Life and Times of the Church Fathers
Roman Empire in 30 BC
Interactive Map – Cool!
 http://www.timemaps.com/history/europe-30bc
Christians a Threat to Roman Empire
 The Roman Empire viewed Christians as a threat because
they did not worship the roman gods, they refused to
participate in military activity (prior to 313 AD), and met in
secret.
 The Roman government feared what the Christians did in
their secret meetings.
 They also saw Christians as a political threat since they did
not give full allegiance to the Emperor by worshiping him.
Christian Persecution
 Because of the threats that Christians posed, the Roman
emperor did not hesitate to execute Christians.
 In a letter between Pliny the governor of Pontus (in Asia
Minor) and the Emperor, the Emperor advises Pliny to
execute Christians when they are caught, but not to go
looking for Christians.
 To see the letters, visit:
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/pliny-trajan1.asp
Christian Martyrs – Perpetua and
Felicity
 The Church Fathers, while
adding to the theology of the
Church were not the only
“witnesses” to the faith.
 Common women and men also
witnessed to the faith.
 Perpetua and Felicity were two
Christians martyred for their
faith in 203 AD. Their story of
imprisonment and execution
was recorded and preserved.
 Other Christians circulated the
stories of martyrs and honored
their witness of faith.
Christian Communities in Roman
Empire
 Christian communities formed when Apostles or other
disciples evangelized their towns and provinces.
 Paul gives us the best view of these communities in his
letters. He wrote to those places that he helped to establish
churches.
 These early communities relied on Oral Tradition to
communicate the story of Jesus before the Gospels were
actually written down.
 The first Gospel was written in…
Worship Spaces
 Early Christians did not
worship in public since it was
illegal to be a Christian.
 As a result they worshipped
in the secrecy of their own
homes.
 Often singing hymns, offering
prayers, and then sharing a
meal together.
 Christians began devoting
buildings as churches after
313 AD, when Constatine
made Christianity legal.
Not just the Church Fathers writing
 After Jesus’ death and resurrection,
many of his followers were trying
to make sense of his life, death, and
resurrection.
 Not all of these writers and
theologians were on the right track,
however.
 There were heretic texts circulating
about Jesus and the Christian faith.
 Many of the Church Fathers wrote
in response to these these heresies
and texts. It was also their job to
determine which of these texts
were inspired by the Holy Spirit
and which were not.
Relationship Between Jews and
Christians
 Council of Jerusalem: Described in Acts 15 as the debate
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between Peter and Paul about whether or not gentiles must
first become Jewish before becoming Christian.
The Council decided that….?
This decision marked a distinction between Judaism and
Christianity.
Christianity was becoming its own entity.
The council occurred in approximately 50 AD.
A Sad Year for Jerusalem
 In 70 AD the Roman
Empire ransacked
Jerusalem and destroyed
the Temple.
 The Jewish people once
again had to leave
Jerusalem and no longer
had a center of worship.