2. 4. Monasticism
a. This is the most
significant development
in church life in the 4th
century (though it began
to develop in the last
half of the third
century).
b. Discontented and
disgusted with sinful
society, they would go
off into unpopulated
areas and live simple,
ascetic lives.
3. c. Men who would do this were called
“monks” (from the Greek
monachos, meaning, “a person who
lives alone”).
1) Renounced worldly property and
pleasures
2) Were celibate
3) Consecrated themselves to prayer,
fasting, and Bible study
4. d. Three types of monks
1) Hermits or anchorites (From the Greek
eremia, “the desert”; chorizo,
“to separate”).
2) Coenobitic monasticism (From the Greek
koinos bios, “common life”): A community of
monks living in a monastery (the word
originally meant “a hermit’s cave”).
a) Shared all things in common
b) Were self-supporting through manual
labor
c) Strict obedience to their leader, the abbot
(from the Arabic, “Abba,” meaning “Father”).
d) Nuns (from the feminine of the Latin for
monk, nonnus, nonna).
5. e) Key works
•Apology against the Arians
•Four Orations against the Arians
•History of the Arians
•The Incarnation of the Word of God
f) Five times driven into exile for his
orthodox beliefs (spent 17 of his 45
years as patriarch in exile)
6.
7. A. The Players: Key Fathers of the
Fifth Century: Though the work of
these Fathers begins at the end of the
fourth century, their most significant
work and the preponderance of their
influence is keenly felt in the fifth
century.
1. John Chrysostom (344-407)
a. Preacher and expositor
1) John “Golden Mouth” one of the greatest preachers in
the history of the church.
2) “Father” of expository preaching – preached verse by
verse
through books of the Bible.
3) Championed grammatico-historical exegesis over and
against Origen’s allegorism – known as the Antiochene school
of interpretation.
8. b. Monk and ascetic
1) Lived with other monks
in a cave outside Antioch
2) Practiced such a harsh
asceticism that he
damaged his health
3) Denounced
ungodliness in the church
and state directly and
forthrightly.
9. c. Church leader
1) Returned to Antioch in
380, became a deacon in
381, was
ordained a presbyter in
386.
2) Became the patriarch
of Constantinople at the
turn of the fifth century.
3) Wrote an influential
book on pastoral ministry
called On the Priesthood.
10. d. Enemies: Though he was
popular among common people,
even revered by them, he was
not without enemies in high
places.
1) Theophilus of Alexandria (patriarch 385-412) was his
enemy, jealous of Chrysostom’s popularity and angry with
him for showing hospitality to four monks Theophilus had
condemned.
2) Died in 407 from heat exhaustion en route to a place of
exile (he
had insulted the Emperor’s wife Eudoxia one too many times).
11. 2. Jerome (347-420)
a. One of the most accomplished scholars in the early church
b. His magnum opus: the Vulgate
12. 1) Responsible for translating the Bible
from the original languages
into Latin (the Vulgate) – it took 23
years to complete, completed
in 405.
2) Since many Christians spoke Greek,
and almost none spoke
Hebrew the common Christian OT was
the Septuagint.
3) From the Hebrew, Jerome knew
that the books called Apocrypha
(hidden things)60 were not part of the
Bible; therefore, he argued
that Christians should only accept as
authentic the books that the
Jews included in the Hebrew OT and
must reject the extra books in
the Septuagint.
13. c. Lived as a hermit until
ordained as a presbyter in
Antioch in 379.
d. While in Rome was very
unpopular among the Roman
clergy and ruling classes.
When his patron and
defender, pope Damasus died
in 384, Jerome had to flee
Rome. He went to Jerusalem,
where he lived out the rest of
his days in a monastery in
Bethlehem.
14.
15. a. Life
1) Born at Tagaste in
North Africa.
2) Influenced by his
godly mother,
Monica cf. 2 Timothy 1.
3) Admired Plato,
marked influence in
his writings.
