HISTORIOGRAPHY AND EARLY CHURCH HISTORY TABLE OF CONTENTS Historiography Or Preliminary Issues......................................................... 4 Texts ..................................................................................................................... 4 Introduction ................................................................................................. 5 Definition.............................................................................................................. 5 Necessity............................................................................................................... 5 What Is Church History?............................................................................. 6 What Is The Biblical Philosophy Of History? ............................................ 7 The Doctrine Of God............................................................................................ 7 The Doctrine Of Creation..................................................................................... 8 The Doctrine Of Predestination............................................................................ 8 Why Study Church History? ....................................................................... 9 The Faithfulness Of God .................................................................................... 10 Truth And Experience ........................................................................................ 10 Truth And Tradition ........................................................................................... 10 Avoidance Of Error ............................................................................................ 10 The Historical Context ....................................................................................... 10 The Works Of God ............................................................................................. 11 The Past Witness As To The Present ................................................................. 11 The Truth Concerning Religious Human Nature ............................................... 11 What Are The Fundamental Presuppositions For The Study Of Church History? ..................................................................................................... 11 Time And Eternity.............................................................................................. 12 Church History Is Not Self–Interpreting ............................................................ 13 The Perpetuity Of New Testament Christianity ................................................. 14 The Time–Divisions Of Church History................................................... 20 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE Of Early Church History To 313 A.D. .... 21 THE APOSTOLIC AGE 26–100 AD....................................................... 21 The Five Major Issues In This Age .................................................................... 21 Chronology Of The Apostolic Age .................................................................... 21 Messianic Era (26–30 A.D.)...................................................................... 21 The Year Of Obscurity (26–28 A.D.).................................................................. 22 The Year Of Opportunity (29 A.D.) .................................................................... 22 The Year Of Opposition (30 A.D.)...................................................................... 22 Apostolic Era (30–100 Ad) ....................................................................... 23 The Era Of Transition (100–313 Ad)........................................................ 27 The Six Major Issues.......................................................................................... 27 Dr. W. 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Downing Pacific Institute for Religious Studies 1 Sovereign Grace Baptist Church of Silicon Valley Chronology Of The Era Of Transition ............................................................... 27 100–200 AD ..................................................................................... 28 150 Ad .............................................................................................. 30 200–300 AD ..................................................................................... 31 250 AD ............................................................................................. 32 300–313 AD ..................................................................................... 34 74 YEARS.......................................................................................................... 36 Introduction ............................................................................................... 36 The General Historical Outline ................................................................. 36 I. The Messianic Era (26–30 A.D.)...................................................................... 36 Ii. The Apostolic Era (30–100 A.D.). .................................................................. 36 The Messianic Era (26–30 Ad) ................................................................. 37 The Preparation For Christianity........................................................................ 37 The Earthly Life And Ministry Of The Lord Jesus Christ ................................. 39 II The Apostolic Era (30 A.D.–100 A.D.)................................................. 40 The Era Of Transition (30 A.D.–48 A.D.) (18 Years) .......................................... 40 The Era Of Expansion (48 A.D.–64 A.D.) (16 Years).......................................... 42 The Era Of Persecution (64–100 A.D.) ............................................................... 47 A Summary Of Apostolic Christianity...................................................... 50 The Era Of Transition: 100–313 A.D. 213 Years .................................... 51 Text: Galatians 1:6–7 ......................................................................................... 51 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 51 General Observations On The Persecution Of Christianity...................... 52 Opposition To Christianity................................................................................. 52 Reasons For The Antagonism Against Christianity ........................................... 53 Christianity And The Roman Emperors............................................................. 53 II THE HISTORICAL OUTLINE ............................................................ 54 A. The Period Of Sporadic Persecutions (100–248 A.D.)................................... 54 B. The First General Persecution Throughout The Empire (249–260 A.D.)....... 55 C. The Period Of Relative Peace (260–303 A.D.)............................................... 55 D. The Second General Persecution Throughout The Empire (303–310 A.D.).. 56 E. The Edict Of Milan And Peace (313 A.D.)..................................................... 56 III Christianity And The Roman Empire................................................... 56 IV The Progress Of Christianity................................................................ 57 V The Rise Of Ecclesiasticism.................................................................. 58 The Distinction Between Clergy And Laity....................................................... 58 The Rise Of The Episcopacy.............................................................................. 58 The Rise Of Sacerdotalism................................................................................. 59 Sacramentalism................................................................................................... 60 Catholic Unity .................................................................................................... 61 VI Primitive And Catholic Christianity .................................................... 61 Montanism.......................................................................................................... 63 Novatianism........................................................................................................ 65 Donatism............................................................................................................. 66 2 Dr. W. 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Downing Pacific Institute for Religious Studies Sovereign Grace Baptist Church of Silicon Valley VII Early Christianity And Greek Philosophy.......................................... 67 Theology And Philosophy.................................................................................. 68 The History Of Greek Philosophy...................................................................... 71 Philosophy And The Church Fathers ................................................................. 75 VIII The Ante–Nicene Church Fathers And Early Christian Literature... 78 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 78 The Apostolic Fathers......................................................................................... 80 The Apologists.................................................................................................... 83 The Polemicists .................................................................................................. 87 The Alexandrian School..................................................................................... 89 The Antiochian School......................................................................................