The Ancient Church Part 1

The Ancient Church.

by W.D. [William Dool] Killen.

PREFATORY NOTE.

I cannot permit this Edition of "The Ancient Church" to appear before the citizens of the United States without acknowledging my obligations to Mr Charles Scribner of New York. Mr Scribner was the first gentleman connected with the n.o.ble profession to which he belongs, either in the Old or in the New World, from whom I received encouragement in this undertaking; and his prompt and generous offers aided me materially in making arrangements for the publication of the work in Great Britain.

Every line of the present impression has been corrected by myself, and should my life be spared, any future Edition which Mr Scribner may publish is to appear under the same supervision. I trust that the Trade throughout the Union will recognize the debt of grat.i.tude which I owe to my American friend. There is a higher law than the law of international copyright, and I feel confident that no Publisher of honour and integrity in the Great Republic will repudiate its claims.

W.D. KILLEN.

17 University Square, Belfast, Ireland, _July_ 1859.

PREFACE.

The appearance of another history of the early Church requires some explanation. As the progress of the Christian commonwealth for the first three hundred years has been recently described by British, German, and American writers of eminent ability, it may, perhaps, be thought that the subject is now exhausted. No competent judge will p.r.o.nounce such an opinion. During the last quarter of a century, various questions relating to the ancient Church, which are almost, if not altogether, ignored in existing histories, have been earnestly discussed; whilst several doc.u.ments, lately discovered, have thrown fresh light on its transactions. There are, besides, points of view, disclosing unexplored fields for thought, from which the ecclesiastical landscape has never yet been contemplated. The following work is an attempt to exhibit some of its features as seen from a new position.

The importance of this portion of the history of the Church can scarcely be over-estimated. Our attention is here directed to the life of Christ, to the labours of the apostles and evangelists, to the doctrines which they taught, to the form of wors.h.i.+p which they sanctioned, to the organization of the community which they founded, and to the indomitable constancy with which its members suffered persecution. The practical bearing of the topics thus brought under review must be sufficiently obvious.

In the interval between the days of the apostles and the conversion of Constantine, the Christian commonwealth changed its aspect. The Bishop of Rome--a personage unknown to the writers of the New Testament-- meanwhile rose into prominence, and at length took precedence of all other churchmen. Rites and ceremonies, of which neither Paul nor Peter ever heard, crept silently into use, and then claimed the rank of divine inst.i.tutions. Officers, for whom the primitive disciples could have found no place, and t.i.tles, which to them would have been altogether unintelligible, began to challenge attention, and to be named apostolic. It is the duty of the historian to endeavour to point out the origin, and to trace the progress of these innovations. A satisfactory account of them must go far to settle more than one of our present controversies. An attempt is here made to lay bare the causes which produced these changes, and to mark the stages of the ecclesiastical revolution. When treating of the rise and growth of the hierarchy, several remarkable facts and testimonies which have escaped the notice of preceding historians are particularly noticed.

Some may, perhaps, consider that, in a work such as this, undue prominence has been given to the discussion of the question of the Ignatian epistles. Those who have carefully examined the subject will scarcely think so. If we accredit these doc.u.ments, the history of the early Church is thrown into a state of hopeless confusion; and men, taught and honoured by the apostles themselves, must have inculcated the most dangerous errors. But if their claims vanish, when touched by the wand of truthful criticism, many clouds which have hitherto darkened the ecclesiastical atmosphere disappear; and the progress of corruption can be traced on scientific principles. The special attention of all interested in the Ignatian controversy is invited to the two chapters of this work in which the subject is investigated. Evidence is there produced to prove that these Ignatian letters, even as edited by the very learned and laborious Doctor Cureton, are utterly spurious, and that they should be swept away from among the genuine remains of early Church literature with the besom of scorn.

Throughout the work very decided views are expressed on a variety of topics; but it must surely be unnecessary to tender an apology for the free utterance of these sentiments; for, when recording the progress of a revolution affecting the highest interests of man, the narrator cannot be expected to divest himself of his cherished convictions; and very few will venture to maintain that a writer, who feels no personal interest in the great principles brought to light by the gospel, is, on that account, more competent to describe the faith, the struggles, and the triumphs of the primitive Christians. I am not aware that mere prejudice has ever been permitted to influence my narrative, or that any statement has been made which does not rest upon solid evidence. Some of the views here presented may not have been suggested by any previous investigator, and they may be exceedingly damaging to certain popular theories; but they should not, therefore, be summarily condemned. Surely every honest effort to explain and reconcile the memorials of antiquity is ent.i.tled to a candid criticism. Nor, from those whose opinion is really worthy of respect, do I despair of a kindly reception for this volume. One of the most hopeful signs of the times is the increasing charity of evangelical Christians. There is a growing disposition to discountenance the spirit of religious partisans.h.i.+p, and to bow to the supremacy of TRUTH. I trust that those who are in quest of the old paths trodden by the apostles and the martyrs will find some light to guide them in the following pages.

SECTION I.

THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH.

CHAPTER I.

THE GROWTH OF THE CHURCH.

