Throughout the history of the church there have been many controversies. When Christianity was basically still a new thing it was not accepted as a true religion by the people and ruling powers of the day. These were the times shortly after Christ had come to earth and had been crucified for the sins of men. During this time the church was coming under severe persecutions from the outside world. Christians were being attacked for what they believed and for the practice of their religion. Not only were the Christians being attacked for what they believed but what they believed was coming under attack as well. The influence that the Church Fathers had, and still have, upon Christianity and upon the time in which they lived was of the utmost importance to the culture and the church. In a time when many things were unknown and misinterpreted the Church Fathers stood for what they believed and what was ultimately right Biblically. The Apostolic Fathers had fought to keep the true theology of the Christian Faith and interpreted it further. “They wrote for those inside the church with a twofold purpose: to refute false teachers and to strengthen believers in their faith.” [Page 123 of Church History]. During the time that the Church Fathers were living and writing their apologetics, the church was coming under attack by others preaching false doctrine trying to destroy the true message of the faith and also attacking the church. We will take a look at some of the Church Fathers that are truly looked at as saints of the faith and see how they are relevant in church history. Irenaeus is one of the Church Fathers whose works are still today seen as unclouded by the times in which he lived. Throughout his entire life he mediated the church and the false teaching of others of the time. “Irenaeus’s theology is based on unity.” He fought a battle against Gnostic and Marcionite dualism. Gnosticism is the belief of salvation by knowledge. “At a critical juncture in church history, he offered his book Against Heresies as the Christian answer.” [Getting to Know the Church Fathers pg 85]. During this time many people were being sucked into the lie of Gnosticism and were not finding the truth of Jesus Christ. The beliefs of Gnosticism were even appealing to people inside of the Church. Irenaeus wrote to the pope in Rome on this matter many times and his willingness to stand up and fight for the faith helped shape church history. In his book Against Heresies he said that “The Word of God became man; he who is Son of God was made Son of Man in order the humanity, by being taken into the Word and receiving adoption, might become the child of God”. Irenaeus showed the Catholic Church what a picture of the universal church was in this statement. He made it very clear that God came to earth in the form of man, which was Jesus Christ, and by doing this He fulfilled the prophesies of the Old Testament. When Christ came He came as the ultimate sacrifice for mankind. By becoming this sacrifice God made it possible to have an adoption between him and mankind if a person chose to believe that Christ was fully God and that everything that was said and taught by Christ was straight from the Father in Heaven. Irenaeus showed that there is no other way to the Father other than the Son. He left his legacy on the church and so did others that we now look to as Church Fathers. Augustine is another Church Father that impacted church history with his beliefs and his writings. Augustine was raised by a pagan father and a mother that was a devoted Christian. This would heavily influence Augustine later in his life and help him in his battle for the church. During his younger years Augustine looked to the pagan religions to justify his chosen lifestyle. He writes that he had a burning desire for the flesh and everything worldly. He was a follower of a religion that was based on dualism. It was very popular among the people of the day because it allowed them to feel that the way they were was alright because it was the evil in all of them and that evil was stronger than the good. He would use all of his experiences in life to help him to write one of the greatest books that the church has as a resource: Confessions. Augustine eventually reached the position of the bishop of Hippo and while he was there he would write another great series of books called the City of God. During this time Christianity had been recognized as a religion and the powers of the empire were trying to unite all of the empire with it. Something happened that no Roman citizen ever would have thought possible: the city of Rome fell to an outside force. Many people accused Christianity of being the sole problem of the empire. The people of the pagan faith were accusing Christians of making the empire weak and said that their beliefs were the reason that the city had fallen. Augustine would quickly fight against these assumptions that were being placed upon the Christians. He would blame the pagans and their religion. His writings would help the Christians and the church stay out of the whirlwind of these false accusations. So it can be seen what a powerful influence the Church Fathers had on history and are still having to this very day. These are just two of many that stood unwavering for the faith, always doing what God had led them to do. Their writings are still very important today and can still be used for the problems that we all face in today’s church and the outside world.
Before the crusades Christians had taken a non-violent stance against everything that came against them. This was the time of the martyrdoms. Slowly Christians were infiltrated into military service, which had once been closed off to them because of their beliefs. When Christianity was finally recognized as a religion the Roman Empire would not allow Christians to serve in the military, but over time the rules changed until only Christians were allowed to serve in the military. The time that was in between the shift of a non Christian military to a Christian military was a harsh time for Christians. The book records numerous incidents when Christian were exiled, tortured and even put to death for what they believed. It is surprising that the church could change its mind on something that at one time its leaders would gladly give their lives for. This change is what eventually sparked a religious war (or Jihad).
The book describes the overall way the church thought about violence in the beginning. The early Christians were poised for the return of Christ and they fully devoted every part of their lives to making preparations for His return. Warfare and battle had no place in their lives. God had commanded that Christians love unconditionally, so killing would be in violation of God’s word. In a sense Christians believed that they would impact the world more by not fighting back with force, but by instead showing great faithfulness in God and having no fear of the pain that was being inflicted upon them. Many people lost their lives for their faith. Some died in the far parts or the Roman Empire and others lost their lives in the coliseum. The problem really started when the Church became involved in the political world. The church became a pawn in the game of politics. Church leaders used it for their own personal gain. The view of pacifism slowly weakened and Christians were allowed to serve in the military as long as they kept the views of the church first and the views of the state second. Over time the military favored the service of Christians over that of nonbelievers. The church eventually lost all separation between itself and the political world of the day. The State started using the church in order to gain what they saw as important matters. These matters were not holy or true to what the Word of God said. This eventually led to the lie that was spread to Christians that eternal salvation could be obtained by serving the State in battle. This was the birth of Christian Jihad. The empire was united under the banner of hatred of one people: Muslims who were in the city of Jerusalem, which was considered a holy place for Christians. This sparked hundreds of years of warfare and the killing of Muslims and Jews that were in the Holy Land Israel. The damage done by the pillaging and raping done in the name of Christ Jesus is forever a dark point in the Christian Faith. The strife between Christians and Muslims is still strong. This book shows how people in power must be careful not to use the power for their own personal gain. The church was used and manipulated, not for the greater gain of the church but for the greater gain of the State. It is clear that the lie of finding salvation through bloodshed is nothing more than a lie. The only way for someone to find true forgiveness is Jesus Christ.
Getting to Know Your Church Fathers.
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Brazos Press (October 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1587431963
ISBN-13: 978-1587431968
I found this book a helpful resource in researching the early church.
am the wheat of God and am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts that I may be found the pure bread of God –Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch (about 100 a.d.)
