Lecture 3 Flashcards
The Social Origins of Early Christians
- The vast majority of early Christians belonged to the lower social classes
- In the late 2nd, early 3rd more wealthy and influential people became Christians (Perpetua, etc.)
- After Constantine: class distinctions were not as important (in terms of who became a Christian)
How did one become a Christian?
Through Baptism. 1. In the first few decades of the Church baptism administered on a simply profession of faith
a. In Acts, many were baptized at the moment of conversion
Baptism in the Didache
- The Didache (2nd)—Gives instructions for baptism
a. Was to be done “in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost”
b. Was to be done in “living” (running, cold) water
c. If not available, then warm water
• If immersion not possible, then water was to be poured on the head 3 times
How had baptism changed by the time Tertullian was around?
a. The rite was to be administered by a bishop or presbyter, or deacon designated by the bishop, or by a layperson (in the absence of a Church official)
b. The rite was usually given at Easter, or during the 50 days after Easter
c. Candidates prepared by prayer, fasting, all-night vigils, and confession
d. Immediatly before baptism, the candidate renounced the devil and his angels.
e. After the rite, the newly baptized person was given a mixture of milk and honey, and was anointed with oil, then had hands laid upon her/him
f. The rite:
• The candidate is immersed three times, preferably in running water
• Confessions of faith to the Father, Son, HS before each time
• In many cases the initiates were baptized naked: first children, then men, then women
When did infant baptism start?
Some people, as early as Tertullian and Cyprian: baptized infants (late 2nd and early 3rd century.
a. However, it was not until Augustine, that the doctrine of Adam’s original sin/and the death of infants came to support the practice
What is Catechumenate?
Those who wished to be baptized, but who needed theological training to qualify
- By the time of Tertullian and Cyprian, the question about the efficacy of baptism administered by a heretic was raised:
a. Tertullian, Cyprian, and churches in Asia Minor and Syria maintained that such baptism was Not valid
b. Churches in Rome and Alexandria maintained that the rite was valid, despite the moral condition of the rite-giver (foreshadow of the Novation and Donatist schisms)
What was Christian worship like in the earliest days of the church?
A. In the earliest part of the Church, no one single pattern was followed
- However, communion (the Eucharist) was common to all
- Worship was the one point at which Christians of all social classes had a common experience.
Components of early Christian worship
- They were celebrations—the tone was of joy and gratitude
- After a common meal, bread and wine were prayed over
- By the beginning of the 2nd century, the common meal was being set aside (this may have been in response to the charges of the agape “love feasts”
a. After the 2nd century, Communion began to be called the Eucharist, from the Greek word “to give thanks.”
b. This was a clear indication of the separation of the Eucharist from the agape “love feasts” - Thus services began to center on the Eucharist
- Two of the earliest general descriptions of Christian worship come from Governor Pliny the Younger of Bythina (see the Pliny-Trajan correspondence) and from Justin Martyr.
Eucharist in the Didache
- The Didache: Instructions intended for Christians: only the baptized share in the Eucharist
a. First the cup is given, then a prayer recited
b. Then comes the broken bread, and a recited prayer
c. After the communicants have been “filled,” another prayer of thanksgiving asking for Christian unity
Eucharist according to Justin Martyr
intended for Non-Christians (he was an apologist)
a. Immediately after baptism, the new initiate is brought in front of the “brethren” for prayers on behalf of her/him
b. After prayers, Christians salute each other with a kiss
c. The Eucharist:
• To a presiding “brother” was brought the bread and cup with a wine/water mixture (D. DOES NOT MENTION THIS)
• He took them and gave thanks (a free prayer—not a recitation. THE D. HAD A SET PRAYER)
• After “amen” the deacons passed out the bread then the cup to those present, and then delivers them to those who were absent (D. DOESN’T MENTION THIS)
• Justin describes the elements as “the blood and body of Christ”
When was the Eucharist administered?
The Eucharist was performed every Sunday, in addition to the special ceremonies for the newly baptized (as indicated above).
- Preceding the Eucharist on Sundays was preceded by scripture reading (or other documents, like the Shepherd of Hermas)
- A time of exhortation (sermon)
- After, all rose together and prayed, and then the Eucharist began
Fragmentum
pieces of bread sent from the Bishop’s communion service to other, smaller churches in the area
From at least the 2nd century, we see that there were two very general parts of a communion service:
- The Reading of scripture and the commentaries upon them with prayers and hymn singing.
- Then, those who were not baptized were dismissed with a prayer and blessing, and then Communion was served, beginning with the Kiss of Peace.
Where did Christians meet?
- From the earliest times, the Christians met in catacombs (tombs of the faithful)
a. “The Church of the Catacombs”. - More frequently than the catacombs though, Christians often met in private homes.
a. The oldest Christian Church: Dura Europas, c. 256
What did the Christian Weekly Calendar look like?
- At the beginning it was rather simple, and was basically a weekly calendar
- Every Sunday was a sort of Easter celebration and a day of joy
- Early on, Wednesdays became a day of fasting
How did Christians pray?
- The custom of facing east
- Standing with arms outstretched or upraised
- Lying prone, or face down
- Tertullian:
a. Was disgusted by those who sat down after prayer
b. Declared that fasting or kneeling in worship on the Lord’s Day and between Easter and Pentecost was improper
True or False? Choirs became more prevalent after Constantine
True
Who possessed 150 hymns in Syriac?
