What Happened After the Bible?
I'm going a completely different way for this post. It is sad to me that the history of the Christian Church, in its entirety, is so often ignored. It seems most Christians believe that the Church ended with John's Revelation, and took up again either at the Reformation, or even in the 20th Century. If one takes this perspective, so much precious and important history is lost. This is Church History that is significant for all Chrisitans, Protestant and Catholic alike.
Stuff did indeed happen after John's Revelation ended. A whole new world opened up, that of the First Century Church. It was an exciting time in the life of Christ's Church. It is one of my pet subjects, and I get excited when I read about the early church. I decided to share some of what I have learned, so here it is.
The apostle John had disciples, and the most notable were Ignatius of Antioch and Polycarp of Smyrna. Ignatius was installed as bishop by Peter and Paul. Peter and Paul had as a disciple Clement of Rome, who was later consecrated as bishop by Peter.
What did the apostles teach these men? What did they tell them? What did these disciples learn? What did they write? What was their view of First Century Christianity? I really believe that history is best learned from eyewitnesses. So few people know that we have actual eyewitness testimonies of the first century Christian Church. We don't have to guess what happened after Jesus' ascension into heaven, it is all written and there for all of us to learn.
I'll start with Ignatius of Antioch, a disciple of the apostle John. The year of Ignatius' birth is unknown, but we do know his death occurred in the year 110 AD in Rome. As stated above, he was a disciple of the Apostle John. Ignatius was captured by the Romans and was sent to Rome to be killed because he would not renounce his faith in Christ. On his way to his death, wrote 7 letters to the early Christian Church. At that time, the first century Church was being bombarded with heresies. Ignatius' letters were written to admonish and encourage the early Christians to fight against the heresies attacking the Church.
The heretical sect Ignatius was most particularly concerned with were the Docetists. It can be said that the Gnostics (to be dealt with later) had docetist beliefs. I will use an excerpt from Encyclopedia Britannica Online to explain the docetists' beliefs: "Christian heresy and one of the earliest Christian sectarian doctrines, affirming that Christ did not have a real or natural body during his life on earth but only an apparent or phantom one." (http://www.britannica.com/eb/
Ignatius served as bishop of Antioch for 40 YEARS !! From Acts 11:26, we know that Antioch was one of the earliest and most significant of the early Christian communities of the early Church.
Ignatius' letters dealt with many subjects. In a nutshell, here is what Ignatius wrote about: The divine identity of Jesus Christ. He calls Jesus "God" 16 times in his letters. "Rather, two hundred years before Constantine and the Council of Nicaea, Ignatius teaches that Christ is eternal, above time and all creation, God in the full sense of the term." (from The Crossroads Initiative, www.crossroadsinitiative.com/
Because the docetists believed that Christ was all spirit and not at all flesh, Ignatius' letters reiterate what he was taught by John, Peter, and Paul, that Jesus was indeed a flesh and blood man who endured suffering and death for our salvation.
Ignatius was the first to establish the concept that all followers of Christ around the world were united in their one belief in Christ, that Christians were one entity, and so he was the first to use the term "Catholic," which is from the Greek "Katholikos" meaning general, universal.
I especially love Ignatius' writings on the Eucharist. Because the docetists denied Christ's humanity, Ignatius writes that the docetists "hold aloof from the Eucharist and from services of prayer, because they refuse to admit that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ, which suffered for our sins and which, in his goodness, the Father raised. " (from his letter to the Smyrneans). Ignatius writes adamantly that the Eucharist is the central focus in the early Church, and he goes on to explain that it can only be celebrated by a bishop or one authorized by the bishop to do so.
Ignatius wrote authoritatively about the proper structure of the early Church, explaining the Christian communities must be led by a single bishop with the help of presbyters and deacons (words he actually uses in his letters). So adamant is he of this structure that he writes in his letters to the Asian churches "You cannot have a church without these."
In later centuries, especially during the time of the Reformation, Ignatius' letters were rejected and even called forgeries. It was in the 19th Century that scholars deemed the letters authentic, original text beyond a doubt.
It was during the reign of the Emperor Trajan (98-117 AD) that there was a terrible persecution of Christians that was initiated in Syria. It should be noted that Trajan's persecutions, while terrible, were not the worst to be seen by the early Christians. Ignatius was the Christian leader for Antioch, the capital of Syria. "Antioch was a major Roman city, at that time the second city of the empire, and the Antiochene church, with its apostolic roots, was esteemed by Christians everywhere. " (page 59, The Apostolic Fathers by Mike Aquilina) This is very significant because Ignatius was bishop of this most important Roman city for 40 years, as stated earlier. This made him a major figure in the eyes of the Romans. At that time, the emperor tended to focus his persecution on the leaders of the Christian church rather than the followers, probably to make an example of them and to scare the early Christians.
Ignatius was arrested by Roman soldiers and sent to the amphitheater in Rome to be killed in the amphitheater. On his captive journey from Antioch to Rome, he was visited by many fellow Christians who held him in great esteem. He was what we would nowadays call a celebrity. As far as martyrs go, he was a most willing victim. He asked his fellow Christians not to attempt to intercede to the emperor on his behalf. He says to them "I beg you not to show an unseasonable goodwill toward me. Let me become food for the wild beasts, through whose favor it will be granted me to attain to God."
Ignatius was fed to the lions during the public games at the Roman amphitheater. After his death, the early Christians began to circulate his epistles all over the known world. Some of these early churches considered Ignatius' letters to be canonical scripture. Of course, we now know that the actual canon of scripture - which is the bible both Catholic and Protestant Christians use today - was decided upon at the Council of Hippo in the year 393 AD.
