Church History Flashcards
What is the value of studying Church History
- It educates us on the historical roots of our beliefs
- It teaches us to learn from the examples of our predecessors
- It helps us to find our place in God’s story
- It helps us to understand the boundaries of orthodoxy in biblical interpretation
How would you define the periods of church history, with years?
- Ancient Church History (c. 100-451)
- Medieval Church History (c. 451-1500)
- Reformation (1500-1700)
- Modern Church History (1700-Present)
What were the 5 “solas” of the Reformation?
Sola Scriptura, Sola fide, sola gratia, solus Christus, soli deo gloria
Trace the development of Covenant Theology
-Ancient theologians prior to Pelagius controversy did not have well developed doctrine of salvation.
Irenaeus saw humanity federally & covenantally represented in Adam.
Augustine developed idea of covenant of works and cov of grace.
Medieval - mostly saw God’s justification as based on what was true in the sinner - if he justifies it’s b/c he infuses them with righteousness.
William of Ockham - merit based on fulfilling the covenant. God rewards with merit sinners who try their best to fulfill terms of covenant
-Covenant theology as we know it today began in the 16th century with Zwingli, who emphasized the Abrahamic covenant as a model for the Christian’s relationship to God (Zwingli used this to argue for infant baptism against the Anabaptists)
-Bullinger wrote the first treatise on covenant theology, in which he argued that all of Scripture must be seen in light of the Abrahamic covenant
-Calvin also makes extensive use of the covenant, and two of his students made significant advances in covenant theology
–Ursinus first spoke of a pre-fall covenant of works, and Olevianus presented the idea of an eternal covenant between the Father and the Son for the salvation of man
-In the 17th century, Cocceius was the first to use the covenant as the basic framework for organizing theology
-The covenant of works and grace achieved credal status in the Westminster Standards
-During the 20th century, largely due to the work of Meredith Kline, scholars came to view the biblical covenants through the framework of the ancient Near Eastern Suzerain vassal treaty
When was the persecution under Nero
64
When was the persecution under Domintian
81-96
When was the persectuion under Trajan?
111-113
When was the persectuion under Decius?
249-251 (First systematic general persecution)
When was the persecution under Valerian
257
When was the persecution under Diocleatian?
303 (the Great Persecution)
When was the destruction of the Jewish Temple
70
What was the Edict of Milan
313 (legalized Christianity)
When did Christianity become the official religion of the Roman Empire
380 (Theodosian Empire)
When was the council of Nicea and what occured there?
- 325, convened by Constantine
- Condemned Arianism (teaching that the Son was 1st creation of God the Father) and composed the Nicene Creed
- Uses the language of “homoousios” - of one being - Son is true God from True God, begotten not made, of one being with the father.
Council of Ephesus
431, convened by Emperor Theodosius II
- Condemned Nestorianism, which said that the divine and human natures of Jesus were two separate persons
- Condemned Pelagianism, which emphasized free will, denied original sin, and taught salvation by meritorious obedience
Council of Chalcedon
451, convened by Eastern Emperor Marcion
- Condemned Eutychianism (which taught that the human nature was absorbed into the divine in the incarnation)
- Composed the Chalcedonian creed, which clearly taught the hypostatic union (Christ has a reasonable soul, no confusion, change, division, or separation in the union of Christ’s two natures
- One substance with God and with us
Antinomianism
Denies the need to obey God’s law. Was a popular component of Gnosticism and has persisted in various forms through the centuries.
Docetism
Heresy of the early church that denied Jesus had come in the flesh, saying that Jesus only seemed to be man. John combats it in 1 John 4:2, and became an important aspect of Gnosticism
Ebionites
Jewish Christians in the 1st-4th Centuries who denied the preexistence of Christ and believed the entire OT law had to be kept for salvation.
Marcionism
2nd Century heresy that taught a strong distinction between the vengeful God of the OT and the merciful God of the NT, and accepted only Paul’s Epistles and Luke from the NT. Aspects similar to Gnosticism
Gnosticism
A group of primarily 2nd century heresies that taught a radical dualism between matter and spirit, proclaimed salvation through special knowledge, and a docetic view of Christ
- Most famous Gnostic was Valentinus
- Writings: Gospel of Thomas, Philip, Truth, Judas
- Major opponents: Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Epiphanius
Donatism **
4th Century North African movement that started a separate church, emphasizing holiness and purity of visible church.
