Church History
Setting the Scene for the History of the Church

Article I

The series of the articles for Church History has been written for the purpose of looking at the church over the past 2000 years. Each century will consist of one chapter of information about events and people in an effort to appreciate those who have gone before us in the spreading of the gospel. All accumulated article will consist of 20 centuries and 21 articles. In many ways the Church has changed down through the centuries - often slow in coming, but through the course of 2000 years, those changes have greatly affected the Church at large. How it has been affected will be exposed throughout this series of articles on Church history.

Today the Christian Church is alive and growing throughout the world in over 22,000 different denominations.¹  All Christians are affected by the effects of church history regardless of the denominational background they may hold.  How one reads and understanding Scripture comes from the understanding of church history. How one prays and worships God is slanted by one’s perspective of Church history.  How one even views government and the universal Church at large is also swayed by the understanding of Church history.  It is, therefore, critically important that you, as a Christian, know your heritage to help you understand your Christianity today.

The incubation of Christianity

Church history began with the story of a religion that had its foundation in Jerusalem of old Israel, known as Palestine, in the 1st century A.D, which was considered the backwaters of the Roman Empire.² It began with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Son of the living God. In its incubation, the Roman government considered them just another religious sect (or denomination) of Judaism. The rabbinical and orthodox Jews, however, considered them renegades who abandoned the ancient Law of Moses; whereas, believers in Christ claimed they followed the Jewish Messiah .²  This tiny "sect," having no official name, later became known as Christians. God used these ordinary people in extraordinary ways to form the roots of Christianity. Many risked their lives for Christ, often being martyred for their faith. In the midst of persecution, Christianity began to grow and has grown to be the most powerful religion on earth.

Christians first met in homes of believers and as a body together, they called themselves “the Church.” They did not begin as a building, but as a people who had a belief and faith in Jesus as the Son of God, sent to man for redemption back to the Father. The first Church worshipped, prayed, had communion and fellowshipped together in one common bond of faith. They spread their faith among their fellow Jews and then to the Gentiles within Palestine. As persecution grew, Christianity went beyond the borders of Palestine, and out into the Roman Empire and beyond.

Palestine during the time of Christ was a land of strife and suffering. Its fertile geographic location rested on the crossroads of the greatest trade route between Egypt and Persia. This narrow strip of land, in which Jewish inhabitants lived, has repeatedly suffered invasion, bondage, and exile for millennials of years. It was, and still is a war zone territory - an unstable hotbed - and sought after by many nations. To fully understand its ramifications of suffering, it is, therefore, important that we do a quick overview of previous times which brought Palestine to its place in history. We can then set the scene for the beginning of the history of the Church.

Persian Empire

Looking back to 538 B.C., King Cyrus of Persia won over the world power from Nebuchadnessar, king of Babylon. By this time, the Jews had been exiled from their homeland of Israel for over 70 years in Babylonian and Assyrian lands. Upon gaining world power, King Cyrus allowed the Jews to go back home. Only a small portion, however, went back to their homeland. Most of the Jews got intertwined within the culture of their exile or migrated to other regions. Those who went back to Israel (Palestine, however, set out to rebuild their temple, renew their worship to the One True God, and rebuild their lives. The country of Palestine by this time had become overrun by a pagan nation during the Jewish exile, so the Jews had to fight to get their country back. In their efforts to rebuild what they had, they had to come against the local enemies who had taken over their country. Slowly they worked their way back to rebuilding the temple, setting up the worship and sacrifices, and retained their lives as before the exile.

The Greek Empire

Around 330 B.C., Alexander (the Great), King of Macedonia, defeated the world powers of Persia and became the conqueror of the known world, which in turn meant master over Palestine. From there, Alexander set out to expand its borders. To understand how vast the world of the Greek Empire became, it consisted primarily of countries that surrounded the Mediterranean Sea. The efforts of Alexander was to hellenize his conquered territory, which meant the spread of the Greek culture, language, and the gods. To enforce his purpose in all areas of his conquered territory, Alexander placed his loyal subjects over smaller territories so that every country would be under his control. The king of Syria (Selucides) was placed over Palestine. Within an amazingly short period of time, hellenization became the way of life to most of the people of the conquered lands of Alexander the Great. The Greek Empire became a melting pot of many gods because the Greeks allowed the inclusion of every known god. There was the god of the sky, god of war, goddess of fertility, etc. The head god was Zeus, followed by such gods as Hera, Poseidon, Cronus, and the Titans.

