Restitutio Classes

This is part 15 of the Early Church History class. We are shifting gears away from Christology to talk about the desert fathers and mothers. These were people that decided to leave the city and go off alone or in communes to practice spiritual disciplines and asceticism. They denied themselves pleasure in their pursuit of Read more about 497 Early Church History 15: Monasticism from Anthony to Benedict[…]

This is part 14 of the Early Church History class. We’ve been learning about the controversy over Christ’s origins in the last couple of episodes. This battle raged between groups of Christians who agreed that Jesus pre-existed for sixty years. But today we are taking a break from that and looking instead at the early Read more about 496 Early Church History 14: Paul of Samosata and Photinus of Sirmium[…]

This is part 13 of the Early Church History class. Between the year 325 and 381 titanic shifts occurred that changed Christianity forever. Rather than ending conflict and ushering in a golden era of lasting peace, Constantine’s Council of Nicea ignited a theological civil war within Christianity that raged for six more decades. In today’s Read more about 495 Early Church History 13: Trinity Controversy in the Fourth Century[…]

This is part 12 of the Early Church History class. Today we begin a two part series on the Christological controversies of the fourth century. Our focus for this episode is the conflict between Alexander, bishop of Alexandria, and his presbyter, Arius. You may be surprised to learn that Arius was not some youthful outsider Read more about 494 Early Church History 12: Arius and Alexander of Alexandria[…]

This is part 11 of the Early Church History class. Have you heard of the Roman emperor Constantine? He had a massive impact on Christianity. Not only did he end the brutal persecutions of his predecessors, but he also used the Roman government to actively support the Church. However, his involvement also resulted in significant Read more about 493 Early Church History 11: The Constantinian Shift[…]

This is part 10 of the Early Church History class. The Roman government persecuted Christians for the first three centuries. In this episode, you’ll learn about various persecutions that flared up during the reigns of Trajan, Marcus Aurelius, Decius, Valerian, and Diocletian. We’ll also cover why Romans both despised and feared Christianity. Learning about the Read more about 490 Early Church History 10: Persecution of Early Christians[…]

This is part 9 of the Early Church History class. How did Christians organize themselves in the first few centuries? We’re taking a break from theology and switching to focus on practical matters of church offices, church governance, church discipline, conversion, and charity. As it turns out we have a surprising amount of information about Read more about 489 Early Church History 9: Early Church Orders[…]

This is part 8 of the Early Church History class. Origen of Alexandria is the man behind the curtain. Although few Christians today would recognize his name, most denominations are still on a trajectory he initiated eighteen hundred years ago. His influences in theology, christology, eschatology, apologetics, textual criticism, asceticism, hermeneutics, and Christian philosophy are Read more about 488 Early Church History 8: Origen of Alexandria[…]

This is part 7 of the Early Church History class. Philo of Alexandria was the most well-known representative of Hellenistic Judaism in the first century. His many books combine Platonism with scripture via allegory–a daring project that had a massive influence on Christian thinkers. Clement of Alexandria followed in Philo’s footsteps a century later, doing Read more about 487 Early Church History 7: Philo and Clement of Alexandria[…]

This is part 6 of the Early Church History class. In the latter half of the second century, two kinds of Christians arose to defend the faith. On the one hand, apologists wrote defenses of Christianity directed at the Roman government. They responded to rumors, arguing that Christians were decent people who should be shown Read more about 486 Early Church History 6: Apologists & Heresy Hunters[…]