GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH Gaithersburg, Maryland The History of the Early Christian Church Unit Two – The Early Church Fathers “Who Were They?” “Why Do We Remember Them?” The Latin Fathers The 3nd. of Three Sessions in Unit Two The 7th Sunday of Easter - The Sunday after the Ascension – May 14, 2020 (Originally Scheduled / Prepared for the 4th Sunday of Lent, 2020) I. Now Just Where Were We? It has been a long time since we were considering the Church Fathers in Unit 2. This is a “pick up session,” now that we have completed the 14 other sessions of this series on The History of the Early Christian Church. Some may remember that we were giving our attention to the early Church Fathers when the interruption of the Covid19 virus descended upon us, and we found ourselves under stay at home policies. Thanks to our pastor’s leadership ond our well equipped communications equipment and the skill of Pilip Muschke, we were able to be “on line` almost St. Jerome - Translator of Latin Vulgate instanetly. We missed only one session between our live class 4-5th Century and our first on line class. Today, we pick up the session we missed. We had covered two sessions of the three session Unit 2. The first of these sessions was on The Apostolic Fathers. These were those who had either known our Lord or known those who did. Among those would have been the former disciples of Jesus or the early first generation apostles. These were the primary sources to whom the ministry of our Lord was “handed off.” Saint Paul was among them. He considered himself as an apostle, one who had seen the Lord1 But, more about them in the following review. At this point, the Church was just one generation from extinction! The second group of the Early Church Fathers was those known as The Greek Church Fathers. They resided in the Eastern side of the Roman Empire. The language in this region was Greek, not Latin as it was in the West. They wrote, spoke and read Greek. We have covered the Apostolic Fathers, and the Greek Fathers in earlier sessions. 1. I Corinthians 15:8-9. – “Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God.“ Saint Paul has listed the resurrection appearances of Jesus as they were reported to him, and this was his conclusion. He considered himself an apostle, one to whom the Risen Lord had appeared. The Latin Fathers – Rev. 6 PDF Page 1 II. The Early Church Fathers These leaders and their times were very important, we might say “critical” for the growth of the scattered communities of early Christian believers. We used three adjectives to define the times: Difficult, Challenging, and Dangerous. Each of these applied through the early centuries in varying circumstances from theology (and especially Christology) to persecution, to the division of the Roman Empire, and through the doctrinal issues of seven Ecumenical Councils As noted in the previos section, we have defined these “Fathers” into three groups. A brief review of the first two groups will lead us into the discussion of the last of the three, the Latin Fathers. • The Apostolic Fathers are the earliest of the theologians and leaders, other than,of course, the Blessed Apostle Paul and the Four evangelists. These Apostolic Fathers lived in the 1st and early 2nd centuries, and were known to some of the disciples of our Lord or were acquainted with those who had known them. Some might have heard our Lord speak, and most surely knew one or more of the disciples This was the time of “handing off” to a new generation the experience of our Lord and His teachings. Some of the writings of the Apostolic Fathers seem to have been as highly regarded as the writings that eventually became a part of our New Testament. When thinking of the Apostolic Fathers, one thinks of names such as Ignatius of Antioch, Clement of Rome, and Polycarp of Smyrna.2 Then, too, we would not wish to forget Barnabas and Papas of Hierapolis!! • The Greek Fathers had our attention during our session on 8 March.. Just their title explains some of the issues that arose for the early Christians. Even before Constantine I had signed the Edict of Toleration in 311 CE and the Edict of Milan in 313 CE, making Christianity a legal religion in the empire,3 the Roman Empire had been divided into an Eastern and a Western governmental region. It was done by Emperor Diocletian in 285 CE. The size of the empire was becoming a difficult governing issue. Christians did not cause it, but they were affected by it, and among themselves represented for a while two differing cultures. While Saint Paul, and Peter too, worked in