Alexander the Great only lived 33 years. He was wounded in battle and died of his wounds. His empire was then passed to his half brother and infant son. Both were killed, however, and within 25 years after his death, his world kingdom had split in basically three independent territories – the Seleucids (Syrians), the Egyptians, and the Asians. The forces of hellenism, however, continued within these independent nations. The king of Syria (Seucides) held power over Palestine and continued his control of hellenization.

Inter-testamental period

Since the return of the exiles in 538 B.C., Israel had known suffering. That suffering affected every aspect of life for the Jewish people, including their religion. When Malachi, the last of the Old Testament prophets, spoke, the scrolls of the Hebrew Scriptures were closed, thus begining 400 years of silence from God with Israel. During those long years, known more commonly as the Inter-Testamental period, God did not speak through any prophet. Historically, however, many things happened. With the influence of the hellenistic culture in Israel, many Jews took matters into their own hands to preserve what they thought they needed as a religious people. In addition, many forms of Jewish religions took root.

Around 135 B.C. a Jewish religious rebellion began under the leadership of a family known as the Macabees. The control of the Selucides, in their efforts to hellenize Israel, had put great pressure on this tiny country. Through the warfare of the Macabees, led by Judas Maccabeus, however, religious and political independence was fought and earned, dimishing hellenization. In order to keep that independence, and rid itself of hellenization, however, there was continuous warfare.

The Roman Empire

By 67 B.C. Rome had conquered the Greeks and had become the world power. Within four years, General Pompei led the Roman armies through Israel and deposed the Maccabees. Thus, the Roman culture became the norm throughout the known world. Like the Greeks, the Romans also had their gods, but many of their gods were the same as the Grecian ones, only with Roman names. This brought a blend of the Greco/Roman culture. New Roman names of the same gods were introduced, such as the Olympians, Apollo, Aphrodites, Hermes, Diana – to name a few. The Roman historian Vero wrote that by this time in history the Roman Empire had in excess of 30,000 gods.³ The language of the conquered empire remained Greek; thus the Roman Empire simply become an extension of the Greek culture, spreading thoughts of hellenization; however, under the Roman reign.

Rome appointed Herod to be the King of Judea because of his allegiance with Rome. Herod, known as Herod the Great, was a Jew from the desert area of Idumea in southern Israel. He was married to a woman who came from Maccabean lineage. Herod used his power to persuade the Hebrews to worship the Greco/Roman gods, having built temples in Samaria and Caesarea for the gods. There were still some, in these backwaters of Palestine, who fought against the hellenization of Roman rule. Palestine consisted of those who submitted to hellenism, Judiasm, or those without any religious beliefs. The Jews especially rose up against Roman rule. In revolt of the worshipping of gods, other than Yahweh, many Jewish zealots fought against Roman rule in a militant fashion in defense of their faith. This little country remained a hotbed for continuous rebellion.

The Jewish Religions of Israel

The Pharisees

A Jewish religious sect known as the Pharisees came out of a uprising against the control of the hellenists. Many Jews had refused to adopt the Greek ways, so a series of Jewish wars ensued. From 135 to 63 B.C. the Jewish family of the Maccabeans gained power in Palestine as, under the leadership of Judas Maccabeus, the Jews gained independence from their Syrian rulers. These wars triggered the beginnings of the Hasmonean dynasty, who wanted freedom to worship the “one” God of their faith, not the gods of the Greeks, insisting on strict observance of Jewish ritual laws. They were willing to fight to the death for their beliefs.

