CHURCH HISTORY Lesson 2

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CHURCH HISTORY Lesson 2

• The Setting of the Church

Church history is the Holy Spirits instrument
for conveying Gods works, performed in and
through His people in the past, to His people in
the present Edward A
Panosian
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THE MAJOR DIVISION OF THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH
Apostolic Church
Post Apostolic Church
Reformation
Early Church
Medieval Church
1517
1648 AD (1688 in England
PRESENT
Approx 30 AD
Approx 100 AD
Approx 450 AD
Transition Points
MAJOR CHANGE
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The Setting Prepared by God
17 and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the
place called The Place of a Skull, which in
Aramaic is called Golgotha. 18 There they
crucified him, and with him two others, one on
either side, and Jesus between them. 19 Pilate
also wrote an inscription and put it on the
cross. It read, Jesus of Nazareth, the King of
the Jews. 20 Many of the Jews read this
inscription, for the place where Jesus was
crucified was near the city, and it was written
in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek.
John 1917-20
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The Jewish Influence
Its Contributions

• The human ancestry , both physically and
  spiritually, of the Redeemer,
• Founder and Head of the Church.

15 I will put enmity between you and the
woman,and between your offspring (seed) and her
offspringhe shall bruise your head,and you
shall bruise his heel. Genesis 315
2. The formative background and origin of the
church, organically.
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The Condition of Judaism
1. Politically
37 BC-4BC
SANHEDRIN
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JEWISH DIASPORA
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2. Economically
3. Educationally

1. Spiritually

a debased and wicked people, well-deserving of
their fearful punishment in the destruction
of Jerusalem Josephus
Sadducees
Pharisees
15 and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of
Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the
Zealot, Luke 615
Zealots
Essenes
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The Gentile Influence
I. The Greek Influence
Hellenism
Alexander the Great 356-323 BC
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LANGUAGE
Greek is read in almost all nations Latin is
confined by its own narrow boundaries
Cicero
HEBREW - POETIC GREEK - PRECISE
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PHILOSOPHY
PLATONISM
Aristotle 384-322 BC
Plato 427-347 BC
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EPICURANISM
Fear of God is source of anxiety man must
realize that god is not interested in him
Humanity could find true fulfillment only by
living in harmony with divine Reason
STOICISM
Zeno, Cleanthes, Chrysippus
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ROMAN INFLUENCE
COMMON POLITICAL LOYALTY
753 BC Romulus
Rome as a Kingdom
509 BC Roman Republic
Power in hands of Senate
pontifex maximus
Third Century BC Roman expansion
First Century BC series of civil wars
67 BC Pompey clears Mediterranean of pirates
63 BC Fall of Jerusalem
Pompey
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Julius Caesar 102-44 BC
Octavius Caesar Augustus
31 BC-AD14
PAX ROMANA
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Roman Roads
Roman Road Marker
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Common economy
Common intellectual culture
Common religious culture
Traditional pagan religions
Emperor worship
Eastern mystery cults