Apologetics12

On this page we'll be looking at some more of the difficulties of the early centuries of the Christian Church, particularly the Competitors that were challenging and competing for the Faith in the centuries after Jesus' ascension and the passing of the Twelve.

On the previous page we saw the Persecutions that rose against the Christians, showing that this was a genuine historical movement to be considered.

On the following pages we'll see the Heresies that sought to undermine the faith, and the people of the early centuries of church history who God used to overcome these problems.

For the time being we focus on the Competitors for the Faith.

For fuller detail of much of the material on this page, we recommend Volumes 1-4 of The Person of Christ by H. Brash Bonsall, an excellent series of detailed teaching paperback books about Christ in the context of both the New Testament and early church history.

PART A : THE CONTEXT

1. What were the Main Problems facing the Early Church?

Answer:

The centuries following Jesus were characterised by persecutions, competition and heresies

Enemy action	Intention	Effect
Persecutions	To frighten Christians and those who might be turning to the faith.	The grace of God in the martyrs showed the reality of the faith and many were converted.
Competing Beliefs	To steal away converts or prevent people becoming Christian believers	In fact were revealed as inadequate in the face of Christianity
Heresies	To distort, confuse and water down the faith.	The struggles against untruth meant the New Testament was written and creeds formulated to establish accepted doctrine.

In what follows we will consider the second of these.

2. Who were the Main Competitors Vying with the Christian Faith?

Answer:

In the years of the first century AD, there were a number of opposing beliefs that opposed Christianity. (For the people mentioned below, see the page on the People of the early centuries.)

The student should distinguish between these and the heresies that arose. These were belief systems in their own right, whereas the heresies were distortions of the Christian faith.

The main competing belief systems we will note below are: Polytheism, Philosophy, Judaism, the Mystery Religions, the Occult and Gnosticism

PART B: THE COMPETITORS

3. What was Polytheism and why is it important to understand it?

Answer:

a) What it is

Polytheism = the worship of many gods.

Homer was a classical Greek writer who portrayed the lives of the gods believed at the time by the Greeks.

The Romans also had their gods and when the Roman emperors demanded that everyone worship these gods, this became a point of contention with the Christians, leading some of them to be put to death for their resistance.

Belief in ‘the gods', whether Greek or Roman, tended to be a very superstitious affair and fear kept people believing in them. It wasn't until certain writers started deriding the very human actions and failings of these ‘gods' that the hold of superstitious belief began to weaken.

b) How it affected the Church

Strangely from our perspective the early church were accused of being atheists - not believing in the gods

In the Martyrdom of Polycarp (for Polycarp see the page on People) in the third ‘chapter', reference is made to one Germanicus who resisted the attempts of the proconsul to recant his beliefs, when he refused to do so, the crowd cried, “Away with the atheists! Find Polycarp!”

When Polycarp was taken, seeking to persuade him similarly, they asked, “What harm is there in saying, Lord Caesar, and in sacrificing, with the other ceremonies observed on such occasions, and so make sure of safety?”

The Romans saw Caesar as a god to be worshipped and sacrifices required to be made to the gods in general. When the proconsul interrogated Polycarp, he was required to “Swear by the fortune of Caesar; repent, and say, Away with the Atheists."

Justin Martyr's First Apology was written partly to refute the claim that Christians were ‘atheists'.

The battle that ensued here was between beliefs in the traditional gods or the One True God.

c) How the Church countered it

In Athens, Paul (Acts 17:16-) had been challenged by the all the idols representing the gods.

When he preached, taking as his base, “an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD” (Acts 17:23), he began to explain to them the One True God, the Creator of all things.

In Ephesus, Paul received opposition because of the perceived threat against the goddess Artemis (see Acts 19:23 -38).

In Ephesus was the Artemision, the temple of the mother-goddess at Ephesus, reckoned to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It was in fact a place of worship, a bank, a museum of shrines and statutes, as well as being a place of refuge where (criminal) fugitives could flee to and obtain security.

It was, in other words, a very powerful institution, and it still existed in its power when John was the leader of the church in Ephesus forty years after Paul.

It was about that time that John wrote his Gospel, his letters and the Revelation. Perhaps it is no matter of chance that John portrays Jesus more clearly than any of the other three earlier Gospels, as THE Son of God

The One True God of the New Testament is very different from the gods of polytheism, e.g.

God:	The gods:
All knowing	Limited knowledge and were often fooled by clever people or other gods
All-powerful	Powerful but not all-powerful
Infinite	Finite
Ever-present	Limited in space
Holy	Unholy, ruled by passions
Loving	Most unloving
All-wise	Often believably stupid, sometimes shrewd
Sovereign Lord	Very limited, suffered at the schemes of fellow gods
The Righteous Judge	Capricious and often ineffective

It is of little surprise therefore that Christianity was more appealing and won many converts.