Simon, brother of Judas Maccabeaus, was appointed to the office of high priest, which meant the ruling office of Israel. To keep their religious freedom, however, the Jews had to be in continual warfare with those who opposed them. Over the years, warfare continued until Judas Maccabeus began to entreat with Rome to release the tension. To a Jew, any alliance with the powers of Rome was considered most heathen and despiteful. Out of this, a separate group of Hasmoneans was formed who did not want to be part of the continuous warfare nor have any alliance with Rome. These Hasmoneans separated themselves from other Hasmoneans in an effort to have religious freedom and peace, refusing to be a part of the warfare by which they were surrounded. These divided Hasmoneans became known as the Pharisees – which meant “separated ones.” Their purpose was to separate themselves from others so they could devote themselves to the study and interpretation of the Law of Moses. When the Roman General Pompei marched into Jerusalem in 63 B.C., the Hasmonean dynasty ended; however, the growth of the Pharisees continued.

The Pharisees became known for: 1) insisting that the laws of God be observed as the scribes interpreted it, and, 2) the keeping of the laws of tithing and ritual purity. The Pharisees were concerned about strict interpretation and the keeping of the law on all matters, including the Sabbath, divorce, and the wearing of phylacteries. The phylacteries the Pharisees wore were little leather boxes that contained scrolls of portions of scripture which had bands attached and were placed on the forehead or wrist. They believed that the wearing of portions would bring remembrance of scripture. The Pharisees consisted mainly of ordinary people having no status in the community, having little interest in politics. Induction meant taking an oath of fidelity, promising strict fanatical observance to the Levitical law. They accepted all of the Old Testament as authoritative, believing in angels and demons, life beyond the grave, and the resurrection of the body. They also believed in the writings of the prophets. They were considered the religious progressives of the day, willing to adopt new ideas and adapt the law to new situations. They were the "evangelists" seeking the conversion of the Gentiles. The Pharisees often controlled the synagogues and exercised great control over the general populace of the Jews. As a result, they came to be represented on the Sanhedrin, which was the supreme court and legislative body of the Jewish people.

The belief system of the Pharisees supported the keeping of the "Traditions of the Elders," of which Jesus strongly opposed. Another name for the Traditions of the Elders was the "oral law" as handed down by the elders of the past, which was later codified in the written Mishna. The Pharisees placed the traditions, or oral law, above the law of God. They saw obedience to their "intepreted law" as the way to God. This bought many disagreements even among the Pharisees. As the years continued, their disagreements separated themselves amongst each other. They divided themselves many times over, and each group became more legalistic than the other. Each sect thought they could match God's standards by keeping all the outward rules, but again, it was according to their interpretation. When Jesus came preaching the good news of salvation through belief in Him, it upset everything the Pharisees had been taught. They opposed Jesus because He did not follow the Traditions of the Elders nor the traditions of men. Jesus opposed just about everything regarding their legalistic, rigid, religious beliefs.⁴

The Sadducees

The Sadducees claimed they took their name from one of King David’s co-priests, Zadok, insisting on descendency. Zadok, as high priest, was a son of Ahitub, a descendant of Aaron through Eleazar - dating back to the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. Through the centuries, this group of high priests and priests grew into the sect known as the Sadducees. Upon the return from the exile in 538 B.C., under Persian power, the high priest was given the authority over of the Jews in matters of civil and the religious arena. These high priests, however, grew to become corrupt, claiming themselves with all powers over all of the Jews.

For many years the Sadducean priests were in charge of teaching the law of God to the Israelites. They were the authorities Jewish people went to for interpretation or application of the Law for many centuries. Unfortunately, as Alexander the Great conquered the known world, which included Palestine, the leading priests became more corrupt by associating themselves with the Greek powers and the hellenistic philosophy and gods. The Sadducees eventually lost the respect of the majority of the Jewish people and were no longer trusted to interpret the law for them. Many religious Jews, therefore, began to respond to the scribes as the authority. When the Hasmonean war began under Judas Macabeus, the Sadducees took no part in it. With the victory of the Maccabees, religious life in Palestine then took a turn. Judas Maccabeus’s brother Simon was placed as the high priest over the Jews, which also meant over the Sadducees. The high priesthood of the Sadducees then took second place, and obviously a rivalry ensued. When the Romans came in and conquered in 63 B.C., the Sadducees then placed themselves under the control and agreement with the Romans. That gave them more power in the Sanhedrin again.

