Christianity During the First Four Centuries

The History of Western Philosophy
Bertrand Russell

Ch. II Christianity During the First Four Centuries

Christianity began as a reforming movement in Judaism and would have stayed such contentedly had it not been for St. Paul. St. Paul was able to keep what was good about the certainty of Judaism in an uncertain age without forcing the gentiles to take on the two most restrictive elements, dietary laws and circumcision.

Early Gnosticism taught that the Jews were bad and identified Yahweh with the god, Ialdabaoth. Ialdabaoth was a rebellious son of God and responsible for the evil, physical world. God then sent his spirit temporarily into Jesus to free the world from the false teachings of Moses. It was a fusion of Jewish theology and Platonic philosophy.

Manichean theology combined Christian and Zoroastrian elements and was what initially brought Augustine to the Catholic faith.

Early heresies like the Gnostics and Manicheans existed until Christianity took over the government. But some of their beliefs survived. Islam was founded with a Docetic (gnostic) belief that Jesus was a prophet who had the spirit of God in him until the spirit left him at the crucifixion.

As Christianity became Hellenized, it became theological. Even by the appearance of the Gospel of John, with Christ being identified with Logos, the Hellenization had begun.

Judaism did not have deep metaphysical mysteries. Christianity developed them in a Jewish context.

Origen, a contemporary of Plotinus, incorporated a lot of Neo-Platonism into his doctrine. In spite of being considered one of the Fathers of Christianity he was condemned for having believed four heresies:

1. The pre-existence of souls as Plato taught
2. Believed that the human nature of Christ existed before the Incarnation
3. At the resurrection our bodies will be transformed into completely ethereal bodies
4. That all men, even devils, shall be saved at least

Origen is the first to have the one-two punch for belief that is characteristic of Christian philosophy. First, pure reason, when exercised properly is sufficient to establish the basics of the Christian faith. Second, the Scriptures prove more and are proved by the fact that the prophets foretold of the Coming of the Messiah and that once believed the Christian life has tangible beneficent effects.

The Christians prior to Constantine had a high moral character. This high moral character is one of the reasons for the spread of Christianity.

The zeal which the Christians inherited from Judaism was vital to its spread. But, when the Christians acquired secular power they turned that zeal on one another to persecute heretics out of existence.

Two heresies, the Arian and the Sabellian forced the narrow line of the belief that the Father and the Son were one substance and distinct persons. Too much separation and you were advocating Arianism. Too much oneness and you were advocating Sabellianism.

The Arians were favored throughout much of the 4th century until Theodosius in 379 gave his full backing to the Catholic Christians with a cementing effect throughout the Empire. The Arians made a comeback in the West when the Vandals and the Goths, Arian Christians both of them, conquered much of the Western Empire. It took another century for the orthodoxy to prevail.

Class notes on grace & redemption

(Originally written April 17, 2007 in Book 15)

Class Notes

The Grace & Redemption Debate

Is Christianity the only way?
Response - the only way to what?

Salvation means different things in different religions.

Salvation meaning:
Christianity -> Atonement
Islam -> Test of Obedience
Zoroastrianism -> Dualism
Hindu Vedanta -> Atman = Brahman
Hindu Bhakti -> Reliance on deity
Buddhism -> Nirvana
Jainism -> Floating to the top
Jodo Shin-Shu -> Escape to Pure Land
Yoga -> Divorce spirit from body

Yoga is an adaptation of the Hindu school Samkhya.

Samkhya is:
1) atheistic
2) Dualistic
- Purusha: Soul
- Prkriti: Matter
3) Pluralistic

The point of Samkhya is to remove your Purusha from the constraints of Prkriti.

Yoga took this general idea and added the god Ishvara.

Ishvara is immovable.

The breathing and postures of Yoga are attempting to imitate Ishvara's immovability.

To practice Yoga for the physical benefits is the same as taking communion for the nutritional value of the bread and wine.

Different religions have different ends and different means to attaining those ends.

Pluralism

Radical Pluralism: J.A. DiNoia & Stephen Heim

-Each religion has its own understanding of salvation and is self-contained without overlap
Heim: "Nirvana - communion with God are contradictory only if we assume that one or the other must be the sole fate for all human beings"
Problem: Heim is not true to the religions here

Problems with radical pluralism:
1) Exclusivity
2) There cannot be mutually exclusive true practices
3) We would have to make up concepts for this methodology because it is self-setting

John Hick's Forced Pluralism

1) All religions serve to bring people into contact with "The Real"
2) No religion has an edge on any others
3) All religions do an equal job of bringing their followers into relationship with the Real
4) The actual beliefs of religions differ from each other.
5) The Real is beyond all human words and concepts
6) All religions are legitimate ways to the Real

Hick on exclusive religions: Since salvation is not confined to Christianity we must reject all the old exclusivist dogma. This has in fact been done by most thinking Christians, though exceptions remain, mostly within the extreme Protestant fundamentalist constituencies.

