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Church History
- Chapter 1: Introduction and General View
- Later Literature
- Third Period: From Constantine the Great to Gregory the Great (A.D. 311–590)
- Chapter 204: Eusebius, Lactantius, Hosius
- Chapter 203: Victorinus of Petau
- Chapter 202: Arnobius
- Chapter 201: Commodian
- Chapter 200: Novatian
- Chapter 199: Cyprian
- Chapter 198: Minucius Felix
Historical Periods
Author Archives: History of the Christian Church
Chapter 147: The Relation of the Divine and the Human in Christ
The sublime mystery of the union between God and man in the person of Christ, though not dogmatically defined until the seismic controversies of the fifth century, finds its early adumbrations in the contemplative minds of the ante-Nicene Fathers. Here, in embryonic form, lies the heart of Christian theology: not merely that God became man, but how divinity and humanity coexisted in the single person of the Redeemer—without confusion, without… Read more
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Chapter 146: The Humanity of Christ
The confession of Christ’s true humanity stands alongside His divinity as an unshakable pillar of Christian faith. In the face of Gnostic denials and speculative distortions, the early Church rose with clarity and conviction to proclaim that the Redeemer was not an ethereal phantom nor a divine illusion, but flesh of our flesh, soul of our soul—born, suffering, dying, and rising in real human nature. From Ignatius to Origen, the… Read more
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Chapter 145: The Divinity of Christ
The unfolding vision of Christ’s divinity forms the radiant axis around which the early church’s theological reflection revolved. Against the dimming fog of heresy—whether rationalistic denials of Christ’s uniqueness or Gnostic dilutions of his identity into a sea of aeonic myth—the Church proclaimed a Logos both eternal and personal, divine and incarnate, one with the Father yet distinct. Through the minds of Justin Martyr, Origen, Irenaeus, Tertullian, and others, the… Read more
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Chapter 144: Christ and the Incarnation
The confession of Jesus as the Christ—the incarnate Son of God, crucified and risen—is the cornerstone of Christian faith. First proclaimed by Peter and sealed by the adoration of Thomas, who cried, “My Lord and my God,” this mystery became the beating heart of the Church’s life, worship, and doctrine. From the earliest days of baptismal confession to the soaring doxologies of the liturgy, the Church has proclaimed the divine… Read more
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Chapter 143: Man and the Fall
Early Christianity held with unwavering conviction that humanity, fashioned in the image of God, was created in purity and fell through its own volition, seduced by the fallen spirit of Satan. Yet while this foundational belief was universally confessed, the Church had not yet engaged in a rigorous analysis of the Fall’s scope, its moral and metaphysical consequences, or the nature and origin of the human soul. Only centuries later—especially… Read more
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Chapter 142: God and the Creation
In the early Christian centuries, the doctrine of creation stood as both a theological cornerstone and a spiritual safeguard. Against the dualisms and abstractions of Gnostic speculation, the Church affirmed a transcendent yet personal God who brought all things into being by his sovereign will. This doctrine, foundational to both worship and redemption, united the cosmology of Genesis with the incarnate reality of Christ, rooting metaphysical truth in the living… Read more
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Chapter 141: Variations of the Apostles’ Creed
Emerging not as a static composition but as a living, evolving confession, the Apostles’ Creed underwent centuries of organic growth, shaped by the spiritual, theological, and ecclesial needs of the Church. By comparing its earlier and later forms alongside antecedent rules of faith and the Nicene Creed, we trace the steady refinement of Christian doctrine into the familiar language that continues to resonate in the hearts of believers across the… Read more
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Chapter 140: The Rule of Faith and the Apostles’ Creed
Woven into the fabric of early Christian confession, the Apostles’ Creed arose not as a rigid composition from a single moment in history, but as the living voice of the ancient Church—shaped by worship, sharpened by heresies, and nourished by the baptismal waters of faith. Its final form, though post-apostolic, carries within it the rhythm of apostolic witness, the simplicity of primal devotion, and the enduring unity of Christian belief… Read more
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Chapter 139: Catholic Tradition
In the tumultuous era of early doctrinal conflict, the church did not rely on Scripture alone as its fortress of truth. Alongside the written word, the Fathers invoked a “rule of faith”—a living, apostolic tradition transmitted through the succession of bishops and embodied in the worship and teaching of the universal church. This tradition, anchored in the faith of the apostles, served as a visible and authoritative witness against heretical… Read more
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Chapter 138: The Holy Scriptures and the Canon
The formation of the Christian canon was not the result of arbitrary decisions or sudden inspiration, but a long and deliberate process guided by the Spirit and affirmed through the collective discernment of the early church. From the inspired writings of apostles to the exclusion of spurious gospels and heretical forgeries, the church emerged with a body of sacred Scripture that has remained the cornerstone of Christian theology, piety, and… Read more
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