Got this book at Ollie's (near BJ) for $5. Meant to use it as a tool to teach Nadia Church History.
Chapter 1: Servants and Leaders: 1 - 100
c.96: Bishop Clement of Rome's First Epistle accepts Paul's letters as Scripture.
extra details: Roman emperors:
27 BC - AD 14 (died): Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (AKA Augustus/Octavian/Octavius/Octavianus), first Roman emperor, thus founder of the Roman Empire. His maternal great-uncle = Julius Caesar, assassinated in 44BC.
AD 14 - AD 37: Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (AKA Tiberius), stepson of Augustus.
AD 37 - AD 41 (assassinated): Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (AKA Caligula = "little boot") son of general Germanicus and Augustus' granddaughter Agrippina the Elder.
AD 41 - AD 54: Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (AKA Claudius), nephew of Caligula.
AD 54 - AD 68 (suicide): Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (AKA Nero), son of Augustus' great-granddaughter Agrippina the Younger
AD 68 - AD 69: Galba, ruled 7 months. First emperor of 4 in the Year of the Four Emperors (first civil war of the Roman Empire) with Vespasian being the last.
AD 69: Otho, ruled 3 months.
AD 69: Aulus Vitellius (AKA Vitellius), ruled 8 months.
AD 69 - AD 79: Vespasian. He and his two sons = the Flavian Dynasty.
AD 79 - AD 81: Titus Caesar Vespasianus (AKA Titus), son of Vespasian.
AD 81 - AD 96 (assassinated): Domitian, younger brother of Titus. A ruthless but efficient autocrat.
AD 96 - AD 98: Nerva
AD 98 - AD 117: Trajan. Philanthropic ruler.
Chapter 2: Love and Courage: 100 - 200
Roman Emperors:
AD 76 - AD 138 Hadrian
AD 86 - AD 161 Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Pius (AKA Antoninus Pius)
AD 161 - AD 180 Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Marcus Aurelius)
AD 161 - AD 169 (death) Lucius Verus, adoptive brother of Marcus Aurelius, co-emperor
AD 177 - AD 192 Commodus, son of Marcus Aurelius
AD 193 (3 months) Publius Helvius Pertinax (AKA Pertinax)
AD 193 (2 months) Marcus Didius Julianus (AKA Didius Julianus)
AD 193 - AD 211 Septimius Severus
AD 96: Clement's First Epistle to the Corinthians addresses fierce inter-church factions.
AD 100: Didache, the teaching of the Lord through the 12 apostles to the gentiles. Oldest Christian writig outside of NT. Trinitarian formula applied to form of Baptism (Chapter 7).
AD 111: Under Trajan, Pliny the Younger, governor of Bithynia, called Christians the new obstinate religious group (refused local gods nor treat emperor as god), but good respectable citizens. Thus, these Christians = atheists. Trajan advised fair treatment of the Christians but also allowed Pliny not tolerate the religion.
AD 115: Christianity reached Edessa, outside of the empire's eastern border. Meet regularly in rich house members (textile merchants, Roman soldiers, etc.) having deacons, bishops, travelling preachers, exchanging letters and instructions. Christian doctrine wasn't solid. Clement, bishop of Rome, was a prominent leader at the time. Third "pope" after St. Linus (Rome) and St. Anacletus (Greek).
Ignatius, bishop of Antioch may have been the first to use the term "catholic/universal" church. He insisted that without bishop, marriage and the Eucharist were invalid. Counter Gnosticism with Christ being both divine and human, which was celebrated in the Eucharist, as bodies were important.
The Shepherd of Hermas, a freed slave who became a rich merchant: mystical visions + practical teaching, sins committed after baptism can be forgiven.
Gnosticism: Flourished in Alexandria & Egypt. Claimed secret knowledge/gnosis handed down from the apostles. Demonizes matter, created by evil god (the Demiurge). Only Christ's message (secret) is the only way out into the spiritual realm. Because Jews worship the Creator, thus Gnostics purged all Jewish influence. Not willing to affirm the bodily (evil) incarnation of Jesus Christ. Docetism = Jesus only appeared as human.
Marcion (85 - 160): Gnostic, of Sinope. Excommunicated from church in Rome in 144. Denied incarnation of Christ. Rejected OT. Considered the apostles too Jewish to understand Jesus. This catalyzed stronger understanding between OT & NT.
Aristides of Athens gave Emperor Hadrian his Apology, the first known Christian apologetics.
Justin Martyr, conversion from pagan in 130. Taught in Ephesus, started a school in Rome. Wrote his first Apology in 155 for Emperor Antoninus Pius. 2nd Apology for Roman Senate refuting the objections to Christian life and thought. Taught connection between philosophy and theology. His works were after his time, martyred in 165.
Ignatius martyred in Rome in 107.
Emperor Hadrian increased official persecutions. Telesphorus, bishop of Rome, executed in 137.
Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna. Allegedly appointed by original apostles. Wrote Epistle to the Philippians in 116 (insights into early Christian use of apostolic literature. In 156, Martyrdom of Polycarp (Martyrium Polycarpi) recounting his trial and death by burning and stabbing was written)
Polycarp's death sets example for other martyr accounts as Acta (acts). Emphasizing graphic details of the execution and how Christlike they went to their deaths. Thus, began with Polycarp's death, the veneration of a martyr's bones. Eventually resulted in a cult known as the Cult of Martyrs: Some embraced persecution enthusiastically, revered such as attaining the heights of spiritual perfection.
Marcus Aurelius began persecuting Christians intensely despite being a Stoic-philosopher-king, and given books by apologists such as Justin Martyr (who also wrote to Emperor Antonius Pius and prevented Christian persecution in 150, but failed in 167 with letter to Aurelius). Under Aurelius, Rome saw "atheistic" Christians as their superstitious curse for the Parthians invasion (163-166), repeated attacks from northern Germanic tribes (166-180), plague (166-167), revolts in Syria & Egypt (175). Well known is Martyrs of Lyons (177), publicly executing all (roughly) 48 Christians who did not recant. Including 90 year old Bishop (first Bishop of Lyon & Gaul) Pothinus (87-177) by starvation and stoning.
To be continued...page 21