Lecture 1

Question 1

What were the three things Jews were known for in the ancient world?

Answer 1

1. Not associating with cults, which was seen as antisocial.
2. Not eating meats offered to idols and pork.
3. Circumcising their infants.

Question 2

In the council of Jerusalem, what was the decision that was made?

Answer 2

Gentile Christians could remain without circumcision, but they had to not eat meat sacrificed to idols and keep themselves from having sex outside marriage.

Question 3

What is a consequence of not having to circumcise Christian believers?

Answer 3

Circumcision is now not the sign of covenant for them, which puts into questions the authority of the old covenant and the law.

Question 4

Paul had a dream of a Gentile and Jewish church standing together side by side. What happened in actuality?

Answer 4

Jerusalem is destroyed and therefore the Gentile church carries the torch for the rest of history. They had already been spreading, and the Jewish church’s dependance on Jerusalem made them vulnerable at the end.

Tensions within Jews and Christians also begins to take a toll on the Jewish church. By 50AD they were rioting, and by 85AD Jews had a saying, “May the Nazarenes and the Heretics by removed from the book of life”.

As a result, the OT began to be interpreted (as it is now) as a judgment against the Jews for having rejected God and now the Messiah. Basically, the Christians began to turn their back on their Jewish roots.

The Gentile Christians excluded the Jewish Christians because they still practiced law. Sad. Maybe that’s why the church died in Jewish areas.

Question 5

What did Justin Martyr believe about Jewish Christians?

Answer 5

That they could follow the law without compromising on their faith.

Question 6

What did Jewish Christians call themselves?

Answer 6

Ebionites. A name derived from the Hebrew word meaning “the poor”.

Question 7

What did some early Christians think of the empire?

Answer 7

What was wrong was its paganism. Change its religion and all would be well. After all, God used Roman peace to spread the Gospel.

This, however, was a problem in the eyes of the state. Refusing to sacrifice to the emperor was a refusal of the state itself, and they couldn’t have that.

Question 8

What does Pliny’s letter to Trajan reveal to us about Christianity in 112?

Answer 8

It had spread not only to the cities, but to the countryside. Pliny executes them, and asks Trajan for advice. Can Christians be executed for being Christian? Trajan says not if they recant and offer libations to his image. It basically shows that Trajan did not regard Christians as a threat.

It also reveals that there were women deacons in the church. Wow.

Question 9

Name the Early Church divisions

Answer 9

Age of the Apostles (NT)
Early Church Fathers (100-150)
Age of the Apologists (150-300)
Age of the Theologians (300-600)

Question 10

Name some of the Roman, Greek and Jewish settings of the Early Church.

Answer 10

Roman: Augustus becoming emperor around 27BC. Pompey conquering Palestine in 63BC. Emperor worship as a political undertone. Pax Romana.

Greek: Alex the Great, Hellenism, Greek language. Plato and Aristotle.

Jewish: Essenes, Saducess, Pharisees, Zealots. Different ways of engaging.

Question 11

What Jewish Group were Christians most similar to? How were they similar, and how were they different?

Answer 11

Essenes

Similar: Both had a leader (teacher of righteousness), both had a meal they shared, both had ceremonial washing, shared money, mostly pacifists, rejected sacrifices, rejected slavery.

Different: Essenes kept strict sabbath, avoided ceremonial pollution, secret names of angels, made predictions about dates

Question 12

How were Pharisees similar to Christians?

Answer 12

They believed in final resurrection and in angels. Had an eschatological worldview.

They also had a strict adherence to law.

Question 13

What is the differences between Saducees and Pharisees view of law and Hellenism.

Answer 13

Pharisees focused on law, but Saducess only on Mosaic law. Saducees had the most of benefit from Hellenism and Roman rule, so they loved it.

Question 14

Why was the LXX written?

Answer 14

Diaspora Jews needed the law in Greek. It was produced in Alexandria in 3 century BC. It was the bible of the early church.

Question 15

What positive contributions did Judaism give the ancient world?

Answer 15

Monotheism, morality and stable family life, god-fearers could be found in synagouge and temple, some were circumcized and baptized.

Question 16

Why did Christianity not become a mass movement in Judaism?

Answer 16

No hope for the zealots (not nationalist enough), it was too revolutionary for the establishment, too accepting of Gentiles, spread of Christianity was a threat and therefore Jews revolted against them.

Question 17

What were the two major threats the Roman empire gave Christianity?

Answer 17

Syncretism and Emperor worship.

Question 18

How were Christians perceived by the system?

Answer 18

They were atheists, canibals, and incestous.

Question 19

What two worldview did Christians embrace to help them communicate gospel?

