The Emperors and the Martyrs
A.D. 100 to A.D. 313

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Seven Dates to Remember

A.D. 100 --	The death of the Apostle John
A.D. 196 --	The Easter Controversy. A disagreement among the early Christians concerning the day to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. Western Christians prefer Sunday; the eastern Christians prefer it linked with the Jewish Passover regardless of the day.
A.D. 200 --	The church recognizes 23 New Testament books as canonical, but it is unlikely these were gathered in one book (I and II Peter, III John, and Jude were later accepted).
A.D. 261 --	The first church building was erected called a "basilica." Previously, Christians met in homes.
A.D. 295 --	The phrase "catholic" is used to mean all churches that agree with the teaching of the apostles as a whole as opposed to the heretical groups that follow a "secret revelation" or knowledge based on one teaching.
A.D. 312 --	Constantine becomes emperor of Rome and stops the killing of Christians. The persecution of Christians has been sporadic since A.D. 100, with times of relative peace, and then times of severe persecutions, depending on the emperor in charge.
A.D. 313 --	The Edict of Milan. The official Roman decree that Christianity was now legal throughout the Roman Empire.

Five Terms You Should Know

Heresy: Any teaching that directly contradicts an essential teaching of Scripture.

Gnosticism: From the Greek, gnosis ("knowledge"), the belief that the physical world is evil and that only secret, spiritual knowledge can free persons from the physical world.

Montanist Movement: An attempt to return the churches to the New Testament's emphasis on dynamic acts of the Spirit. Their false prophecies led to their rejection (called "New Prophets").

The Apostles' Creed: A series of statements that tested a new believer's understanding of essential Christian doctrines.

The Canon: A Greek word meaning "ruler" and became the word used by the Christians for the Scriptures ("the rule of life and faith").

Seven Names You Should Know

Polycarp (A.D. 69 - 155): an Apostolic church father and a disciple of John.

Irenaeus (A.D. 130 - 200): a church father and disciple of Polycarp. Defended the faith against Gnosticism by writing "Against All Heresies."

Justin Martyr (A.D. 100 - 165): converted to Christianity after reading the Old Testament Scriptures. Defended the Christian faith by writing "Apologies for the Christians." Died a martyr's death (beheaded) after refusing to sacrifice to the Roman gods.

Marcion (d. A.D. 160): the leading proponent of Gnosticism. Deemed a heretic by others.

Tertullian (A.D. 160 - 223): North African church father. Became a Montanist later in life.

Origen (A.D. 185 - 254): Pastor of Alexandria. Treated difficult Scriptures as allegory.

Constantine (A.D. 273 - 337): The emperor of Rome that legalized Christianity. Appointed himself as head of the Roman Catholic Church.

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The History of this Time Period (A.D. 100 - A.D. 313)

Christianity had spread since A.D. 70 to look like "a circle around the sea." The churches were quite large and each had many preachers, bishops, or elders (see Acts 20:17).

The pastors of this time period were remarkable men. They not only had to deal with a large number of people who were converting to faith in Christ, they had to defend the faith against the charges of the Roman government. These charges included:

1. Atheism -- refusing to believe in the gods of the Romans
2. Cannibalism -- eating the flesh and drinking the blood of another person
3. Treason -- refusing to acknowledge the Caesar as Lord.

It was because of these charges that the early Christians would often suffer persecution at the hands of the Romans. This persecution varied from emperor to emperor, but at times was very intense. Whenever something catastrophic happened in the Roman Empire, the Christians were often blamed. An example of this would have been the 1,000 year anniversary of the city of Rome in A.D. 247. It was a wild celebration in which most Christians refused to participate. After the three day and three night party, a plague ravaged Rome. Many Romans wondered if the Christians had angered the gods.

To regain the gods' will, Emperor Decius launched an empire-wide persecution. People who sacrificed to the gods received sacrifice certificates. Anyone without a certificate could be imprisoned and tortured. Many prominent pastors, including Origen, died from the injuries they received in prison.

The people who lost their lives during this time period are some of the most remarkable stories of Christianity in crises. People like Ignatius of Rome (A.D. 111), Blandina of France (A.D. 172), Perpetua and Felicity of Carthage (A.D. 203), Probius (A.D. 250), and Romanus of Antioch (A.D. 285) are all reminders to us of the sacrifice Christians have made for their faith.

During these times of persecution, the writings of the apostles became very dear to the early Christians. In a future study we will see how these letters came to be known as the New Testament. In addition to the Scriptures, the Apostles Creed became a rule of faith for the early Christians. One of the more intense controversies during the time revolved around what should be done to those Christians who recant their faith and then decide to return to the church. This controversy lasted for over 100 years and next week we will examine how the persecution ended.