ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL CHURCH HISTORY

A. Ralph Johnson

INTRODUCTION

A.  The value of church history

      1.   Church history helps us to understand the present.

Questions like, “Where did all of the denominations come from?” or “Why must we have separation between church and state?” find their answers in church history.  A study of the past is essential for a proper understanding of the present.

2.   Church History helps us avoid the mistakes of the past 1Cor. 10:6, 11

      Those who fail to study history are doomed to repeat it.

3.   Church History gives us hope and encouragement to persevere. Rom. 15:4

B.   Three periods of church history

1.   Ancient Church History.  BC 4- 476

      (From the Birth of Christ to the fall of the Western Roman Empire.)

2.   Medieval Church History. 476 -1517

      (From the fall of Western the Western Roman Empire to the Protestant Reformation)

3.   Modern Church History. 1517 to the present.

      (From the Protestant Reformation to the present.)

C.  Major influences on church history.

1.   Empires predating and effecting Ancient Church History.

a. Assyrian, BC c. 700

The Northern ten tribes of Israel were dispersed and foreigners with other religious beliefs introduced.  This became the mixed heathen and Israelite religion of the Samaritans.

b. Babylonian, BC 606

1)   The captivity and destruction of the temple altered the nature of Jewish worship from focus on the temple to the synagogue.  This became the basis for Christians meeting in congregations.

2) The captivity in Babylon became likened to suppression of Christians under Rome.

c. Persian, BC 538

They conquered Babylon and allowed the Jews to return

d. Grecian, BC 330

1) Their Language became the universal tongue of communication.  That in turn, became the language of the Bible and world evangelism.

2) The influence of Greek Philosophers posed some of the basic issues of the early church.

e. Roman, BC 63

1. The Roman government, laws and financial system became the direct framework in which the church began and continued for over 400 years.

2. The pagan religious system was mostly Greek in origin but was the religion of the State and dominated through its laws.

3. The networks of roads and commerce became the lines along which Christianity traveled rapidly.

4. The Roman Empire covered the known world West to East from the Atlantic Ocean to India, and north to South from England to North Africa, one great area open to Christianity

5. Geography

Church History involved people.  People settled in places where they could find food and have access to resources.  Therefore they commonly settled in valleys, along rivers, and near coastlines.

However, they also needed protection.  Mountain ranges and large bodies of water served to isolate and divide peoples into nations.  Invasions moved across water and through valleys.

6. Weather

Weather affected crops for food and water to drink.

Weather sometimes affected the outcome of military actions.  Ships were destroyed or armies mired down or were spooked by superstition because of storms.

7. Disease

Whole populations of cities and countries were sometimes devastated by disease.  Armies were weakened.  These diseases may have been passed from person to person, or through insects such as fleas (plague) or mosquitoes (malaria etc).

8. Inventions

Inventions for increasing productivity in agriculture, mining, processing

Inventions in harnessing power sources.  Fire, Wind, fossil fuels (oil, coal), electricity, atomic energy.

Inventions in communications.  Writing, printing, telegraph, radio, television.

Inventions relating to travel. (Ships, land vehicles and flight) 

Inventions of war.  (Spears, swords, bows, catapults, explosives (including delivery means –guns, cannons, rockets etc.)

9. Trade (silk, metals, furs, gold, diamonds, pearls, oil).  These provided incentives to invade and conquer.

10. Wars and battles often decided the course of history.  There were various motives –to gain minerals, to expand control, plunder, to extend religion.

Example, the battle of Tours, France turned back the Saracen Musalims who otherwise could have made all of Europe Islamic. 

11. Religion and philosophy. 

a. Grecian thinking had tremendous influence. 

1) Plato (427-347 B.C.)

2) Aristotle, his pupil  (384-322 B.C.)

3) Pyrrho (365-275 B.C.)

4) Epicureans, founded by Epicurus (340 BC)

5) Stoicism, founded by Zeno (280 BC)

6) Cynics

b. With regard to Church History, the writings and history of the Jews had great impact.

1) Sadducees, who controlled the temple, descendents of the Maccabees.  Denied the resurrection, angels and spirits.

2) Pharisees, devoted to the law and the traditions, especially superficially.

3) Essenes, a cloistered sect living in the wilderness near the Dead Sea.

