History People

Question 1

Polycarp

Answer 1

[2nd century] Disciple of the apostle John, later became bishop of Smyrna. He seems to have been the
leading Christian figure in Roman Asia in the middle of the 2nd century and his long life is thus an
important link between the apostolic age and the great Christian writers who flourished in the 2nd century

Question 2

Clement

Answer 2

[1st century] Wrote the epistle to the Corinthians stressing the importance of Apostolic succession.
Considered to be the 4th pope by the Roman Catholic Church. Likely martyred under Dominitian in 100
AD .

Question 3

Ignatius

Answer 3

[2nd century] Bishop of Antioch. Wrote seven letters giving insight into Christians’ attitudes toward
persecution. Opposed Gnosticism. First to distinguish between bishops and elders. Martyred under
Trajan

Question 4

Marcion

Answer 4

[2nd century] Heretic. Beginning around 145, Marcion taught that Jehovah, the god of the Old Testament
was an arbitrary and vindictive god distinct from the God and Father of Jesus of the New Testament. He
believed that the Father’s purpose was to create only a spiritual world, but Jehovah, out of evil intent or
ignorance made the physical world and placed mankind in it. God of the New Testament sent Jesus
because he is a God of love, and in the end there will be no judgment because of his love. In order to
support these views Marcion produced his own canon, rejecting the Old Testament and accepting only the
book of Luke and certain edited versions of Paul’s letters.

Question 5

Justin

Answer 5

[2nd century ] One of the great apologist of the 2nd century, he personally opposed Marcion. He also was
the first orthodox writer to evaluate the relationship between Christianity and Philosophy. He taught that
all truth belongs to Christians, and developed the doctrine of the logos. He was beheaded in Rome under
Marcus Aurelius.

Question 6

Eusebius of Caesarea

Answer 6

[3rd-4th century] Father of church history, he wrote Ecclesiastical History. Bishop of Caesarea during the
Arian controversy and Council of Nicea. Eusebius dealt mainly with the succession of Christian bishops
and teachers from apostolic times, heresies, the suffering of the Jews, and the persecution and martyrdom
of Christians. He also recounted traditions about the New Testament writers and details about the canon
of Scripture. .

Question 7

Tertullian

Answer 7

[2nd-3rd century] He was the first major Christian author to write in Latin. He was therefore the first to use
many of the technical words common in later Christian theological debates. Tertullian lived most, if not
all, his life in Carthage, capital of the Roman province of Africa. He vigorously opposed heresies in the
church such as Marcionism, and was an advocate for purity and holiness in the church.

Question 8

Constantine

Answer 8

[3-4th century] He was an emperor of the Roman Empire who before a ‘particular battle received a vision
in which he was told to place the Christian symbol “Xp” on the shields of his men. He was victorious in
the battle and from that time was converted to the Christian faith. One of the most significant aspects of
Constantine’s rule is the Edict ofMilan (313) which made the persecution of Christians illegal

Question 9

Chrysostom

Answer 9

[4th century] He was given this name (meaning “Golden mouth”) after his death since he was such a great
preacher. He was considered a great orator and exegete of Scripture and was made the Bishop of
Constantinople. During this time he preached the truth of Scripture including many messages calling for
repentance. He was banished from the city twice and eventually exiled to an obscure village near the
Black Sea where he died.

Question 10

Jerome

Answer 10

[4-5 century] An ascetic and scholarly monk. While the private secretary of the bishop of Rome. His greatest
achievement was translating the Scriptures into Latin from the original languages (Vulgate)

Question 11

Pelagius

Answer 11

[4-5 century] British monk who settled in Rome. An opponent of Augustine, he denied that human sin was inherited
from Adam. Man, he said, was free to act righteously or sinfully. Death is not a consequence of sin. Adam did not
introduce sin, but merely was a bad example. Thus, it is possible not to sin. Man is able to chose salvation, and is
able to live for God without the agency of the Holy Spirit.

Question 12

Augustine

Answer 12

[4-5 century] One of the greatest and most influential leaders of the western church, Augustine lived during the disintegration of the Roman
empire. In 391 he was ordained a priest and four years later was elevated to Bishop of Hippo. He battled Donatism and Pelagianism. His
writings include The City of God and Confessions . He was a staunch advocate for the depravity of man and the primacy of grace in salvation.
His works on sin, grace, and predestination laid the groundwork of the Reformation.

Question 13

Bernard of Clairvaux

Answer 13

[12 century] The last of the church fathers; mystic, monk and theologian. He was a strong spiritual reformer- the
leader of the Cistercian movement. He was the major preacher of the Second Crusade and held to a full Augustinian
view

Question 14

Gregory the Great

Answer 14

[6 century] Considered one of the ablest men to occupy the position of Pope- some call him the father of the Medieval papacy. He became pope
in 590 after previously serving many other leadership roles in the church. A strong civic and spiritual leader, he brought order to Rome and
helped establish the idea that the Pope was the supreme authority in the church. Wrote The Pastoral Rule

Question 15

Francis of Assisi

Answer 15

[12-13 century] An innovator of the Roman system, he believed that the most serious problem in the church was
worldliness and set to rebuild the church around the pattern of living like Jesus- an ascetic lifestyle, the life of
poverty. In 1215, his order of Lesser Brothers received Papal approval.

