God's Story: A Student Guide to Church History (3 page)

Over and over again—for some forty days after his resurrection—Jesus proved that he was the Christ, the Savior of sinners (cf. Acts 1:3). He appeared to individuals, groups, and skeptics, many of whom were still alive when the New Testament letters were being written (cf. 1 Cor. 15:6)! He ate with them and assured them of his continual presence, even “to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).

Before he ascended to the right hand of his Father in heaven, Jesus told his disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). This is the guiding pattern throughout the book of Acts; the church would spread from Jerusalem out to the uttermost parts of the earth. But, rather ironically, this would happen
through persecution
and the death of God’s people.

The book of Acts in the New Testament is a historical narrative of the events of the early church after the ascension of Jesus into heaven. In particular, it follows the mission and ministry of the apostles
Peter
(chapters 1-12) and
Paul
(chapters 13-28). Peter’s ministry centers in Jerusalem while Paul’s ministry expands to the Gentiles around the Mediterranean. The early church devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the sacraments, worship, prayer, and service (Acts 2:42-46). The result? “The Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (v. 47). There was nothing fancy about their ministry—no gimmicks, no light shows, no dueling DJs. They simply sought to be faithful in planting and watering the gospel of Jesus through these basic means.

Miracles, signs, and wonders also accompanied the early spread of the gospel as visible proofs of the new revelation being communicated. The blind could see, the lame walked, and the apostles seemed to possess supernatural authority to cast out demons and heal various individuals. Indeed, new Scripture was being added to the body of Scripture that we call the “Old Testament.” This new revelation, given through the apostles, was just as inspired, infallible, and authoritative as the Old and is what we now call the “New Testament.” In fact, Peter himself called Paul’s writings “scripture” (2 Pet. 3:16)! The healings, signs, and wonders served to validate God’s new revelation as seen in the pages of the New Testament.

As mentioned, persecution spurred the spread of the early church. After the stoning of Stephen (an early deacon), Luke writes, “And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria” (Acts 8:1, emphasis mine). Notice how this supports Jesus’ promise given in Acts 1:8, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Eventually, both Peter and Paul would be killed as martyrs for their faith in Christ; Peter by crucifixion upside down (he didn’t think it proper to be crucified the same way as his Lord) and Paul by beheading, both around a.d. 65 in Rome under the reign of the Emperor Nero.
²
The apostle John would out-survive both of them, living into the 90s, during which time he wrote his Gospel account as well as his epistles and the book of Revelation.

During the first century, persecution against Christians ebbed and flowed. During the early 80s the Romans really began to target Christians. Under the Roman emperor, Domitian (a.d. 51-96), Christian worship was banned and Jews and Christians both were required to send their tithe money to Rome. Many refused and suffered the consequences. This intentional persecution against Christians strengthened over time and would continue as official Roman practice until the early 300s. Much of the history of the early church is seen against this backdrop of persecution.

A number of men took up the mantle as leaders of the early church during and soon after the apostles died, called “the Apostolic Fathers,” a designation that indicates their close connection to the apostles. Particularly, among these were Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, and Polycarp of Smyrna. These men would help bridge the teachings of the apostles in the first century to many of the early church leaders in the second century. All three would die a martyr’s death.

Clement of Rome

Clement, who was a successor of the apostle Peter and called “Bishop” of Rome, was most likely the “Clement” mentioned by the apostle Paul in Philippians 4:3 as his fellow laborer in the ministry. Ancient sources note that Clement knew the apostle Peter and is, to this day, ascribed by the Roman Catholic Church as the fourth Bishop (or “Pope”) of Rome.
³

Clement governed the church in Rome, where there existed a large number of Christians. After a.d. 64—when the emperor Nero unjustly blamed a massive fire in Rome on the Christians—and especially after Domitian became emperor in a.d. 81, persecution became much more intense. But despite the cruel torture and executions of these early Christians, the church continued to grow and spread. Clement no doubt experienced much of this persecution.

Around a.d. 96, Clement wrote a letter, called
First Clement
,
⁴
to the Christian church in Corinth (in Greece), in which he affirmed the authority of bishops and presbyters (elders) in the church. As we shall see in the following chapters, this declaration of “authority” would be a key argument of the Church of Rome down through the ages. Clement was eventually banished to the modern-day Crimean peninsula in a.d. 99 to serve hard labor in a stone quarry and, two years later, tied to an anchor and thrown from a boat into the Black Sea.

Ignatius of Antioch

Ignatius (c.35-c.108) presided as an early bishop in the city of Antioch, located on the eastern side of the Mediterranean Sea. Significantly, he was also a disciple of the apostle John. At one point, Roman authorities arrested him and as they brought him to Rome, he wrote a series of letters, which outlined some very important theology. First, Ignatius (rightly) argued that Jesus was both fully divine and fully human. A group of false teachers promoting
Docetism
were insisting that Jesus only
appeared
to be human, but was really only spirit and not flesh. In response, Ignatius insisted that Jesus was not only divine, but also fully man, a topic that the apostle John dealt with in his Gospel account and in his epistles.

