The Church Since Pentecost

Pentecost to
The Council of Nicea, AD 30 – 325

Beal Heights Presbyterian Church

Adult Sunday School Class
December, 2009 – February, 2010
 Course outline

12/06/09 What Is Church 01/24/10 The next 200 years

History? Why Study It?
01/31/10 The New Testament
12/13/09 The earliest churches Canon
12/20/09 The crazy '60s 02/07/10 Defining the Faith
12/27/09 The end of the 02/14/10 The Late Persecutions
apostolic age
02/21/10 Constantine
01/03/10 The early church
02/28/10 The Council of Nicea
fathers
01/10/10 The practices of the
early church
01/17/10 Early heresies
 Early Church History

12/06/09
What Is Church History?
Why Study It?
 1. What is church history?
The Church Defined: The Westminster
Confession of Faith, Chapter 25
What is the church? WCF 25 -

1. The catholic or universal church, which is

invisible, consists of the whole number of the
elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered
into one, under Christ the Head thereof; and is
the spouse, the body, the fullness of him that
filleth all in all.
 The Church

2. The visible church, which is also catholic or

universal under the gospel (not confined to one
nation, as before under the law), consists of all
those throughout the world that profess the true
religion; and of their children: and is the kingdom
of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of
God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility
of salvation.
 The Church

3. Unto this catholic visible church Christ hath

given the ministry, oracles, and ordinances of
God, for the gathering and perfecting of the
saints, in this life, to the end of the world: and
doth, by his own presence and Spirit, according
to his promise, make them effectual thereunto.
 The Church

4. This catholic church hath been sometimes

more, sometimes less visible. And particular
churches, which are members thereof, are more
or less pure, according as the doctrine of the
gospel is taught and embraced, ordinances
administered, and public worship performed
more or less purely in them.
 The Church

5. The purest churches under heaven are subject

both to mixture and error; and some have so
degenerated, as to become no churches of
Christ, but synagogues of Satan. Nevertheless,
there shall be always a church on earth, to
worship God according to his will.

6. There is no other head of the church but the

Lord Jesus Christ. Nor can the pope of Rome, in
any sense, be head thereof.
 The Church

● Visible / invisible
● Visible
– The Marks of the church
– Word, Sacraments, Worship, Discipline
● More or less faithful
 2. Why Study Church History?

● Spiritual growth
● Understanding the issues of our day
● Knowledge of how Scripture came to be
● Theological tools which allow you to evaluate
and combat errors
● Practical tools which you may not have heard
of before
Why Study Church History? (cont'd)

● Knowledge of how your particular church

tradition came to be
● Humility and perspective and charity
● Caution when confronted with "new" ideas
● Why this topic can never be covered
adequately in this class
 3. Source Material For Church
History
● Historical sources
– Scripture
– Inscriptions
– Documents
– Art
 Ways of interpreting history

● Secular/materialistic
– Optimistic
– Pessimistic
● Sacred
– Roman Catholic
– Orthodox
– Catholic Protestant
– Denominational Bias
 4. Periods of Church History
● Ancient
– Apostolic 30-100
– Ante-Nicene 100-313
– Nicene 313-590
● Medieval 590-1517
● Modern 
– Age of Reformation 1517-1648
– Age of Reason and Revival 1648-1789
– Age of Progress 1789-1914
– Age of Ideologies 1914-
 5. Background of the NT Church

● Very cultural and cosmopolitan

● Recently established Empire
– One Empire, one law.
– Free movement all around the Mediterranean
– Roman system of roads
● Greek as a universal language (and culture)
 Background of the NT Church
(cont'd)
● Greek philosophy had also weakened the old
religions
● New religions, superstitions, magic and
astrology were on the increase in the empire
 Background of the NT Church
(cont'd)
● Jewish residency throughout the Empire
helped the Christians in several ways
– The Greek Scriptures became the Bible of the
early Christians
– Legality of their religion aided the early
Christians since they were seen as Jews
– The synagogue system was a ready made
model for the early churches