Hick's Model

Buddhism: stripped of its Buddhist concepts
Hinduism: stripped of its Hindu concepts
Islam: stripped of its Islamic concepts
Christianity: stripped of its Christian concepts

All of these point man towards the real

Hick limits his model to Axial Age and Post-Axial Age religions (6th century B.C. on)

Heim's critique of Hick: The Real is like a cardboard cutout on the boardwalk. Put your head in the hole and you are in contact with the real.

Sumner Twiss' defense of Hick

Higher order theory with a Lower order description

Lower order descriptions that are in each religion may not fit the higher order theory. But that just means that lower order descriptions need to be changed to fit the scheme.

Iranaeus (2nd Century Apologist) vs. Gnostics

Gnosticism:
Monotes (awareness) -> Denotes (otherness) -> Monas (one-ness)-> Hen (other)

Iraneaus' satire of gnosticism

Gourd -> Utter-Emptiness -> Cucumber -> Melon -> The writings of Valentinus

Hick, like Valentinus is completely contrived. The description is totally arbitrary.

Orthodoxy and Heresy

(Originally written November 12, 2006 in Book 11)

Heresy and Orthodoxy

Gradual Emergence of Orthodoxy

The Jesus Movement became a world religion through the ideas of orthodoxy, holiness, apostolic ideal and catholic universalism.

The orthodoxy of the early church developed by attacking individual doctrines deemed heretical. The forensic ability and dialectical skill of the Fathers had more to do with the formation of orthodoxy more than the merit of doctrines.

By the fourth century the outlines of orthodoxy had been drawn, but the orthodoxy was not yet in full effect.

The Gnostic Heresy

Gnosticism states that salvation is acquired through knowledge, not faith.

Gnosticism believed that there was one Supreme Being and This Being created larger supernatural beings. (One of these was YHWH).

These lesser beings are in rebellion against the Absolute god and hold man hostage. Christ descended to save man. Salvation comes to those who have a divine spark that enables the to understand the knowledge given to them.

The Knowledge which led to salvation was a secret knowledge. Plato used the term, but meant a public objective knowledge, whereas Gnostics meant a suprarational knowledge.

Gnosticism attempted to synthesize all the Neoplatonist and mystery cults into one unified entity. This obviously offended the catholic church.

The Gnostics interpreted every scripture as allegory, which also offended Christian sentimentalities.

Syncretism was a major component of Gnosticism. Christianity's method of rejecting all other views, rather then synthesizing then proved to be a lasting one.

The Arian Heresy

Arianism focused on the problem of a Triune Godhead. How could a monotheistic religion have three Gods?

Aries, the founder claimed that Jesus was the logos of God, but was not equal with God the Father. Jesus was a created entity.

Christ was the first creation who later became Incarnated.

Athanasius, the preeminent anti-Arian claimed that God and Christ are of the same substance. But to avoid another heresy (Patripassianism, which claimed God the Father was crucified) he held that the Father and the Son, through the same substance, were distinct persons. Catholicism concluded that God is three in one and how that is is simply a mystery that must be accepted.

Aries was a bit of a rationalist attempting to resolve the issue of three as one in the Godhead.

Tertullian, contra to Arius was completely against any rational attempt to understand the divinity.
He held that any attempt to understand was a mark of weak faith.

The Arian Heresy marks the Church's subversion of reason. The Church would face no controversy so long as man deprecated their ability.

The Pelagian Heresy

The Pelagian Heresy came from the Judaic conception of omnipotence and omniscience.

Both Arius and Pelagius believed they were teaching Christian Orthodoxy and both had some evidence on their side.

Pelagius preached free will in man and stated Paul's mysticism led men to be slothful in Christian living and making excuses for the vices Paul preached against.

If God is all powerful and all knowing man has no fee will. If man has no free will God is unjust for blaming us for sin. Pelagius believed free will was necessary for responsibility.

Pelagius was deemed a heretic, but the Pelagian heresy has reemerged numerous times in the history of the Church.

