The Early Church

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The Early Church
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The Historical Jesus

• Born circa 4 or 5 BC
• grew up in Nazareth in Galilee
• Knew Jewish Scripture but seems to have had no
  formal training
• Attracted a small following of local Galileans
• Crucified in Jerusalem by Roman and Jewish
  authorities (circa 30 AD)

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Christian Communities 62 AD
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Early Christian Churches

• Members were largely Middle Class
• Rituals were flexible
• Organized by elders in the church
• Included singing psalms and a common meal called
  an agape
• Learning and ritual based on a gospel text, not
  necessarily a canonical gospel
• Churches were not formal buildings but in
  peoples homes

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Textual Communities
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House Church atDura Europas, Syria
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Remains of baptisteryDura Europas
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What was the appeal?

• Links to older traditions
• Willingness to seek converts
• Promise of the possibility of eternal life
• Proof of its truth (miracles)
• Completely different alternative to Roman way of
  life

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Reaction of the Roman State

• At first, they ignored Christians
• Sporadically persecuted in first 200 years AD
• Most persecutions local in nature
• 202 AD Empire wide persecution
• 303 AD Great persecution

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Early anti-Christian Graffiti from Rome
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Persecution and Christians

• Christian faith strengthened by persecution
• Those who died in persecutions became heroes of
  the faith
• Later still, the were worshipped as particularly
  holy people, saints

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Constantine and the Battle of Milvian Bridge

• Believed? he had won a major battle as a result
  of banners he had made with the Chi-Rho on it
• Result was that he passed an edict of toleration
  for Christianity in 313
• Converted to Christianity on his deathbed in 337

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After 313

• Popularity of Christianity exploded
• Became fashionable to be Christian
• By 337 1/4 of Europe Christian
• 391 Official Religion of Roman Empire
• By 400 more Christians than non-Christians

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The Changing nature of the Church

• Structure of worship more rigid, development of
  liturgy
• Theology less fluid
• Grew wealthier
• Architecture changed
• Hierarchy of church officials created
• Institutionalization of church

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Early Public Churches
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Western Church Innovation
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Bishops

• Chosen by communities to lead the church and
  resolve disputes about Christian teaching
• Bishop of Rome especially important because he
  claimed his office from Peter
• Petrene theory

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Bishops in Civil Society

• After Constantine, bishops, who were often
  educated, would also act as administrators in the
  cities
• As other wealthy Romans left the cities, Bishops
  took over the tasks of running them

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Attila and Pope Leo I ca 453
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The Patristic Age

• Era from 200-500
• Period when Christian doctrine was debated and
  finally decided upon in Church Councils
• Most fathers were Eastern and wrote in Greek, but
  a few from the West wrote in Latin
• Most influential for Western Christianity in the
  medieval period was Augustine

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Augustine of Hippo (354-430)

• Works of Import
• City of God
• Confessions
• On Christian Teaching

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Important Teachings of Augustine

• Doctrine of original sin
• Doctrine of grace

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Impact of the Early Church on the Middle Ages

• Churches are responsible for care of poor and
  sick, taking care of roads, buildings etc.
• Bishops and priests have both spiritual and
  secular authority
• Church doctrine, defined in the patristic period
  remains in effect throughout the Middle Ages