- Augustine was primary opponent
- Started when the confessors wouldn’t let the lapsed back into the church.
- Donatism was the error taught by Donatus, bishop of Casae Nigrae that the effectiveness of the sacraments depends on the moral character of the minister. In other words, if a minister who was involved in a serious enough sin were to baptize a person, that baptism would be considered invalid.
Manichaenism
3rd century form of Gnosticism founded by Mani, teaching a dualism between light and dark. Augustine was part of it for a while, though he later opposed it strongly.
Monarchianism
3rd Century heresy that stresses the oneness of God to such an extent that it denies the personal distinctivenes of Son and Spirit.
Dynamic Monarchianism
says that the Father alone is God, and the SOn was merely a man who was specially endowed with the Holy Spirit.
Modalism/Sabellianism
God is one person who appears in 3 different modes.
The Great Schism
East/West division of the church in 1054
Reasons:
-Intellectual alienation: Greek-speaking East and Latin-speaking West came at theology differently
-Papal Authority: West asserted Pope’s authority over the entire church, but East rejected it
-Filioque Controversy: West added “filioque” to the Nicene creed, saying that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son
Reformation
16th and 17th Century movement to reform the Church in response to theological and moral decay
-Stressed salvation by grace through faith alone, authority of Scripture, and priesthood of believers
Marburg Colloquy
Meeting between Luther and Zwingli in 1529 to resolve their differences regarding the Lord’s Supper which was unsuccessful.
Counter-Reformation
16th Century reform of the Catholic Church and counter offensive against the Reformation
Council of Trent
1545-1563, laid the groundwork for modern Catholicism
- Centered authority in the Papacy
- Corrected abuses in the church
- Fixed Catholic doctrine in opposition to Protestantism
- -Scripture and tradition are equal authorities
- -Justification by grace + works
Jesuits
Educators and missionaries who were largely responsible for the Catholic church takin gback much of the ground it lost to the Protestants (society of Jesus, founded by Ignatius of Loyola) 1534
Inquisition
Catholic church’s systematic fight against heretics through trial and punishment. (italy and Spain primarily) 1250
Spanish - 1478
Roman - 1542
Thirty Years War
1618-1648 war, fought primarily in Germany, which involved most of the countries of Europe. Initial cause of the conflict was the divided allegiance to Catholicism vs. Protestantism in various German territories.
- Peace of Augsburg had said that a territory’s religion would be chosen by ruler. This caused many problems.
- Result: War was a stalemate, freedom granted to be Catholics or Protestants, but brought growing indifference to religion leading to the Enlighenment
Heidelberg Catechism
16th Century catechism composed in Heidelberg, Germany that teaches doctrines of Reformation
-Commissioned by Prince Fredrick III
-Primary authors were Olevianus and Ursinus
1563
Belgic Confession
16th Century Reformed confession written in the Netherlands
-In light of Catholic persecution, sought to show that the Reformed were not rebels but held to Scripture
From CRC: The Belgic Confession, written in 1561, owes its origin to the need for a clear and comprehensive statement of Reformed faith during the time of the Spanish inquisition in the Lowlands. Guido de Brès, its primary author, was pleading for understanding and toleration from King Philip II of Spain who was determined to root out all Protestant factions in his jurisdiction. Hence, this confession takes pains to point out the continuity of Reformed belief with that of the ancient Christian creeds, as well as to differentiate it from Catholic belief (on the one hand), and from Anabaptist teachings (on the other).
2nd Helvetic Confession
16th Century confessional statement of Swiss Reformed Church written by Bullinger, that presents Calvinism as historical Christianity.
