Lesson 2 Flashcards
When was Paul’s conversion?
35 ad
Who was Josephus and what significant contribution did he make?
- AD 37 – 100
- Second-born son of Matthias, a Jewish priest
- Roman–Jewish historian and military leader
- Wrote The Jewish War and The Antiquities of the Jews
- Appointed military commander of Galilee
- Original name Joseph Ben Matthias
Who was Bede and what significant contribution did he make?
- 672/3 – 735 ad
- English monk, author, and scholar
- Most talented historian of the early Middle Ages
- Spent most of his life in the monastery
- Famous contribution Ecclesiastical History of the English People
- Known as “The Father of English History”
- Created a calendar that uses the birth of Christ as a baseline for events.
Who was Peter and what significant contribution did he make?
- died AD 64–68
- Apostle to Christ
- Known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas
- Peter was crucified in Rome under Emperor Nero.
- Founder of the Church of Antioch
Who was Eusebius and what significant contribution did he make?
- 260/265 – 339
- Considered first Christian historian
- Known as “Father of Church History”
- Wrote extensively on Church History
Who was John Foxe and what significant contribution did he make?
- 1517 – 1587
- English clergyman, theologian, and Elizabethan historian
- Reformer
- Famous for Foxe’s book of Martyrs
- Argued that a spiritual war has been raging between Christ (Christian Protestants) and the Antichrist (associated with Catholics and the Mass).
Who was Kenneth Latourette and what significant contribution did he make?
- 1884 – 1968
- American historian and professor
- Specialized in Chinese studies, Japanese studies, and the history of Christianity
- Famous work: History of the Expansion of Christianity
- Argued that each expansion of Christianity has had unforeseen results: Rise of secularization, communism, technology.
- Author of over 80 books on Christianity
Who was Paul and what significant contribution did he make?
- Apostle
- Wrote most of NT
- Pharisee
- Studied under Gamaliel
- Saved in 35 ad
How did early believers practice the faith?
In the early days of the church the growth of Christianity is quite a remarkable story. Christianity was attractive because it was intellectually satisfying and it met the deepest needs of the human heart. Brought great hope and hope of a coming kingdom. By the end of the 1st century, the faith had been brought to the rim of the Mediterranean. The Pax Romana, common language.
It spread through open air preaching and systematic missions to the synagogue as the apostles went forth proclaiming Christ, beginning at Pentectost. Paul preached in public places where he would teach, the meeting hall of Tyrannus. In Athens Paul speaks on their wavelength and reaches them. It also spread as believers took the gospel into the diaspora. Acts 7 - Steven stoned, people spread about, wherever they went, they were preaching the gospel. The personal witness of the believers.
They prayed 3 times a day and fasted 2 times per week.
Woman would help baptise other woman - with the Bishop - because baptism was often in the nude.
There was church disipline - Ananirus and Safia was an example of lying to the Holy Spirit and falling under disipline.
Preaching could go for hours
During Nero’s pursecution, More people meeting in secret to share the gospel.
The early church would hold early Sunday services, meeting before sunrise, and have the Lord’s supper every Sunday night. There was an ethical and religious/theological component to the early church. They were teaching preaching and catechizing the new believers. They would baptize believers and take the Lord’s supper together.
But Christians also became known as care givers. They were known not to abandon their babies, but for rescuing abandoned babies. Julian the apostate - one of the last pagan rulers - against the Galilean’s. ‘the Christians not only take care of their poor, but they take care of our poor too.’ Christianity cut through the social strata of the community.
What light has the Didache shed on this era?
The Didache: The teaching of the 12 apostles. Found in the 19th century in Constantinople. Dated around the 2nd century, possibly Alexandria.
Two parts: One section on Christian morals. How to live distinctively from the Pagans. Goes along with emphasis on ethics in the early church. 2nd part, a book of church order. How you deal with the ministry, prophets and deacons, church discipline, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. An attempt to bring uniformity to church practices. Concern for passing on the faith. Has a Jewish flavor. Still talks about the travelling prophets going around to the churches. Most scholars point to the early 2nd century. The sermon on the Mount is quoted along with various other non-canonical early church writings.
What example in Acts is Lying to the Holy Spirit
Ananias and Saphia
True or False
Paul appointed leaders of the church
TRUE
Discuss the 3 sources of authority established to guard the church from heresy.
a. Writings of apostles
b. Tradition of apostles (creeds, teachings, writings)
c. Bishops as successors of the apostles (Irenaeus, Against Heresies)
True or False
Women were prophets
TRUE
What were the primary “Order” or “Responsibilities” of women in the church?
Orders of deaconesses
Orders of Widows
Order of Virgins
- Ministries to widows / Sick / Poor
