No 30

(Early Development to 150 AD)

Church history may be defined as the organized record of the origin, development and impact upon man by

Christianity. Church history also provides a blend of the past, an explanation of the present and a guide to correct conduct. Since God was and is sovereign on His beloved Son’s bride, the Church, He made it so that Roman law and citizenship unified man and the spread of the Gospel occurred. The Romans also brought peace (Pax Romano) and the network of roads that they built further helped to expand Christianity.

The events in the book of Acts bring us to 70 AD. From that point on, the Apostolic Fathers carried on the work of the Disciples by using the Old Testament prophecies that were fulfilled by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. They of course used the epistles that are now part of the New Testament and there were several other epistles written that did not necessarily become part of the canon of Scripture, but were helpful in solidifying unity among Christians. Clement wrote two epistles to the Corinthians; Ignatius wrote letters to the churches located in Asia to strengthen their faith; Barnabas’s epistle spoke about Christ’s death and resurrection which made the Old Testament unnecessary for salvation. Polycarp who was a student of the Apostle John wrote epistles and influenced many church fathers. There was even someone who wrote a harmony of the Gospels but it was later discredited because of its lack of veracity in regards to the events in Jesus’ life; his name was Tatian. This period of the Church coincides with the Apostolic Age of the Church we saw in study # 147. We will be seeing the various stages of Church growth in later studies. Jesus’ promise to the Disciples in Matthew 28:20b “…I am with you always, even to the end of the age” has been kept all these centuries.