In his own epistles, Polycarp, also a disciple of the apostle John, writes that the letters of Ignatius were in great demand throughout the early Church even before Ignatius was martyred.
Next post: Polycarp
Pactum Serva!
Love,
Rosie
Stuff did indeed happen after John's Revelation ended. A whole new world opened up, that of the First Century Church. It was an exciting time in the life of Christ's Church. It is one of my pet subjects, and I get excited when I read about the early church. I decided to share some of what I have learned, so here it is.
The apostle John had disciples, and the most notable were Ignatius of Antioch and Polycarp of Smyrna. Ignatius was installed as bishop by Peter and Paul. Peter and Paul had as a disciple Clement of Rome, who was later consecrated as bishop by Peter.
What did the apostles teach these men? What did they tell them? What did these disciples learn? What did they write? What was their view of First Century Christianity? I really believe that history is best learned from eyewitnesses. So few people know that we have actual eyewitness testimonies of the first century Christian Church. We don't have to guess what happened after Jesus' ascension into heaven, it is all written and there for all of us to learn.
I'll start with Ignatius of Antioch, a disciple of the apostle John. The year of Ignatius' birth is unknown, but we do know his death occurred in the year 110 AD in Rome. As stated above, he was a disciple of the Apostle John. Ignatius was captured by the Romans and was sent to Rome to be killed because he would not renounce his faith in Christ. On his way to his death, wrote 7 letters to the early Christian Church. At that time, the first century Church was being bombarded with heresies. Ignatius' letters were written to admonish and encourage the early Christians to fight against the heresies attacking the Church.
The heretical sect Ignatius was most particularly concerned with were the Docetists. It can be said that the Gnostics (to be dealt with later) had docetist beliefs. I will use an excerpt from Encyclopedia Britannica Online to explain the docetists' beliefs: "Christian heresy and one of the earliest Christian sectarian doctrines, affirming that Christ did not have a real or natural body during his life on earth but only an apparent or phantom one." (http://www.britannica.com/eb/
Ignatius served as bishop of Antioch for 40 YEARS !! From Acts 11:26, we know that Antioch was one of the earliest and most significant of the early Christian communities of the early Church.
Ignatius' letters dealt with many subjects. In a nutshell, here is what Ignatius wrote about: The divine identity of Jesus Christ. He calls Jesus "God" 16 times in his letters. "Rather, two hundred years before Constantine and the Council of Nicaea, Ignatius teaches that Christ is eternal, above time and all creation, God in the full sense of the term." (from The Crossroads Initiative, www.crossroadsinitiative.com/
Because the docetists believed that Christ was all spirit and not at all flesh, Ignatius' letters reiterate what he was taught by John, Peter, and Paul, that Jesus was indeed a flesh and blood man who endured suffering and death for our salvation.
Ignatius was the first to establish the concept that all followers of Christ around the world were united in their one belief in Christ, that Christians were one entity, and so he was the first to use the term "Catholic," which is from the Greek "Katholikos" meaning general, universal.
I especially love Ignatius' writings on the Eucharist. Because the docetists denied Christ's humanity, Ignatius writes that the docetists "hold aloof from the Eucharist and from services of prayer, because they refuse to admit that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ, which suffered for our sins and which, in his goodness, the Father raised. " (from his letter to the Smyrneans). Ignatius writes adamantly that the Eucharist is the central focus in the early Church, and he goes on to explain that it can only be celebrated by a bishop or one authorized by the bishop to do so.
Ignatius wrote authoritatively about the proper structure of the early Church, explaining the Christian communities must be led by a single bishop with the help of presbyters and deacons (words he actually uses in his letters). So adamant is he of this structure that he writes in his letters to the Asian churches "You cannot have a church without these."
In later centuries, especially during the time of the Reformation, Ignatius' letters were rejected and even called forgeries. It was in the 19th Century that scholars deemed the letters authentic, original text beyond a doubt.
It was during the reign of the Emperor Trajan (98-117 AD) that there was a terrible persecution of Christians that was initiated in Syria. It should be noted that Trajan's persecutions, while terrible, were not the worst to be seen by the early Christians. Ignatius was the Christian leader for Antioch, the capital of Syria. "Antioch was a major Roman city, at that time the second city of the empire, and the Antiochene church, with its apostolic roots, was esteemed by Christians everywhere. " (page 59, The Apostolic Fathers by Mike Aquilina) This is very significant because Ignatius was bishop of this most important Roman city for 40 years, as stated earlier. This made him a major figure in the eyes of the Romans. At that time, the emperor tended to focus his persecution on the leaders of the Christian church rather than the followers, probably to make an example of them and to scare the early Christians.
Ignatius was arrested by Roman soldiers and sent to the amphitheater in Rome to be killed in the amphitheater. On his captive journey from Antioch to Rome, he was visited by many fellow Christians who held him in great esteem. He was what we would nowadays call a celebrity. As far as martyrs go, he was a most willing victim. He asked his fellow Christians not to attempt to intercede to the emperor on his behalf. He says to them "I beg you not to show an unseasonable goodwill toward me. Let me become food for the wild beasts, through whose favor it will be granted me to attain to God."
Ignatius was fed to the lions during the public games at the Roman amphitheater. After his death, the early Christians began to circulate his epistles all over the known world. Some of these early churches considered Ignatius' letters to be canonical scripture. Of course, we now know that the actual canon of scripture - which is the bible both Catholic and Protestant Christians use today - was decided upon at the Council of Hippo in the year 393 AD.
In his own epistles, Polycarp, also a disciple of the apostle John, writes that the letters of Ignatius were in great demand throughout the early Church even before Ignatius was martyred.
Next post: Polycarp
Pactum Serva!
Love,
Rosie
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