The Role of Early Heresies

Transcription

1 1 Sunday, Nvember 28, 2010 Grace Life Schl f Thelgy Church Histry: A Tale f Tw Churches Lessn 11 The Patristic Perid: The Evlutin f the Cathlic Church The Rle f Early Heresies Just as the cntrversy surrunding Marcin played a rle in the frmatin f the cann, s did early heresies play a rle in the frmatin f the Cathlic Church hierarchy. One f these great early heresies was Gnsticism. Cnsider the fllwing summary f Gnstic beliefs. One culd hardly call Gnsticism a mvement; it lacked a unifying cause. It was mre like a variety f mvements, each ne ffering sme way f enlightenment prescribed by a guru, a philspher wh pssessed the gnsis r knwledge f the way f life. (Shelley, 50-51) Frm the perspective f the Gnstics, everything physical was crrupt; nly spiritual things were pure. In this, the Gnstics drew heavily frm Greek philsphers such as Plat. Certain persns culd the Gnstics claimed experience secret knwledge f Gd. This knwledge transprted these persns int a higher realm, beynd the limitatins f their flesh. (Jnes, 23) Because they detested everything physical, Gnstics rejected r reinterpreted verses like Jhn 1:14 The Wrd became flesh and dwelt amng us. Accrding t many Gnstics, Jesus Christ never became flesh; instead, Christ was a spirit that temprality pssessed an rdinary human being named Jesus. (Jnes, 23) Anther early heresy was espused by the Ebinites. The Ebinites taught the fllwing: Jesus was merely a man, a prphet r a spkesman fr Gd like the Hebrew prphets f the Old Testament. While sme Ebinites believed in the virgin birth, mst maintained that Jesus was the sn f Jseph and Mary and that Christ descended upn him in frm f a dve at his baptism. (Laturette, 121) Jesus nw inhabited by Christ prclaimed an unknwn Father. In additin, Ebinites held that Christ, wh culd nt suffer, departed frm him (Jesus) befre his crucifixitin and resurrectin. (Laturette, 122) Persisting in small minrities until the 4 th century, the Ebinites repudiated Paul, declaring him t be an apstate frm the law. (Laturette, 122) They taught that Jesus was a mere man wh by his scrupulus bedience t the Law was justified and became the Messiah. (Shelley, 50) A third early heresy was Dcetism. Originating frm the Greek verb, t seem Dcetism maintained that Christ was nt really a man, but a supernatural appearance. He nly seemed t suffer fr man s sins since we all knw divine phantms are nt capable f dying. (Shelley, 50) The Need t Prtect the Truth Pastr Bryan Rss

2 2 In an effrt t strengthen their psitins, Gnstics and ther heretical teachers ften tried t trace their traditins back t an apstle. N fewer than three heretical tracts were suppsedly written by Thmas. (Jnes, 28) With s many false claims circulating, hw culd Christians prtect the true teachings f the New Testament? In an attempt t prtect authentic apstlic traditins, sme bishps began tracing their beliefs back t apstles wh may have lived in r passed thrugh their cities. (Jnes, 28) By the third century, nt nly were the bishp s teachings traced t the apstles, but verseers als traced their authrity back t the apstles thereby making themselves the fficial trustees f the apstle s teachings. (Jnes, 28) Cnsequently, the pwer and influence f the bishp s expanded rapidly, particularly in large cities. Since city bishps nurtured Christians thrugh entire regins they began calling ne anther ppes the Latin wrd fr fathers. (Jnes, 28) If we are ging t understand the evlutin f the Cathlic Episcpacy we need t cnsider the fllwing issues in greater detail. Emerging distinctin between clergy and laity. Increasing pwer f the bishps. Apstlic successin Distinctin Between Clergy and Laity Andrew Miller, authr f Miller s Church Histry, has much t say abut hw the establishment f a distinctin between clergy and laity replaced the rganic wrking f the Hly Spirit accrding t the wrd f Gd within the church. Miller writes, It may be fair t suppse that thse gd men, by whse means a new rder f things was brught int the church, and the free ministry f the Hly Spirit in the members f the bdy excluded had the welfare f the church at heart. (Miller, 184) Christianity in the beginning had n separate priestly class. The divine rder f the churches established by the apstle Paul had n distinctin between clergy and laity. All believers std n the same grund as t the priesthd, wrship, and access t Gd. There was n uter curt wrship, every believer enjy direct and unbrken access int the thrne rm f Gd fr prayer and supplicatin. (Miller, 186) The separatin f a privileged class a sacerdtal rder is unknwn in the New Testament. The distinctin between clergy and laity was suggested by Judaism, and human inventin sn made it great but it was Episcpal rdinatin that established the distinctin and widened the separatin. (Miller, 186) In place f Gd speaking directly t the heart and cnscience f believers thrugh his written Wrd the emerging priesthd came between the believer and Gd thereby causeing believers t stand in the pinins f men rather than Gd s written wrd. (Miller, 186) Pastr Bryan Rss