The Manichean Heresy

Mani tried to resolve the problem of evil. It was regarded as heretical because they employed reason and not the authorities to come to their conclusions.

Manicheanism was dualistic. God was all-good, but not all powerful. Satan created the physical world.

Mani and Christ were prophets went from God to free men from the evil of the body. Manicheanism was thus, very, very ascetic.

The Albigensian heresy in the late Middle Ages was a rearticulation of the Manichaen heresy.

Relation of faith to Reason

Athanasius called the Trinity a mystery that must be accepted as faith, but to appeal to the pagan masses and to confound heretics, Christianity needed a systematic theology. The relationship between faith and reason was critical in forming this theology.

Greek and Christian views contrasted

God is the primary, almost exclusive object of concern in Christianity. In Greek philosophy the concern was to give an account of man's relation to nature.

The shift in emphasis changed all of philosophical thought.

Christianity aimed at perfection, thus were constantly subject to failure.

Christianity is too pessimistic to the modern mind, but Greek philosophy is too naive and optimistic. The major goal of philosophy since the Renaissance is to find a mean between the two.

The methodology of Christian philosophy had to be radically different from the Greek. Exegesis became a large part of philosophy.

Christianity during the first four centuries

(Originally written July 16, 2006 in Book 5)

The History of Western Philosophy
Bertrand Russell

Chapter II - Christianity during the first four centuries

Christianity began as reformed Judaism.

Russell states that St. James and St. Peter wanted it to remain this, but St. Paul changed all that.

Gnosticism played the halfway between Pagan philosophy and Christianity by honoring Christ, but not the Jewish elements of Christianity. Later on Manichaeism played the same role. Manichaeism combined Christian and Zoroastrian elements. It believed evil was only in matter and good was only in spirit. It condemned the eating of meat and all sex.

Gnostics and Manichaeans flourished until the government became fully Christian.

Gnostic views (Docetic Gnosticism) passed over into orthodox Islam.

Christians became hostile to Jews early on. Jewish theology was simple. Christian theology became complex as it was hellenized. Christian theologians attempted to synthesize Greek thought and the Scriptures. It happened haphazardly until Origen.

Origen (185-254 AD) lived in Alexandria. Like his contemporary Plotinus, he was a puppy of Ammonius Saccas (the considered founder of Neoplatonism).

Origen stated nothing is fully incorporeal except God: Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

He believed the stars to contain souls and that the sun was capable of sin.

He believed in soul and nous like Plotinus did.

He believed that all souls were created initially at creation and entered bodies later in time. Ultimately all souls were destined to become nous and wholly submissive to Christ. Even the Devil will eventually submit to Christ.

In spite of being considered a Church Father, Origen was condemned for four heresies:
1) The Platonic view of souls being preexistent
2) The human nature of Christ, as well as the Divine nature existed prior to the Incarnation
3) At the resurrection man's bodies will be transformed into purely ethereal bodies
4) All men and even demons and Satan will eventually be saved.

Origen defended Christianity in two ways:
1) He stated that by using reason one necessarily comes to the conclusions spelled out in the Gospels.
2) The prophecies being fulfilled and the miracles being worked by Christ proved he is obviously God.

The Church government developed gradually over the years. Then it exploded as Christianity was legalized by Constantine the Great.

The bishops gained power through wealth prior to Constantine. Then when Christianity was legalized bishops were given administrative and judicial power by the State.

Russell's underhanded attack on Christianity compares Christian 'intolerance' to the "advantages of intolerance in propaganda" used by Hitler (Russell, 330).

Inconsistency? Russell calls the Jews stubborn to Greek influence, yet credits the Greeks with teaching the Jews resurrection of the spirit.

Christian morality was legendary before Constantine. "Their sexual ethics had a strictness that was rare in antiquity" (Russell, 332). This helped Christianity spread.

Constantine used the Christian underground hierarchy to stabilize the Empire. In doing so it spread Christianity. Constantine demanded unity in Christianity, hence the Nicea ecumenical council and the Nicene Creed.

Orthodox Christianity fought against heresies, like Arianism for a longtime.

Athanasius (297-373) was the champion of Orthodox Christianity.

Plotinus

(Originally Written July 16, 2006 in Book 4)

The History of Western Philosophy
Bertrand Russell

Chapter 30 - Plotinus

Plotinus (204-270 A.D.) founded Neoplatonism and was the last great philosopher of antiquity.

He lived during one of the most unstable periods of the Roman Empire. After he died the Empire was stabilized by the efforts of Diocletian and Constantine the Great.

