Early Christianity Religion

Christianity is the religion that is based on the person and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, or its beliefs and practices. An individual’s spiritual progress will define their belief structure in what Christ means in their life. Henry Chadwick discussed how Christianity emerged from the apostolic age to the division of the Greek East and Latin West in his book ‘The Early Church.’ Further discussion about the birth of Christianity can be found in the movie ‘Constantine the Great’ that the History Channel shared. There are many aspects about Early Christianity that has helped shape Modern Day Christianity and practices. Early Christianity witnessed a divide in the Greek East and Latin West, witnessed Constantine’s conversion to Christianity,

and gave consideration to slavery, burial, and community.
The topic of Early Christianity is interesting to me because I have recently been converted to Christianity and I have a desire to learn about how the belief structure grew.

One perspective about Early Christianity is the acceptance of slaves and their place within society. Kirchschlaeger discussed the ethical perspective of slavery in relation to Early Christianity and Jewish traditions in his article ‘Slavery and Early Christianity – A Reflection from a Human Rights Perspective.’ The perspective of who an individual is going to spend their eternity with is another perspective that Early Christianity tries to resolve. Barbiera discussed in her article ‘Buried together, buried alone: Christian commemoration and kinship in the early Middle Ages’ about how Christianity changed the way individuals prepared and buried their loved ones. A social perspective about belonging to a group is a perspective that Early Christianity fulfills because it helps like-minded individuals have a feeling that they are a part of a family or community. Stowers discussed the social and psychological aspects of having a sense of belongingness, sense of family, and sense of community when involved with other Christians in his article ‘The Concept of ‘Community’ and the History of Early

Christianity.
Chadwick displayed that Christianity was shaped by Judaism.

Beginning with the first statement of the book he explained that the Jews were the first Christians. The monotheism, purity of Jewish morality, and the antiquity of their sacred books held an attraction to many Gentiles. ‘Judaism stood for chastity, visiting the sick, caring for the dead, showing hospitality to strangers, and giving alms to the poor.’ The new faith appeared to be a continuation of the Jewish hopes of the Old Testament. The acceptance of Christian preacher’s entry into the synagogues to propagate their faith changed over the course of time as Jewish religious people raised concerns about Christianity being radically different from their beliefs and

practices.
Early Christian leaders had positive attitudes towards Roman authorities, though they were pagans. The Christians were often made to be scapegoats when any calamity struck the empire and other antagonistic periods. The only justification that authorities could give for their animosity towards Christianity was that the individuals were Christian. Pagan philosophies attempted to influence the belief systems of the Christians when Christianity and the Pagan religious world made contact. The Christian church’s response was to establish the authority of the bishops and the gradual emergence of the New Testament canon. Bishops were considered the successors of the Apostles and therefore they were believed to carry the true teaching of God’s word. Statements of beliefs called rule of faith were written down.
Church fathers like Iraneaus and Tertullian were instrumental in developing the orthodox Christian faith during the immediate post-Apostolic era. Christians defended their faith by appealing to its acceptance by individuals across vast areas. Justin Martyr’s experience with Platonism before getting converted to Christianity influenced his understanding of Christianity. He even went on to the extent of calling some of the early Greek philosophers as ‘Christians before Christ.’ Martyr introduces the logos theology to Christianity. Irenaeus followed martyr’s path by contributing theologian ideas. Irenaeus was in opposition to Marcion and Valentinus who he believed were Gnostic Heretic Christians. Irenaeus placed emphasis on the authority of the apostolic tradition and writings.
Pagan philosophers opposed Christianity as it expanded into pagan dominated areas. The Christian church faced persecution as the first wave of persecution was unleashed by Emperor Decius on Christians. Christians went into hiding as many of their key bishops suffered martyrdom during this period. Christians faced persecution under the Roman Emperors Valerian, Gallineus, and Diocletian. Constantine’s conversion to Christianity created a turning point in the history of Christianity and Europe because it signified the end of persecution that Christians had been facing. Constantine converted to Christianity because of a vision that he had before he embarked on an important battle. (p. 125). Constantine considered Christianity as a unifying factor during his reign as Emperor and resolved to settle disputes that Christians may have.
The council of Nicea in 325 was called in order to settle the controversy between the Arians and the orthodox view held by the Alexandrians. What was achieved in Nicea was a false unity as Arianism continued to spread even after it was condemned. The controversies were affecting the growth of the Church in the fourth century. One great change that happened thanks to Constantine’s rule was the end of major persecutions against Christians. The Church under Constantine’s sons was quite unstable as they supported different theological positions, causing chaos in the Church. Athenesius who stood strong for the cause of the Nicene statement was exiled five times because of Arian favoritism shown by two of Constantine’s sons. At the end of this long controversy eventually the Nicene party gained the support of the emperors. Athenesius’ persistence and the theological sharpness of the Cappadocian Fathers enabled the Nicene position to gain ground.
The ascetic movement emerged during the end of the fourth century. When the church became fluent and institutionalized it was concluded by some Christians that it was no longer possible to live an uncompromising Christian life. Some Christians retreated from society while others decided to go into the wilderness to meditate and pray. The poor and sick continued to receive care from the Christians that were secluded. Controversy arose in the monasteries as some of the monks were in opposition to Origen’s theology and his interpretations of the scripture. Unlike the East, the West had a lesser number of theological controversies. The contributions of Tertullian, Cyprian and Origen remained as the theological framework of the West for a longer period. Jerome in the fourth century attempted to develop a distinctive Latin theology. He wrote commentaries and produced Biblical scholarship. Jerome’s dream was fulfilled through Augustine of Hippo shortly afterwards. Augustine played a significant role in the opposition of Donatists and Peligians. Augustine was a theologian and original thinker.