CHURCH HISTORY FIRST CENTURY

First Century

Chapter 1

The Christian era. This is what you need to know. The history of the church of God has always been, from the apostolic age to the present, the history of divine grace among the mistakes of men. This has often been said, and anyone who examines this story carefully cannot deny but be convinced that all of this is true. Reading the New Testament Epistles, you see that even in apostolic times the error was manifested and that the enmity, the strife, the anger, the fights, and the discord, with other evils, had erased love in the hearts of many true believers. They left their first works and their first love and some who had started by the Spirit sought then be perfected by the flesh.

But there was much more than that. Not only did some true believers whose lives many irregularities were seen, and who sought, by their words, to attract disciples to themselves. Others were not Christians at all, but who entered unnoticed among the brothers, sowing the discord. This describes the state of affairs to which the first verses of chapter two of Revelation, in the letter written to the angel of the church in Ephesus.

PERSECUTION

Why Does God Allow Persecution? God sometimes allows wickedness to take man too far to persecute Christians, to reveal what is in his heart, and that is why it is not strange that in the soul of the Christian who has not appreciated this truth arise doubts and difficulties. They start to complain that the way is costly, and the oppressor’s hand is heavy on them. But the Lord does not leave his people on earth to complain about the difficulties. Nor to retreat in the face of the wrath of men: God’s people must serve the Master and resist the enemy, however, and only when they are strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power that is possible to perform this service. Effectively resist the enemy, these are the keywords to prevail against the evil.

This story intends to indicate how worthily it was made this in the past, but if you want to understand the way God has treated his people, always the believer must remember that the Christian militia is different from any other, and that part of its resistance is suffering. The weapons of God’s children militia are not carnal, but spiritual, and the Christian who uses fleshly weapons shows no doubt he does not appreciate the character of the true believer. You cannot have appreciated with spiritual intelligence the way of the Lord or understood the meaning of his words: “My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world my servants would fight for me”. The militant church is a church that suffers, but if the believer employs carnal weapons there is no genuine fighting.

In bold and saint Stephen, is an example of a true militant believer. He was the first Christian martyr. And what a great victory he won for the cause of Christ when he died asking the Lord for his persecutors! David centuries before the Christian era said: “The righteous will rejoice when vengeance comes, he will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked “, however, Stephen, who lived in the Christian era, prayed, “Lord, do not impute this sin to them. This was an example of the true Christian militia.

The first event of general persecution that came over the church was felt in the year 64 AD, under the reign of Emperor Nero, who had already ruled with a certain tolerance for nine years. At this time, the murder of his mother, and his brutal indifference after having committed such a monstrous crime, clearly showed his inclination towards cruelty and indicated to the people what to expect from him. Unfortunately, the sad apprehensions that many had about him became a sad reality.

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NERO

Rome on fire. On the night of July 18, AD 64, the inhabitants of Rome were awakened from sleep by the cry of “Fire!” This terrible word was heard simultaneously in different parts of the city, and within a few hours, the majestic capital was engulfed in flames. The big arena was located between the Palatino and Aventino mountains, where 150,000 people could fit.  In a short time, it was burning everything, like most of the public buildings, monuments, and private houses. The fire continued for nine days, and Nero, by whose orders this monstrous act had been practiced, witnessed the scene of the Maecenas Tower, where he expressed his pleasure in seeing the beauty of the spectacle, and dressed like an actor, accompanying himself with the music of his lyre, he sang the fire of the old Troy!

The great hatred that they voted for as a result of this act, shamed him and made him afraid; and with the activity that gave him his restless conscience, he soon found a way to get rid of this situation. The rapid development of Christianity had already raised many enemies against this new doctrine. Many people in Rome who were interested in suppressing it – so there could be nothing more opportune, and at the same time simpler for Nero, than placing the blame for the crime on the harmless Christians.

Tacitus, a pagan historian, who was by no means in favor of Christianity, speaks of Nero’s conduct as follows: “Neither his efforts, nor his generosity towards the people, nor his offerings to the gods, could pay the infamous accusation that weighed on him of having ordered the city to be set on fire. Therefore, to put an end to this rumor he blamed the crime, and inflicted the cruelest punishments, on some men whom people called Christians “, and adds: “who gave them that name was Christ, whom Poncio Pilato, procurator of the emperor Tiberius, gave the death during his reign. “This pernicious superstition, thus repressed for some time, broke out again, and spread not only through Judea, where evil began, but also in Rome where everything bad on earth goes and is practiced.

Some who confessed to belonging to that sect were the first to be arrested, and then, for their information, they arrested another large crowd of people, blaming them, not so much for the crime of burning Rome, but for hating the human race”. It is acceptable to say that Christians had no hatred for humanity, but for the terrible idolatry that prevailed throughout the Roman Empire. And for this reason alone, they were considered enemies of the human race.