He turned from the perpetual strife of the physical world and his philosophy was based on an other-worldly religious tone.

He believed in an eternal world of ideas as his heaven.

Christians adapted much of Plotinus' work into their theology.

Augustine believed that if Plotinus had lived later and changed a few words and phrases he would have been a Christian.

Dean Inge states that Aquinas "is nearer to Plotinus than to the real Aristotle" (Russell, 285).

Plotinus is pivotal to the influence of Middle Ages' Christianity and Catholic theology.

Russell's Caveat: Christianity has undergone many changes. It cannot be viewed as a homogenous system:
1) Synoptic Gospels are innocent of metaphysics.
2) American Christianity (modern) is akin to primitive Christianity.

Platonism is alien to modern American Christianity as American Christianity is much more concerned with life on earth and social progress. Platonic Christianity focuses on transcendental hope in a hopeless everyday world. It is not a dogmatic change, but a shift in emphasis. Without understanding this change, no one will understand the Christianity of the past.

In addition to his historical importance, Plotinus is the best representative of an important type of theory. A philosophical system can be judged on various criteria:

1) The first and most obvious is its truth
2) Beauty
3) Well expressed as how men will act in certain situations

Plotinus was a 'melancholy optimist'.

Plotinus is the best representation of a metaphysical theory born out of a resolve in the face of horrible physical circumstances.

"Among the men who have been unhappy in a mundane sense, but resolutely determined to find a higher happiness in the world of theory, Plotinus holds a very high place" (Russell, 286).

Plotinus clarified Plato's teachings. His arguments against materialism are good and his theory of the relation of soul and body is clearer than Plato or Aristotle.

His moral purity is impressive (like Spinoza's).

He explains things as clearly, consistently and simply as he can.

"Whatever one may think of him as a theoretical philosopher, it is impossible not to love him as a man" (Russell, 286).

Linehan - I hope that one day I will be thought of in a similar manner. Above all philosophy, humanity is by far more important. Theory cannot substitute for a man or woman.

Plotinus' life is known through the writings of Porphyry (a semite whose real name is Malchus).

He discovered patio-temporal appearance as being important.

Plotinus was born in Egypt, studied in Alexandria and studied under Ammonius Saccos (considered to be a founder of Neoplatonism).

He didn't write until he was 49, but then wrote voluminously. Porphyry edited his works. Porphyry was more Pythagorean than Plotinus and thus Neoplatonism became more supernatural than it would have if Plotinus' ideas had not been edited.

Plotinus treated the ancient philosophers with reverence, except for the atomists. He condemns the Stoics for their materialism and the Epicureans for every part of their philosophy. The influence of Parmenides is felt at a number of points.

The Plato in Plotinus' works is much better behaved then the Plato of real life.

The metaphysical of Plotinus begins with a holy trinity:
1) The One (supreme)
2) Spirit *Nous (intermediate)
3) Soul (lowest)

Unlike Christianity's Holy Trinity, the three are not equals.

The One is transcendent of all things. it is indefinable. "In regard to the One there is more truth in silence than in any words whatever" (Russell, 288).

The Spirit is what Plotinus calls 'nous'. Nous is normally translated as mind, but it does not suit here because it lacks the spiritual, religious intention that it had in the Greek language. Nous is the image of the One. Men understand this (as best they can) when they strip the body and self-will from their minds and reflect on the Nous.

Man reflects on the nous by cutting away everything else. Then reflection on the nous we see the light that shines on it and that light is shone by and is the One. Thus reflection on the Nous is reflection on the One itself.

Plotinus often experience ecstasy as an out of body experience.

The soul is inferior to the nous. But the soul is the author of all living things. It made the whole visible world.

Plotinus rejected the Gnostic view that the world (sensible) was evil, instead believing that it was merely less good than the intellectual world.

He rejected the Gnostic view of all things being evil other than man's soul. His arguments were later adopted by the theologian Origen.

He believed in reincarnation for the sake of justice. For example, if you killed your mother you would come back as a woman and be killed by your son.

Sin had to be punished, but it was punished naturally.

If sin is purged in life, eventually the soul and nous would become one, but still two.

Plotinus rejected Aristotle's claim that the soul is the form of the body. He also rejected the Stoic view as the soul being material in nature.

The soul entered the physical realm because it wished to create (replicate) something it saw in the nous. Since they are replications they are not as perfect, but genuinely still good.

The soul lives in union with other souls in the nous, but when it severs itself to create bodies it runs into trouble because it is now in contact with something lower than itself, a body. The soul unwittingly becomes chained to the body.

