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Church History
Class Four
THIRD AND FOURTH CENTURIES
What We Will See
 In this class, we will see the terrible persecutions of
the Church under the Romans which resulted in
many martyrdoms.
 The eventual triumph of the Church when
Constantine becomes Roman Emperor and adopts
Christianity
 The terrible scourge of the Arian Heresy and the
Council of Nicea called to combat it.
 The coming of the great saint and theologian Saint
Ambrose
Early Church Life
 First dioceses no larger than big Wichita Parishes.
 Bishop and a few priests handled sacraments.
 Deacons vastly outnumbered priests.
 Converts spread to all levels of society.
 Christian numbers growing biologically.
 Christians rescue abandoned babies.
 Forces increase in priests.
 Celibacy was not yet fully expected of priests but was
of bishops.
 Both public and private confessions.
St. Polycarp
 Martyred 155.
 Disciple of John.
 Bishop of Smyrna.
 “Jesus has been my friend these past 80 years.”
 Infant baptism.
 Attempt at burning at stake.
Heresies
 Gnosticism
 Marcionism
 Montanism
 Donatism
 Tertullian the lawyer apologist.
Marcus Aurelius
 Reigned 161-80
 Great Emperor and Great persecutor.
 Justin the Martyr.
 The “True Philosophy.”
 The School.
 Justin’s letter to Marcus Aurelius.
 Description of the Mass.
 165 Justin killed.
Saint Irenaeus
130-202
 Bishop of Lugundum.
 “They all speak Gaulish here!”
 Hearer of Polycarp.
 Wrote Against Heresies
 First to explicitly assert primacy of the Pope.
Third Century
 202 Persecution of Septimus Severus
 St. Hyppolytus breaks with the Pope over marriage
 Origen the great theologian (185-254)
 A theological debate in Alexandria
 Persecution of Emperor Decius (249-251).
 The Lapsi controversy.
 Pope Cornelius condemns Novatian (251).
 (256) Pope St. Stephen upholds validity of baptism
administered by heretics.
Diocletian
 (244-311) From humble origins rose through the ranks.
 (284) Emperor.
 Divides Empire into four (Tetrarchy).
 Established Dioceses as smaller geographic units.
 At first reluctant to persecute Christians but . . .
 (303-311) The Great Persecution.
 Retired in 305 to his vegetable garden.
 Maximian and Constantius in west reluctant to
persecute.
 Galerius in the East most ferocious of all.
Constantine
 (244-311) Son of Constantius
 Grew up in the East in friendly captivity.
 Later joined his father in Britain.
 After his father’s death declared himself Emperor of
the West – Gallerius infuriated but accepting.
 The unpopular Maxentius makes a bid for power –
Temporarily the Caesar of Italy.
 War was inevitable.
War
312
 Hammers and horses don’t mix at Turin.
 Maxentius builds a bridge
 Confers with the augers “That day the enemy of
Rome will be killed.”
 The great vision “IN HOC SIGNO VINCE”
 The battle of Milvian Bridge.
 Constantine the undisputed Emperor of the West.
Edict of Milan
 Gallerius began to waste away from a terrible illness
 Ended persecution in East as a last chance attempt
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to save his life.
Constantine hopes Christianity can unite empire.
Licinius, the Emperor of the East, allies with
Constantine.
(315) Issue the Edict of Milan.
Licinius marries Constantine’s sister.
Paganism not forbidden but Constantine favors
Christians.
War with Licinius
 Licinius truly loved his wife but this did not stop
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conflict.
Began to suspect that Christians were spies for
Constantine.
Persecution renewed-Constantine invades.
Licinius defeated forced into retirement.
Licinius and his son later assassinated at
Constantine’s order.
Constantine only Emperor-moves capitol to
Byzantium.
St. Anthony of the Desert
A rich young man in Egypt walked into mass late.
Sold his possessions put his sister in care of nuns.
Went into desert to pray, fast, and battle the demons.
Began to draw disciples.
Though reluctant he agreed to be an abbot of sorts.
Only left the desert to assist those suffering martrydom
in Alexandria.
 Declared to crowds that Arianism was the final great
heresy before the end of the world.
 Returns to desert where he dies decades later.
 Pachomius and Basil follow in his lead to develop the
basics of Monasticism.
