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HISTORICAL
CHANGES IN THE CHURCH
(Approximate Dates :The Roman Calendar is off 4 to 6 years)
1. AD 33 to 40-
Jewish persecution of Christians primarily under the
leadership of Saul of Tarsus.
2. AD 36 to 90-
Clergy & Laity (Acts 6:5)”Nicolas” and (Revelation 2:6)
“Doctrine of “the Nicolaites” which advocated “listening
lay people and the ministering brother”.
Greek nikao =
conquer
to be above others and laos = common people.
A
Nicolait is someone conquering
the common people,
climbing
above the laity. This conduct
of climbing over
and
above the common believers as a mediatorial class is
what
the Lord detests and hates in Revelation 2:6.
2. AD 50-
Jerusalem Conference, as recorded in Acts 15:1-29,
determined
that salvation was by faith through the grace
of the
Lord Jesus Christ and not works of the
law(circumcision).
3. AD 54 to 68-
Emperor Nero’s persecution of the church after the
burning of
the city of Rome.
4. AD 70-
Jerusalem Temple destroyed at the hands of the Roman
General
Titus.
5. AD 81 to 96-
Emperor Domitian led the 2nd pagan persecution.
6. AD 90-
John the disciple died in exile on the Isle of Patmos.
7. AD 100 to 117-
The concept of a special clergy cast is already evident in
the two letters of Clement of Rome(AD 100)and the
elevation of the bishop to be the autocratic head of the local
church in the letters of Ignatious of Antioch/Syria(AD 110-117)
8.
AD 150- The
development of “Scholastic Theology” was introduced,
as a
system to interpret the scripture and defend it against
heresies
like the Gnosis. It was meant
for protection of the
“faith”
but soon developed into dogmas, creeds, “safe”
rituals,
“right” formulas” and “approved” liturgies.
9. AD 165 to 185-
Saving efficacy was first attributed to water baptism.
10.
AD 220 to 460 -Origen introduced the doctrine of infant
baptism in
Alexandria
by 220 AD. In 407 AD the
Edict of
Innocent
I made infant baptism compulsory. By
416 AD it
became
not only compulsory in the Western church world,
but
remained the church’s main way of “evangelism” and
initiating
the general population into the church system.
5. AD 222 to 235-
Church buildings were not in existence until the rule of
Severus,
when buildings were mandated and it became
unlawful
for Christians to meet in their homes for
worship.
6. AD 249 to 251-
Emperor Decius attempted to destroy Christianity and
restore the worship of the Roman state.
7. AD 284 to 305-
Emperor Diocletian attempted to destroy all Christians.
8. AD 312-
Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and in
AD 313 made Christianity, in his Edict of Milan, a
State-
religion. Priests
became licensed and the church was
properly organized, registered and a part of Roman
society.
9. AD 325-
Council of Nicene was held as the first world council of
Christians
which established a creed and recognized the
equality of Bishops.
10. AD 378 to 95- Christianity was declared as
the state religion of the
Roman
Empire by Emperor Theodosius.
11. AD 380-
Bishops Theodosius and Gratian ordered that there should
be only one state-recognized Orthodox church and one set
of faith, the orthodox dogma.
Each Roman citizen was
forced to be a member and should be made to believe in the
“lex fidei”, the law of faith.
12. AD 397-
The third Council of Carthage ratified the *canon of the
New Testament.
12.
AD 431- The
Council of Ephesus proclaimed the worship of Mary as
the
mother of God.
13. AD 440-
Leo the Great pronounced himself Bishop of Rome.
14. AD 445-
Caesar Valentian confirmed his position as the spiritual
leader of the whole Western Empire.
15. AD 500-
The priesthood started to observe a common dress code.
16. AD 527 to 565-Justinian made the church a
state ordained church and
priests
became public servants.
17.
AD 607- Boniface
III was the first bishop to adopt the name Pope in
the Roman Catholic Church.
18. AD 709-
Kissing the Pope’s foot begins.
19. AD 786-
Worship of images and relics develops.
