To be taught March 7:
In this second half of the first chapter, Metropolitan Hilarion examine the first three centuries of Christianity following the Apostles. It is marked by three significant events: the irregular persecution of Christians, philosophical and theological combat with the Pagans, and heresy from within the Church.
The early persecutions of Christians were from the Jewish rulers who saw Christians as seeking to overthrow the long Jewish traditions and laws. Saul (Paul), of course, was perhaps the most famous early persecutor. The earliest martyrs (e.g., Stephan and James, the brother of John) were killed by Jewish leaders. Because of this Jewish persecution, Christians fled from Jerusalem and Christianity spread rapidly to other parts of the Roman empire.
The Roman emperors quickly saw the danger of Christianity. Roman leadership saw Christians as a “secret, superstitious sect that was harmful to society.” Because the early Church closed its doors to the unbaptized during the Eucharist (“The doors, the doors”), pagans imagined all sorts of abominations occurring within the Liturgy—the Eucharist itself was understood by many to be an act of cannibalism. Further, Romans generally accused Christians of being atheist, since they denied the deity of Caesar. Persecution of the Christians was often ghastly in its brutality.
Not all persecution was from the motive to protect Roman society…the first Roman persecution, begun in A.D. 64, was by Emperor Nero who sought to divert suspicion away from himself for a devastating fire that ravaged Rome.
All changed under Emperor Constantine. In A.D.313, as a result of a purported vision of God, the Emperor Constantine (and Licinius) issued the Edict of Milan ending the persecution of Christians by the State.
During and immediately following the persecutions, the Church was also engaged in philosophical and theological battle with the pagan culture. Early writers worked to find a way to convey the truths of Christianity, born in a Middle Eastern culture, to the minds of those trained in classical Hellenistic thought. Clement of Alexander saw Greek philosophy as a “divine gift” and as but one stream leading to Truth.
The third prong of attack against the early church was heresy from within. Most prominent during this early period were the heresies of:
Montanism—focusing o the primacy of the New Testament writings, particularly of Paul, and of the writings of Monanus and his two young prophetesses.
Sabellianism—a teaching by Roman priest Sabellius that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were manifestations over time of the one person of God.
Manichaeism—this teaching from Persia was founded by Mani who believed that there was an eternal struggle between God and the devil.
Out of all of this arose the literature with which we are familiar: the Gospels and other New Testament writings; apocrypha, writings that were not considered scriptural but often was very helpful; apologetics, the writings in defense of Christianity against heresy and paganism; and other writings of the Fathers who sought to better understand Christianity itself.