Canons of Dort
17th Century (1618-1619) document, composed by Synod of Dort in the Netherlands, which presents the 5 points of Calvinism in response to the Remonstrants
Westminster Assembly
1643-1647: Primarily composed of Puritans called by Long Parliament to advise on reforming the Church of England along Puritan and Presbyterian lines. Produced: Westminster Confession of Faith Westminster Larger Catechism westminster Shorter Catechism
Pietism
17 Century response to dead orthodoxy in German Lutheranism. Emphasized experimentalism in the Bible, holiness and church reform
- Zenzendorf and Philip Jacob Spenser were major leaders.
Marrow Controversy
1717-1722 Century controversy in the church of Scotland over the relationship between law and gospel in the conversion process.
Marrow men - grace freely offered to all
Neonomians - grace offered to elect only who show signs of forsaking sin
First Great Awakening
Movement of revival in American from 1735 - 1743 through the Calvinistic preaching of Edwards and Whitfield.
Apologists
Writers in the 2nd and 3rd Centuries whose work primarily answers the accusations of non-Christians. Includes Justin Martyr and Tatian
Montanism
2nd century movement that emphasized continuing revelation and asceticism. Tertullian became an adherent late in life.
Alexandrian School
Allegorical school of interpretation in ancient church (Clement of Alexandria and Origen)
Antionchene School
More literal school of interpretation (Chrysostom)
Cappadocian Fathers
4th Century men who are especially known for their opposition to Arianism and their theology of the Holy Spirit (Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus, Gregory of Nyssa)
Monasticism
Movement that became popular after Constantine in which people withdrew from society into communities that stressed prayer, work, study, charity, and asceticism
- Life of St. Anthony by Athanasius
- Pattern from Benedict
- Important orders: Benedictine, Franciscan, Dominican, Augustinian
Scholasticism
Medieval theological movement that used Aristotelian logic to create a theological system and embraced reason as a path to knowledge
- Famous scholastics: Peter Abelard, Peter Lombard, Thomas Aquinas
- Embraced reason as path to knowledge
- Explored relationship between Scripture and non-Christian theology, especially Aristotle
- Used dialectical method of writing, teaching, and organizing thoughts
Humanism
Movement in the Renaissance and early reformation that said man was the measure of all things, encouraging a return to original sources
Radical Reformation
Movement that arose during the Reformation that wanted complete separation of church and state and experience of regeneration over forensic justification, rejected infant baptism.
Augsburg Confession
1530
Primary confession of Lutheran faith written by Philip Melancthon and presented to Emperor Charles the V
Part of Book of Concord - Doctrinal Standard of Lutheran church
Puritanism
Movement that sought to purify the Church of England in 17th century, especially reacting to the form of Anglican worship (John Owen, Richard Baxter)
Socinianism
Heresy of the 16-18th Centuries created by Socinius, which rejected the diety of Christ, his atoning death on the cross and the foreknowledge of God
-Forerunner of modern Unitarianism and Open Theism.
Modernism
19-20th Century movement centering on adapting Christian ideas to better cohere with modern culture and thought, which emphasizes reason over Scritpure as the ultimate source of knowledge
Apostolic Fathers
Writers of the 1st and 2nd Centuries who are traditionally thought to have come in contact with the apostles (Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Polycarp)
Clement of Rome
1-2nd Century bishop of Rome who wrote a letter to Corinth regarding their improper dismissal of church leaders; and is mentioned in Philippians
Ignatius
2nd century bishop of Antioch who wrote a series of letters to churches in Asia Minor and his way to Rome for martrydom
Polycarp
2nd century bishop of Smyrna, disciple of John, early Christian martyr, wrote an epistle to the Philippians
Marcion
2nd century heretic who distinguished between the OT and NT gods, rejected OT and issued his own limited version of NT
Justin Martyr
2nd century apolgist who wrote 2 apologies and “Dialogue with Trypho.” He defended the Christian Faith in terms that were acceptable to Greek philosophy by synthesiszing with Platonism
Celsus
2nd Century opponent of Christianity later refuted by Origen
Irenaues
2nd century bishop of Lyons wrote “Against Heresies” directed at Gnosticism
Tertullian
2nd-3rd Century theologian, wrote “Apology” and “against Marciaon”, wrote about the Trinity, later became a Montanist
