The Church Across the Ages Vals in Between
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CHRISTIAN HISTORY INSTITUTE’S Number #7 blamed the Christians for the great fire that Baptism was not entered into lightly. First destroyed 10 of the 14 city wards at Rome in one went through an extensive period of Early Church 64 A.D., a fire that Nero apparently had preparation as a “catachumen.” This lasted Miscellanea ordered himself. The historian Tacitus, not as long as three years, involving close scru- a Christian, said that Nero had the believers tiny of the catachumen’s behavior. The “torn by dogs, nailed to crosses, . even church would only admit those who proved used as human torches to illumine his gar- to be sincere in seeking a totally new life dens at night.” within the Christian community. of people, events, life and faith from But Christians were not under persecution Stats everywhere and all the time. The persecu- Researcher David Barrett reports that by tions were sporadic, with peaceful inter- the year 300, or nine generations after Christ, the Church Across the Ages vals in between. They varied in their inten- the world was 10.4% Christian with 66.4% sity and were mostly localized. of believers Non-whites. The scriptures had been translated into ten languages. FOUNDATIONS OF OUR FAITH: Just Get the Certificate! More than 410,000, representing one in ev- There were two all-out empire-wide perse- ery 200 believers from the time of Christ, A LOOK AT THE EARLY CHURCH cutions intended to utterly destroy the had given their lives as martyrs for the church. The first, under the emperor De- faith. Glimpses is published in six-month cycles with a theme for each cycle. Our first cycle cius, began in December, 249. Everyone in was on outstanding laity in church history. This current set will deal with the early the empire had to get a certificate from a Slave Makes Good! church, the first few hundred years up to the time of the Emperor Constantine. At that government officer verifying that he or she had offered a sacrifice to the gods—an act Christians drew members into their fellow- point, the church received legal status and went on to become the official faith of the that most Christians in good conscience ship from every rank and race, an affront to Roman Empire. This first issue in the cycle takes a broad look at life, worship, and could not do. proper, class-conscious Romans. A former ministry in the early church. We hope this will whet your appetite to feast more on this slave who had worked the mines actually critical period. The second, called “The Great Persecution,” became the bishop of Rome—Callistus in began on February 23, 303, under Emperor 217. HAVE YOU EVER noticed that the Bible against Rome beginning in 66 A.D., and by Diocletian. Galerius, the empire’s second- gives us no clue as to what Jesus looked the end of the first century the church had in-command, was behind this persecution “Send me your letters and gifts” like? All our paintings of Jesus are merely largely separated from the synagogue. policy and continued it after Diocletian’s Misusing the Gospel for financial gain is by the artist’s idea of how he might have death. For eight long years, official decrees no means the invention of 20th-century looked. The first representation of Christ When a “church” wasn’t a building ordered Christians out of public office, scrip- religious hucksters. One of the earliest on record is actually a derisive graffiti on These early believers did not have church tures confiscated, church buildings de- Christian documents after the New Testa- the wall of a house on the Palatine Hill in buildings to meet in. They met mostly in stroyed, leaders arrested, and pagan sacri- ment, “The Didache,” a kind of manual on Rome. It pictured the body of a man being homes. The first church buildings did not fices required. All the reliable methods of church practice, warns about traveling crucified but with the head of an ass. The start to appear until the early 200s. torture were mercilessly employed—wild preachers who come and ask for money. inscription reads: “Alexamenos worships beasts, burning, stabbing, crucifixion, the The satirist Lucian in the second century his god.” Debate but not denominations rack. But they were all to no avail. The ridiculed Christians for being so easily taken The early church did not have denomina- penetration of the faith across the empire in by charlatans, often giving them money. From the time of Nero (64 A.D.) until the tions as we think of them today. But that was so pervasive that the church could not Lucian recorded the notorious case of the conversion of Emperor Constantine and does not mean they had no serious dis- be intimidated