We may suggest the following reasons:

• The gods squabbled among themselves with petty emotions – God is secure and stable, loving and righteous.

• The gods did little for humanity – God came to save mankind through His Son.

• The gods did little to empower mankind except for personal benefit – God imparts His own power to His children for their good and benefit.

4. What was Philosophy and why is it important to understand it?

Answer:

a) What it is

Philosophy is all about thinking - thinking about who we are, why we exist, the purpose of life etc.

As a competitor to Christianity, philosophy is ‘reliance upon the human mind and human reasoning '

The Greeks had been very strong on philosophy and the rationalism that went with it.

Philosophy starts with questions about existence and existence starts with matter. The Greek philosopher, Plato (c427-347 BC), maintained that ideas rather than matter existed.

Plato was a rationalist who started from ideas and worked towards substance, saying that the real world is a system of ideas, thoughts existing in the mind of the great Absolute, the Infinite Thinker, the Unknown God, the great Spirit behind the Universe. What we see as substance are merely reflections and shadows of the real.

Thus what we call the real world, Plato and platonic thinking saw as unreal, real being for them the ideas from the Infinite Thinker.

Salvation is being able to escape from the ‘unreal' world of material things to the ‘real' world of unseen, spiritual and ideal things.

‘Material' thus came to be seen as bad, and spiritual as good – a false division. Sin was the equivalent of ignorance and salvation comes by knowledge.

Eventually some ascetic cults developed this into rejecting the material world.

b) How it affected the church

Christianity seemed to many of the Greek philosophers to deny rationality, hence Paul's comment to the church at Corinth , “Greeks look for wisdom” (1 Cor 1:22 ).

Moreover a number of early church leaders were converted from philosophy, and often really struggled with harmonising philosophical ideas and Biblical ideas – see below.

The battle that ensued here was about ideas.

c) How the Church countered it

The early church teaching conformed to Jesus' teaching – that there is a spiritual world (heaven from which he came – Jn 6:32-) and a material world that is to be received with gratefulness.

Jesus was clearly concerned with the material world: he healed people all the time, he provided wine at a wedding (Jn 2) and fed the crowds (Jn 6).

Although John shows Jesus being the spiritual answer to the needs of life (e.g. bread of life – Jn 6:27) and the reason behind all things (the ‘Word' – Logos – The Reason - Jn 1:1,2,14), he also portrays him as the one who came in the flesh (Jn 1:14), who they had physically touched (1 Jn 1:1), and was a very real man who got tired (Jn 4:6)

A number of the Church Fathers sought to put Christian doctrine in philosophical terms to show its rationality

Justin's Hortatory Address to the Greeks appealed to the Greek Philosophers.

Clement of Alexandria similarly wrote to appeal to the Greek philosophers.

Origen also wrestled with philosophy versus faith.

5. What was Judaism and why is it important to understand it?

Answer:

a) What it is

The term Judaism that we use here is the religious belief system of the Jews brought from the Old Testament into New Testament times and which rejects Jesus as the Messiah-Son and objects to Christianity as a cult that leads good Jews into abandoning their history.

b) How it affected the church

Throughout his ministry Jesus struggled with the opposition of various facets of Judaism – the priesthood, Pharisees, Sadducees etc.

John's Gospel in particular refers to the ‘Jews' over 60 times, meaning not just any Jewish person but those of an unbelieving nature who opposed Jesus and later came to oppose Christianity, denying Jesus as both Messiah and Son of God.

In the years following, the Jewish opposition to Paul's ministry continued as he took the Gospel across Asia Minor , and is recorded extensively in the Acts of the Apostles.

Judaism sought to uphold the Old Testament and sought to make Jewish converts hold on to this these things.

It may be useful to plot the growth of the Christian church in the light of this:

PENTECOST AND GROWTH

• on the day of Pentecost the church was entirely comprised of Jews (about 3000 – Acts 2:41 )

• initially they had “the favour of all the people” (Acts 2:47)

• they continued to use the temple as a place for prayer (Acts 3:1)

• when Peter preached following a healing, the temple leaders arrested them (Acts 4:1-3)

• nevertheless more Jews believed (now about 5000 – Acts 4:4)

• after the apostles healed many, even more were saved (Acts 5:14)

• this upset the religious leaders who had them arrested and imprisoned (Acts 5:17 ,18)

• they still carried on teaching and preaching in the temple courts (Acts 5:42)

• the church comprised Greek-speaking Jews who lived in a Greek culture and Aramaic-speaking Jews who lived in a Hebrew culture (Acts 6:1) i.e. different cultures within Christian Jews.