Second, Ignatius stressed the need for unity, but not just any unity. The unity of Jesus’ two natures—divine and human—laid the foundation for the unity of the church. If one denied the unity of Christ’s two natures, he or she could also deny the unity of Christ’s body, the church.

Third, like many early Christians, Ignatius saw suffering for the sake of Jesus as an aspect of Christian disciple-ship. Since discipleship meant following in the footsteps of Jesus, this included a life of suffering, which was welcomed by many of the early Christians. To flee persecution and martyrdom (dying for faith in Christ) was the equivalent of denying Jesus himself. In his journey from Antioch to Rome under Roman guard, Ignatius wrote, “Let me be food for the wild beast … then I will truly be a disciple of Jesus Christ.” Indeed, he would be led to the famous Coliseum in Rome where, according to tradition, he was eaten by lions.

Polycarp of Smyrna

Ignatius’ friend, Polycarp (c.69-c.155), was also a disciple of the apostle John. He led the church in Smyrna, a city located on the western coast of modern-day Turkey (not too far from Ephesus). During a visit to Rome to discuss the celebration of Easter festivals and calendars, he was arrested. The Romans commanded him to worship the Roman emperor by burning incense. Polycarp refused and, thus, they sentenced him to death.

The account of Polycarp’s death is one of the most memorable and remarkable martyrdoms of the early church. When asked why he wouldn’t reject his Lord, Jesus, Polycarp responded: “Eighty and six years I have served him, and he has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King and Savior? Bring forth what thou wilt.” He was tied to a stake and burned.

As far as Polycarp’s legacy goes, some sources indicate that it was Polycarp who first compiled the books and letters of the New Testament. In fact, in the only extant letter attributed to him—
Letter to the Philippians
—he relies heavily on the New Testament documents. In this letter, Polycarp exhorts the Philippians to persevere in their Christian witness: “Stand fast, therefore, in this conduct and follow the example of the Lord.” Polycarp would prove to be a significant bridge connecting the apostles to later leaders of the church, called the “Church Fathers.” His dates overlap the life of his mentor, the apostle John, with later church leaders like Irenaeus (c.130-c.200), Clement of Alexandria (c.150-c.215), and Tertullian (c.160-c.225). This last Church Father, Tertullian, once commented, “The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church.” As we have seen, his comment is substantiated by a myriad of faithful believers who have followed in the footsteps of their Savior.

In addition to the leadership and literature of the Apostolic Fathers, we have thousands of manuscripts of the New Testament in Greek (the original language of the New Testament). Moreover, other first century literature, like the
Didache,
provides detailed description of the teachings of the early Christians. Without a doubt, the foundation of Christianity enjoys widespread manuscript evidence and support. The church established by Jesus, governed by the apostles, and led by the early fathers of the faith, has continued down through the ages. We can rest on the overwhelming testimony of the New Testament historical documents, teaching, and witness to the living God, whose story continues today.

1. The disciples seemed to fluctuate between
   being very bold for their faith and being
   scared. Do you ever experience these swings
   in your Christian walk?
   
2. After Jesus was raised from the dead, how
   did he prove that he was indeed the risen
   Christ?
   
3. The good news of Jesus spread through
   persecution of God’s people. What kinds of
   persecution did they face? What happened to
   Peter and Paul?
   
4. There were a number of heresies in the early
   church. Why do you think it is important to
   know the truth? How do you know the truth?
   

1
See John MacArthur,
Twelve Ordinary Men: How the Master Shaped His Disciples for Greatness, and What He Wants to Do With You
(Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2006).

2
These dates are approximate, as we do not have specific historical record.

3
The Bishop of Rome is also the Pope in the Roman Catholic Church.

4
Second Clement
, another letter originally ascribed to Clement, was later subject to intense scrutiny after the historian Eusebius (263-339) noted that there existed only one letter to this Clement, raising doubts that it really was genuine.

A
fter the death of the apostles, the  Church Fathers (early notable church theologians) took up the mantle of leading the growing, but persecuted church. Many of these early leaders died a very painful martyr’s death: being burned alive, beheaded, and eaten by lions, among other means. Because of the persecution, most Christian communities continued to worship secretly in house churches (they wouldn’t begin worshiping in their own buildings until the late third century).

How does it make you feel when you are misunderstood? I know it makes me feel hurt and unappreciated. During the first several centuries of the church, many outsiders misunderstood Christian practice and worship. For example, Christians were often charged with cannibalism because they spoke of “eating the body” and “drinking the blood” of Christ (i.e. the Lord’s Supper). They were charged with incest because a Christian man, for example, would marry his “sister” in Christ. It is interesting to point out, too, that the early Christians became well-known for loving and serving one another. These were the marks of a Christian and the world was watching, which is one reason the church continued to grow!