3 3 Increasing Pwer f the Bishps We have already seen in previus studies that Gd rdained tw ffices within the lcal church. Bishp/verseer/elder I Timthy 3:1, Titus 1:5, 7, Acts 20:28 Deacns I Timthy 3:8 We have als seen that accrding t the scriptural pattern there was t be a multiplicity f elders/bishps in every city and every church. Titus 1:5 in every city Acts 14:23 in every church The evlutin f the bishp s pwer can be seen by summarizing the writings f three church fathers that lived abut ne life time apart frm each ther. Ignatius writing abut 112 AD says that when Paul sent frm Miletus t Ephesus he called the bishps and presbyters, thus making tw titles ut f ne descriptin. In additin, Ignatius states that these men were frm Ephesus and neighbring cities thereby bscuring the fact that ne church Ephesus, had several verseers r bishps. (Bradbent, 32) Cnsider the fllwing primary surce qutatins f Ignatius: Being subject t the bishp and presbyters yu may in all respects be sanctified. (Berct, 70) If the prayer f ne r tw persns pssesses such pwer, hw much mre will that f the bishps and the whle church!... Therefre, in rder that we may be subject t Gd, let us be careful nt t set urselves in ppsitin t the bishp... It is clear, therefre, that we shuld lk upn the bishp even as we wuld the Lrd Himself. (Berct, 70) I exhrt yu t study t d all things with a divine harmny, while yur bishp presides in the place f Gd, and presbyters in the place f the assembly f the apstles, alng with yur deacns. (Berct, 70) There is ne bishp, alng with presbyters and deacns, my fellw servants. (Berct, 156) The Lrd grant frgiveness t all thse wh repent, if they turn in penitence t the unity f the Gd, and t cmmunin with the bishp. (Berct, 71) Let that be deemed a prper Eucharist if it is administered either by the bishp, r by ne t whm he has entrusted it... It is nt lawful withut the bishp either t baptize r t celebrate a lve-feast... Wherever the bishp appears, let the cngregatin be there als... It is well t reverence bth Gd Pastr Bryan Rss

4 4 and the bishp. He wh hnrs the bishp has been hnred by Gd. (Berct, 71) Frm the writings f Ignatius we can see the emergence f the fllwing heretical teachings within the first 10 years f the 2 nd century, nt mre than 50 years after the death f Paul: Three ffices: bishp, presbyters, deacns Preeminence f ne bishp instead f a multiplicity in every city and church Special liturgical functin f the bishps nt given t them in Scripture Mving frward in time less than ne life time, the wrks f Bishp Irenaeus f Lyns written in the 180s AD cntinue t advance the narrative started by Ignatius. Accrding t Mark A. Nll authr f Turning Pints: Decisive Mments in the Histry f Christianity Irenaeus taught that bishps guarded the handing n f Christian traditins frm the apstles and argued that an unbrken successin f presiding bishps in the varius churches guaranteed the cntinuatin f apstlic authrity in the church. Furthermre, Irenaeus tk special pains t trace the handing-n f authrity frm bishp t bishp in the Church f Rme. Cnsider the teachings f Irenaeus in his wn wrds: It is within the pwer f all, therefre, in every church, wh may wish t see the truth, t cntemplate clearly the traditin f the apstles manifested thrughut the wrld. And we are in a psitin t reckn up thse hw were by the apstles instituted bishps in the churches, and the success f these men t ur wn times... Fr if the apstles had knwn hidden mysteries... they wuld have delivered them especially t thse t whm they were als cmmitting the churches themselves. Fr they were desirus that they man shuld be perfect and blameless in all things, whm als they were leaving behind as their successrs, delivering up their wn place f gvernment t these men. (Berct, 71) Nw all these (heretics) are f much later date than the bishps t whm the apstles cmmitted the churches. (Berct, 71) True knwledge is the dctrine f the apstles and the ancient cnstitutin f the church thrughut all the wrld and the distinctive manifestatin f the bdy f Christ accrding t the successins f the bishps, by which they have handed dwn that the church exist in every place. (Berct, 31-32) By the time ne gets t writings f Bishp Cyprian f Carthage between 225 and 258 AD a fully established Episcpal system is functining within the emerging Cathlic Church. Cyprian freely uses the term the Cathlic Church and sees n salvatin utside f it. (Bradbent, 34) Cyprian states: Pastr Bryan Rss