The physical world is a copy of the eternal world and the best that it could be.

Like Christians, Plotinus has trouble with creation happening without demanding something was lacking in the Creator which caused him to create.

Plotinus believed sin to be a consequence of free will.

He champions free will and without invalidating astrology, set bounds for it.

Plotinus' subjectivism (reflection via introspection) helped to stall outward inspection and ended scientific advancement for centuries.

As I come to the end of another book I can truly state that my philosophical progress is apparent to myself. I say this without meaning to appear arrogant but it is obvious to me. I am starting to make connections I previously did not make. Critical thought and questions are coming more rapidly.

I feel more comprehension of material. I don't have to reread passages to understand them as often. I am really starting to form concrete theories and opinions in my mind. I am enjoying myself more and more.

I don't have much more to say other than that I am excited to continue Russell's book. This notebook ended exactly as Book One of the History of Western Philosophy ended. That was nice. It will continue in notebook 5, page 1 with Book Two - "Catholic Philosophy".

Book 4 02/01/06 - 07/16/06

Chris Linehan

The Stoics

(Originally written July 15, 2006 in Book 4)

The History of Western Philosophy
Bertrand Russell

Chapter 28 - Stoicism

Stoicism was founded by Zeno, a contemporary of Epicurus, but the doctrine evolved much more gradually than Epicureanism. Zeno's Stoicism was a fusion of Cynicism and Heraclitus. By the time of Marcus Aurelius (a stoic), it had morphed into a system with Platonic and anti-materialistic elements.

Stoicism was less Greek than any other Greek philosophy. The earliest Stoics were mostly Syrian, the later were mostly Roman.

Zeno was a Phoenician from Cyprus, born in the second half of the 4th century BC.

Stoicism of Zeno formed around Cynicism but adopted some of the Academy's views and looked at Socrates as a saint.

Virtue was ultimately important to Zeno. Metaphysical subtleties were of no use for him.

Zeno did not doubt the senses because he thought that was useless and absurd. Zeno denied chance and nature was determined by strict natural laws.

He believed that everything was cyclical.

God was the soul of the sensible world.

All things possessed some bits of God, the Divine Fire.

Nature was one integrated system of many individual parts.

Free will produced virtue when one acted in accordance with nature.

Physical things were of no merit when concerned to virtue. Virtue can be found in all men, regardless of their physical surroundings.

Not just bad passions are condemned by the Stoic; all passions are.

Sympathy for death was bad. Friendship is of no account. Politics are useful, but unimportant. Nothing matters except virtue.

Zeno condemned the building of temples because there is no virtue in buildings.

He believed in astrology and divination.

Cleanthes of Asso immediately carried on the Stoic torch. He is known for 2 main things:
1) Condemning Aristarchus of Samos for promulgating a heliocentric belief.
2) The "Hymn to Zeus'.

Chrysippus (280-207 BC) followed Cleanthes and systematized Stoicism.

He believed that if a thing was to exist, the opposite necessarily exists. Thus, since good exists, evil necessarily exists.

He held logic to be fundamental.

He held an empirical theory of knowledge based on perception.

Post-Chrysippus, stoicism was altered by two men, Panaetius and Posidonius.

Panaetius introduced a lot of Platonic elements into Stoicism. He abandoned all materialism.

Panaetius befriended Scipio and influenced Cicero. Posidonius taught and further influenced Cicero.
Cicero brought Stoicism to the Romans.

Posidonius was a Syrian Greek and escaped the anarchy of Syria upon the collapse of Seleucid Empire. He moved to Athens.

He traveled extensively in Western Europe, North Africa and saw the heads on pikes on the Barbaric Spanish coast.

He was scientific, an extraordinary astronomer, and a historian of note.

He further combined Stoicism and Platonic elements.

By the way, a cover up of the Mary Magdelene by the Catholic Church is appalling. Obviously she was Jesus' husband. Just look at the Gnostic Gospels for the truth! (sarcasm obviously)

Posidonius believed the soul did not perish with the body (as most Stoics did) but rose into the air. The more virtuous a soul, the higher it rose. Extremely sinful souls were reincarnated.

Te most virtuous souls floated among the stars and helped out the living; thus, his belief in astrology.

Posidonius may have laid the foundation for Gnosticism.

The Copernican theory, not Christianity, finally doomed his philosophy.

The three most important Stoics (historically, not philosophically) were Romans:
1) Seneca - a preacher
2) Epictetus - a slave
3) Marcus Aurelius - an emperor.