20. AD 850- Use of holy water begins.
21. AD 995-
Canonization of dead Saints.
22. AD 998-
Fasting on Fridays and before Lent.
23. AD 1079-
Celibacy of the priesthood instituted.
24. AD 1090-
Prayer beads adopted form several pagan religious systems.
25. AD 1184-
The Inquisition, the policing of the faith, begins: millions of
Jews, witches and later, after the Reformation,
Protestant believers died at the hands of Innocence
IV in
1252.
21. AD 1190-
The sale of indulgences, forgiveness of sins against payment
of money, is instituted.
22. AD 1215-
Transubstantiation of the wafer and wine: these elements
supernaturally change into the Body and Blood of Jesus at
the incantation of the Priest.
23. AD 1229-
Bible as a book was declared too holy to be read was
forbidden to laymen.
24. AD 1414- Communion
cup was forbidden to lay people.
25. AD 1439-
Doctrine of Purgatory decreed.
26. AD 1439-
Dogma of Sacraments affirmed.
27. AD 1517 to 1521-Martin Luther nailed his
famous 95 Thesis at the
Wittenberg
Church. *Martin Luther
stated, “I do not
believe
the Pope and the Church Councils. It is a fact that
they erred
often. I am a captive of the
Word of God!”
During
this same time frame, his famous words, “The just
shall live
by faith,” were also spoken.
28. AD 1522 to 1564- Other reforms were
instituted by such men as Zwingli,
Calvin and
John Knox.
29. AD 1524
Felix Mantz, Conrad Grebel and George Blaurock became
known as
Anabaptists who taught that the Bible says that
faith
comes first and baptism only follows.
They
encouraged
Christians to read the Bible together, pray and
have the
Lord’s Supper.
30. AD 1545-
Council of Trent granted Tradition equal authority with
the Bible.
30. AD 1640-
Jean de Labadie, a former Jesuit Priest, began what he
called
“Converticles” which were small fellowships or
brotherhoods
of converted believers. His
main emphasis
was a
shift from a focus on church buildings into private
homes.
31. AD 1698-
Claude Brousson, the famous Huguenot was publicly
executed.
The Huguenots organized themselves into house
churches
known as “The Church in the Wilderness”.
32. AD 1670-
Philip Jakob Spencer began small groups for
encouragement
and discipline known as “pious gatherings”
which met
weekly in houses.
33. AD 1738-
*John Wesley began his network of classes known as
“Societies”
which met during the weekdays and nights in
homes.
· Canonization
of the New Testament:
1. The apostles claim for their writings a public use(I
Thessalonians 5:27; Colosians 4:16; Revelations 22:18) and authoritative
power(I Timothy 4:1; II Thessalonians 2:6; Revelation 22:19) and Peter(II
Peter 3:15-16)places the epistles of Paul in significant connection with
“the other Scriptures.”
2. Apostolic fathers in AD 70-120, acknowledge all the
epistles as clearly known, and used by them.
3. Apologists during 120 to 170 AD recognized the
canonical gospels as definitely separated from the mass of similar
narratives.
4. From AD 170 to 350, The testimony of Iranaeus,
Clement of Alexandria, and Tertullian extends to the four gospels,
Acts, I Peter, I John, thirteen epistles of Paul and the Apocalypse.
5. From AD 303 to 397, the canon of the New Testament as
commonly received at present , was ratified by the third Council of
Carthage in AD 397.
· Martin
Luther
(In defense of why he did not implement his house church
structure) “But as yet, I neither can, nor desire to begin such a
congregation, for I have not yet the people for it, nor do I see many who
want it. But if I should be
requested to do it and could not refuse with a good conscience, I should
gladly do my part and help as best I can.”
· John
Wesley:
(According to historian Howard E. Snyder in his book on Wesley, “The
Radical Wesley”) “The classes were in effect house churches.
In weekly midweek meetings, which lasted an hour or so, each person
reported their spiritual progress, shared on particular needs and
problems, and most conversions occurred here.”
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