5 5 Yu shuld knw that the bishp is in the church, and the church is in the bishp. If anyne is nt with the bishp, he is nt in the church. (Berct, 72) Our Lrd... describing the hnr f a bishp and the rder f His Church, speaks in the Gspel and says t Peter: I say unt yu, Yu are Peter, and upn this rck I will build my church and the gates f Hades will nt prevail against it.... Frm there, thrugh the changes f times and successins, the rdering f bishps and plan f the church flw nward. S that the church is fund upn the bishps. And every act f the church is cntrlled by these same rulers. Since this then, is fund n the divine law, I marvel that sme, with daring temerity, have chsen t write t me as if they wrte in the name f the church. Fr the church is established in the bishp, the clergy, and all wh stand fast in the faith. (Berct, 72) What kind f peple d yu think they are wh are the enemies f the priests and are rebels against the Cathlic Church?... Heresies have arisen and schisms have riginated frm n ther surce than this: that Gd s priest is nt beyed. (Berct, 162) Outside the Church there is n salvatin. (Shelley, 75) Cyprian is an interesting case study; He is prbably mre destructive f New Testament Christianity than anyne utside f Origen. In Cyprian we have a genuine perverter f Biblical truth wh lved the Lrd enugh t die fr him. The writing f Cyprian prve that ne can be right abut the Virgin Birth and Deity f Christ and s wrng abut salvatin that yu can spend eternity with thse wh dn t believe in either birth r the deity f Christ. (Ruckman, 80-81) Over time bishps in metrplitan areas began t assert their authrity upn utlying areas. Ecclesiastical prvinces were thus gradually frmed, which the Greeks afterwards denminated diceses. The city bishps claimed the privilege f appinting fficebearers t these rural churches and the peple t whm they cmmitted their instructin and care were called district bishps. (Miller, 188) Thus was a new Episcpal class was frmed laying the fundatin fr the mdern Cathlic structure. E.H. Bradbent, authr f The Pilgrim Church, suggests that the means adpted by the Church t cunteract early heresies affected the Church mre than the heresies themselves. It was the emergence f Episcpal pwer that altered the charter f the churches and resulted in the anti-spiritual system still bservable tday. (Bradbent, 30) Apstlic Successin Bishps quickly mved t blster their psitin by appealing t the transference f apstlic authrity. Cnsider the fllwing examples Tertullian Let them prduce the riginal recrds f their churches. Let them unfld the rll f their bishps, running dwn in due successin frm the beginning in such a manner that the first bishp f theirs can shw fr his rdainer and predecessr ne the apstles r apstlic men a man, Pastr Bryan Rss

6 6 mrever, wh cntinued steadfast with the apstles. Fr this is the manner in which the apstlic churches transmitted their registers. Fr example, the church f Smyrna recrds that Plycarp was placed their by Jhn. Likewise, the church f Rme demnstrates Clement t have been rdained in like manner by Peter. In exactly the same way, the ther churches similarly exhibit, whm, as having been appinted t their Episcpal places by apstles, they regard as transmitters f the apstlic seed. (Berct, 32) Tertullian N ther teaching will have the right f being received as apstlic than that which is at the present day prclaimed in the churches f apstlic fundatin. (Berct, 33) Cyprian He cannt be reckned as a bishp wh succeeds n ne. Fr he has despised the evangelical and apstlic traditin, springing frm himself. Fr he wh has nt been rdained in the church can neither have nr hld t the church in any way... Hw can he be esteemed a pastr, wh succeeds t n ne, but begins frm himself? Fr the true shepherd remains and presides ver the church f Gd by successive rdinatin. Therefre, the ther ne becmes a stranger and a prfane persn, an enemy f the Lrd s peace. (Berct, 32) Cyprian Hw can he wh is himself unclean and in whm the Hly Spirit des nt dwell, cleanse and sanctify the water (f baptism). Fr the Lrd says in the bk f Numbers, And whatever the unclean persn tuches will be unclean.... After all, what prayer can a priest wh is impius and a sinner ffer fr a baptized persn? Fr it is written, Gd des nt hear a sinner (Jhn 9:31)... Wh can give what he himself des nt have? Hw can he discharge spiritual functins wh himself has lst the Hly Spirit?... There can be n spiritual aninting amng heretics. Fr it is clear that the il cannt be sanctified nr the Eucharist celebrated at all amng them. (Berct, 33) Implicatins The last qute by Cyprian highlights the emergence f the sacramental system that culd nly be administered by bishps r members f the priestly class. As we alluded t earlier, the Eucharist was ne f the sacraments that were already being practiced as early as 100 AD. Ignatius... breaking ne and the same bread, which is the medicine f immrtality, and the antidte t prevent us frm dying, s that we shuld live frever in Jesus Christ. (Berct, 251) Ignatius I desire the bread f Gd, the heavenly bread, the bread f life which is the flesh f Jesus Christ, the Sn f Gd... And I desire the drink f Gd, namely His bld, which is incrruptible lve and eternal life. (Berct, 251) Justin Martyr We d nt receive these as cmmn bread and cmmn drink. Rather, Jesus Christ ur Savir, having been made flesh by the Wrd f Gd, had bth flesh and bld fr ur salvatin. S, likewise, we have been taught that the fd which is blessed by the prayer f His wrd, and frm which ur bld Pastr Bryan Rss