Seneca lived from 3 BC - AD 65. He was a politician in Rome, though of Spanish origin. He was banished by the Emperor Claudius but was later recalled to tutor the future Roman Emperor, Nero.

Seneca amassed riches by usury in Roman Britain.

He was accused of treason by Nero and permitted to commit suicide.

He died in a Stoically virtuous way leaving 'the example of a virtuous life to his grieving family'.

Some Church Fathers considered him a Christian. St. Jerome believed he correspond with St. Paul.

Epictetus (AD 60 - 100) was born a slave. He was lame (probably from cruel punishment). He was banished along with all other philosophers by Emperor Domitian.

Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) became emperor in 161. He devoted himself to be a Stoic Emperor.

He persecuted Christians (Russell contends as a political necessity) for not bowing to the State religion.

His life and ring were married by horrors: wars, an immoral wife (accused), earthquakes, rebellion, pestilence, etc.

Stoic beliefs proved reasonably consistent, in that virtue is not dependent on outside circumstances. As emperor, Marcus Aurelius and the slave Epictetus held nearly identical philosophical views.

The Stoic ethic fit the hopeless age in which Aurelius lived.

"If we understand that virtue is the only true good, we shall see that no real evil can befall us" (Russell, 263).

All men are sons of God but doomed to death. Stoics go out to death without 'whining' or 'groaning'.

A Stoic is one who is sick yet happy, in trouble yet happy, dying yet happy...

Epictetus hold that one should love his enemies.

"Every man is an actor in a play, in which God has assigned the parts; it is our duty to perform our part worthily, whatever it may be" (Russell, 264).

Marcus Aurelius held that since life is fragile, virtue must always be asserted.

He regards the universe as a closely knit whole and as one living being, one substance, and one soul [pantheism?].

Despite his status as Emperor and the preeminence of the Roman people, he held all men to be brothers.

Stoic ethics and theology contradict on one point. The universe is wholly deterministic, yet man has free will. Then man can do neither harm nor good to another, but the virtuous good will is the sole good.

The Stoics held that these contradictions were of necessity because it was impossible for all men to live up to their rigorous standards. They offered lower standards to those who could not live up to the high ones.

Kant's ethical standards are similar to the Stoics (according to Russell, but I don't see the correlation).

While Stoics concerned themselves mainly in Ethics they advanced progress in two main areas:
1) Theory of knowledge
2) Doctrine of natural law and natural rights

The Stoic theory of knowledge accepted perception in the face of Platonic theory.

King Ptolemy invited a Stoic by the name of Sphaerus to dinner and to embarrass him he gave Sphaerus a wax pomegranate to eat. The king laughed and pointed out the obvious deceptive nature of the senses. Sphaerus fired back that he had felt no certainty of it being real, but figured it unlikely that anything inedible would be served at a royal meal, thus shaming the king.

The Stoic theory of knowledge also included innate ideas and principles.

Notes on 1 John and Revelation

(Originally written January 25, 2006)

Roles of God in Salvation

Father = Election
Son = Redemption/forgiveness of sins
Holy Spirit = Secures the believers' future inheritance, blessings = glorified bodies

What can we learn from I John 1:1-4
- we can have fellowship with believers and with God and Jesus
- letter is about the word of life eternal
-note emphasis on sensory perception of the word

1 John 1:5-10 Belief and Practice must be wedded

vv. 5-10 concern what will be true orthodox beliefs

vv. 6, 8, & 10 are directed against the teaching of the heretics

Confession steps
1) call it sin
2) call it forgiven
3) call on God for help

Heretics
- claimed to walk with God but did not
- claimed they had no sin to be cleansed

Why was I John written?
- To expose false teachers who are leading true believers astray (2:26)
- To give true Christians assurance of their salvation

Non-Biblical Gnostic dualism led to five errors:
1) human body is evil, soul is good
2) salvation is escape from body
3) Denied Christ's true humanity in two ways:
-Docetism: Christ only appeared to have a body
-Cerenthianism: the divine Christ joined the man Jesus at baptism and left before he died
4) Asceticism
5) Licentiousness

What is the sin that leads to Death in 1 John 5:16
1) Either referring to physical death that is caused by sin (Old Testament and I Corinthians 11). God ending a life so as the man is brought home rather than damned to hell.
2) A person who stayed in the community but then were heretics and left the community of believers.

