Dr. Pothana

1. COACH Institute of Intercultural Studies, Hyderabad
History of Christianity-1
Dr. Pothana

3. 2. Roman persecution increased and continued until 313 AD
a. Marcus Aurelius
(AD 161-180) and
Blandina: Under
Marcus Aurelius’
persecution (an
emperor with no love
for the Christians),
Blandina, a Christian
and a slave who
confessed Christ and
refused to swear by
pagan idols, was
violently martyred:

5. “We were all afraid and
Blandina’s earthly mistress was
in agony in case she [Blandina]
should be unable to make a bold
confession of Christ due to her
bodily weakness; but Blandina
was filled with such power, that
those who took it in turns to
subject her to every kind of
torture from morning to night
were exhausted by their efforts,
and confessed themselves
beaten – they could think of
nothing else to do. They were
amazed that she was still
breathing for her whole body
was mangled, and her wounds
gaped.”

6. “After suffering for
many days without
dying, Blandina finally
fell: “After whipping
her, giving her to the
beasts, and burning her
with hot irons, the
authorities finally
dropped her into a
basket and threw her to
a bull. The beast gored
here again and
again….Then she too
was sacrificed.”Forty other Christians died in this particular incident.

14. E. Worship1. A general picture of Christian worship from Justin’s first apology:
On the day called Sunday there is a meeting in one place of those who live in
cities or in the country, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the
prophets are read as long as time permits. When the reader has finished, the
president in a discourse urges and invites [us] to the imitation of these noble
things. Then we all stand up together and offer prayers. And, as said before,
when we have finished the prayer, bread is brought, with wine and water, and
the president similarly sends up prayers and thanksgivings to the best of his
ability, and the congregation assents, saying the Amen; the distribution, and
reception of the consecrated [elements] by each one, takes place and they are
sent to the absent by the deacons. Those who prosper, and who so wish,
contribute, each one as much as he chooses to. What is collected is deposited
with the president and he takes care of orphans and widows, and those who are
in want on account of sickness or any other cause, and those who are in bonds,
and the strangers who are sojourners among [us], and, briefly, he is the
protector of all those in need. We all hold this common gathering on Sunday,
since it is the first day, on which God transforming darkness and matter made
the universe, and Jesus Christ our Saviour [sic] rose from the dead on the same
day.”

15. 2. The Lord’s Supper: Another quote from Justin:
Then bread and a cup of wine mixed with water are
brought to the president and the brothers. He takes
them and offers up praise and glory to the Father of
the universe, through the name of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit. He gives thanks at considerable length for
our being counted worthy to receive these things from
His hands. When he has finished the prayers and
thanksgivings, all the people present express their
joyful agreement by saying Amen….Then those whom
we call deacons give to each of those present the bread
and the wine mixed with water over which the
thanksgiving was pronounced, and carry away a
portion to those who are absent.

16. 2. The Lord’s Supper: Another quote from Justin:
We call this food “Eucharist,” which no-one is allowed to
share unless he believers that the things we teach are true,
and has been washed with the washing that is for the
forgiveness of sins and a second birth, and is living as Christ
has commanded. For we do not receive them as common
bread and common drink. But as Jesus Christ our Savior
became flesh by the word of God, and clothed Himself in
our flesh and blood to save us, so also we have been taught
that the food which is blessed by the word of prayer handed
down from Christ, by which our blood and flesh are
nourished as the food becomes part of ourselves, is the flesh
and blood of the same Jesus Who became flesh. For the
apostles, in the memoirs composed by themselves called
“Gospels,” have delivered to us what was commanded to
them.

17. 3. A typical order of worship. It
came in two parts. The first part
was done with a mixed
audience, believers and
unbelievers. Before the second
part, people who had not been
baptized were dismissed from
the meeting – it was for
Christians only

18. a. Part 1: Service of the Word
1) Opening greeting by bishop and response by
congregation: Usually the bishop said, “The Lord be
with you,” and the congregation responded with, “And
with your spirit.”
2) OT Scripture reading, by a deacon, chanted in larger
congregations.
3) Psalm or hymn: The most common form of singing
was responsorial chanting. The singer would sing or
chant a passage (usually a psalm) and the congregation
would respond with a single word, like “Alleluia” or a
chorus. There was also solo singing and full
congregational singing, though the latter did not
become popular until the 4th century

19. 4) NT Scripture reading – any book from
Acts to Revelation
5) Psalm or hymn
6) Gospel Reading
7) Sermon: Preached by the bishop
from a sitting position (the congregation
stood during the entire service (the
Western church only began to introduce
pews in the 14th century!).
8) Dismissal of all but baptized
believers.

20. b. Part 2: The Eucharist
1) Prayers: The prayer leader (the bishop in the
west and a deacon in the east) announced the
topic for prayer. The congregation then prayed
silently, standing with eyes open and arms reaching
to the heavens. Then the leader would close that
section of the prayers.
2) Communion
a) The greeting by the bishop, response of the congregation, and
the “kiss of peace” (men kissed men, women kissed women).
b) The offertory: Each member brought a small loaf and flask of
wine and spread them out on the communion table.
c) Dialogue: The church engaged in a back-and- forth like this:
Bishop: The Lord be with you.
Congregation: And also with you.
Bishop: Lift up your hearts.
Congregation: We lift them to the Lord.

21. d) Bishop and deacons broke the loaves
e) Bishop and deacons distributed the wine (the
leftovers were taken home by the congregation to
use when they celebrated the Lord’s Table during
the week).
f) Benediction. A phrase like “Depart in peace” was
spoken by a deacon.