FROM 150 AD TO THE SCHISM IN 1054 AD
Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 ."...Upon this rock I will built my church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it" (KJV). The Greek word "katischuo" is translated in our English Bible, "will not prevail against." This Greek word is made up of the two words "kata," which means "against" and "ischuo" meaning, "to be strong against."
To understand the full meaning of the phrase let us look at other places where the same word is used. In Rev. 12:7-8, which is the account in the future in which Satan and his angels shall be cast out of Heaven and never be found there again. ."..the dragon fought and his angels, and PREVAILED not; neither was their place found any more in heaven." As the word is used here it is clear that Satan did not overcome or get the ultimate advantage in this war in heaven. In other words as Webster's New World Dictionary defines the word "prevail", it means that "Hades" (translated "Hell") would not be effective in stopping of preventing the church to continue in its task of winning the lost to Christ and spreading the Gospel.
"Hades" is the place of the abode of the lost dead waiting for the final judgment. Moreover, Hades refers to the temporary destiny of the dead who died without Christ and thus are waiting the final judgment and the eternal and final place of judgment, Gehenna.
Thus, the verse is saying that in spite of the majority of men who would reject Christ as God, (which was the confession or statement Peter had just made and Christ was responding to), God's will and plan for the redeemption of man would always continue and that there would always be those who would accept Christ by faith, and thus there would always be a "church" or an assembly of true believers until the Rapture of the Church at the Second Coming of Christ..
This is a vital point in studying what is called, "Church History." Much of what is called Church History is in fact not a history of the true church at all, but the workings and organizations which Satan instituted to defeat it or dwarf the effectiveness of the true church in carrying out the Great Commission which is the spreading of the Gospel.
Also, it is well to take into account that the word "church" biblically means, "a group of called out believers" or "assembly" of believers. It is never used to refer to a structured organization which rules over believers in various local congregations. No where in the Bible do you find that meaning in reference to the church. In the great majority of the times the word church is used in the New Testament it refers to a "local" assembly of believers. That is important in determining what is a true example of a New Testament church. The New Testament clearly presents the early church as a group of independent small assembles of believers and never as a complicated organization with levels of authority in the form of a system of hierarchy as found today in Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, and many so called "Christian" groups such as the cults.
The local church is presented in the Bible as a local group of believers who are independent and self governing, SOLELY using the Bible as its guide and rule of faith. When there is needed instruction, the church who truly follows the Biblical example, appeals the Scriptures, not to a Bishops, Presbytery, Pope or any man made organization. It most certainly does not appeal to the writings of past churchmen, established church history, tradition or supposed new revelation. In strictly letting the Holy Scriptures lead it in all matters the church lets, God alone, apart from any wisdom or teaching of a man, guide it in truth.
From studying church history several things become clear. The organized church as developed into the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox church left the strict use of the Bible as its rule of faith and practice and substituted the the "opinions" of church leaders. Also, two other major errors was made by the church. First, it failed to remain separate from the state and compromised the Word of God. Second, by letting the state "in-mass" convert pagans and bring them into the church without true conversion it polluted the purity of the church. From a Biblical standpoint, even though there were saved people in its ranks, it ceased to be a Scriptural church and God had no part in it.
However, one must realized that there were always those who followed the Biblical example of the church and the Gospel and never went into apostasy. These small groups of true believers, as stated earlier in these notes, were only in the lime light when the "organized" church was persecuting them. Some have said the church went into total apostasy, however one must define what you mean by the word "church." If one means the organized church the answer is a resounding, yes, it most definitely went into apostasy. But, if you mean the true churches that followed the Scriptures and was made up of "born again" believers, the answer is an absolute, no. These believers never went into error. Even today, the majority of the organized church in no way resemble what the New Testament presents as a true church. God cannot bless error and even though many of these "churches" grow stronger, they do so in the flesh, and not because of the blessings of God or with His approval.
Moreover, the true church does exist today, and it does so in the form of local "called out" believers who have joined themselves together for the sole purpose in doing the Will of God. They using the Bible as their sole authority and rule of faith, obey the Scriptures and preach the Biblical Gospel of the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. They reject any loyalty to any hierarchy set up my man, or recognized no authority over them, save God Himself as revealed in the Word of God. And this the true church, those who truly follow the commandments of God, will never be destroyed and shall remain a chaste bride unto the time the Lord Himself, Christ Jesus, comes and takes it unto Himself and there it will remain forever.
