Category: Uncategorized
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Clement of Rome
Student of Paul and Peter? Church fathers Origen, Eusebius and Jerome state that this Clement is the “fellow worker” of Paul mentioned in Philippians 4:3. Tertullian and Jerome claim Peter entrusted the church in Rome to him. Eusebius, the father of early church history, places Clement’s bishopric from 92 to 101 AD. Irenaeus of Lyons…
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The Didache – PART 4
Church Leadership Chapters 11 through 15 of the Didache are details on the structure of church leadership. Chapter 11 deals with teachers, apostles and prophets. When it comes to receiving “teachers,” Christians are instructed to test them and see if their teaching increases righteousness and adheres to proper doctrine. Their lineage does not matter and…
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The Didache – PART 3
The Liturgical Life of the Early Church The Greek word for ‘liturgy’ is λειτουργία (leitourgía) and means “public service.” In ancient Greece it was used to mean the expectations of wealthy citizens to fund public works such as local gymnasiums and theatre festivals. For the translation of the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) it was used…
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The Didache – PART 2
Chapters 1 through 6 To read the Didache for yourself click here. Didache, Chapter 1 This chapter introduces the concept of the “two ways” one can live their life. The way of righteousness or that of death. It opens by re-iterating the first three of our ten commandments: the “first table” that asks us to…
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The Didache – PART 1
The Teaching of the Apostles? Our oldest two fragments of the Didache date to the late 4th and early 5th centuries AD. Scholars and linguists believe the original was written between 70 – 150 AD. Containing approximately 2,200 Greek words, it is comprised of 16 short chapters. Its opening forms its reputation as being penned…
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Church History in Chunks – Part 11: Veneration of Icons
On the Veneration of Icons In 787 AD, the Second Council of Nicaea dogmatically defined the act of the veneration of icons. This was the main reason for the seventh, and last universal council before the Great Schism of 1054 AD. “What in the world does it mean to ‘venerate icons?” Icons are images of…
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God’s Name
How Do We Pronounce God’s Personal Name Ancient Hebrew — pre 500 BC — had no written vowels but the spoken language did. So living traditions conveyed the original pronounciation of the Tetragrammaton (i.e.: YHWH). Jewish Greek sources from late second century BC Dead Sea Scrolls preserve forms like ΙΑΩ (Iaō), which strongly support an…
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Church History in Chunks – Part 10: Baptism
Baptism in the Early Church Matthew’s gospel introduces us to John the Baptist. And to baptism. How was it practiced by the apostles and their students in the earliest years of Christendom? Are there any differences among Christian denominations when it comes to this Sacrament? What is the reason Christ asked us to perform it?…
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Church History in Chunks – Part 9: Praying to Saints
Intercession of the Departed Saints and Martyrs Catholic and Orthodox Christians ask the departed Christians — who have died here on earth but are very much alive on the Other Side — to intercede for them. After all, a saint that is more directly in the presence of God and finds themselves purified of all…
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Church History in Chunks – Part 8: Communion
The Lord’s Supper Christendom is split into three distinct branches. Orthodox, Roman Catholicism and the Reformed networks. Two out of the three of these — Orthodox and Catholic Churches — view the Eucharist with a seriousness that rivals the specifics and weightiness of the Levitical Priesthood’s duties in the Mosaic (Old) Covenant. Reformed circles have…
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Church History in Chunks – Part 7: Apostolic Succession
Apostolic Succession Apostolic succession is defined as an unbroken chain of ordinations back to the Apostles which is God’s method for preserving orthodoxy in the worldwide Church. There is a sacramental process (laying on of hands, blessed by the Holy Spirit) which transfers a gifting and authority from God to the apostles and each successive…
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Church History in Chunks – Part 6: Martyrdom
A Movement of Martyrs. Except for the apostle John — who was exiled to an island in the Mediterranean — all of the leaders chosen by Jesus were killed by those they sought to convert. There were no megachurch pastors or gold embroidered cardinals sitting comfortably and peacefully within their societies. Instead there was a…