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SAVAGERY

Savagery against Christians. It is not known how many suffered on that occasion, but there were certainly many, and they were subjected to all the tortures that an ingenious and cruel spirit could imagine, to satisfy the emperor’s depraved tastes. “Some were dressed in animal skins, and chased by dogs until they were killed, others were crucified; others were wrapped in tarred cloths, and then set on fire at sunset, so that they could serve as lights to illuminate the city at night.

Nero gave up his gardens for these executions and, at the same time, presented some circus games, witnessing the whole scene dressed as a career path, walking in the crowd, sometimes watching the spectacle from his car “.

Hegesipo, a second-century writer, makes some interesting references about the apostle James, who ended his career during that period, and provides a detailed report of his martyrdom, which we can insert here.

“It is said that the apostle had the name of Oblias, which meant justice and protection, due to his great piety, justice, and dedication for the people. It also refers to his austere customs that undoubtedly contributed to increasing his fame among the people. He did not drink alcoholic beverages of no quality, nor did he eat meat. He was the only one allowed to enter the sanctuary. He never wore woolen clothes, but he wore only linen. He had the habit of entering the temple alone, on his knees, interceding for the sins of the people, to the point his knees became as hard as those of a camel as a result of his constant prayers to God “

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JAMES THE APOSTLE

The martyrdom of the apostle James. The information of this martyrdom is no less interesting. A dispute had arisen between converted Jews and unbelieving Jews over whether or not Jesus was the Messiah and asked the apostle to resolve the issue. The scribes and Pharisees placed James on one side of the temple and exclaimed, addressing him: “O faithful man whose word we all must believe since the people are led astray after Jesus who was crucified, declared which is the door through which Jesus is reached? ” James replied in loud voice, “Why do you ask me questions about Jesus the Son of Man? He is now seated in heaven, the right hand of the great mighty God and Father. He is coming to the clouds of heaven. ” Some of them were confirmed in their faith in Jesus, and boasted in the testimony of James, they said, “Hosanna to the Son of David.”

These same priests and Pharisees said to each other, “We did wrong to give the chance to this testimony about Jesus, but let’s go up there and throw James down there so that the people will be afraid to believe him.” And they shouted, “Woe! Woe! The righteous himself is wrong.” And so, it is written in Isaiah: “We are going to take the Righteous because it is offensive for us; for he had eaten the fruit of his counsel ” (Isaiah 3:10).

So, going up, they cast down the righteous man, saying to each other, “Let’s stone James the righteous.” And they started to stone him since he didn’t die soon. He fell to the ground, but he turned and knelt before God, saying, “I beg you, O Lord God and Father, to forgive them because they do not know what they are doing.”

So, they were stoning him. When one of the priests of the children of Recab himself being the son of Rechabites of whom the prophet Jeremiah speaks. He shouted saying, “What else are you doing? The just is praying for you.” And then one of them who was a laundryman hit James on the head with the stick he used to hit clothes with. In this way, James suffered martyrdom, and they buried him near the temple, in the same place where the stone of his tomb still exists today.

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THE HOUSE

The house of Clemente. James’ death may not be attributable to orders from Nero: it was an unintended act, for which the Jewish nation was solely responsible. Despite this, the emperor cannot be justified in spilling the blood of an apostle. It is correct to assume that both Peter and Paul suffered during the persecution he determined. The following reference to these two dedicated servants of Christ was made by Clement, Paul’s fellow worker (see Philippians 4: 3), as it is full of interest.

He says: “Take the examples of our time. Motivated by zeal and envy, the most faithful and just columns of the church have been persecuted until they have suffered a very painful death. Let us look at the holy apostles. Peter, out of unfair envy on the part of some, suffered, not only once or twice, but many times, until finally, being martyred. He went to the place he deserved.

“Paul, for the same reason and in the same way, received the reward of his patience. He was arrested seven times; he was whipped, stoned; he preached in both places, the East and the West, leaving behind the glorious fame of his faith; and thus, having taught justice to the whole world, and traveled to the farthest reaches of the West. He finally suffered martyrdom by order of a governor and left this world to go and occupy his holy place, becoming the best example of patience in all times”.

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PETER’S DEATH IN THE BIBLE

The Bible does not mention Peter’s death but history says so. It is said that Peter was crucified. He was tied up on a cross upside down. He chose that position because he felt he was unworthy of suffering like his Lord. Paul, who died on the same day, was spared such a painful and slow death and was beheaded. “To these holy apostles” adds Clemente, “many others were added, who having suffered the same martyrdom and torment, motivated by the envy of others, left us a glorious example.” For the same reasons, both women and men were persecuted, and having suffered terrible and cruel punishments, they concluded the career of their faith with firmness. “

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EMPEROR NERO

The death of Nero. The miserable Nero committed suicide in the year 63, full of remorse and fear; after his death, the Church had rest for thirty years. However, during that time Domitian (who could almost take Nero’s hand in terms of intolerance and cruelty) ascended the throne; and after fourteen years of his reign, he began a general persecution. It came to the ears of the new emperor that someone, a descendant of David, and of whom it was said, “With an iron, the rod will rule all nations.” And that he would come from Judea, so he made the investigation proceed, and two grandchildren of Judas, the brother of the Lord Jesus, were arrested and brought before him. But when he looked at their hands, callused and rough from work, and saw that they were poor men, waiting for a heavenly kingdom, and wanting nothing to do with the earthly kingdom, he dismissed them with contempt. It is said that they were courageous and faithful in witnessing the truth before the emperor, and that, when they returned to their homeland, they were received with a warm welcome and honor by the brothers.

