Download History of Christianity 1 Context

Christian
History:
The Context
The Greek, Roman
and Jewish
backgrounds of
early Christianity
What three cultures had the greatest
impact on the development
of the Christian Church?
• Hebrew
• Greek
• Roman
I. The Greek World
A. Political History
1. Philip II of Macedon (d. 336 BC)
I. The Greek World
A. Political History
2. Alexander the Great (d. 323 BC)
Who played me in the movie?
A blonde Colin Farrell?!
I. The Greek World
A. Political History
3. Division of the Empire
a. Wars of the Diadochi (“successors”)
b. Final Division of the Empire
1) Ptolemaic Empire
2) Seleucid Empire
3) Macedonia
I. The Greek World
B. Hellenism
1. Definition:
Alexander’s attempt to convey the
Greek ideals – the emulation of midfifth century Athens under Pericles; the
promotion of Greek science, math, art,
literature, and philosophy.
I. The Greek World
B. Hellenism
2. Significance:
Hellenism exported Greek religion,
philosophy, and language throughout
the region where the early church
spread.
I. The Greek World
C. Religion
1. Pantheon of gods and goddesses
a. anthropomorphic
b. capricious
c. immoral
d. supernatural
e. immortal
I. The Greek World
C. Religion
2. Hero worship
3. The Delphic Oracle
4. Ruler cult
5. Personification of Fortune and Fate
6. Magic
7. Mystery religions
I. The Greek World
D. Philosophy
1. Socrates (c. 469-399 BC)
“Socratic method” of questioning
Knowledge is chief virtue
“Correct thoughts lead to correct acts”
Ethical values associated with Christianity
Challenged anthropomorphism of gods
Raised human ethical responsibility
Influenced Plato and Aristotle
I. The Greek World
D. Philosophy
2. Plato (c. 427-347)
a. The doctrine of the two worlds:
The material things around us are not the ultimate
realities; instead they are the shadows of
universals which exist before and apart from
individual, physical objects. As in the parable of
the people in the cave seeing shadows cast on
the wall, we comprehend only shadows and
echoes of reality in this world.
Cf. Hebrews 9:23-24
I. The Greek World
D. Philosophy
2. Plato (c. 427-347)
b. The immortality and pre-existence of
the soul:
Plato taught the pre-existence of souls and their
transmigration, or reincarnation, after death.
Furthermore, because of his belief that only the
spiritual has permanence, he affirmed the
eternal death of the body. These tenets of his
doctrine are opposed to Christian resurrection,
but early Christians pointed to Plato’s assertion
of the immortality of the soul for support of their
hope.
I. The Greek World
D. Philosophy
2. Plato (c. 427-347)
c. Knowledge as reminiscence:
The Platonic doctrine of knowledge is based on a
distrust of the senses as the means of attaining
true knowledge. The senses can supply information only about objects of this world, not about
ideas. Since true knowledge is only the knowledge
of ideas, Plato taught the theory of reminiscence
whereby the individual “remembered” ideas held
over by the pre-existent soul. Obviously mainstream Christianity did not accept pre-existence or
reminiscence, but distrust of sensory perception
lingered, especially through Augustine’s theory of
knowledge.
I. The Greek World
D. Philosophy
2. Plato (c. 427-347)
d. The Idea of the Good:
The origin of the world is the work of a divine artisan,
or demiurge, that took formless matter and gave it
form, imitating the beauty of the Idea of the Good.
The parallels with Genesis powerfully influenced early
Christian thought. The differentiation between the
Idea of the Good and the artisan of the universe
established a dichotomy between the Supreme Being
and the Creator, which is entirely foreign to biblical
thought, but which became rooted in the minds of
some scholars who wished to assert the
impassiveness of God simultaneously with his activity
in the world. This source plus Plato’s monotheism led
to a discussion of God that utilized Platonic terminology for the Idea of the Good: God is impassive,
infinite, incomprehensible, and indescribable.
I. The Greek World
D. Philosophy
3. Aristotle (384-322 BC)
a. He rejected Plato’s doctrine of knowledge
by reminiscence and said that learning
comes through experience. Thus, he
pioneered the study of logic and the
sciences of biology, physics, and
psychology.