the area of Europe and the fringe of Asia, early Christian Polycarp of Smyrna missionary work was being done in other parts of Asia too. The Ancient Church Father Book of the Acts of the Apostles reports on a somewhat “western surge” of the missionary work. But, some of the oldest Christian churches today are showing up in Syria, and the Nineveh plains. In our day, Christians of these churches have suffered terribly from ISIS, the Taliban, and overall civil unrest! The West was a “Latin” culture and the East was largely “Greek and Syriac.” Traditions, liturgies, and theologies were frequently in tension, and as we study the Seven Ecumenical Councils, we shall see these tensions on those agendas. The Greek Fathers were such leaders and martyrs as Justin 2. Apostolic Fathers – In truth, the term does not appear in studies of Church history until 1672 CE. It was then that scholars became interested in the writings of this earliest generation of theologians and leaders in the Church, those who were most likely to have been disciples of the Apostles. In fact, we know that some were! 3. And ending forever the more than two centuries of the on again off again brutal persecution of Christians. The Latin Fathers – Rev. 6 PDF Page 2 Martyr, Irenaeus of Lyons, Clement of Alexandria, Origin of Alexandria, Athanasius of Alexandria, Cyril of Alexandria and John Chrysostom. (This is about half of those usually included among the Greek Fathers. • The Churches of the East and of the West also celebrate The Four Great Fathers. Curiously, none of those so named are the same for both churches. It is useful to list then another time. The Western Church The Eastern Church . Ambrose - 340-397 CE Basil of Constantinople 329-379 CE Jerome - 347-420 CE Athanasius of Alexandria 296-373 CE Augustine of Hippo 354-430 Gregory of Naziananzus 329-389 CE Pope Gregory 540-604 CE John Chrysostom 347-407 CE III. The Latin Fathers It sounds too simple: “Latin Fathers” are those who wrote in Latin.4 It identifies their culture and their audience. They lived in and wrote to the Latin Church. Think Rome! The ancient historical forms of Christianity today are generally represented in the Roman Catholic Church (Latin) and in the Eastern Orthodox Church and its many variations.(Greek) Many of the churches of Eastern Orthodox tradition are national churches. They are considered “Autocephalous.” or independent national churches (such as the Russian Orthodox Church.) Many of these may be familiar to us, at least by name. Now, back to the Latin Fathers. Each deserves far more than the brief paragraphs that follow. • TERTULLIAN – (155 - 221 CE) One of the most prolific writers of Christian apologies and other theological works, and a solid defender of the doctrine of the Trinity. He comes to us at the middle of the 2nd Century. Born in Carthage, he was the son of a Roman centurion. He denounces what he believed to be Christian heresies, and considered Christianity the “true religion.” In so doing he relegated the classic religions of the Roman Empire to be mere superstitions. He is sometimes called “Father of the Latin Church.” However, in later life, he became a believer in Montanism, a rigorous belief begun by a Christian prophet named Montanus, who taught a reliance upon the spontaneity of the Holy Spirit, and practices of rigorous religions disciplines. It was declared a heresy by the early Church.5 • CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE (200-258 CE) A convert to Christianity after his excellent classical (pagan) education. After his conversion, he ultimately became Bishop of Carthage. He was deeply concerned about the unity of Christians and bishops and was an early supporter of the authority of the Roman See, perhaps built upon the stature of St. Peter as the first Bishop of Rome. 4. The Latin Fathers – That is to say, they wrote in Latin, as opposed to Greek, and Syriac. A few Church Fathers wrote in Syriac. Their works were widely translated into Latin and Greek. 5. Montanism – Today it might be compared to the Pentecostal and legalistic movements in some church traditions. The Latin Fathers – Rev. 6 PDF Page 3 • HILARY OF POITERS (300-368 CE) Hilary’s name from comes a Latin root, meaning “happy or cheerful.” He is considered a Doctor of the Church and has sometimes been called the “Hammer of the Arians,” or the “Athanasius of the West.” He was the Bishop of Poitiers, a town in France that became a Christian center during his bishopric. His service follows the time of the Nicene Creed which had, among other things, declared the teachings of Arius to be heretical.