Church History and Christian Ministry

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Church History and Christian Ministry
Augustine (354 430)
Thomas Aquinas (1225 1274)
Martin Luther (1483 1546)
Karl Barth (1886 1968)
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A Sketch of Church History to Augustine
The situation of the church war on two fronts
External conflict
Sporadic persecution
Early apologists
Justin Martyr (100 165)

• Peripatetic philosopher

• Relied heavily on logos idea of Greeks

• Gave helpful practical insight into early
  Christianity

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A Sketch of Church History to Augustine
The situation of the church war on two fronts
External conflict
Sporadic persecution
Early apologists
Justin Martyr (100 165)
Irenaeus (150 202)

• Wrote Against Heresies (c. 180)

• Trained under Polycarp

• Adds considerable detail to first century history

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A Sketch of Church History to Augustine
The situation of the church war on two fronts
External conflict
Sporadic persecution
Early apologists
Justin Martyr (100 165)
Irenaeus (150 202)
Tertullian (160 225)

• Roman lawyer converted as adult

• Developed early idea of trinity

• Repudiated any tie between Christianity and Greek
  thought

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A Sketch of Church History to Augustine
The situation of the church war on two fronts
External conflict
Sporadic persecution
Early apologists
Justin Martyr (100 165)
Irenaeus (150 202)
Tertullian (160 225)
Origen (185 254)

• Deep student of scripture

• Introduced allegorical approach

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A Sketch of Church History to Augustine
The situation of the church war on two fronts
External conflict
Sporadic persecution
Early apologists
Justin Martyr (100 165)
Irenaeus (150 202)
Tertullian (160 225)
Origen (185 254)
Diocletian (244 311) last gasp of persecution
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A Sketch of Church History to Augustine
The situation of the church war on two fronts
Internal conflict
Council of Nicaea (325) Arianism
Council of Constantinople (381) Apolinarianism
Council of Ephesus (431) Nestorianism
Council of Chalcedon (451) Eutychianism
Council of Constantinople II (553) Monophysitism
Council of Constantinople III (680) Monothelytism
Council of Nicaea II (787) Iconolatry
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Augustine (354 430)
Greatest theologian in all history? Maybe!
Everybody claims Augustine, but for different
reasons
b. 354 N. Africa, Monica and unbelieving father
Pear story
Good education at great cost
371 moved to Carthage
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Augustine (354 430)
381 moved to Rome sets up shop for rhetoric
Joined Manichaeans naturalistic, dualistic, low
view of Christianity
386 University of Milan
Ill, disillusioned by Manichaeans, split with
girlfriend
Attending church at Ambrose church loved his
style
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Augustine (354 430)
Milan
Frustrated with his own passions
The Garden Incident
Romans 1313
Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in
revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and
lust, not in strife and envy.
Quit job returned to Africa - Hippo
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Thought of Augustine
Influenced by Plato - Idealist
Idea precedes experience Augustine thinks this
helps begin with certain element of faith prior
to experience
The spectrum of views in church history
Rationalism
Fideism
Augustine
Thomas Aquinas
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Augustines five types of faith
To think with assent
Provisional acceptance hypothetical method
Acceptance of authority
Compulsion of the truth
Surrender of the will
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Augustine and the Church
One
Exclusivity of the Church
Holy
Uniqueness of the Church
Inclusiveness of the Church
Catholic
Authority of the Church
Apostolic
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Other important themes
Pelagian Controversy
Augustines Epistemology theory of illumination