2nd Century Christian Church

Gnosticism

A prominent heretical movement of the 2nd-century Christian Church, partly of pre-Christian origin. Gnostic doctrine taught that the world was created and ruled by a lesser divinity, the demiurge, and that Christ was an emissary of the remote supreme divine being, esoteric knowledge (gnosis) of whom enabled the redemption of the …

Smarthistory – Early Christian art

Early Christian art. The beginnings of an identifiable Christian art can be traced to the end of the second century and the beginning of the third century. Considering the Old Testament prohibitions against graven images, it is important to consider why Christian art developed in the first place. The use of images will be a …

Timeline of the Early Church Fathers & Others

Timeline of the Early Church Fathers. Table of The Early Church Fathers & Others ... 2nd Century: Basilides: 120–140: Early Gnostic. Epistle of Barnabas: 125-135: Anonymous. Attributed to a companion of Paul. ... 3rd Century: Origen: 200–250: First Christian Bible scholar. Compiled the Hexapla, a critical edition of the Old Testament ...

Creeds and Confessions 101 | Crossway Articles

February 08, 2020 by: Crossway. Brief statements of key doctrines have been with us since the beginning of biblical history. They often focus on God and the way of salvation. Creeds and confessions are useful only to the extent that they reproduce faithfully the teaching of Scripture itself—serving as a helpful teaching tool for churches ...

Worship in the Early Church: Did You Know?

The church experienced little Greek and Roman influence in its earliest years. In the age of the apostles, up to about A.D. 70, the predominance of Jewish Christians in the churches assured the influence of Judaism. Because Judaism was diverse, we find variety in worship across the vast reaches of the Roman Empire.

Gnosticism: Origin, Meaning and Relation to Christianity

Gnosticism was a notable heretical movement of the 2nd-century Christian Church, partially of pre-Christian origin. The gnostic doctrine taught that the world was created and ruled by a lesser divinity, the demiurge, and that Christ represented the remote supreme divine being. Also, that esoteric knowledge (gnosis) enabled the …

Christianity second century themes and developments | Church …

The second century is often considered to be a time during which the Christian church moved relentlessly towards forms of institutionalisation and consolidated itself against so-called heretics. However, new perspectives have been brought within recent scholarship as the period has attracted interest from a variety of disciplines, including not ...

Apologist | Definition, History, Theology, Figures, Works,

John N.D. Kelly The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Apologist, any of the Christian writers, primarily in the 2nd century, who attempted to provide a defense of Christianity and criticisms of Greco-Roman culture. Many of their writings were addressed to Roman emperors and were written to address charges against their religion.

Irenaeus and the Second Century Church

Church history: Irenaeus and the Second Century Church Irenaeus has been called the most important Christian theologian between the apostles and the third century. He was a Greek born in Roman Proconsular Asia, today southwestern Turkey, probably between A.D. …

Christian Symbols on Ancient Objects

After the Edict of Milan in 313 AD, giving Christians the right to worship Christ, Christian symbols started to appear openly on many objects. Until the Edict, Christians had worshipped in secret and displayed their symbols in the underground Catacombs. Catacombs of St. Domitilla, (c. 150-200 AD) a piece of marble with a very early depiction …

Church History

The church of the second century grew into a force, but not without struggle. Persecution Roman Empire was a consistent challenge, but this only helped the church grow with …

Early church AD 1-500, Part 1 | Christian History Magazine

Resting on the edge of the Euphrates River in modern-day Syria, it was a cultural crossroads. By the 3rd century AD, it contained Greek temples, mystery cults, a Jewish synagogue, and one of the earliest and best-preserved house churches. With periodic waves of persecution sweeping the Roman world, house churches were central to …

Second and Third Centuries | Church History

The brutal Roman persecutions lasted for three hundred years. The most severe persecutions in the second and third centuries were those under Trajan (A.D. 98–117), Septimius Severus (A.D. …

Christianity in the Second Century

Christianity in the Second Century shows how academic study on this critical period of Christian development has undergone substantial change over the last thirty years. The second century is often considered to be a time during which the Christian church moved relentlessly towards forms of institutionalisation and …

Third-century Christianity (18b)

Harnack, A. von ( 1924) Die Mission und Ausbreitung des Christentums in den ersten drei Jahrhunderten, 4th edn, 2 vols. Leipzig Google Scholar. Harnack, A. von. ( 1908) The Mission and Expansion of Christianity in the First Three Christian Centuries, 2nd edn, vol. I (tr. Moffatt, J. ).

The Pioneers of the Christian Church: Who Were the First …

Another influential figure in the early Christian church was Justin Martyr, a philosopher and theologian who lived in the 2nd century. Justin Martyr was an early defender of the Christian faith and wrote extensively on the topic of apologetics. He was also a prominent advocate for the inclusion of Gentile believers in the church.

Early Church History Timeline

This early church history timeline, in my opinion, addresses issues that ought to be of concern to all Christians. Ad: Our books consistently maintain 4-star and better ratings despite the occasional 1- and 2-star ratings from people angry because we have no respect for sacred cows. We are told to "contend earnestly for the faith once for all ...

Early Church Heresies

Second Century Christians and Heresies Heresies: Docetism, Marcion, Montanus Gnosticism - Nag Hammadi Texts Intro to Gnostic Writings Gnostic Writings - Nag Hammadi New Testament Canon - NT Canon …

Early Christianity

Article. Emerging from a small sect of Judaism in the 1st century CE, early Christianity absorbed many of the shared religious, cultural, and intellectual traditions of the Greco- Roman world. In …

How the Christian Church Was First Organized: A Historical …

Published: April 1, 2023. Sharing is Caring. The history of the Christian church is long and complex, spanning two millennia and countless cultures. It is a story of faith, struggle, and transformation, as individuals and communities have sought to understand and live out the teachings of Jesus Christ in different contexts and times.

Biblical literature

Biblical literature - Canons, Texts, History: By the end of the 2nd century, Irenaeus used the four canonical Gospels, 13 letters of Paul, I Peter, I and II John, Revelation, …

Christianity in the Second Century: Themes and Developments

Studies on second century Christianity are drawing greater attention. This time period is recognized as one in which Christian identity was being defined. The apostles were gone, persecution had increased, and the Christian faith was distinguishing itself from a much larger Judaism. Frequently, the second century has been viewed to be a time when the …