The Sadducees were the aristocrats of their time, whereas the Pharisees came more from the common Jews. The Sadducees were politically oriented, supporters of their ruling powers, whether it was Greek, Seleucids or Roman. They were primarily rich landowners and powerful priests. They came from the leading families of the nation - the priests, merchants and aristocrats. In their prime, they were of the high priestly families, but during Jesus’ time they rivaled with the Pharisees for top religious power. The Sadducees insisted that only the “original laws” that were written in the law of Moses (contained in the first five books of the Old Testament) were really binding. They accepted the books of the prophets, but not as law; furthermore, whatever a prophet said did not carry much weight. They insisted upon the literal carrying out of the law, such as "an eye for eye." The Sadducees felt the “original law” alone could be trusted, so then the Sadducean priests insisted they were the only ones to serve as the law's interpreters.

The Sadducees were rigid in their beliefs, interpreting the law literally. Since there is no mention of the resurrection of the dead in the “original law,” meaning the Pentateuch, the Sadducees then rejected the belief in any resurrection; furthermore, they did not believe in an afterlife. They did not believe that God was concerned with what people did; furthermore, man had a free will to choose his way of life. This is why they became the aristocratic and affluent in society. This only accentuated man’s free will to obtain all the materialistic wealth one could while here on the earth. The Sadducees also believed in man’s free will - that man is responsible for his own prosperity or misfortune. Because they did not believe in life after death, or any reward or punishment beyond this life (no heaven or hell), they then denied the existence of angels and demons. They rejected the Tradition of the Elders and the Oral Law. They tended to support strict justice as opposed to mercy toward any offender. The Sadducees did not want anything to threaten their position and wealth, so they strongly opposed Jesus. They also opposed the early Church even more than they opposed the Pharisees. With the destruction of the temple and the fall of the Jewish state in 70 A.D.; however, the Sadducean party disappeared from history.

The Scribes

Scribes (or royal secretaries) were trained men who had become experts in God's law. They dated back to Kings David and Solomon and were ranked with the high priests of that time. They became more prevalent with the return of the Jews from captivity when the Hebrew Canon was compiled under Ezra the prophet. They usually lived pious, disciplined lives, although many were not priests. People began to follow the teaching of the scribes and allowed them to interpret the law of God for them. They were considered the guardian of the Law of Moses, furthermore, they became the lawyers or rabbinical doctors of that day.

People often ascribed other titles to the scribes, such as "rabbi, my lord, father, or teacher." From their students, they demanded honors of first rank, even surpassing those bestowed on parents. Their dress were similar to that of the nobility, which gave them marks of the upper class. They were not allowed to take pay for their work so they had to earn their living by other means. Since many scribes were also lawyers, much of their time was occupied in teaching and in judicial functions, which brought them gratuities to support their prestigious positions.

During the time of Jesus, the work of the scribes were mainly that as scholars and teachers, and advisersin the courts. They studied and interpreted the law, instructed the Hebrew youth in the law, and decided questions of the law. After the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. by Roman legions, which brought an end to the existence of the Sanhedrin courts, the scribes were recognized as the absolute authority in Jewish matters.⁵

The Essenes

The Essenes were an ascetic community of men who were noted for their strict discipline, isolating themselves away from others. They expected the world to end shortly and headed off to live in the desert by the Dead Sea to escape the depravity and corruption of city life, and preparing for the End of Days. ⁶ Their existence may have begun around the same time as the Pharisees, and probably started out as supporters of Judas Macabeus in the revolt for religious freedom. Just as the Pharisees broke off with the Macabees (Hasmoneans) to maintain peace in their faith, the Essenes, it is believed, broke away from the Pharisees because they didn’t support all of the traditions and interpretations of the law. Generally those who chose to be an Essene were men of misfortune, broken down or wearied in life.⁷

To enter into becoming an Essene, they were required to hand over all of their worldly possessions to their community. They were circumcised, given an oath to worship God, not to hate anyone, and to pray for those who persecuted him. They repudiated marriage, taking vows of celibacy, considering sensual desires as sinful, believing a man who was bound to a woman was hampered by his affections. They considered them as slaves of their own affections, being no longer able to serve God. All Essenes became conscientious objectors, and gave up all arms. They avoided any show of luxury, wearing simple clothes until they hung in shreds, and ate very simple meals. When they worked for wages it went into a common pot.⁸