16. c. Profligate and philosopher
turned Christian
1) Lived with a woman and
had a son out of wedlock
(they never married, and
Augustine was celibate until
his death).
2) Came under the influence
of Ambrose who convinced
him of the truthfulness of
Christianity, but he could not
repent of his sin – the
allurements of sinful pleasure
were too strong.
17. 3) Then in 386 he read Rom
13:13-14: “Let us behave
properly as in
the day, not in carousing and
drunkenness, not in sexual
promiscuity and sensuality, not
in strife and jealousy. But put on
the Lord Jesus Christ, and make
no provision for the flesh in
regard to its lusts.” Of this
experience Augustine said, “I
did not want or need to read
any further. Instantly, as I
finished the sentence, the
light of faith flooded into my
heart, and all the darkness of
doubt vanished.”
18. d. Became bishop of Hippo in 396.
e. Theological emphases
1) The importance of the OT for Christians
(the whole Bible as a Christian book).
2) The catholicity of the church
3) Original sin and total depravity
4) The sovereignty of God in salvation –
grace does and mustoverpower our will
5) Further nuanced the West’s understanding
of the Trinity.
19. f. Key Works
1) Confessions: A prayer to God of his personal testimony and
reflections on the Christian life (a must-read).
2) On the Trinity: Significantly influenced the West (what would
become the Roman Catholic Church over and against Eastern
Orthodoxy).
a) What unified the members of the Godhead. Augustine
suggested that it was divine essence shared by each member.
The Eastern Fathers taught that it was the Father’s essence
shared by the Son and Spirit.
b) The “procession” of the Holy Spirit both from Father and Son,
not only from the Father (East). This was a logical outcome of
the difference between Augustine’s view of what unified the
members of the Godhead.
20. 3) City of God: In 410
Rome was captured by
the Visigoths (West
Germanic tribesmen).
Pagans said that it was
because the Empire had
embraced hristianity.
Augustine wrote City of
God to answer this
charge, setting up for the
readers a Christian view
of history.
21. g. Major opponent of false teaching
1) Donatism (late fourth century)
a) A pure church was impossible in this world
b) Donatists would not accept Roman Catholic baptism.
Augustine’s reply was that “the unworthiness of the
minister did not affect the validity of the sacrament
whose minister was Christ.”
c) Eventually argued that the State had power to coerce
factious groups back into the church for their souls’
sake.
22. 1) Calvin and the Reformers were heavily
influenced by Augustine
2) Augustine’s view of the Apocrypha and his
ecclesiology influenced RC Church.
a) Apocrypha was Scripture because
Augustine believed that the Septuagint (LXX)
was inspired.
b) Outside the church there was no salvation
even among thosewe might think would
have good reason to leave it.
23. B. Controversies and Councils
1. The doctrine of salvation
a. Pelagianism
1) Named for Pelagius, a British monk who
came to Rome around
383.
24.
25. 2) Tenets
a) Men born sinless, just like Adam
b) “Sinless” means “morally neutral” not
positively righteous or upright.
c) Most people sin, but not because they are
inherently incapable of doing anything else,
but because they follow his example. Their
sin is not because of a corrupt nature, but
because of free choice.
d) Some are able to remain pure, sinless,
and perfectly holy in this life.
26. e) Grace for Pelagius meant
--Not the work of the Holy Spirit, but is equal to man’s own
abilities and power; instead it meant…
--God’s gift of free-will to all human beings
--God’s gift of the Law and the example of Christ, which
revealed
perfectly how people should live, and supplied strong
incentives for doing so: eternal rewards and the threat of
eternal punishment.
Pelagius’ theology…made the fruits of human goodness grow
almost
entirely out of human free-will and effort; entry into heaven,
in the Pelagian scheme, became a just reward for living a good
life on earth, rather than an underserved gift purchased for
helpless sinners by the blood of an allsufficient Savior.