Question 16

Anselm

Answer 16

[11 century] Archbishop of Canterbury, and known as the father of scholasticism, Anselm introduced a new theory of the atonement- the
satisfaction theory- saying that man’s sin is a debt to God, not the devil and that Christ’s death alone has satisfied God’s offended sense of honor.
He tried to make the content of Christian faith clear to reason, though insisted that faith must come first. Developed two proofs for the existence
of God; the ontological and the cosmological.

Question 17

Aquinas

Answer 17

[13 century] Dominican monk-turned teacher, Aquinas was the author of the monumental Summa Theologica, the summary of the Roman
Catholic Church. Scholasticism reached its pinnacle in Aquinas’ writings. Combining the greatest of the ancient Greek philosophers, particularly
Aristotle, with Christian thought, Aquinas built a theological system which has been accepted as the basis for all Roman Catholic theological
instruction today

Question 18

Wycliffe

Answer 18

[14th century] Morning Star of the Reformation.
Translated the Bible into middle English. .Declared a heretic in 1382
Believed the Bible is the supreme authority, that the clergy should hold no propriety, that there was no
basis for the doctrine of transubstantiation.
I .He was a fore-runner to the Reformation.

Question 19

Hus

Answer 19

[14th century]Preached against the abuses of the Catholic Church, especially the morality of the priests, preaching of the
Bible in the common language of the people (not Latin), opposed the sale of indulgences, and Papal
infallibility. He wanted the church to practice Communion “in both kinds”.
Excommunicated from the church and burned at the stake 1415
Was a Bohemian priest who discovered Wycliffe’s religious writings. He compared the character of the
Pope to that of Christ, discovering that the Pope fell quite short of the mark. Thus he was
excommunicated, and burned at the stake.

Question 20

Tyndal

Answer 20

[ 1 5- 1 6th Century ]
An English Bible translator.
The 1611 King James Version is 90% the work of Tyndal .Was martyred for his opposition to the Pope
in 1536.

Question 21

Luther

Answer 21

[ 15-16th century] ~
Credited with being the father of the Reformation for his posting of the 95 thesis on the
church door in Wittenburg, Germany 1517.
Excommunicated from the Catholic church when he refused to recant his positions after the Diet of
Worms.
An accomplished preacher, author, and hymn writer . .Father of the Lutheran church
Disagreed with Calvin on the issue of communion as he believed “consubstantiation.”

Question 22

Melanchthon

Answer 22

[ 15-16th century ]
An associate of Luther who brought a soft gentle nature to Luther’s very course mannerisms.
Wrote Loci Communes and “Augsburg Confession.”
Shifted toward Erasmus; theology of salvation and towards Calvin’s view of the Lord’s ,”’
Supper (Christ not present for the sake of the bread, but for the sake of man).

Question 23

Zwingli

Answer 23

[ 1 5-16th century]
Swiss Reformer. Perhaps the third best known Reformers behind Calvin and Luther .Disagreed with
Luther over issue of whether or not we may do what the Bible does not forbid. Luther says we may,
Zwingli says no.
Fought the “Radical Reformation” over the pace (he wanted slower) of the Reformation. Believed that
Christ’s presence in the Lord’s Supper was spiritual not physical.

Question 24

Calvin

Answer 24

[ 16th century ]
Born French, he was “suddenly” converted sometime between 1532-34. .First published his Institutes in
1536.
Served as pastor in Geneva, expelled, and returned three years later . Some think he set up a theocratic dictatorship there, but that is untrueHad a major effect on the organization and expression ofwhat we call Refonned Theology .
Final edition of the Institutes published in 1559. Died in 1564.

Question 25

Knox

Answer 25

[16th century] Bishop of Rochester. Upon the ascendancy of Mary Stuart as queen of Scots, he fled to the
Continent where he was influenced by Calvin. In 1559, he returned to Scotland, and became the leader of
the Scots Reformation. He helpe;d draft the Scots Confession of Faith, and the Book of Discipline. He is
remembered as the founder of Presbyterianism and theories on liberty and government.

Question 26

Covenanters:

Answer 26

17th Century
Name applied to those Scottish Presbyterians who signed the National Covenant and the Solemn
League as well as to their followers. They resisted the Episcopal, “system of church government
and the divine right of Kings (conflicting with the Stuart dynasty).