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Heresiarch
 Arius born sometime in late 200’s in Lybia.
 A very austere man, and never accused to personal
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immorality.
Became a priest in Alexandria.
By over-reacting to the heresy of Sabellianism, developed
his heresy of Arianism.
Sabbellianism denied the humanity of Christ, so Arius
decided that Jesus was the greatest man but not God.
Jesus (for Arius) was God’s greatest creation, his first
creation, who he sent to save man as his legate.
Did not deny the Eucharist, the sacraments, the
resurrection or other basic teachings.
Council of Nicea
325
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Arius was a relentless publicist.
His teachings caused outrage among Christians.
Constantine annoyed by division, called for a council.
Hundreds of bishop’s gathered at Nicea (in modern Turkey); Pope
Sylvester sent two priests as representatives as he was old.
Nicolas, a bishop from Turkey and inspiration for Santa Clause,
actually punched Arius.
A deacon, Athanasius, most eloquently defended Orthodox
teaching.
The council roundly defeated Arius, declaring Christ of one
substance (homoousious) with the Father.
Arius and fellow heretics exiled.
But towards the end of his life, Constantine began to favor heretics.
Julian the Apostate
361-363
 Julian abandons his Christian faith and attempts to
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restore Paganism.
Tries to set up the pagan priesthood after the
Christian hierarchy.
Expels Christians from government office.
But in the end fails miserably.
“Thou hast conquered Nazarene.”
Christianity fast overwhelming the Empire’s
population.
Valens
The Heretic Emperor
364-375
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Valens becomes Emperor, is violently Arian.
Exiles Athanasius into the desert.
Orthodox Christians begin to be killed.
Riots break out over empire between Arian and Catholic Christians.
“The baker and barber discuss whether Jesus was co-eternal with
the Father.”
Most bishops, wanting imperial favor, become Arian.
Only the Pope, Liberius, and the majority of the laity stay Catholic.
The ugly incident: Was Liberius duped, lied about, or tortured?
No matter, when free from Valens’ power, affirmed Orthodoxy.
Valens sent Wulfila as a missionary-bishop to the German
Barbarians-Very successful.
Valens killed at the battle of Adrianople.
Theodosius I
379-392
 Theodosius affirms Nicene Christianity, suppresses
Arianism.
 Dismantles the last vestiges of paganism-paganism
outlawed.
 Was the last Emperor to rule as sole Emperor of East
and West.
 Catholic Christianity began to triumph in the East
but the Barbarian Germans, overwhelming the West,
were passionate Arians.
Pope Damasus and St. Jerome
366-384
 Jerome was a monk who could never live with anyone.
 He ended up in a cave outside of Bethlehem where he
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studied Scripture and Hebrew.
By letter he participated in all of the major controversies
of the day.
His rebukes were very unpleasant.
Pope Damasus decided that the Western Church should
use Latin.
Commissioned Jerome to translate the Bible into Latin.
His final product was the Vulgate which dominated the
Catholic West until the 20th Century.
The Barbarian Invasions
 Under pressure from the Huns in the East, German tribes begin to
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force their way into the Roman Empire.
They seek Roman citizenship and culture but are not well received
by established Romans.
Many of the soldiers in the Western Roman legions are themselves
Barbarians, making the loyalty of the army suspect.
These barbarians are Arian Christians and have no bones about
persecuting Catholics.
The Vandals conquer Spain and break into North Africa.
Visigoths begin to encroach into Italy.
The borders of the Roman Empire in the West simply cannot hold
them back.
These Barbarians will soon end the Western Roman Empire but not
before adopting a great deal of its Civilization.
Saint Ambrose of Milan
340-397
Ambrose was born into a prominent Roman Military family.
He became a trusted official in Milanese government.
When the Arian bishop of Milan died, a riot broke out.
Ambrose went to restore order and was acclaimed bishop by
the populace.
 At first refusing, he later accepted but had to be baptized,
confirmed, and then ordained deacon, priest and bishop all in
two days!!
 He dedicated himself to the Catholic faith, opposed Arianism,
demanded penance from the Emperor, and became the chief
spokesman in the Church for orthodoxy.
 His preaching was so eloquent that he converted a wayward
young man named Augustine.
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