Introduction to Revelation

Apokalypsis (Greek) means the uncovering, laying bare, Metaphorically it means a revealing

Revelation = Prophetic Apocalyptic Literature

-Apocalyptic Literature - starts in post-exilic Jewish writing
-Contains dreams, spiritual realm, savior from despair

Prophetic Apocalyptic - incorporates Apocalyptic literature with prophecy of Israel

Symbolic language has real implication

Revelation is a prophetic red book.

Unholy Trinity
Satan - Red Dragon
Antichrist - The Beast
False Prophet - The other beast

Four Interpretive Approaches to the Book of Revelation (or Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21)

1) Idealist approach (NIV Study Bible likes this)
-Theological poem depicting between good and evil
-No events will actually happen
-Expressions of basic principles of how God acts

Weaknesses of Idealist approach
-Continues the allegorical approach
-No historical fulfillment

2) Preterist Approach
-Contents are factual/historical
-Everything in it except visions in Chapters 21 and 22 was fulfilled by the time John wrote

Weaknesses of Preterist approach
-the decisive victory never happened
-view cannot fit all the events of Revelation chapters 2-19 into the year AD 64-70 or AD 64-96.

3) Historicist Approach
- Revelation chapters 2-19/20 is a forecast of the course of history down to present day
- Revelation sketches the history of Western Europe from the Popes to Charlemagne to Napoleon to Hitler

Problems with the historicist approach
-Totally subjective
-No significance to first century readers

4) The Futurist Approach
-Major emphasis is on the future final victory of God over evil
-Many believe that from 4:1 on is future
-Letter to 7 churches are something held to represent the predominant types of churches in successive stages of church history
-John being taken up into heaven is symbolic of rapture

Major Weakness
- Most of the book was irrelevant for those whom it was addressed
- Little comfort to the original readers who would have to wait for 7 ages of the Church for Christ to return

Revelation 3:14-22

Church at Laodicea: Self-Satisfied Church

Hot/Cold/Lukewarm: Popular view vs. Correct view

Hot: Believer (popular) Medicinal (correct)
Cold: Unbeliever (popular) Refreshing (correct)
Lukewarm: Indifferent (popular) Miserable (correct)

Laodicea had to import water from other places:
1) was a hot spring that by the time the water got there it was lukewarm
2) was a cold water source [Colosse] but by the time it got to Laodicea it was lukewarm.
The water was no longer medicinal or refreshing, it was miserable.
(John knew his readers!)

Perceived Anti-Christs: George III, Napoleon, Reagan, Roman Popes, Mussolini, Hussein, Hitler, Gorbachev

Central passage for the Millennium: Revelation 20:4-6

Christ speaks of two ages
1) Present age
2) Age to come

Views on Millennialism:

1) Amillennialism: there will be no millennium
- The saints are reigning with Christ now in heaven
- Eternity begins at the second coming
- Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled spiritually in the Church

2) Postmillennialism: Jesus returns after the millennium to reign with the saints
- Satan is bound now
- World won to Christ through the preaching of the Gospel and will experience a "wonderful" period of peace
- Church prepares the world for the second coming of Christ

3) Premillennialism: Christ returns to earth before the millennium
-Millenium is a time when God fulfills the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants with Israel
-Church shares in new covenant promises, but God is not finished with Israel yet.

Premillennialists debate the Rapture

Pre-tribulation Rapture/Seven Year Tribulation (Chapters 6-19)/Post-tribulation rapture

Catholic Epistles, Pastoral Epistles, The Epistles of John

(Originally written January 24, 2006 in Book 20)

The first three Catholic Epistles:
1 Peter
2 Peter
Jude

1 Peter: Salvation & Suffering

What it means to live for God in a world without God.

"For Western Christians at the close of the 20th Century this brief tract written within a culture not yet Christian becomes a relevant textbook on Christian living in a culture no longer Christian".

1 Peter

I. Problem of Authorship
-What difference does it make whether the Apostle Peter wrote this letter or someone else wrote it and ascribed it to Peter?
-Peter is a highly esteemed apostle
-Peter was an eye witness
-Peter's words in 1 Peter & Acts

II. Who was I Peter written to?
-Gentiles

III. Setting of Peter's Readers
-ridicule for their beliefs
-honor and shame
-walking in Jesus' steps

2. II Peter

-Parallels Jude
-II Peter 1:20-21 Source of Scripture
- A response to rationalistic and hedonistic denials of God
-Paul's letter as Scripture