• when one particular synagogue (Acts 6:9) opposed one of the new administrators, Stephen, they stirred up the people, elders and teachers of the law against him and took him before the council (Sanhedrin), and eventually stoned him (Acts 7:57 -60)

PERSECUTION, DISPERSAL AND MORE GROWTH

• on that day Saul started a persecution against the church, many of whom fled (Acts 8:1)

• Philip and others went to Samaria and preached and many were saved (Acts 8:5-8)

• shortly afterwards an Ethiopian was saved and took the Gospel back to Africa (Acts 8:27-)

• Saul was soon saved and preached in Damascus (Acts 9:20) yet still to Jews.

GENTILE GROWTH

• in Caesarea Cornelius was saved (Acts 10), the first Gentile convert recorded, and this upset the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem who still saw the faith as Jewish (Acts 11:2,3)

• meanwhile those scattered in the persecution had gone north as far as Antioch preaching to Jew and Greek (Acts 11:19 -21)

• Barnabas was sent from Jerusalem to build them up (Acts 11:22) and he fetched Saul to help (Acts 11:25 ,26)

• it was in Antioch they were first called Christians (Acts 11:26)

• meanwhile persecution broke out again in Jerusalem , the apostle James was killed and Peter had to leave (Acts 12:1,2,17)

• from Antioch Barnabas and Saul set off on their first missionary journey (Acts 13:2,3), starting with synagogues (Acts 13:5,14) but the Jews rose against Paul & Barnabas (v.45) so they turned to preach to the Gentiles (v.46-48)

JEWISH CONFLICT

• some Jewish Christians were teaching that it was still necessary for converts to be circumcised (Acts 15:1,5)

• at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) it was agreed this was no longer necessary.

• it is clear however, that the Jewish Christians back in Jerusalem still made a point of following the Law (Acts 21:20 ) and used the temple (see v.24-27)

• however, the Jews generally still saw Paul as a man who “teaches all men everywhere against our people and our law and against this place” (v.28)

• in the following years the Jews persecuted the Christians, during which James the brother of Jesus was thrown from the temple walls and killed.

• in AD 66 the Romans temporarily came against Jewish rebellion in Jerusalem , but had to withdraw against other rebels.

• during their withdrawal, the church there escaped to Pella and ceased to exist at Jerusalem , responding to Jesus' prophecy of Lk 21:20-

• in AD 70 the city and temple was razed to the ground by the Romans – the temple has never been rebuilt

• about AD 90 the Jews excommunicated Jewish Christians

• from then on the divide between Judaism and Christianity became even more fixed.

This was a battle of old versus new religion

c) How the Church countered it

We find the apostle Paul in the New Testament correcting the wrong view being taught to Christian converts by those Jews who had not understood the Gospel: about the Law (Gal 3:1-25), circumcision (Gal 5:1-12), and the keeping of the rules of eating and feasts and fasts (Col 2:16-23).

The teaching of Paul, and in a measure by Peter, emphasised that salvation no longer relied upon the requirements of the Law of Moses.

The freedom that this brought attracted more and more Gentiles and the church lost almost all of its Jewish distinctiveness.

6. What were the Mystery Religions and why is it important to understand them?

Answer:

a) What they are

These were oriental, mystical, occult beliefs which swept over the Roman Empire from the 2nd century BC. They focused on secret wisdom that was only imparted to the initiates.

One writer describes them as “spiritistic in origin, bizarre in method, immoral in manner of life, fanatical in demands, grotesque in ritual and degrading in effect.”

As a counterfeit to the coming true Faith they had secret fellowship, a cultic meal, fellowship secrets, water baptism, rites and miracles.

Each of these centred on a deity called Lord or Lady, who was personally interested in each member, the three most important of which were:

• Cybele (the Great Mother) from Phrygia

• Isis from Egypt

• Mithras from Persia

These false religions declared that there had been mystic truths hidden in earlier ages but now revealed to the initiates of the Mystery religions.

With an occult aspect, the difference between the Mysteries and the Occult is that the former were organised and the later were individual and non-organised.

The Mysteries are nature myths with legendary symbolic characters (see above) pointing to fertility, life death, rebirth etc.

They had priests and priestesses, prophets & prophetesses, habiting groves or temples seeking inspiration from the gods, making pronouncements called oracles, often taking over from defunct polytheism, seeking a spiritual world that was not just a copy of the human world, and a promise of the afterlife.