Prospects of the Church in the beginning of the second century, 275 Christianity recommended by its good fruits, 276 Diffusion of Scriptures and preparation of versions in other languages, 277 Doubtful character of the miracles attributed to this period, 278 Remarkable progress of the gospel, 280 Christianity propagated in Africa, France, Thrace, and Scotland, ib.

Testimonies to its success, 281 Gains ground rapidly towards the close of the third century, 282 Its progress, how to be tested, 283

CHAPTER II.

THE PERSECUTIONS OF THE CHURCH.

Spectators impressed by the sufferings of the Christians, 284 The blood of the martyrs the seed of the Church, 285 Persecution promoted the purity of the Church, ib.

Christian graces gloriously displayed in times of persecution, ib.

Private sufferings of the Christians, 286 How far the Romans acted on a principle of toleration, 288 Christianity opposed as a "new religion," 288 Correspondence between Pliny and Trajan, 289 Law of Trajan, ib.

Martyrdom of Simeon of Jerusalem, 290 Sufferings of Christians under Hadrian, 291 Hadrian's rescript, ib.

Marcus Aurelius a persecutor, 292 Justin and Polycarp martyred, 293 Persecution at Lyons and Vienne, 294 Absurd pa.s.sion for martyrdom, 296 Treatment of the Christians by Septimius Severus, 297 The Libellatici and Thurificati, 298 Perpetua and Felicitas martyred, ib.

Alexander Severus and Philip the Arabian favourable to the Christians, 299 Persecution under Decius, 300 Persecution under Valerian, 302 Gallienus issues an edict of toleration, 303 State of the Church during the last forty years of the third century, ib.

Diocletian persecution, 304 The Traditors, 305 Cruelties now practised, 306 Not ten general persecutions, 307 Deaths of the persecutors, 308 Causes of the persecutions, 309 The sufferings of the Christians did not teach them toleration, 310

CHAPTER III.

FALSE BRETHREN AND FALSE PRINCIPLES IN THE CHURCH; SPIRIT AND CHARACTER OF THE CHRISTIANS.

Piety of the early Christians not superior to that of all succeeding ages, 312 Covetous and immoral pastors in the ancient Church, 313 Asceticism and its pagan origin, 314 The unmarried clergy and the virgins, 315 Paul and Antony the first hermits, ib.

Origin of the use of the sign of the cross, 316 Opposition of the Christians to image-wors.h.i.+p, 319 Image-makers condemned, 320 Objections of the Christians to the theatre, the gladiatorial shows, and other public spectacles, 321 Superior morality of the ma.s.s of the early Christians, 322 How they treated the question of polygamy, ib.

Condemned intermarriages with heathens, 323 How they dealt with the question of slavery, 324 Influence of Christianity on the condition of the slave, 325 Brotherly love of the Christians, 326 Their kindness to distressed heathens, 327 Christianity fitted for all mankind, 328

CHAPTER IV.

THE CHURCH OF ROME IN THE SECOND CENTURY.

Weak historical foundation of Romanism, 329 Church of Rome not founded by either Paul or Peter, ib.

Its probable origin, 330 Little known of its primitive condition, ib.

Its early episcopal succession a riddle, 331 Martyrdom of Telesphorus, 332 Heresiarchs in Rome, ib.

Its presiding presbyter called bishop, and invested with additional power, ib.

Beginning of the Catholic system, ib.

Changes in the ecclesiastical const.i.tution not accomplished without opposition, 333 Visit of Polycarp to Rome, 334 Why so much deference so soon paid to the Roman Church, ib.

Wealth and influence of its members, 335 Remarkable testimony of Irenaeus respecting it, 337 Under what circ.u.mstances given, 338 Victor's excommunication of the Asiatic Christians, 339 Extent of Victor's jurisdiction, 340 Explanation of his arrogance, 341 First-fruits of the Catholic system, 342

CHAPTER V.

THE CHURCH OF ROME IN THE THIRD CENTURY.

Genuine letters of the early bishops of Rome and false Decretal epistles, 343 Discovery of the statue of Hippolytus and of his "Philosophumena," 344 The Roman bishops Zephyrinus and Callistus, 345 Heresy of Zephyrinus, 346 Extraordinary career and heresy of Callistus, ib.

The bishop of Rome not a metropolitan in the time of Hippolytus, 348 Bishops of Rome chosen by the votes of clergy and people, 349 Remarkable election of Fabian, ib.

Discovery of the catacombs, 350 Origin of the catacombs, and how used by the Christians of Rome, ib.

The testimony of their inscriptions, 351 The ancient Roman clergy married, 353 Severity of persecution at Rome about the middle of the third century, 354 Four Roman bishops martyred, 355 Statistics of the Roman Church about this period, ib.

Schism of Novatian, 356 Controversy respecting rebaptism of heretics, and rashness of Stephen, bishop of Rome, ib.

Misinterpretation of Matt. xvi. 18, 357 Increasing power of Roman bishop, 359 The bishop of Rome becomes a metropolitan, and is recognized by the Emperor Aurelian, 360 Early Roman bishops spoke and wrote in Greek, ib.

Obscurity of their early annals, ib.

Advancement of their power during the second and third centuries, 361 Causes of their remarkable progress, ib.