I. THE PERIOD FROM 150 AD TO 313 AD.
A. THE APOLOGISTS. 150 AD TO 200 AD
The Apostolic Fathers wrote to Christians in an effort to exhort then in the faith. The Apologists wrote and
address the Roman government, and heretics defending the faith by literary argument. Often their writing have a
philosophical air to them and in a sense tried to argue that Christian doctrine was a better philosophy than Greek or Roman thought.
These men allowed their philosophical ideas to influence them to the point that they thought they could use Greek philosophy as a means to lead men to Christ. In other words they presented the Gospel as a better philosophy and more rational and reasonable than any system of thinking known at their time. They ignored Paul's warning in Colossians 2:8, "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."
Instead of presenting the simple Gospel, of Jesus Christ, and His death, burial and resurrection, they tried to present the Gospel by making an appeal to reason and intellect. This method does not allow the Holy Spirit to bring conviction to the soul and in fact it relies instead on the human powers of reasons for one to accept the Gospel. The Gospel is simple, so simple, that even a child by faith can accept it and be saved.
Of course these writings were addressed to intellectuals of the day in an effort to win them to Christ. However, by making strong and lengthy appeals in a philosophical tone, used an un-biblical method of presenting the truth and started tends which ultimately let to greater error.
B. THE POLEMICISTS. 200 AD TO 250 AD.
Where the Apologists had sought to defend the faith by appealing to philosophy and human intellect, the Polemicists made an all out attack on false teachers and heretics by condemning their teachings. These writers used the New Testament as a primary source of doctrine where as the Apologists had used the Old Testament.
During this period the Polemicists in the East, developed the use of allegorical method of Biblical interpretation. They taught that a verse of Scripture had a literal means, but also it had a hidden or deeper spiritual meaning. The influence of these teaching has done great harm to the correct interpretation of Scripture and has been used to foster many un-Scriptural beliefs and practices. Instead of letting the Scripture interpret Scripture, they substituted human intelligence. Even though in each case these writer had good intentions they made grave errors because they tried too often use human wisdom to do the will of God instead of using the Bible.
II. THE CHURCH MERGES WITH THE WORLD. BEGINNING IN 313 AD
A. THE EDIT OF MILAN:
When the Roman emperor died about 310 AD, there followed him six contenders to rule the Roman empire. Civil war broke out among these six men and in 313 AD Constantine entered Rome victorious. Diocletian the past emperor, had seen Christianity as a threat to the Empire and had tired to wipe it out in a harsh and cruel persecution of Christians. However, Constantine in a very dangerous situation in the war for the Empire, claimed he saw a vision which turned the tide of battle in his favor. This vision was a Cross in the sky and the Latin words "in this sign conqueror." Constantine won the war and now as the Emperor of Rome, claimed Christian conversion and made Christianity a legal religion in the Empire, by issuing the Edit of Milan.
Constantine then set about to form a union between the church and State. He gave lands and moneys to the churches to built themselves houses of worship. He also had the state to pay Bishops salaries. He further " in- mass," converted his pagan armies to Christianity. Though over two hundred years of persecution had ended, a greater threat now faced the Church as it merged with the pagan world. The pagans who had been "converted", were converted in name only. They merely changed the names of the idols and practices, giving them Biblical names, and continuing now in a modified pagan worship. Leadership in the church became corrupted by the offering of salaries, position and power. Thus, the position of being a Bishop was much sought after.
Constantine's so called conversion is seriously doubted, because that he after becoming a Christian, continue to hold the office of "Ponifex Maximus." This was the title of the chief pagan state priest. Further evidence that he was never converted was that in 325 AD, he had his eldest son executed and his wife Fausta, of twenty years, drown in a hot bath because he was jealous over their popularity and in fear of losing his position as Emperor.
B. THE COUNCIL OF NICE. 325 AD (THE NICENE CREED)
There existed now in Christendom many heresies and in an effort to combat these errors Constantine called a council of all the bishops from all over the Empire. Constantine himself presided over the meetings. The various doctrines were argued and debated and the end result was the writing of the Nicene Creed, which was a statement of faith. The Creed addressed the doctrines of the Godhead and of Christ. It upheld the true Scriptural teachings of the Bible and was subscribed to by all the bishops present except for a few of the heretics. They also at this time set the date for the celebration of Easter a church observance. The celebration that had been an annual pagan spring ritual, was converted it into a Christian celebration of the Resurrection and called Easter..