Answer 19

Platonism and Stoicism. One perfect God and an immortal soul. And, high moral standards.

Question 20

Jews and Christians held two crucial beliefs in common:

Answer 20

a. Ethical Monotheism: the belief in only one God. God requires proper worship and proper relationships among humans.
b. Eschatological Hope: the hope of the immediate return of the savior as the fulfillment of God’s promises. Some tried to speed the return along with violence, others by fervent prayer and fasting

Question 21

Three initial groups of Christians:

Answer 21

a. Strict adherents to Judaism
b. Jews who were not strictly observant of Judaism
c. Converts from outside of Judaism (Gentile converts)

Question 22

Three initial Early Church Leaders:

Answer 22

a. Peter and the Twelve: who lead the followers of Jesus from his Galilean ministry
b. James “The Just,” the brother of Jesus: who led converted Jews who now were Christians
c. Stephen: who led Christians who came from the Greek-speaking Diaspora

Question 23

most pressing question of the earliest Church

Answer 23

whether Gentiles should adopt Jewish practices

a. Were the same Jewish prohibitions (listed above) necessary for Gentiles to become Christians?
b. Some conservative Jewish Christians felt that all Christian converts needed to be circumcised

Question 24

What was the church of Antioch?

Answer 24

1. Began when believers from Jerusalem were scattered due to Persecution
2. The name “Christian” was first introduced (Acts 11:26)
3. Antioch was the scene of a conflict between groups represented by Paul and Peter over the issue of circumcision as a requirement for Gentile Christians (spoke to the large issue of whether Gentile Christians should adopt Jewish practices)

Question 25

What was the result of the conference in Jerusalem in Acts 15?

Answer 25

a. The dispute between these two Christian groups resulted in the general conference in Jerusalem (Acts 15)
b. The outcome was a compromise of sorts, but favored the Christians with a “global” perspective
c. The Gentile, uncircumcised Christians were accepted into the fellowship of the Jerusalem Church, but were cautioned not to eat food offered to idols, and to not allow sexual relations outside of marriage

Question 26

What was Paul’s mission?

Answer 26

a. To vindicate freedom and equal status of Gentile Christians
b. To win from the Jerusalem Church leaders, the recognition of his converts as full members of the Church

Question 27

Paul’s greatest contribution to the Church was not his missionary work, but his letters. Why?

Answer 27

a. He taught the centrality and immanence of Christ
b. He taught the unity of the Church in Christ—although the church in Jerusalem first, all (Jew and Gentile Christians) are united in Christ
c. Christian society should break the barriers between Jew and Gentile

Question 28

What three factors contributed to Paul’s success?

Answer 28

a. Linguistically (he spoke multiple languages)
b. Culturally (he easily shifted between Jewish, Roman, and Hellenistic cultures)
c. Legally (his citizenship status and influence with Jewish leaders)

Question 29

What happened to Peter and Paul?

Answer 29

b. Peter and Paul were both in Rome and were both probably executed there—one legend states that Peter was crucified upside down, but this is dubious
c. Both Clement of Rome (ca. 96) and Ignatius of Antioch (ca. 116), in their letters to the Church in Rome, associate both Peter and Paul with the Church.
d. Church Fathers of the 2nd century speak of Peter and Paul as the “founders” of the Church in Rome
e. The Catholic Church has claimed that Peter was the first “Pope,” but this inaccurate and anachronistic—we will cover this a bit later.

Question 30

Where do we first begin hearing about a different doctrine?

Answer 30

In the Johanine literature. This was the beginning of any mention of gnosticism.

Question 31

How do we know that John of Revelation of the Gospel might be different people?

Answer 31

However, Papias of Hierapolis, a 2nd-century Christian writer, affirms that:
o There was a John, who wrote Revelation from the Island of Patmos, who was an elder at Ephesus, and was buried there
o John, the beloved disciple, wrote the Gospel of John and the rest of Johannine literature—which is also attributed to Ephesus

Question 32

What are the five characterisitics of the church during the Apostolic Age?

Answer 32

a. Acceptance of Jesus as the promised Messiah
b. Common acceptance of the Jewish Scriptures (OT) as the word of God, but interpreted in the light of Christ
c. Entrance into the community required baptism, different from the ritual washing of Judaism—John the Baptist signaled the change
• Baptism required a confession of Jesus’ name
• Was a promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit
d. The practice of a shared meal, but highlighted by the bread and cup as a remembrance of the Last Supper of Jesus.
e. Christians met on the “first day” (or the “Lord’s Day”) as opposed to the Sabbath

Question 33

Why was the Catechumenate necessary?