I. The Greek World
D. Philosophy
3. Aristotle (384-322 BC)
b. Aristotle described the person as a
whole being with integrated body
and soul: the soul does not exist
apart from the body although some
aspect of the soul is not physical and
survives death.
I. The Greek World
D. Philosophy
3. Aristotle (384-322 BC)
c. He affirmed the presence of an
impersonal, ultimate divinity termed the
“Prime Mover,” which was the epitome of
knowledge, actively causing all motion and
passively attracting all objects by its
magnetic, supreme perfection.
I. The Greek World
D. Philosophy
3. Aristotle (384-322 BC)
d. Most of Aristotle’s works were lost to the West
for seven hundred years until the rediscovery of
his works on logic revolutionized Christian
theology in the thirteenth century. Meanwhile,
Plato’s idealistic realism profoundly influenced
the theology of early and medieval Christianity
through Augustine and others. Islam, however,
benefited from Aristotle’s influence on the
sciences and, for a time, outperformed the West
technologically.
I. The Greek World
D. Philosophy
4. Stoicism - Zeno of Citium (c. 342-270 BC)
a. The human soul is a spark of the universal
World Soul, which endues the individual
with personal dignity and joins all
humanity as one family. They championed
slaves and other outcasts of society.
I. The Greek World
D. Philosophy
4. Stoicism - Zeno of Citium (c. 342-270 BC)
b. Salvation for the Stoic came through
proper exercise of reason and will; only
the inner man truly counted.
I. The Greek World
D. Philosophy
4. Stoicism - Zeno of Citium (c. 342-270 BC)
c. Stoics were highly predeterministic,
rejecting Fortune and embracing Fate,
whom they considered to be an expression
of the benevolent World Soul which moved
events toward the best solution for the
common good. Therefore, true virtues were
self-control and duty: to remain unmoved by
the circumstances of life. They held no
doctrine of permanent immortality so what
mattered was living responsibly in this
world.
I. The Greek World
D. Philosophy
4. Stoicism - Zeno of Citium (c. 342-270 BC)
d. Leading Romans embraced Stoic
philosophy, including Cicero and Seneca,
Nero’s tutor Epictetus, and Marcus
Aurelius, who incorporated them into his
Meditations.
I. The Greek World
D. Philosophy
5. Epicurus (341-270 BC)
Pleasure is the chief goal in life and is defined
as the “absence of pain.” Epicurus did not
advocate, however, a life of debauchery. He
taught that physical appetites had to be
satisfied, but only in moderation, and he ranked
spiritual fulfillment above bodily pleasure. He
advocated atheistic materialism: all moral and
ethical relationships were pursued primarily for
personal well-being; also utilitarianism: “What’s
in it for me?”
I. The Greek World
D. Philosophy
6. Summary of Philosophy
These philosophers were all preoccupied with
an insatiable quest for the purpose of life –
humanity in search of destiny. Most of them
used philosophy as the means to answer the
needs of a society with virtually no moral
foundation and no personal God. The
bankruptcy of philosophy was evident in the fact
that they asked questions for which they had no
answers, but they prepared the way for the Lord
Jesus Christ to answer these needs.
I. The Greek World
E. Summary of Religion and Philosophy
The Greeks described their gods in one of
two ways:
1. Anthropomorphism: Gods were “humans
writ large,” with the same passions and
weaknesses, just greater beings.
2. Logical abstraction: Description
depended on logical syllogisms such as:
God is perfect, a perfect being must have
all knowledge; therefore, God must be
omnipotent.
I. The Greek World
E. Summary of Religion and Philosophy
Both of these descriptions have fatal flaws:
1. Anthropomorphism: This approach concentrated
too much on the desires of humans and blurred
distinctions between the natural and the
supernatural.
2. Logical abstraction: This approach depended on
man’s limited understanding of the universe and
divine purpose. For example, consider this
syllogism: God is perfect, perfect beings do not
suffer; therefore, God cannot suffer. This concept
is erroneous according to the New Testament.
Also consider immutability and the Incarnation.
II. The Roman Empire
A. Augustus Caesar
•
On January 16, 27 BC,
Octavian assumed the title
“Augustus.”
•
He transformed the republic
into an empire which he
extended from Spain and Gaul
to Syria and North Africa.
•
Through dual government,
which combined the rule of the
senate and the emperor, he
restored order and unity to
Roman government torn by
civil war for 80 years.