C. CHRISTIANITY BECOMES THE STATE RELIGION. 395 AD
After the death of Constantine his three sons became joint rulers of the Empire. Contantius, the more powerful son, went far beyond what his father had done and made the worship of heathen idols punishable by death, including conversion to Judaism.
Contantius accepted Arianism, which taught that Jesus was the created son of God, which is a denial of the Trinity. Jesus was in their teachings the highest of all created beings, but was not God as God the Father. They said Jesus created the world, ruled and was the means of Salvation, yet denied that Jesus was God Himself.
After Contantius' death he was followed by Julian his nephew. For a short time he placed Christians in disfavor and persecuted them. Theodosius, the Great became Emperor in 378 after the death of Julian and promoted Christianity to the point of persecuting all non-christian pagans. Under Theodosius, Christianity became the solely accepted legal religion and thus making it the state religion of the Roman Empire.
III. THE EDIT OF VALENTINIAN. 445 AD
One of the most important events in the establishment of the Roman Catholicism was the Edit of Valentinian made by then Emperor Valentinian III. This edit recognized the Bishop of Rome as having sole supremacy in all spiritual matters. The Bishop of Rome at this time was recognized as being the supreme and final authority within Christendom. This paced all bishops under him and subject to his rulings. At this time he was not looked on as a pope, but as highest authority to settle disputes on earth. It did not take long however, for these seeds of error to blossom into "popery" and the Bishop of Rome taking the position of Christ on Earth. Thus the Roman Catholic Church with all its heresies was officially born.
IV. THE COUNCIL OF CHALCEDON. 451 AD
This meeting of six hundred and thirty bishops at Chalcedon, in the face of many heresies, issued a statement in order to establish what the doctrine of the church was to be. This council stated the biblical view as to the Deity of Christ, the Trinity, and the Virgin Birth.
It is well to note that Satan's attack on the Gospel has always centered in trying to deny that Jesus was God, incarnate in man. Most of the heretics tried to destroy this truth saying Christ was a created being. They tried to merge Christianity with Oriental and Greek philosophy, denying that Jesus is God. Most modern Christian cults such as Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Science and Mormonism can find the roots of their theology embedded the teachings of these declared heretics.
Although much was amiss within the developing Catholic Church, this was a clear statement of truth based on biblical doctrine. These truths addressed by the Council of Chalcedon, are cardinal doctrine upon with true Christianity is based. Without holding to these foundational teachings of Scripture, there is no truth. The basis of any true Biblical church must be the acceptance of these truths.
V. THE GROWTH OF MONASTICISM: 529 AD BENEDICT ESTABLISHES MONTE CASSINO.
Monasticism is a term to describe the practices of self denial which grew out of the pagan belief that the way to true spirituality was a denial of the fresh. Benedict of Nurisa, who was shocked by the vices and rampant sin being practiced by those in authority of the church in Rome retired as a hermit to live in a cave in the mountains outside of Rome. Many followed him and various monasteries were established being governed by a strict code or "Rule" or order, which was based on self denial and poverty.
VI. GREGORY I. 590 AD
The elevation of the Bishop of Rome to pope grew stronger when in 590 AD, Gregory I, who held the episcopal throne in Rome began to refer to himself as "papas" which is the word from which the word "pope" comes from.
VII. AUGUSTINE CONVERTS THE ENGLISH. 597 AD
Gregory I, sent Augustine a leading monk on a missionary journey to Britain and he and those that followed him were able to "convert" the natives to Christianity. During the same period, Clovis the ruler of the Franks (French) was also converted to Christianity.
VIII. THE THREAT OF ISLAM BEGINS. 662 AD
In the Seventh Century there entered into the world a man who was to send fear into the hearts of all the known World, including the Pope of Rome. His name was Mohammed, and he succeeded in uniting the Arab peoples with his supposed new revelation from God. This new religion was called Islam, which means "submission or resignation" to the will of God. Before Islam the Arabs had hundreds of gods or idols. In the temple in Mecca there were 360 separate idols. Mohammed, proclaimed that "there is no god but the true god and Mohammed is his prophet." The revelation to Mohammed was the new scriptures named the Koran. The beginnings of Islam were slow, and after three years Mohammed only had fourteen members. In trying to persuade his countrymen in Mecca, he was greatly opposed and had to flee for his life.