7 7 and flesh by transmutatin are nurished, is the flesh and bld f that Jesus wh was made flesh. (Berct, 252) Irenaeus Our pinin is the accrdance with the Eucharist, and, in turn, the Eucharist established ur pinin. Fr we ffer t Him His wn annuncing cnsistently the fellwship and unin f the flesh and spirit. Fr the bread, which is prduced frm the earth, when it receives the invcatin f Gd, is n lnger cmmn bread, but the Eucharist cnsisting f tw realities, earthly and heavenly. S als ur bdies, when they receive the Eucharist, are n lnger crruptible, having the hpe f the resurrectin t eternity. (Berct, 252) Irenaeus The wine and bread having received the Wrd f Gd, becme the Eucharist, which is the bdy and bld f Christ. (Berct, 252) Cyprian These disregarding the hnr that the blessed martyrs maintain fr me with the cnfessrs,... cmmunicate with the lapsed and ffer and give them Eucharist... Thse presbyters, cntrary t the Gspel law... befre penitence was fulfilled... dare the ffer n their behalf and t give t them Eucharist. That is, they dare t prfane the sacred bdy f the Lrd. (Berct, 252) Cyprian He says that whever will eat f His bread will live frever. S it is clear that thse wh partake f His bdy and receive the Eucharist by the right f cmmunin are living. On the ther hand, we must fear and pray lest anyne wh is separate frm Christ s bdy being barred frm cmmunin shuld remain at a distance frm salvatin. (Berct, 253) During the first tw centuries mst Christians believed that baptism cancelled sins cmmitted up t that mment in the believer s life. Serius pst-baptismal lapses called fr special treatment. Three sins in particular sexual immrality, murder, and denial f the faith were cnsidered frgivable by Gd, but never by the church. The penalty fr cmmitting any f these sins was exclusin frm the fellwship f the church and deprivatin f the Eucharist. Since the Lrd s Supper was viewed as a special channel f divine grace, withhlding it placed a persn s salvatin in peril. (Shelley, 74) There is als early evidence in the writings f the Church Fathers that they believed and taught baptismal regeneratin. That is t say that the waters f baptism save, regenerate, r justify the sinner in the eyes f Gd. Irenaeus When we cme t refute them (the Gnstics), we will shw in its prper place that this class f men have been instigated by Satan t a denial f the baptism which is regeneratin t Gd. Thus, they have renunced the whle faith... Fr the baptism instituted by the visible Jesus was fr the remissin f sins. (Berct, 52) Clement f Alexandria Being baptized, we are illuminated, we becme sns... This wrk is variusly called grace, illuminatin, perfectin, and washing. Washing, by which we cleanse away ur sins. Grace, buy which the penalties accruing t transgressins are remitted. Illuminatin, by with the hly light f salvatin is beheld, that is, by which we see Gd clearly. (Berct, 52) Pastr Bryan Rss

