THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH (approx. 30 - 100 A.D.)

THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH (approx. 30 - 100 A.D.)

Having considered an overall introduction to our study of church history, we are now ready to begin studying the details of church history themselves.  Whenever one comes to such a large subject, it is crucial that he tries to arrive at some sort of framework or outline to guide him in his study.  This is what I have sought to provide you in the "Church History Study Outline" (1C).  Please look at that outline and observe the major periods into which the history of the church is being divided for our study.  

We will begin with Part One which is the Apostolic Period of church history - i.e., the period during which capital "A" Apostles of Jesus Christ were alive and functioning as Apostles in the church.  This period lasted approximately from 30 to 100 A.D.  Please look again at the Study Outline (1C) and note the subheadings under Part One.

Our study of the Apostolic Church will be briefer than that of the other periods of church history.  This is for at least two reasons.  First of all, the source materials for this period are much more readily available than those for the other periods since they are mainly to be found in the divinely-inspired pages of Scripture.  Closely-related, since these materials are largely found within the Bible, they are generally better known since they are more often and more naturally the subject of preaching and teaching in local churches.  As a result we will consider just a brief summary under several of the headings for this period on the Study Outline.  However, we will pause longer to consider several introductory matters regarding the Apostolic Church, and also major developments in the Apostolic Church's understanding and practice of God's Word, since the Apostolic Church period was the initial and formative period of church history.  So first of all, consider with me an:

Introduction to the Apostolic Church.  The first introductory matter is:

Chapter one 

The setting prepared by God for the church.  

Jesus Christ was sent by God the Father into the world at a special time and into a historically unique setting.  It was no accident that He appeared when He did.  The 33 1\2 years of our Lord's earthly life, and the early beginnings of the church following His ascension, fell within a unique period of a little more than one hundred years.  During most of this relatively short time period, two key realities existed together.  There was a somewhat intact Jewish nation with an intact temple worship yet residing in the promised land of Palestine; and there was also, a wide-flung Roman empire which was in control of Palestine.  This unique, divinely-prepared period began in 63 BC when the Roman leader, Pompey, conquered Jerusalem, ending a period of relative Judean independence during the era of the Maccabees.  This unique period ended in 70 AD when a rebellious Jerusalem including her temple was destroyed by the armies of the Roman general, Titus.  Our Lord came in the middle of this unique period into a setting which had been especially prepared by God for His earthly ministry, death and resurrection, and for the early establishment and growth of His Church 

We are provided a helpful summary outline for the study of this setting in John 19:17-20.  Please read those verses.  The three languages in which the inscription on the cross was written point to the three major human influences which were at work during the climactic act of God's redemption, and which were also part of the setting out of which the redeemed church of Christ would arise.  Let us briefly survey each of these influences in turn.  There was first of all:

I.     The Jewish influence.  The Hebrew language written on the cross was not Old Testament Hebrew, but rather closely-related Aramaic which the Hebrew people in Palestine had mainly spoken since the return from the Babylonian captivity.  Thus we are pointed by this language to the significant Jewish influence at this time.

       A.    There were at least two major contributions of the Jews to the church:

              1.  They first of all provided the human ancestry and both physical and spiritual context for the Redeemer and Founder and Head of the church - Jesus Christ.  The physical line of descent of Messiah flowed through the Jewish descendants of Abraham.  And Jesus Christ grew up and ministered in the Jewish setting of Palestine as a Jew among Jews.  He was circumcised as an infant and went to Jerusalem for Passover as a child.  He learned and practiced the law of Moses.  He preached to and taught mainly the lost sheep of Israel in the synagogue and the temple, as well as in the towns and countryside, and interacted with the Jewish leaders who finally crucified Him.  This was the context of His life and labors.

               2.    The Jews with their religion and culture also provided the formative background and origin of the church, organically.  The church at its beginning not only had a Jewish Head, but also was composed of Jews who had embraced their Messiah.  And the church from the beginning was the recipient of the Old Testament revelation which had originally been given by God to the Jews (Deuteronomy 4:7-8), and had been carefully preserved by the Jews - a revelation containing God's moral law, ceremonial laws, promises and records of His dealings with men.

       B.    Also briefly consider the condition of Judaism at this time in several ways.  First of all:

               1.    Politically.  A minority of the Jews lived in the promised land of Palestine which again was under Roman dominion as the church began.  However, the Palestinian Jews did have a measure of control over their civil and religious affairs in Palestine by means of their Sanhedrin - a group of 71 advisers and legal interpreters closely associated with the priestly families.