Answer 33

Catechumenate: the large influx of Gentiles who knew nothing of the basics of Judaism, led to extensive times of training in the faith. Thus services were divided into:
• Service of the Word: extensive portions of scripture were read and interpreted both to guide those who were already baptized and for the instruction of the catechumenate.
• Catechumenates were then dismissed, and the congregation proceeded to the service of the table—communion.

Question 34

Who were the Ebionites?

Answer 34

1. Ebionites
   a. According to Irenaeus, this group “circumcise, obeying the prescriptions of the law, and are so much influence by Judaism, that they worship Jerusalem as God’s dwelling.”
   b. These Christians continued to observe Sabbaths, circumcision, and other Jewish rituals
   c. Eventually became isolated and unsupported by other Christians
   d. Some of them denied the virgin birth of Christ

e. They were still around by 4th century, especially in Syria:
• Jerome translated their Gospel according to the Hebrews, into Latin (this version slightly differed to the one in biblical canon, because it gave priority to James, the brother of Jesus, as the head of the Church)
• Justin Martyr wrote his Dialogue with Trypho (CE 160) and it seems these Christians were still a force
f. From Ireaneus onward, this group was treated as a deviationist sect, rather than a form of Christianity

Question 35

What was Christianity’s relationship with the Jewish establishment?

Answer 35

1. The earliest Christians believed they were still part of Judaism, but believed that the Messiah had come; Gentiles were readily welcomed.
2. The Jews believed that Christians were a heretical sect of Judaism
3. The Jews believed that they had lost their homeland and were subjects of the Roman Empire because they had abandoned their faith.
   a. In the NT, they persecuted Christians, because this group added to the Jews’ plight
   b. In parts of NT, especially Acts, Christians seek refuge from the Jews under the wing of the Roman authorities (i.e. the case of Paul)
4. Conflicts between Jews and Christians increased:
   a. When the Jews were expelled from Rome by Claudius in 52 CE (Acts 18:2)
   b. As the Christians accepted more Gentiles into their fold
5. After the end of the 1st century, it was Christians/Gentiles/Pagans who began to persecute Jews, and this has been the case ever since.
6. Some Christians have used examples of Jewish persecution in the NT as the basis of acts of persecution against Jewish people.

Question 36

What did first century Christians believe about the Roman empire?

Answer 36

1. During the 1st century, the Christian church believed that the Empire could be an instrument for the furtherance of the gospel.
   a. By the 2nd century, the “Pax-Romana” or Roman peace established by Augustus fed optimism
   b. The existence of various cults within the Empire seemed to guarantee freedom to practice their faith. Different cults (mystery religions):

Question 37

What were some of the first century cults?

Answer 37

• Isis and Osiris: worshipped the Egyptian “Mother Goddess.”
o Explained the fertility of the Nile and all other fertility
o The most famous work within this cult was The Golden Ass by Apuleius (you can still by this book today, and is the only originally Latin novel to survive in its entirety)—The adventures of the young man, Lucius, who becomes fascinated with witchcraft that may be able to turn him into a bird, but instead, becomes a donkey—he is eventually initiated into the cult of the goddess Isis. (a dark comedy)
• Mithras: the Persian god of light—a god of Indo-Iranian origin
o Mimicked the death of Christ, but used a bull
o Some modern critics of Christianity claim that Paul used Mithraism as the basis of his message
• The Anatolian cult of Attis and Cybele
• The Great Mother: a cult of Semitic origin

Question 38

Under what conditions did the Romans allow people to worship whatever they wanted? And, why were Christians targeted?

Answer 38

2. The Roman government seemed to be tolerant of other religions, but only so long as they did not encourage sedition or weaken morality.
   a. Roman soldiers were required to worship the emperor among other deities—so early Christians did not join the army
   b. Christians also did not attend the Roman games, or participate in emperor worship
   • They became known for their “hatred of society”
   • They were called “atheists” because they refused to acknowledge the emperor as god
   c. Because of the Christian practice of the Eucharist and Christ’s universal love, they were accused of cannibalism and incest

Question 39

What happened in Rome in 6AD when Nero was emperor? Why was this event important in Christian history?

Answer 39

3. On June 18, 64 CE, a fire broke out, and destroyed many parts of Rome.
   a. Some people claim the Nero started it in order to rebuild Rome to his liking
   b. Nero placed the blame on the Christians, in order to destroy the rumor that he started the fire—he began to persecute and kill them with “refined cruelty”
   • The Roman historian, Tacitus, did not believe that they caused the fire, but did think that executing them for their hated “vices” was a good idea
   • The Neronian persecution set a precedent for the future persecution of Christianity, even though Nero’s persecution had nothing to do with the practice of Christianity itself

Question 40

According to Tacitus, why were Christians blamed for the fire of 64?