After a year's probation of hard work and loyalty, a novice Essenian was admitted to the purification ceremony. Then there was another probationary period of two years, after which the novice was allowed to participate in the common meals to become a full member. At that time the new member took an oath in which he was bound to absolute openness to his brethren and secrecy to others concerning the doctrines of the order. They were bound by oath to keep the doctrines of the secret society of the Essenes silent. After becoming a member, an Essenian always lived under the threat of excommunication if he violated any Essene rule, which was equivalent to a slow death since a doctrine of the Essenes stated that you could not take food prepared by strangers for fear of pollution.⁹

The Essenes perpetuated themselves by adopting young male children while they were pliable and fit for learning. Only adults, however, were admitted as members. Children were adopted for instruction in the principles of Essenism. When old enough, they could then become a member. Josephus, the most well known historian of the 1^st century, stated that the Essenes were divided into four classes according to the time of their entrance, The children being the first class, the next two classes were the novices – those in their probationary period, and then the last class were the adults members.¹⁰

The Essenes were known for their careful observance of the Law of Moses, as they "understood it." They believed it was the most authoritative next to God. The Essenes did not go to the Temple in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices or worship, believing their ascetic lifestyle was their sacrifice to God. While in prayer they faced the sun, which was away from the temple. They were stricter than the Jews, and even the Pharisees, about keeping the Sabbath. On the Sabbath they were not even allowed the functions of nature. They believed the souls of men were immortal and would be rewarded or punished after death. They believed in the doctrine of angels as listed in scripture. Their interest was, however, exaggerated, holding special interest in them. Many names of angels became sacred.¹¹

Considering themselves as guardians of Scriptures, the Essenes had in possession many of the original ancient manuscripts. Many were writers, some being scribes, whose focus was the preservation of Scripture. Their accuracy for copying the Scriptures was phenomenal. Every jot and tittle had to be accurate. (Refer to the 1^st course on Studying the Scriptures). Thinking it to be the most sacred task, they spent their time decoding them, and translated them into several different languages. While their copying of Scripture was accurate in every minute detail, their interpretation of Scripture was often distorted. Many who came into Essenianism came out of other belief systems, religions and philosophies. Taking their underlying core beliefs into their interpretation of Scripture, their beliefs developed into a type of Pharisaism in the superlative degree. These misinterpretations were also added into separate writings for preservation.

The Essenes were the most prevalent from the time of John the Baptist and Jesus until the Jewish war with Rome in 66-70 A.D. Most of them by this time had migrating to the deserts and the mountains. They became more ascetic, lessening in numbers, and settling in the desert region of Qumran, near the Dead Sea. With the fall of the Jewish state in 70 A.D. the sect of the Essenes disappeared.

More information about the Essenes has come to light since 1947 with the discovery of the manuscripts from the caves above the Dead Sea, commonly called the Dead Sea Scrolls. Every book of the Old Testament, with the exception of Esther was found in the Quamron caves, almost word for word from that of the Hebrew Scriptures. The extra books were also discovered in the caves. Those same writings became part of what is known today as the Aprocryphal, of which many of them have been preserved by Catholicism.

The Nazarites

A Nazarite was not a Jewish religion, per se; it was a vow that Jewish people could take for a certain period of time as a dedication to God. While there are no number of days for a vow listed in the Old Testament, Jewish tradition prescribed 30, 60, 90, and sometimes 100 days. The term "nazirite" comes from the Hebrew word nazir meaning “consecrated” or “separated.” Being a Nazarite, therefore, meant a “separated , consecrated person” who took a vow to separate from certain worldly things and to consecrate himself to God. One generally took a Nazarite vow for a certain period of time. Among the Jewish people, anyone could take this vow; there were no tribal restrictions, as in the case of a priest. Rich or poor, man or woman, master or slave, all Jews were free to become Nazarite. Samson, Samuel & John the Baptist were the only Nazarites for a lifetime that are recorded in Scripture. Before they were born, their vows were taken for them by their parents.