Thus Bardaison (2nd)—he was condemned as a heretic
True or False: Hymns sung in unison were used in battle
True. the Arians against John Chrysostom
Famous works of devotion
Works of devotion: Confessions, by Augustine (early 5th)
De Vita contemplative by Julianus Pomerius (5th)—he used Augustine as his model
What was the Cult of the Martyrs?
- The Cult of the Martyrs:
a. To celebrate martyrs: Cult of Martyrs, of which Augustine’s mother was a part
• The practice of the veneration of the relics of the martyrs began in the 2nd
b. This cult grew very quickly, especially in the 4th and 5th centuries when persecution had been gone for a while
• Tombs of martyrs became destinations for pilgrimages
• Some tombs were raided for bones—Ambrose of Milan excavated some sites
The Cult of Mary
a. Popularity of Mary, leading to worship of her increased in the 4th and 5th centuries
b. Was called “Mother of God” (theotokos) after the Council of Constantinople (in order to reconfirm the deity of Jesus)
theotokos
Mary, “Mother of God”
- Later churches (4th and on) distinguished between clergy and parishioners by specialized clerical dress. For example:
a. Pallium: a type of scarf, made from white wool, draped over the shoulders, and worn by bishops in the west
b. Orarium: a type of handkerchief or neck cloth worn by bishops in the east
How did Ignatius of Antioch suggest the church should be governed? And why?
- Ignatius of Antioch: suggested a form of Church hierarchy—the bishop
a. Installing local bishops would be the focus of unity
b. The sacraments could only be administered by the bishop
c. The bishop would be “God’s representative on earth”
HE WROTE ALL OF THIS ON HIS WAY TO BEING MARTYRED, SO DON’T FORGET THAT. HE’S CONCERNED ABOUT UNITY.
What do the letter of Clement of Rome to the Corinthian church tell us about bishops and church leadership?
b. Clement, bishop of Rome, wrote his letter to the Corinthians (CE 96) in opposition to the rebellion. The letter suggested the following idea (in general):
• It requested that the Corinthians honor the sacred status of the clergy because they stand in due succession to the Apostles
• The term “Apostolic Succession” became an important part of Church order
• This became a standard weapon against the Gnostic threat, because Church bishops could guarantee the teaching of orthodoxy
• The importance of this line of thought:
o Church goers could now assume that the truth could be found both in the Bible and in the words of the local Church bishop
o It served as a tool in the Apologists’ fight against the Gnostic (for example, the work of Irenaeus of Lyons)—the various Gnostic groups disagreed with each other, but the same, standard message could be found from bishop to bishop
What church offices are indicated in the Didache?
a. Bishops or presbyters—this office celebrates the Eucharist
b. Deacons—this office assists in the Eucharist
When did bishops come about? What is a bishop?
Bishops as authorities came about during the age when apostolic authority was going or gone.
- Remained first among equals—addressed other presbyters as “fellow presbyters”
- Inherited the role of “Apostle” and “Prophet”
- They ordained presbyters
- After Christian emperors became the norm (post-Constantine) bishops often held imperial positions over cities—this led to widespread abuse
What is a presbyter?
Presbyter—or elder
a. Had the authority to celebrate the Eucharist
b. Inherited the role of “teacher”
c. Joined the bishop in ordaining presbyters
d. Before the 3rd century, presbyters consecrated new bishops, by the 3rd, visiting bishops consecrated other bishops—the choice of candidacy rested with the whole congregation
What is a deacon?
a. It was not necessarily a probationary order for the presbyteriate (office of elders)
b. It was a lifelong role unless the deacon happened to be made bishop
c. The existence of “Arch-deacons”
• A Senior deacon with large financial and administrative responsibility
• These usually went on to become bishops
d. Charitable functions (food to the poor, etc.) were often shared with deaconesses, who normally had special responsibilities to women
e. Hippolytus, in his work, Apostolic Tradition (200-220), describes the “assistant” status of deacons to presbyters: presbyters assist bishops in the laying on of hands for all candidates for the presbyteriate, but only the bishop lays hands on deacons.
What Four factors that led to the rise of bishops over presbyters?
- The senior presbyter obtained the power through experience, and thus became he bishop
- Correspondence between churches were usually carried out between the presiding presbyter-bishops
- During ordinations, the lead presbyters of other churches served as representatives at the ordination
- The crisis of the Gnostic heresies necessitated a single individual as the focus of unity for the area/community (ie. The Bishop of Rome, or the Bishop of Antioch, etc.)
What role did women play in church leadership?
The role of women: By the end of the 2nd, the official leadership (BISHOPS) of the Church was entirely masculine. There were women presbyters. And, don’t forget that they were in a patriarchial culture.
From the middle of the 2nd onwards, there had been a strong reaction towards standardization in faith and order due to:
a. Differences in dogmatic formulation
b. Matters of liturgical practice (such as the observation of Easter)
c. Varied acceptance of different texts of scripture
d. Variety of church order as a result of varied missionary activity (at times missionaries undertook roles without any type of permission from an authoritative body)—the area bishops, then, needed to bring these churches into fellowship with the federation of churches
Concepts upon which churches began to agree:
a. Since the church is one, then its beliefs and practices must be one
b. The three-tiered system of: One bishop in one city, with presbyters and deacons, came about in the 2nd century without controversy.
