The

Church
Since
Pentecost
The First Three Centuries
Pentecost to The Council of Nicea,
AD 30 – 325
Beal Heights Presbyterian Church
Adult Sunday School Class
December, 2009 – February, 2010

1- 1
Course Outline:

Lecture and discussion of the following -

Date Topic
12/06/09 Introduction; What Is Church History? Why Study It?
12/13/09 The earliest churches
12/20/09 The crazy '60s
12/27/09 The end of the apostolic age
01/03/10 The early church fathers
01/10/10 The practices of the early church
01/17/10 Early heresies
01/24/10 The next 200 years
01/31/10 The New Testament Canon
02/07/10 Defining the Faith
02/14/10 The Late Persecutions
02/21/10 Constantine
02/28/10 The Council of Nicea

1- 2
12/06/09 Introduction; What Is Church History? Why Study It?

1. What is church history?

a. What is the church? WCF 24 -

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

b. Visible/Invisible Church Distinction

2. Why Study Church History?

1- 3
3 . How can church history be known?

a. Historical sources

i. Scripture
ii. Inscriptions
iii. Documents
iv. Art

b. Ways of interpreting history

i. Secular/materialistic

1. Optimistic -

2. Pessimistic -

ii. Sacred

1. Roman Catholic.

2. "Default" Roman Catholic.

3. Catholic Protestant.

4. Denominational bias

4. Periods of church history

a. Ancient

i. Apostolic 30-100
ii. Ante-Nicene 100-313
iii. Nicene 313-590

b. Medieval 590-1517

c. Modern

i. Age of Reformation 1517-1648

ii. Age of Reason and Revival 1648-1789
iii. Age of Progress 1789-1914
iv. Age of Ideologies 1914-

1. Backgrounds - the culture before the church

1- 4
a. Very cultural and cosmopolitan

b. Recently established Empire. One Empire, one law.

c. Free movement all around the Mediterranean

d. Roman system of roads

e. Greek as a universal language (and culture)

f. Greek philosophy weakened the old religions

g. New religions, superstitions, magic and astrology were on the increase in the empire

h. Jewish residency throughout the Empire helped the Christians in several ways

i. The Greek Scriptures (Septuagint – LXX) became the OT Bible of the early
Christians

ii. Legality of their religion aided the early Christians since they were seen as Jews

iii. The synagogue system was a ready made model for the early churches

1- 5