Nazarites generally did not withdraw from their society; they continued their everyday life while taking their vow. Many, however, already lived as hermits. A Nazarite was bound by three absolute restrictions: 1) They could eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, which included grapes, grape juice, and raisins. 2) No razor could come upon his head, until the days be fulfilled. The purpose of the long hair was to serve as a visible sign of the Nazarite's consecration to the Lord. 3) During the days of his separation, he or she come not touch a dead body, which even included in the helping to bury his own relatives. That would make him ceremonially unclean. If a person accidentally broke his Nazarite vow he had to undergo a ceremony of restoration for cleansing by first shaving his head and bringing offerings to the priest. The priest then made atonement for him. Lastly the Nazarite had to present a lamb for a trespass offering. He then was able to start all over again and the days already served under his former vow did not count. When the specified period of time was complete, the Nazarite had to appear before the priest for the ceremony of release. The Nazarite had to present a “he” lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering, a ewe lamb of the first year for a sin-offering, and a ram for a peace-offering. After these sacrifices were offered by the priest, the Nazarite cut his hair at the door and threw it into the fire as a peace-offering. He was then released from the vow.¹²

The Scriptures speak of the Apostle Paul taking on a Nararite vow. Tradition has it that Jesus’ brother James was a Nazarite from birth. We know that Jesus’ cousin John, known as John the Baptist, was also a Nazarite from birth.

The presence of many Nazarites was considered a sign of God's blessings upon Israel. In the same token, spiritually speaking, God has always desired that His people live separated, dedicated, consecrated lives unto Him, not for 30 days, but for a lifetime.

The Zealots

Zealots were members of a fanatical Jewish sect that militantly opposed the Roman domination of Palestine during the first century A. D. Like the Pharisees, the Zealots were devoted to the Jewish law and religion; however, they believed that patriotism and religion were inseparable. The Zealots thought it treason against God to pay tribute to the Roman emperor, since God alone was Israel's king. They were willing to fight to the death for their Jewish independence. They were fanatical defenders of the theocracy; and who, while taking vengeance on those who wronged it, were themselves guilty of great excesses.

The Zealots thought themselves as following in the footsteps of men like Simon and Levi from the Old Covenant, and were devoted supporters of the Lord and His laws and ready to fight for them. Jesus chose Simon the Zealot as one of His disciples .

The Zealots’ increasing fanaticism was one factor that provoked the Roman-Jewish war. The Zealots took brief control of Jerusalem in 66 A.D., a move that led to the siege of Jerusalem and its fall in 70 A.D. The last stronghold of the Zealots, the fortress of Masada, fell to the Romans in 73 A. D.¹³

The Herodians

The Herodians were not a religious sect, but a political party, as well as supporters of the dynasty of Herod, desiring Herod and his dynasty rule over Palestine. They were Jews of high stature, authority and influence who had allegiance to Greek customs and Roman law. The Herodians sided with the Sadducees in their pro-Roman stand. They both opposed the Pharisees in their anti-Roman stand. All three opposed Jesus, seeing him as a common enemy. Jesus warned his disciples to beware of the leaven of the Herodians

The average Jew in Israel

Most of the Jews in Israel were not involved in any religion or politics, having no faith at all. They were Jews simply by heritage. It was those Jews that Jesus and His disciples were able to influence.

 

___________________________________________________________________________

 End Notes

1. International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Electronic Database Copyright (c)1996 by Biblesoft)
2. Jones, Timothy Paul. Christian History Made Easy. Rose Publishing. 1999.
3. www.aish.com/literacy/jewishhistory/Crash_Course_in_Jewish_History_Part_33_-_The_Great_Revolt.asp
4. The New Unger's Bible Dictionary. Originally published by Moody Press of Chicago, Illinois. 1988.
5. International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Electronic Database 1996 by Biblesoft.
6. www.aish.com/literacy/jewishhistory
7. Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Thomas Nelson Publishers. 1986.
8. ibed
9. The New Unger's Bible Dictionary. Originally published by Moody Press of Chicago, Illinois. 1988.
10. ibed
11. ibed
12. http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/nazarite
13. Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Thomas Nelson Publishers. 1986.