldest creeds written
Doctrinal Statements:
1. He is God’s only Son
2. He is our Lord
3. He was conceived by the HS.
4. Born of the Virgin Mary
5. Suffered
6. Crucified
7. Died
8. Burred
9. Rose again
The early church was molded by three things:
1. There was a separation from Judaism.
2. Persecution from the Roman culture
3. Development of heresies regarding Jesus Christ
Why were the early Christians persecuted?
1. They set themselves apart from the rest of society.
2. They would not worship the other gods.
3. The had different views and ideas about marriage, sex slaves, and the economy.
4. The worshipped in secret.
Early Christians were given two labels:
1. Atheists - they would not worship Roman gods.
2. Cannablists - eat my flesh, drink my blood
Who was Constantine?
1. Pagan Military Leader
2. Mother was Helena (a Christian and her greatest contribution to Christianity was that when she got to Jerusalem, she went around and found all the sites where Jesus was crucified and buried and built churches (Church of Nativity; Church of the Holy Sepulcher)
3. Went up against the armies of Rome
4. Roman Emperor from 306-337AD
5. First Roman Emperor who became a Christian
THREE ways the Edict of Milan affected the Christian Church:
1. There was no real commitment or understanding of what it meant to follow Christ.
2. It watered down the Christian message.
3. It slowed down the urgency of getting the gospel out because the early Christians settled into mediocrity.