nor destroyed. In 311, the philosopher Peregrinus, who attracted a the Edict of Milan (313 A.D.), whereby Chris- agreements within the ranks. They did. same Galerius, shortly before his death, devoted following among Christians (and tianity was made le- And they did not find weak and diseased, issued an “edict of tol- a lot of money) before he was found out. gal, the Christian faith this surprising. They eration.” This included the statement that The showman instincts of Peregrinus was officially re- felt they were dealing it was the duty of Christians “to pray to reached their climax when he died by pub- garded as a religio with matters of ulti- their god for our good estate.” licly cremating himself at the close of the prava, an evil or de- mate truth and error— Olympic games in 165. praved religion. matters to be taken with the utmost seri- Baptism Next Time Jewish Roots ousness even when it The Christian writer Hippolytus, writing meant dissension. about 200 A.D., describes baptism at Rome. What happened to the 12 apostles beyond Christianity began as Candidates took off their clothing, were what we know of them from the New Tes- a movement within Ju- baptized three times after renouncing Sa- tament? Find out in the next edition of daism. Much of the Persecution tan and affirming the basic teachings of the GLIMPSES. earliest proclamation The early Christians faith, and put on new clothes. Then they of the Gospel took were the targets of re- joined the rest of the church in the Lord’s place in the syna- peated persecutions— GLIMPSES is published 12 times per year by Christian gogues. The Chris- Supper. History Institute, Box 540, Worcester, PA. 19490. Telephone some of unspeakable 215-584-1893 Fax 215-584-4610. Ken Curtis Editor. Copyright tians did not side with The Alexamenos graffiti from Palatine Hill, Rome. cruelty. For example, 1990 by Christian History Institute. All rights reserved. the Jews in their revolt The first artistic representation of the crucifixion? the emperor Nero CHRISTIAN HISTORY INSTITUTE’S THEY WENT IN EVERY DIRECTION AS HUMBLE MESSENGERS NUMBER #8 EARLY CHURCH APOSTLES of people, events, life and faith from the Church Across the Ages WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE TWELVE APOSTLES?? THEY WERE NOT legend says they cast The Apostles took The Gospel throughout the Roman Empire and even beyond its the kind of group lots and divided up borders. Most met violent deaths because of their message of "Good News." you might have ex- the world to deter- pected Jesus to mine who would go PHILIP possibly had a powerful ministry have taken care of Mary the mother of Jesus send forth on his where, so all could in Carthage in North Africa and then in in his home. During Domitian’s persecu- mission to reach hear about Jesus. Asia Minor, where he converted the wife of tion in the middle 90’s, he was exiled to the the world. There They suffered greatly a Roman proconsul. In retaliation the pro- island of Patmos. There he is credited with for their faith and in consul had Philip arrested and cruelly put writing the last book of the New Testa- was nothing spe- cial or spectacular most cases met violent to death. ment—the Revelation. An early Latin tra- deaths on account of dition has him escaping unhurt after being about them. They MATTHEW, the tax collector and writer of cast into boiling oil at Rome. were just ordinary their bold witness. a Gospel, ministered in Persia and Ethio- working men. But pia. Some of the oldest reports say he was For Pete’s sake Jesus formed them PETER and PAUL not martyred, while others say he was The names of Jesus’ apostles have become into the backbone were both martyred in stabbed to death in Ethiopia. the most common names for males in the of the church and Rome about 66 A.D., Western world. How many do you know gave them the most during the persecu- BARTHOLOMEW had widespread mis- named John, Pete, Tom, Andy, Jim, Bart or extraordinary task tion under Emperor sionary travels attributed to him by tradi- Phil? The Calling of The Apostles Peter and Andrew. imaginable: calling Nero. Paul was be- tion: to India with Thomas, back to Arme- It wasn't from among the respected religious lead- headed. Peter was nia, and also to Ethiopia and Southern None of the apostles were called from the the entire world, ers in Jerusalem that Jesus called his Apostles but Arabia. There are various accounts of how priesthood or the “professional clergy” of including the from ordinary workers in remote Galilee. crucified, upside he met his death as a martyr for the gospel. Jesus day. mightiest empire Painting by DUCCIO di BUONINSEGNA National Gallery of down at his request, ever known, to re- Art, Washington; Samuel H.