Quote:
Originally Posted by BobDylan
1. Where was the fully developed doctrine of the trinity referenced in any writing in the first three centuries of the church?
2. When, where, and by whom was the doctrine of the trinity established as the official dogma of the "real" church?
3. Who and where was the real church between the years of 400AD to 1500AD? Was it the Roman Catholics? The Greek Orthadox? African Orthadox?
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According to history, the worldwide church was given the name “the Catholic Church” in the second century, and it remained this until after the Reformations starting in 1517.
Around the year A.D. 107, a bishop, St. Ignatius of Antioch in the Near East, was arrested, brought to Rome by armed guards and eventually martyred there in the arena. In a farewell letter which this early bishop and martyr wrote to his fellow Christians in Smyrna (today Izmir in modern Turkey), he made the first written mention in history of "the Catholic Church." He wrote, "Where the bishop is present, there is the Catholic Church" (To the Smyrnaeans 8:2). Thus, the second century of Christianity had scarcely begun when the name of the Catholic Church was already in use.
The medieval period existed from A.D. 590-1517 when the Reformation began. The period from 500-1500 is frequently called the Dark Ages because of the ecclesiastical corruption. It was, in fact, this corruption that sparked the Protestant Reformation under Martin Luther. Roman Catholic doctrine developed considerably during the medieval period: purgatory in 593; prayer to Mary, saints, and angels in 600; kissing the pope’s foot in 709; canonization of dead saints in 995; celibacy of the priesthood in 1079; the rosary in 1090; transubstantiation and confessing sins to a priest in 1215; and the seven sacraments in 1439. A number of controversies confronted the medieval church. The iconoclastic controversy emerged in which the use of images in worship became an integral part of the Western church. The filioque controversy (did the Father alone or the Father and the Son send the Spirit) split the Eastern and Western church. The predestination controversy resulted in rejection of Gottschalk’s predestination view. The eucharist controversy led to the doctrine of transubstantiation. Controversial views over the atonement aso emerged. The medieval period developed scholasticism, which trained scholars to defend the faith from a rational viewpoint. One scholastic, Thomas Aquinas, became prominent in the formulation of Catholic doctrine. Other doctrinal views emerged as the Roman Catholic church increasing moved away fro Augustinian doctrine. Man was viewed as cooperating with God both in salvation and sanctification. Works became an important part in salvation and sanctification, especially with the adoption of the seven sacraments. The authority of the papacy also emerged during this time, the pope being termed “vicar of Christ.” Submission to the pope was essential in both religious and political matters. Martin Luther, a Roman Catholic priest, sparked the Reformation when he nailed the ninety-five theses opposing the Catholic church on the church door at Wittenberg, Germany, on October 31,1517. Luther stresses a return to the Scriptures as ultimate authority in the believer’s life. This marked a return to a study the Scriptures, particularly with the publication of the Greek New Testament by Erasmus. (The Moody handbook of Theology pg 404,405 Introduction of Historical Theology).
The English churches from the Anglican Reformation. The list of churches for this study is are follows: Methodist Episcopal Church - Wesleyan Holiness doctrine (John Wesley) Holiness Movement - Church of the Nazarene (1895) Pentecostal Movement (1901) - Assemblies of God (1914) - Pentecostal Assemblies of the World (1913-1916) - United Pentecostal Church International (1945).
The church doctrine was a progressive doctrine, depending on the events surrounding the time period. First we need to understand the purpose of the Church. Two overriding purposes of the Church can be delineated: gathered, ministering to the body, and scattered, ministering to the world. It is important to distinguish these two purposes. On one hand, the Church gathers as a body of believers wherein believers minister to one another; on the other hand, the Church is to minister to both believers and unbelievers. This is important because Jesus said, I WILL build My Church. In order for this to be fulfilled there has to be some evidence that this took place in history.
The Nicene Creed was in response to the Arian controversy.
The Nicene Creed as approved by the Council of Constantinople (A.D. 381)
The Council of Sardica Canon V (A.D. 343)
The Definition of Chalcedon (A.D. 451)
Canons of the Council of Orange (A.D. 529)
Quicumque vult (Athanasian Creed) (ca. A.D. 500)
Anathemas of the Second Council of Constantinople (A.D. 533)
Creeds and Statements - from the Period after A.D. 600
Later Creeds:
Eleventh Council of Toledo (675 AD)
The Statement of Faith of the Third Council of Constantinople - (681 AD, Sixth Ecumenical)
The Image Controversy (the Iconoclasts)
The Synod of Constantinople (Hiera, 753 AD)
Council of Nicaea (7th Ecumenical,787 AD)
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