3. Jude: Danger! False Teachers!

-Parallels 2 Peter
-Jude was probably written after II Peter

Pastoral Epistles

Called Pastoral because they were written to young pastors

Contents: Introduction to Timothy and Titus about:
1) Errors of false teachers
2) Conduct and teaching as pastors/teachers
3) Church order and behavior in worship
4) Pastor's relationship to other groups in the Church
5) Qualifications for Church leaders

Authorship: critical scholarship considered non-Pauline
-a pseudonymous writer in the second century
-used Paul's authority
-to combat a rising Gnostic influence
-or could think of them as pious forgeries

Paul's authorship attacked on four grounds
1) Historical arguments
-don't fit into chronology in Acts (written after Paul was released in the end of Acts)
2) Stylistic arguments
-Author uses different style and words than Paul's (Paul was older, could have given secretaries more freedom)
3) Ecclesiastical arguments
-Church structure and church order is too developed for first century church (ignores fact that church in Acts is already highly developed)
4) Theological arguments:
-Heresy is a developed Gnosticism of the second century so it is therefore, post-Paul (Gnostic heresy existed very early on)

1st Timothy Highlights

1:18-20 Timothy's character and Paul's admonition

1 Corinthians 11:29-30
- New covenant stipulation
- Will Hymenaeus and Philters be in heaven?
2 Timothy is written 5 years after and it seems unlikely.

2:11-15
- Role of women in the church is one of the hottest topics in evangelicalism today

Authorship of Hebrews
-Philip?
-Apollos?
-Priscilla?
-Barnabas?

Hebrews was the oldest complete early Christian sermon that has been preserved.

Written to professing Jewish Christians in danger of apostasy (going back to Judaism)

The Epistles of John

Intro to I John

Test of fellowship
-Am I a carnal or a spirit directed believer?
-Assumes all John's readers are believers

Tests of Life View

-Am I spiritually alive or spiritually dead?
-Assumes some readers are not Christian

The Colossian Heresy

(Originally written January 23, 2006 in Book 20)

Paul's Prison Epistles

Acts: Paul was imprisoned twice:
1) Caesarea
2) Rome - house arrest some say Paul was imprisoned also in Ephesus

Philemon: Plea for a runaway slave

Philemon was a wealthy Christian slave owner who lived in Colossae (100 miles East of Ephesus)

The church met in Philemon's home (Philemon 1:2)

Onesimus was a profitable slave who stole money from Philemon and ran off to rome.

The name Onesimus means profitable and useful.

He ran into Paul and converted under Paul's ministry in Rome.

Philemon is an excellent example of how the gospel will undermine unjust social structures in the world. (Galatians 3:28)

Colossians: Christ as the head of the church

(Colossians is parallel to Ephesians)

Situation: an un-bliblical philosophy distorting Christian faith
Purpose: Paul writes to refute the Colossian heresy
What did it consist of?

Colossians Heresy:
-Ceremonialism: held to strict rules about food and drink, religious festivals and circumcision
Colossians 2:16-17, 2:11, 3:11
-Asceticism: "Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch", Colossians 2:21, 2:23
-Angel worship, Colossians 2:18
-Deprecation of Christ, Paul has to stress the supremacy of Christ, Colossians 1:15-20, 2:2-3,9
-Secret knowledge: Gnostics boasted of this, Colossians 2:2-3, 18
-Reliance on human wisdom and tradition, Colossians 2:4,8
-The heresy is a mix of extreme Judaism and early gnosticism

Acts 28: Colossians/Ephesians
Church = Universal Church vs. Local churches (house churches)


Themes:
1. Complete adequacy of Christ over against emptiness of mere human philosophy.
2. Practical implications of supremacy of Christ for every day living.

Structures:

Chapters 1-2: Doctrine, Christ is "the head"
Chapters 3-4: Practical, Follow Christ, "the head"

Philippians

A friendly missionary thank you letter

-Church at Philippi - Paul panted it on his second missionary journey
-Lydia, a wealthy God-fearing gentile
-slave girl with a spirit of divination
-Paul and Silas were stripped and flogged and imprisoned, where they sung songs all night
-Paul's Roman citizenship vindicated him
-Church met in Lydia's house

Perhaps Paul's favorite church.
-Regularly assisted Paul financially

Dominant Emotional tone: Joy
-The word Joy appears 16 times in various forms

What prompted Paul to write: Philippians had sent Epaphroditus with their gift to Paul

Being filled with the Spirit

1) Understand God's will
-Devotional
2) Be filled with the Spirit (v.18)
-a decision of the will (not something forced on you)
-controlled and empowered
3) Step out and obey