8 8 Cyprian... frm that death which nce the bld f Christ extinguished and frm which the saving grace f baptism and f ur Redeemer has delivered us. (Berct, 54) In 250 AD the mst vilent persecutin the churches had yet faced was instigated by the Emperr Decius. He cmmanded all citizens f the empire t sacrifice t the traditinal Rman gds. Thse wh did s were given certificates as evidence that they had beyed the rder. Ths wh refused t bey r were unwilling t btain false papers frm sympathetic r crrupt fficials faced death. (Shelley, 75) T save their lives many Christians cmpiled r received falsified dcuments. Unknwn thers were imprisned r executed amng them were the bishps f Rme, Antich, and Jerusalem. (Shelley, 75) Believers wh did what the Rmans wanted under trture were referred t as the lapsed. When the persecutins subsided in 251 AD questins abut whether r nt these lapsed believers s be admitted back int the church emerged. Accrding t Cyprian there was n salvatin utside f the church. (Shelley, 75) In shrt, this led t the emergence f a graded system f penance. Only after varied perids f srrw fr sin (penance) were the sinners allwed t return t the Lrd s Supper. The bishp extended frgiveness t the fallen, prvided they prved their srrw by cming befre the cngregatin in sackclth and with ashes n their heads. After this cnfessin and act f humility the bishp laid his hands upn the penitent as a symbl f restratin t the church. (Shelley, 76) Cyprian In smaller sins, sinners may d penance fr a set time and cme t public cnfessin accrding t the rules f discipline. They then receive the right f cmmunin thrugh the impsitin f the hand f the bishp and clergy. (Berct, 4) Cyprian I entreat yu, belved brethren, that each ne shuld cnfess his wn sins while he is till in this wrld while his cnfessin can still be received and while the satisfactin and remissin made by the priest are still pleasing t the Lrd. (Berct, 4) Clement f Alexander Thse wh fall int sin after baptism are thse wh are subjected t discipline. Fr the deeds dne befre baptism are remitted in baptism. Hwever, thse cmmitted after baptism are purged thrugh discipline. (Berct, 215) Finally, there is als evidence that the Church Fathers taught replacement thelgy as a precursr t what wuld ultimately becme pstmillennialism. The Fathers are very clear that Gd is dne with Israel and that the church inherits the cvenant blessing prmised t Israel. Cyprian Accrding t what has been fretld in advance, the Jews had departed frm Gd. They had lst Gd s favr, which had been given them in times past and had been prmised them fr the future. Instead the Christians Pastr Bryan Rss

9 9 have succeeded t their place, deserving well f the Lrd by faith. (Berct, 365) Cyprian Tw peples were fretld: the elder and the yunger. The elder peple are the Jews. The yunger ne cnsists f us. In Genesis it says, And the Lrd said unt Rebekah, Tw natins are in yur wmb. The church, which had been barren befre, is t have mre children frm amng the Gentiles than what the synaggue had had befre... The Jews were t lse, while we were t receive the bread and the cup f Christ and all his grace. The new name f Christians is t be blessed in the earth... S the Gentiles, rather than the Jews, attain t the kingdm f heaven. (Berct, 365) Cyprian The vineyard f the Lrd f hsts was the huse f Israel. But Christ taught and shwed that the peple f the Gentiles shuld succeed them and that by the merit f faith we shuld subsequently attain t the place that the Jews had lst. (Berct, 377) Cnclusin The seeds f the papacy are nt fund in Cnstantine s cuncil f Nicea in 325 AD. Cnstantine is dealing with a fully rted plan wh s seeds where planted in the writings f Cyprian. S what have we seen in this study? By the year 250 AD the fllwing aspect f the Rman Cathlic system can be clearly seen: Priestly class Prminence f Bishps Dctrine f Apstlic Successin Develpment f diceses and Metrplitan Priesthd The Church is spiritual Israel Sacramental System that Culd nly be administered by the priesthd Baptismal Regeneratin Eucharist Penance Pastr Bryan Rss

10 10 Wrks Cited Berct, David W. Dictinary f Early Christian Beliefs. Peabdy, MS: Hendricksn Publishers, Bradbent, E.H. The Pilgrim Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Gspel Fli Press, Jnes, Timthy Paul. Christian Histry Made Easy. Trrance, CA: Rse Publishing, Laturette, Kenneth Sctt..A Histry f Christianity: Refrmatin t the Present, Peabdy, MA: Prince Press, Miller, Andrew. Miller s Church Histry. Addisn, IL: Bible Truth Publicatins, Ruckman, Peter S. The Histry f the New Testament Church, Vl. I. Pensacla, FL: Bible Baptist Bkstre, Shelly, Bruce. Church Histry in Plan Language. Dallas, TX: Wrd Publishing, Recmmended Reading McGrath, Alister. Heresy: A Histry f Defending the Truth. New Yrk, NY: Harper One, Pastr Bryan Rss