Question 27

Arminius:

Answer 27

16th century
A progressive Protestant Dutch theologian, Arminius was the author of a brand of theology known as Arminianism
developed as a reaction against what he saw as the sternness of Calvinism. Arminius discarded the idea of
unconditional predestination and taught that man had freedom to choose or reject salvation. He was the first to urge
that the state tolerate all religions and emphasized the more practical aspects of faith instead of the creedal.

Question 28

Amyraut and the School of Saumur:

Answer 28

17 century
French theologian and preacher, developed the doctrine of “hypothetical universalism” known as Amyraldianism. It
taught that God wills all men to be saved, but because of inherited corruption, men reject hirn, so 2) God wills to
save his elect by grace.

Question 29

Jonathan Edwards:

Answer 29

18th century
Theologian and pastor. Perhaps America’s best theologian remembered for stressing the inseparability of an
intellectual Reformed faith from “experimental” religion. His writings include: “The Freedom of the Will” and
“Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God.”

Question 30

Richard Baxter

Answer 30

: 17th century
Puritan preacher. Read him for his evangelism, spiritual counsel and church renewal, but not for grace centered
living. He wrote The Reformed Pastor, A Call to The Unconverted, and A Christian Directory .

Question 31

Zinzendorf:

Answer 31

18th century
The founder of the Moravian Church. He was a German count whose importance lies in the creation of a missionary,
service-oriented, ecumenical free church based upon a common experience of salvation and mutual love, and the
emphasis upon deep, emotional religious expression which was intended to breathe new life into Protestantism.

Question 32

George Whitefield

Answer 32

: 18th century
An English Calvinistic revivalist who was a major figure in the Great Awakening. Known for his eloquence and
incredible speaking voice, he would preach to thousands gathered in the countryside. He was also influential in the
founding of orphanages across the colonies. His eloquence and intelligence earned him the friendship of such
notables as Benjamin Franklin.

Question 33

John Wesley:

Answer 33

18th century
An Arminian revivalist who, with the help of his brother Charles, founded Methodism as a movement within the
Anglican Church. An itinerate preacher who was greatly influenced by the German Moravians, Wesley was one of
the major forces behind the Evangelical revival in England. The Methodists stressed personal piety and devotion, as well as man’s free choice to receive God’s grace. Wesley emphasized the teaching of justification by faith alone and
the pursuit of holiness to the point of “Christian perfection.”

Question 34

Marrow Controversy:

Answer 34

18th Century
A controversy in the Church of Scotland over rival theological views of legalism and merit in contrast to God’s
grace in Jesus Christ. The basis of the controversy was over a book, The Marrow of Modem Divinity, which
advocated strongly Calvinistic doctrines and was held to favor antinomianism.

Question 35

William Carey

Answer 35

[18-19th century] Shoemaker turned missionary, Carey had a vision for the church to be involved in
foreign missions. His was the first real attempt at foreign missions by the Protestant church. In 1793 the
Baptist Missionary Society sent Carey to India. Stationed near Calcutta, he and his colleagues translated
the Bible into many of the native languages, set up printing presses, and colleges. His life inspired other
missionaries to take the gospel to the ends of the earth, adopting his motto: “Attempt great things for God;
expect great things from God.”

Question 36

George Muller

Answer 36

[19th century] Greatly influenced by Pietism and known mainly for his orphanage work in Bristol
England. When his second orphanage was built, he and his wife began to travel around the world
preaching the gospel. He was known for his “faith mission” principle in which he received miraculous
answers to prayer.

Question 37

Charles Spurgeon

Answer 37

[19th century ] Calvinistic Baptist preacher and avid reader of the Puritans, known fondly as “The Prince
of Preachers.” In 1854 he became the pastor of a large congregation in London which built the
Metropolitan Tabernacle to hold the crowds that came to hear him preach. He likely has more sermons
published than any other preacher in history .

Question 38

Charles Hodge

Answer 38

[19th century] The best-known proponent of the Princeton theology. A noted polemicist, Hodge is
remembered for his rational defense of the Reformed faith, and for his defense of creationism against
naturalistic evolution.

Question 39

B. B. Warfield

Answer 39

[19-20th century ] One of the last of the great Princeton theologians, respected for his scholarly defense of
Augustinian Calvinism. He is remembered for his intellectual defense of Biblical inerrancy in the face of
Scheierrnacherian and Ritschlian liberalism.

Question 40

Charles Finney

Answer 40

[19th century] After training to be a lawyer, Finney became a Presbyterian revivalist, and the father of the
New School movement. He employed “New measures” of pragmatic techniques such as the anxious seat,
to win souls. He was a key force in the Northern section of the Second Great Awakening of the first half
of the 19th century .

Question 41

D. L. Moody

Answer 41

[ 19th century] Dispensationalist revivalist, famous for his “sinking ship” theory: the world is lost, and
Christians must endeavor only to save as many souls as they can before the end. Moody’s emphasis led to
the rampant separationism of the fundamentalist movement