II. The Roman Empire
A. Augustus Caesar
The establishment of the Empire brought
about three results critical to the growth of
the church:
1. Roman law
2. Pax Romana (27 BC – 180 AD)
3. Roman roads
Roman
Roads in
Tunisia
North Africa
2005
II. The Roman Empire
B. Culture
1. The Law
2. Hellenism
3. Language
Latin and Greek
II. The Roman Empire
C. Religion
1. Polytheism
2. Syncretism
3. Emperor worship
4. Ceremony
5. Philosophically based
II. The Roman Empire
C. Religion
6. Mystery religions
•These cults were derived mainly from the East
•They involved secretive ceremonies and initiations
•Their members were attracted by promises of
fellowship and immortality
•Many cults believed in a savior-god, who had died
and risen again
•Many sought to release the soul from the flesh,
which they perceived as contaminated
(dualism)
•Some practiced asceticism and cleanliness;
others engaged in ritual debauchery
II. The Roman Empire
C. Religion
6. Mystery religions
a. Magna Mater cult:
The Great Mother
loved a virgin born
shepherd and
achieved his
resurrection after he
died.
II. The Roman Empire
C. Religion
6. Mystery religions
b. Mithraism
Similarities to Christianity:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
Communion meal
Baptism (in the blood of a bull)
Membership from all strata of society
Belief in Unconquered One
Belief in afterlife/heaven
Flood heritage
Birthday of Mithras was December 25
Worshiped in Mithraeum, an underground
cavern/crypt
II. The Roman Empire
D. Factors in Graeco-Roman world favorable
to the spread of Christianity:
1. Universal language
2. Roman roads
3. Pax Romana
4. Roman citizenship gave privileges to some
missionary preachers
5. A unified empire broke down many
cultural/nationalistic barriers
6. Mystery religions and Greek philosophy
prepared many for the advent of Christ
III. The Hebrew Nation
A. Geography
Palestine was located
at the crossroads of the
great trade routes
between Egypt and
Mesopotamia,
Rome/Asia Minor and
Arabia. However it was
not a cultural center –
just a backwater
province.
III. The Hebrew Nation
B. History
1. Alexander’s defeat of Persia (331 BC)
led to the voluntary dispersion of Jews for
commercial enterprises throughout the
Alexandrian Empire.
Alexander brought Hellenism into Palestine
but allowed the Jews to retain their religious
identity.
2. After Alexander
a. Ptolemaic Egypt dominated Palestine (331-198 BC)
b. Syrian Seleucids accelerated Hellenization (198-142 BC).
III. The Hebrew Nation
B. History
2. After Alexander
c. Maccabean revolt against
Antiochus IV Epiphanes (166-142) and his
successors earned Jews their freedom.
d. The Hasmonean dynasty ruled Palestine
independently (142-63 BC) until Roman
conquest.
III. The Hebrew Nation
B. History
3. Roman domination
a. Civil War (67 BC)
b. Pompey conquered Jerusalem (63 BC)
c. Herod (the Great) was pronounced King of
Judah by the Roman Senate (40 BC)
III. The Hebrew Nation
C. Religious Parties
1. Pharisees
2. Sadducees
3. Zealots
4. Herodians
5. Essenes
6. Samaritans
III. The Hebrew Nation
D. Common Tenets
1. Ethical monotheism
2. Eschatological hope
III. The Hebrew Nation
E. The Diaspora
1. Voluntary dispersion
2. Involuntary dispersion
3. Synagogues
a. Ten families
b. Five-point liturgy
1) The Shema (Deut. 6:1-4)
2) Prayer
3) Reading of the Scripture
4) Sermon
5) Benediction
III. The Hebrew Nation
E. The Diaspora
3. Synagogues (continued)
c. Focal points for winning converts to
Judaism:
1) God-fearing Gentiles = proselytes of the
gate
2) Proselytes of righteousness
d. Early centers of Christian missionary
activity
III. The Hebrew Nation
E. The Diaspora
4. Language
a. Greek
b. Septuagint (LXX)
5. Hellenization
Philo of Alexandria (26 BC – 53 AD)
Summary:
Jesus Christ came
at God’s appointed time in history,
fulfilling the Father’s purpose
in a well-ordered
but morally bankrupt society
seeking to answer
the meaning of existence.