4) Eclecticism, founded by Philo, a Jew of Alexandria, contemporary of Jesus.

ANCIENT CHURCH HISTORY

TIMELINE OF KEY EVENTS

	RELIGIOUS EVENTS	CHURCH LEADERS	WESTERN EMPIRE (ROMAN)	EASTERN EMPIRE (BYZANTINE)
4 BC	Jesus’ life and crucifixion.  Church begins 33 AD	> John the Baptist  > Jesus Christ	Tiberius 14-37
			Caligula 37-41
			Claudius 41-54
		John, the apostle 100?	Nero 54-68 (Persecution) Galba 68-69 Otho 69 Vitellius 69
	Jerusalem destroyed 70 A.D.	Josephus priest/historian	Vespasian 69-79
		Hermas 58-100?	Titus 79-81
	Gnostacism	> Ignatius 67-110	Domitian 81-96
		> Polycarp 69-155	Nerva 96-98
100	Apostle’s Creed 100?	Clement of Rome 92-101?	Trajan  98-117 (Persecution)
		Barnabas’ epistle 110?
	Bar-Chocba, Jews revolt  135	> Justin Martyr 100-166	Hadrian 117-138
	Ebionism	> Irenaeus 115-200?	Antonius Pius 138-161
		Diognetus 133?
		Tertulian 150-240?
		Clement of Alexandria 150-240?	Marcus Aurelius  161-180
	Monarchianism		Commodus  180-193
200	Armenians	Hippolytus 198-236 ?	Carculla  211-217
	Montanism	> Origen 185-254	Maximin 235-238
	Manichaeians	Cyprian 200-258	Decius 249-251
	Neoplatonism		Gallus 251-253
	Novationism		Valerian 253-260
			Diocletian 284-305	Maximian 285
300		Eusebius 260-340	Constantine 306-337	Galerius 292
	Donatists		Edict of Milan Toleration 313
	Arianism Council of Nicaea 325	Athanasius 328-373	Capitol moved from Rome to Byzantium 330	Constantine baptized and died 337
				Valens 364-378
	Council of Laodicea 363	Basil the Great 329-379		Theodosius 378-395
	Council of Constantinople 381	Gregory Naziazen 330-390
400	Council of Carthage 397	Ambrose 340-397	Visgoths under Aleric sack Rome  403-410
	Pelagianism 411-430 Nestorianism 428-431	Chrysostom 347-407 Jerome 340-419	Vandals conquer Spain and North Africa, and sack Rome 439-458
	Council of Ephesus 431	Augustine 354-430	Huns under Attila devastate Northern Italy 433-453
	Council of Chalcedon 451	Pope Leo I   440-461 claimed apostolic succession	St. Patrick in Ireland 432
		King Clovis, King of the Franks, baptized 496	Herulie, under Odoacer, depose Romulus Augustus Western Rome falls 476	Zeno 474-491

MEDIEVAL CHURCH HISTORY

500	II Constantinople  Council 553	Justinian calls Pope John II “Lord of the church” 533
	Mohammed 570-632
600		Pope Gregory, The Great 590-604		Phocus called Boniface “Head of the Church” 607
				Muhammad 613
700		Charles Martel Muslim defeat in France at Battle of Tours 732
800	Pope given "Donations of Constantine"		Charlemagne crowned “Emperor of the West” 800
900		Pope Gregory V 996-999
1000	Turks take Palestine 1070	Pope Gregory VII Hildebrand 1020-1085		Great Schism between East and West 1054
1100	Crusades 1096-1291	Albigensians 1,100
1200	Inquisition 1231	Thomas Aquinas 1225-1274	Magna Carta 1215
1300	Babylonian Captivity 1309-1377	Wycliffe, Lollards 1320-1384	Hundred Years War 1337-1453
	Great Schism of the West 1382-1417		Black Death 1348-1400
1400	Council of Pisa 1409		Renaissance 1350-1600
	Council of Constance 1414-1414	> John Huss burned 1415
	Council of Basel 1431-1449	Gutenberg printed Bible 1450
		> Savonarola 1452-1498		Turks capture Constantinople 1453
1500	Reformation 1517-1555	Martin Luther 1483-1546 95 Theses 1517
		> Crammer 1489-1556
		John Calvin 1509-1564