But there was more to the condition of the Jews politically.  For as many as five to six times the number of Jews living in Palestine were living outside Palestine.  They were widely-scattered throughout the cities and subject nations of the Roman Empire and beyond.  Most of these Jews of the Dispersion sought to maintain their distinct identity as Jews and kept up ties with the temple worship and Sanhedrin in Palestine.  They often made pilgrimages to Jerusalem so that on the day of Pentecost, we find individuals present from many areas of the Roman empire and beyond (Acts 2:5-11).  The wide dispersion of the Jews combined with the Roman toleration of the Jewish religion would provide important means by which the church would be able to spread rapidly in her early days as seen in the missionary journeys of Paul in Acts.

Notice also the condition of the Jews:

               2.    Economically.  Although there were poor Jews, they largely prospered economically under Roman rule both within and outside of Palestine.  This reality helps explain why our Lord so often had to address the deceitfulness of riches and the sinful desires for material gain which He observed in His countrymen.  However, this prosperity would also have meant that financial resources were fairly readily available to initially sustain the infant church in Jerusalem during her weakest and most vulnerable days, and also to help launch and sustain Gospel efforts throughout the Roman Empire and beyond.

But also, consider the condition of the Jews:

               3.    Educationally.  Jewish parents placed a strong emphasis upon educating their children - especially upon their religious education in God's Law.  Essentially all Jewish children - especially the boys - were trained well in the Old Testament Scriptures.  This probably explains how elders who were able to teach the Scriptures could so quickly be appointed by Paul in the churches he planted in Asia Minor (Acts 14:23 cp. I Timothy 3:2c)  They were likely mainly Jews who had been well-taught in the Old Testament Scriptures from their youngest days.

But notice one more element of the condition of the Jews - their condition:

               4.    Spiritually.  Mere book-learning does not re-make a sinful heart.  And physical birth into a Jewish home was no guarantee of spiritual birth.  Thus the spiritual condition of the Jews when Christ was born in Bethlehem was quite mixed, as it had been throughout the history of the Jewish race.  There was a relatively small minority who, with Zacharias and Elizabeth, and Mary and Joseph, and Simeon and Anna (at the temple), were looking in true faith for the redemption of Jerusalem with the coming of Messiah.  However, the majority, though perhaps more moral outwardly than the Gentiles around them, were still lost sinners right along with pagan idolaters.  This explains why Jesus so sharply rebuked their self-righteous hypocrisy (especially the Pharisees) and skeptical worldly-mindedness (especially the Sadducees).  This is also why so many Jews rejected the Messiah, and ended up persecuting His newly-founded church.

Having seen the Jewish influence,  we must hasten to:

II.    The Gentile influence.  The other two languages present on Christ's cross pointed to this other dominant influence as Christ's church began.  First of all there was:

       A.    The Greek influence.  The Greek text on the cross was the language of Greece.  As a result of the conquests of the Greek king, Alexander the Great, during the 4th C. B.C., the Greek language was widely spoken in the Roman Empire, and Greek (or Hellenistic) culture and literature were widely-influential.  The conquering Roman legions helped spread this Greek influence further, since the Romans greatly appreciated Greek culture.

               1.    The common use of the Greek language in the civilized world prepared the way for, and made readily useable, the Greek New Testament which was given by God to the church during the Apostolic period.  Providentially, this particular language was especially useful for the revelation of divine truth, for, in the language of a former teacher, "It was a copious, expressive language with a rich intellectual heritage capable of making clear distinctions".[1]

               2.    Greek philosophy also had a wide-spread influence, with the three major philosophies of Platonism, Stoicism, and Epicureanism leading the way.  Although in some ways these philosophies prepared the way for biblical truths and thought-patterns, they also played a major role in the future arising of serious errors and heresies within the church.

But now, let us reflect a little upon the other major Gentile influence upon the church:

       B.    The Roman influence.  The Latin text on the cross was the language of Rome.  Notice several things about this important influence:

               1.    The conquering Romans united most of the civilized world of that day with their famous legions of soldiers.  Wherever they conquered, they generally established stable and somewhat effective governments and laws.  These contributed to previously-unparalleled peace and prosperity during the height of the Roman Empire from 27 BC to 180 AD, which interestingly enough was providentially the period of Christ's earthly ministry, and of the early years of the church.  Travel and trade were made the safest and easiest ever in the world up to that time as pirates were swept from the seas and a system of excellent roads was built.  Thus, quoting Schaff, "Under the protection of the Roman law the apostles could travel everywhere and make themselves understood through the Greek language in every city of the Roman domain".[2]

               2.    Also, the Roman empire broke down religious barriers between countries and races of people.  Before this time, each nation was sacral.  I.e., it possessed its own gods or idols with their accompanying religion.  To be a citizen of the land meant following its religion - or else facing the consequences which often were death.  But the Romans wisely allowed the different groups under their dominion to maintain their own religions. 

