Christology in the Early Church: Docetism, Adoptionism, Modalism, and the Logos

  • Docetism: no real body; opposed by Ignatius
  • The Logos: a second “god”; Justin Martyr
  • Adoptionism: Jesus an especially good human; God adopts him
  • Monarchianism/Modalism: Trinity=3 modes of the Father’s existence; Patripassionism

Tertullian and Montanism

Montanism

  • Response to institutional church, sought to restore: 1) charismatic leadership; 2)belief in Christ's immanent return (the “Parousia”)
  • Montanus: Bishop of Phyrgia (155-70); Maximilla & Prisca
  • Mostly rural, except N. Africa: widely popular there

Tertullian (ca. 160-225)

  • Carthage—N. Africa; born a pagan; rhetorically skilled; converted before 197
  • “I believe because it is absurd”
  • “What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?”
  • Became a Montanist, ca. 207

Early Proto-orthodox Theology

Irenaeus of Lyons (ca. 130-200)

  • 177—bishop; Against Heresies
  • salvation history; “recapitulation of the human race”
  • “If the word is made a human being, it is that all human beings might become gods”; deification

Clement of Alexandria (ca. 150-215)

  • Athens; Pantaenus; 175-80 settles in Alexandria
  • Exhortation to the Greeks; The Instructor (Paedagogus); The Miscellanies (The Stromateis)

(Novatians, Cyprian of Carthage)

Origen of Alexandria (185-253): Life and Thought

  • Eusebius: ca. 300 writes "biography" in his Church History
  • Catachetical school
  • Persecution of 202-father martyred; 203 becomes head of catachetical school
  • Conflict w/ Bishop Demetrius: exile to Caesarea in Palestine (231)
  • Theology: 1) Cosmology; 2) Soteriology (Universalism)
  • Very influential, but condemned: 553

Origen and the Bible

  • Birth of Biblical Criticism: Hexapla; Letter to the Hebrews
  • Allegorical Interpretation: Philo of Alexandria
  • Paul uses allegory to read Scripture-Gal. 4.24; “Spirit and the Letter” of the Law-2 Cor 3
  • Things in the story stand for something else—a “hidden” story that is more important than the surface meaning
  • Explains difficulties between Hebrew Bible and NT
  • Finds meaning in mundane passages: all passages purposfully inspired
  • Three levels of meaning: 1) Literal; 2) Moral; 3) Spiritual (last 2=allegorical)
  • Example: Song of Songs

Imperial Persecution and the Problem of the “Lapsed”

  • The Decian Persecution: Emperor Decius (249-51)—Required “libellus”: a certificate
  • The Problem of the Lapsed: separate churches in N. Africa and Egypt
  • Diocletian (284-305) divides empire: 2 Augusti, 2 Caesars
  • 295: Galerius (a Caesar) began persecuting Christians: issue=military service
  • 303: Galerius convinced Diocletian to issue edicts against Christians--begins last & greatest persecution
  • Donatists—311 – Caecilian; Donatus; “traditor/traditores”; 400-Augustine-baptism; till 700

Rise of Constantine

  • 305: Augusti step down; Caesars (Galerius & Constantine's father) take over as Augusti
  • 306: Constantine's father dies: Constantine proclaimed Augustus of Western Empire
  • Begins Civil War-next 18 yrs.-MilvianBridge: Summer, 312--decisive battle; Constantine's vision
  • 313: Edict of Milan: religious toleration--ends persecution of Christians
  • 324: Constantine controlled complete Roman Empire; began construction of Constantinople (capital from 330)
  • 337: Constantine was baptized only on his deathbed