Some distinctions between the Mysteries and Christianity are as follows:

The Mysteries:	Christianity:
Had their origins in the Canaanite Baal religion that Joshua encountered in the Promised Land.	Had its foundation in the Old Testament revelation of God who rejected idols as counterfeit lies.
Had as its writings secret accounts not known to any except the initiates.	Initially the church only had the Old Testament and then the growing New Testament, both of which were available for any to view.
Was based in myth, legend and fable.	Was based wholly in history.
Their ‘knowledge' was intuitive and emotional depending on experience.	The knowledge of Christianity is based in historical fact and can be known by reason and intellect, which experience and emotions follow .
Ritual was all important and morality was absent.	Righteousness was all important and holiness of life followed.
Everything about the Mysteries was secret and beyond question.	Everything about Christianity was open, seen and heard and questionable.
Entry into the Mysteries was by initiation – a series of ritual acts, opening the way for participation in further outward ritual.	Entry into the Christian faith is by conversion – an act of surrender with an act of God bringing about a new heart and a new life.
Ritual was a major aspect of the Mysteries	Any N.T. reference to ritual is purely O.T. which is used symbolically to reveal the truth in the N.T.
The Mysteries had their priesthood – special leaders.	Every Christian is a priest (1 Pet 2:5,9)
The Mysteries had elaborate organisation of cultic leaders with special knowledge.	The church has God-raised ministries (Eph 4:11 ,12) to enable the whole church to serve.
The Mysteries were known for their syncretism as they happily absorbed all other beliefs.	Christianity was clearly distinct and would not take on anything else, which would dilute or distort the historic truths.
The Mysteries could only offer a superstitious fear, freedom from ‘fate', the influences of the planets, and the demons of the earth, illness, disaster, poverty, and a guarantee of a place in the next world.	Christianity's salvation deals with sin and guilt and reconciles guilty man with holy God, and opens up a life in relationship with God who is love and who is good.

b) How they affected the church

The Mysteries existed before the coming of Christ and so had a hold on the minds of many people in the Mediterranean lands already.

With the coming of Christ and the spread of the Gospel, the Mysteries were one of the alternatives that lost most to Christianity.

This was a battle of Myth and institutional, counterfeit occult versus the power of Christ through the truth of the Gospel and demonstrated by the apostles.

c) How the Church countered them

Paul spoke about the mystery of the Gospel as being something that had been clearly declared by the Old Testament prophets, but only now understood in the light of the revelation of Christ.

e.g. Rom 16:25,26 “Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him ”

Note: Paul saw that the references to the Messiah had appeared a mystery in the past, but now Jesus has come it is all quite clear and is so clear that he wants all nations to know about it – stark contrast to the Mysteries who kept things secret (like modern day Freemasonry).

7. What is the Occult and why is it important to understand it?

Answer:

a) What it was

Occult simply means “hidden powers”

The occult was alive and well in the early days of the Old Testament

e.g. Ex 7:10,11 “Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts ”

i.e. Aaron was obedient and God moved. The Egyptian magicians used ‘hidden powers' (powers of Satan). Also Ex 7:22 & 8:7 – but couldn't by the 3rd plague – 8:18

The Occult is simply Satan's power counterfeiting God's power.

b) How it affected the church

The early church came across it in the following instances:

Acts 8:9- “Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria ”

Acts 19:13 -14 “Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out." Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.”

Acts 16:16 -18 “Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling .”

What we have here is a battle of counterfeit power versus God's power.

c) How the Church countered it

An examination of the context of the three situations above reveal a simple answer: the power of God through His servant overcame the power of the enemy:

Acts 8:12,13 “when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized”

i.e. Simon himself recognized that what he had was counterfeit and came to Christ.

Acts 19:15-17 “One day the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus , they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds ”

i.e. whereas the apostles had no problem dealing with demons, these Jews clearly didn't have God's power and therefore their activities before had been counterfeit.

Acts 16:18 “Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her.”

i.e. the power of God through Paul brought to end the demonic activity.

8. What is Gnosticism and why is it important to understand it?

Answer:

Because the subject of Gnosticism is so important we will make it a major part of the next page on heresies.

9. SUMMARY

On this Page we have considered:

PART A : THE CONTEXT

1. The main problems facing the early church – providing context

2. The main Competitors vying with Christianity – the competitors noted

PART B : THE COMPETITORS

3. Polytheism – the worship of many gods versus the One True God

4. Philosophy – man's thinking versus God's revelation

5. Judaism – the refusal to move on in God's revelation

6. The Mystery Religions – myth versus Truth

7. The Occult – counterfeit power versus God's power

8. Gnosticism – the first of the major heresies to be considered next.

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