This fact, combined with the migration of natives of various conquered lands around the Empire, created a religious pluralism and a degree of religious toleration unknown previously.  Thus was provided a context in which the Christian church could emerge without being instantly stamped out, and in which it could spread to the civilized world of that day.  This degree of religious freedom was present in the earliest days of the church although a more demanding form of emperor worship later was instituted which led to problems for Christians. 

In this more tolerant setting, the old classical pagan religions (which were polytheistic and had gods like Jupiter, Zeus, Mars, Diana, etc) declined rapidly.  There a tendency to mix different religions together, often in a monotheistic (one god) direction.  Eastern, mystical religions swept in with a belief in the immortality of the soul (which some Greek philosophers had taught to some degree as well).

               3.    The height of the Roman Empire was a period of upheaval and change as many people were uprooted from their traditional home-lands and re-located in bustling cities.  This upheaval, combined with affluence and more time for ease and recreations, led to a horrible decline morally in the Empire.  The fights of beasts and gladiators became a common form of amusement which often took 20,000 human lives in a single month.  Immorality of the worst sorts including homosexuality was common all the way up to the emperor himself.  But with all of this change and moral filth, there also was present increasing spiritual hunger (which only God can create).  The time was right for the appearance of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and for the establishing and advancing of His church.

These then were the Jewish and Gentile influences which provided the setting for the birth of the Christian church.  But there were also:

III.  Interactions between the Jewish and Gentile influences.  There were first of all:

       A.    Jewish influences upon the Gentiles.  This was especially seen in Gentiles who had attached themselves to Old Testament Judaism.  Wherever the widely-dispersed Jews were found in significant groups, there was a synagogue - a where they met to worship.  And commonly attached to these synagogues were Gentiles.  These Gentiles included a few full proselytes who were often more unbiblically extreme in their practice of Judaism than were blood Jews.  But there was also a larger group of Gentile God-fearers who had a looser attachment to Judaism, but were seeking the true and living God.  From this latter group of God-fearers were to come the first Gentile members of the church (Acts 10), and these folks commonly provided important bridges to the Gentile community when the Gospel came to their area.

There were also significant:

       B.    Gentile influences upon the Jews.  Notice three of these:

               1.    The Greek culture influenced at least some of the Jews.  The Hellenistic Jews of the Dispersion spoke primarily Greek, not the Aramaic of Palestine or its closely related language of Old Testament Hebrew.  Due to this reality, Hellenistic Jews in Alexandria, some time before the arrival of Messiah, produced the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Old Testament.  As a result, the church from the beginning possessed a translation of the Old Testament which could be read wherever Greek was spoken (which again was quite a few places).

               2.    Also, the more direct contacts and interactions with Gentiles helped reduce or temper the Jewish despising of the "Gentile dogs" and other unbiblical extremes among the Hellenistic Jews of the Dispersion.  It is likely no accident that it was the church at Antioch (where Hellenistic Jews were located) and not the church at Jerusalem (where were located the more prejudiced Jews of Palestine) which at least initially seems to have been most directly used by God in bringing the Gospel more widely to the Gentiles.

               3.    One final Gentile influence upon the Jews was a negative one.  The surrounding Greek culture subtly infiltrated the thinking of some Jews.  This introduced errors into Judaism which would later carry over into the Christian church, as mentioned earlier.

In conclusion, we have sought to briefly survey the setting prepared by God for the church.  It was no accident that Christ came when He did, and that He began His church when He did.  These key redemptive events had a perfect setting prepared by God for them - all so that the church might be protected in its beginnings, and might rapidly spread across the civilized world of that day.  Behold the sovereign, gracious wisdom of our heavenly Father in the setting He provided for His church.  In light of this striking reality, can we not therefore confidently trust Him to finish the job of building His church, which He so skillfully began?  And can we not trust Him, if we are His children, to handle the relatively small details of our individual lives with equal skill and kindness, if He can move empires at His will for the benefit of His people?

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     [1]  HT 1, p. 14.

     [2]  Vol. 1, p. 78.