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APOSTLE JOHN

John’s persecution. Little is known about the general persecution of Christians at the time, but that bit of information was certainly interesting. And among the many martyrs who suffered, there was John, Jesus’ beloved disciple, and Timothy, to whom Paul wrote with such fond affection. Tradition says that the first attempt to kill João was throwing him in a boiler of boiling oil, but, by a miracle, he left there unharmed. Unable to harm him in the body, the emperor decided to imprison him on the island of Patmos where he was forced to work in the mines. It was there where he wrote the book of Revelation, and he would undoubtedly have ended his life right there. If was not, for the unexpected death of the emperor, murdered by the administrator of his house, on September 18, 96 AD. Due to his death then the apostle John was released. He returned to Ephesus, where he wrote his Gospel and the three epistles that bear his name.

It seems that there, as always, he was taken in all his life by love, and when he died, at the advanced age of a hundred years, he left, as a lasting legacy, this simple precept: “Little children, love one another”. This simple phrase has been spoken for many years.

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THE APOSTLE TIMOTHY

The murder of timothy. Timothy the disciple of Christ maintained the truth, in the same city, until the year 97, when he was killed by the mob at an idolatrous party. Many men of the people, masked and armed with sticks, went to their temples to offer sacrifices to the gods when this servant of the Lord found them. With a heart full of love, he went to them, and perhaps remembering the example of Paul, who a few years earlier had preached to the idolaters of Athens, he also spoke to them of the true and living God. But they ignored his advice, they got angry at being disapproved and, falling on him with sticks, they beat him so mercilessly that he died a few days later.

And now, looking back, there are certainly, in the history of these primitive persecutions, many examples to give courage and courage to Christians of all times. Because of such sufferings, one cannot help admiring the saints’ spirit and thanking God for the grace for which they were able to endure with such patience. Nero, the cross, the sword, the ferocious animals, and torture could prevail against those faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.

Who could separate them from the love of Jesus? Was he tribulation, anguish, persecution, hunger, nakedness, danger, or the sword? No way! In all these things they were more than conquers through the one who loved them. Hadn’t the Lord told them that they should expect all these things? He had not said to his disciples when he was still among them: “In the world, you will have afflictions?” but all the suffering was not enough for the world of glory that awaited them on the other side. After a few more years, both persecutors and persecuted left this world, and passed on to eternity; then – what a great change! For the enemies of Christ, the darkness of darkness forever; for the Christian faithful a life filled with love, peace, and tranquility forever.

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HERESIES

Heresies and conflicts. At the end of this chapter, you should note the inability to report all the problems in more detail. Enumerating all the heresies and dissensions that have saddened and divided the church of God since its inception a long hour on the part of both the writer of this article and the reader; therefore, only the most relevant acts must be explored.

Gnosticism was one of those evils, and it was perhaps the first heresy that developed after the time of the apostles. It was a heap of errors that had its origin in the Jewish cabal, a mysterious science of the rabbis, based on Plato’s philosophy, and on the mysticism of the Orientals. A Jew named Cerinto, Master of Philosophy in Alexandria, presented part of the Gospel in this heterogeneous mass of science (falsely so-called), and in this new form, many true believers were deceived, resulting in great sadness among them.

But they had not been concerned with this error for a long time, nor with many others who followed. The Word of God, which is the only one that contains the unshakable doctrines of the Church, had already predicted that “evil and deceitful men go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13). The apostle Paul, on the other hand, had advised his son Timothy to oppose vain and profane claims that could only produce greater wickedness (2 Tim. 2:16); and in “language inspired by the Holy Spirit,” the perverse contests of men who were corrupt in understanding and excluded from the truth had been referred to (1 Tim. 6.5): “But you, O man of God,” he cried, “flee from these things, and follow justice, piety, faith, charity, patience, meekness. Fight the good militia of faith, use eternal life, to which you too have been called, has already made a good confession before many witnesses ” (1 Tim 4.11.12).

The beloved apostle had already fought the good fight and finished his career and kept the faith, and with the conscience that awaited him, he spoke words that should serve to animate the Church of God in future times: “For the rest, the crown of justice is kept, which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, will give to me on that day, and not only to him but also to all who love his coming (2 Tim. 4,7: 8).

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CHURCH HISTORY FIRST CENTURY