By 630 AD, however, he had gained great support and returned and captured his home city of Mecca. War played a great part in getting the masses to follow him. His followers were fanatical, and were urged into battle with promises of plunder. Women captives were given to the soldiers as reward for valor. To fall in battle meant ones sins were forgiven and granted reward and entrance into heaven. In just ten years Mohammed converted Arabia to Islam, and it continues even today as the largest religion on Earth.
Islam's emphasis on war caused it to reach outside the borders of Arabia and into all the world. Conquered nations were in mass converted to Islam, and those who refused were killed on the spot. Roman by this time had lost most of its old power and grandeur and presented little resistance to Islam's growth.
IIX. ISLAM'S GROWTH STOPPED. 732 AD.
Until 732 AD, the Muslim threat to the world went almost unchecked. It controlled all the East, North Africa and the Mediterranean. In 711, it crossed the sea and captured Spain and began to raid into France. At Constantinople in the East, Leo III, defeated the Arabs in 718 AD. In the West, Charles Martel leader of the Franks, defeated them at Tours in Gaul (France). These two defeats stopped Islam, and kept the whole world which was threatened by Mohammedism, from falling into the false religion.
IX. FURTHER GROWTH OF PAPAL POWER.
A document called the "Donation of Constantine", was supposed to have been issued by Emperor Constantine on his conversion to Christianity which gave liberal rights and grants of territories to the Bishop of Rome. The supposed document became very popular in the Middle Ages and was stated to be the legal basis for the power of the Roman Pope. By the late 8th Century, the Pope was claiming to be the rightful heir to the throne of the Roman Empire, and the Pope was crowning the Emperors he chose. The document was proved to be a forgery in the 15th Century.
In 800 AD, the Pope of Rome, crowned Charlemagne, as the Emperor of the Roman Empire. Charlemagne was a man of war, and through war he united most of the remnants of the Empire again. Not long after his death the Empire reverted back to divisions again.
In 962, Otto the Great, of Germany gained power and revived the Imperial Empire again, in what was called the Holy Roman Empire. This title or state continued until 1806. Voltaire jested at the title by stating it "was neither holy, Roman or an empire." During this time the power of the Pope in Rome grew to the extent that it set up and deposed kings and kingdoms. The right to rule was referred to as the Divine Right of Kings, and the power of a kings came from the Pope. The king ruled in temporal affairs and the Pope in all spiritual matters.
X. THE GREAT SCHISM: THE SEPARATION OF THE ROMAN AND GREEK CHURCHES. 1054 AD
There had from the times of Constantine been contention between the Bishop of Rome, in the West and the Bishop of Constantinople, in the East. Constantine shortly after coming to power moved the headquarters of the Roman Empire to Constantinople in Asia. This caused the Bishop of Constantinople to be raised to a position of great influence. The Eastern division of the church had a reputation for orthodoxy and condemned the Western division for its combining of pagan idol worship and rituals with Christianity. There was great political differences and the East never bowed to the authority of the Bishop of Rome who in times when the Emperors were weak, ruled even in temporal matters.
Other religious differences were the outlook on celibacy; the Eastern Church allowed its priest to marry and the West demanded celibacy. In 325, at the Council of Nice, they had bitterly disagreed as to the date Easter was to be celebrated with the West winning the argument. The practice of wearing of beards also caused division.
The West stated theologically that the Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father as well as the Son, and the East bitterly denied this. However, one of the greatest differences was the use of the Eastern Church of Icons. Icons are pictures of Saints. In the East it was the practice to bow and pray before the pictures addressing its subject with ones petitions. The Roman Bishop called it heresy and forbid its practice.
In 1053, the "patriarch" (which was the title of the Eastern head of the Church) of Constantinople condemned the Western Church for use of unleavened bread in the Lords Supper. Rome sent two churchmen to settle the issue, but because the East would not submit to their litigation, on July 16, 1054, excommunicated the patriarch and all his followers. The Patriarch then "anathematized" the Pope of Rome and the schism was complete. Thus the Western and Eastern churches from that time on went their separate ways.
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