Answer 40

c. Tacitus says: “Thus, first those who confessed [that they were Christians] were arrested, and on the basis of their testimony a great number were condemned, although not so much for the fire itself as for their hatred of humankind.”
d. Tacitus’ statement reveals how civic activities—the theater, the army, classic literature, and sports—were so entwined with paganism, that Christianity opposed most of Roman society. Tacitus goes on to describe the ways in which Christians were killed.

Question 41

After Nero, who was the next emperor to persecute Christians?

Answer 41

D. Persecution under Domitian (51-96)

1. Became emperor after Titus, and at first, paid little attention to the Christians
2. He began to persecute Christians probably because he respected Roman traditions
3. After 70 CE, Domitian enacted strict laws against the Jews also
4. Christians were often declared “atheists” for their refusal to worship the emperor
   a. He called himself “Master and God” and viewed those who did not worship him as treacherous
   b. Calling Christians “atheists” became popular under his reign

Question 42

Who is the target of John’s critique in Revelation?

Answer 42

5. In Asia Minor, this persecution lead to writing of Revelation, as John was exiled to the island of Patmos
6. Depending of which view of Revelation you have, much of it was written about Rome. It is described as “the great Harlot” or “Babylon the great.”
7. Domitian was increasingly seen as a tyrant; he was murdered in his own palace and the Roman senate attempted to erase his name from every inscription.

Question 43

What is the major work that tells us about persecution in the beginning of the 2nd century?

Answer 43

Acts of the Martyrs. And, Pliny’s correspondence with Trajan.

Question 44

Why does Pliny begin to arrest Christians? What did he require for them to do?

Answer 44

a. Due to large number of Christians in the area, the pagan temples were empty and Pliny began to inquire about the Christians since they were illegal.
b. Pliny required all arrested people to: 1. pray to the gods, 2. burn incense before the image of the emperor, and 3. curse Christ—if they did these, they were freed.
c. For those who refused to recant, Pliny offered 3 chances to recant. He executed those who refused, and sent Roman citizens to Rome to face charges.
d. However, Pliny wanted to know what crimes Christians had actually committed, so he wrote to Trajan.

Question 45

What question does Pliny ask Trajan? And what is at the core of that sentence?

Answer 45

3. The question to Trajan: “should Christians be punished for concrete crimes or should the very name “Christian” be considered a crime?”
4. The question centered on the exact nature of the crime:
   a. Whether the profession of Christianity itself was a crime, or
   b. Whether Christians should be charged for merely associating with name, or
   c. Whether Christians were guilty of meeting in secret, especially since Pliny had forbidden secret societies.

Question 46

What is Trajan’s answer to Pliny’s question?

Answer 46

5. Trajan’s answer: There is no general rule that is equally valid in all circumstances:
   a. On one hand the nature of their crime is such that the state should not waste time seeking them out.
   b. On the other hand, if they are accused and refuse to recant, they should be punished.
   c. Those who are willing to worship the gods should be pardoned w/out further inquiries.
   d. Anonymous accusations should be disregarded.

Question 47

In general, what was the nature of persecution against Christians during the 2nd century?

Answer 47

8. The nature of Roman Persecution in the 2nd century was never really continuous or systematic (with the exception of a few periods during the first four centuries)
   a. Both Trajan and Hadrian discouraged governors from taking personal initiative against Christians
   b. Persecution was usually up to the governors themselves
   c. By the end of the 2nd century, Christianity had penetrated the upper classes of society—which helped ease persecution also.

Question 48

After Nero and Domitian, which emperor persecuted Christians? Why did he persecute them?

Answer 48

Marcus Aurelius, who became emperor in 161.

5. In his only reference to Christians in the Meditations, he accused them of “obstinacy”—he found the stubbornness of Christians the most objectionable thing about them.
6. He was superstitious man, constantly seeking the advice of Seers and making frequent sacrifices.
7. During the early years of his reign, Rome was plagued with constant floods, invasions, epidemics and other disasters—Christians were blamed because of their stubborn refusal to worship the gods.

Question 49

After Nero, Domitian, and Marcus Aurelius, which emperor persecuted Christians? And, what happens to Christians at the end of the 2nd century?

Answer 49

Severus Septimus, who became emperor in 193.

a. Christians were in a precarious position (because the movement could have folded under the pressure)
b. They were constantly persecuted
c. Many false rumors led to arrests, torture, and death
d. Christians sought to combat false rumors by writing apologies (defenses)

The Romans believed that they were simply quelling a subversive group to preserve the State.