I have provided an overview of Christian history, and included the Nicene Creed in it's historical context.
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The Lord Jesus was crucified and resurrected around 30 A.D
The Day of Pentecost and St. Peter's ministry began around 30 or 31 A.D.
St. Paul traveled and preached the gospel from 34 A.D. to 60 A.D.
A fire occurred in Rome in 64 A.D., which the emperor Nero blamed on the Christians, and started to persecute the Christians. Christians worshipped Christ secretly in the underground catacombs of Rome.
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Josephus (37 A.D.- 101 A.D.?) was a Jewish priest, soldier, and scholar who wrote about the Jewish wars, history, and who wrote an account of Jesus...
"Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, - a teacher of such men as recieve the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ; and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day."
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Flavius Josephus website
The New Testament was canonized in 170 A.D.
Persecutions of Christians increased under the emperor Decius from 249 A.D. to 251 A.D.
Constantine became emperor in 312 A.D., and gave the Edict of Milan in 313 A.D which granted equal rights to all religions. It is said he had a vision of the Cross of Christ.
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The early Christians clarified the beliefs of Christianity with the Nicene Creed in 325 A.D., it's basic reason was to refute Arius who taught that Jesus Christ was not God. Constantine presided over the Council.
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Council proclaiming the Nicene Creed .jpg
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THE NICENE CREED (scriptural support for each doctrine is provided)
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"We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.(see Genesis 1:1)
...We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father.(see 1rst Corinthians 8:6)
...God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten not made, one in being with the Father (see John 1:1ff)
...through Him all things were made, for us men and for our salvation He came down from heaven,(see John 3:13)
...by the power of the Holy Spirit He was born of the virgin Mary, and became man,(see Luke 1:35)
...for our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate, He sufferred, died, and was buried (see Luke 23:33ff)
...on the third day He rose again in fulfillment of the scriptures,(see Luke 24:18ff, and Acts 2:34)
...He ascended into Heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father,(see Acts 1:9ff, Acts 2:34)
...He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end. (see 2nd Timothy 4:1)
...We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son,(see Acts ch.'s 1 & 2)
...with the Father and the Son He is worshipped and glorified,(see Luke 11:13, Matthew 28:19)
...He has spoken through the prophets(see 2nd Peter 1:21)
...We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church,(see Matthew 16:18, and 1rst Corinthians ch.'s 3,4,6,and 12)
...We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins,(see Acts 2:38)
...We look for the ressurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.Amen."(see Revelation 20:12)
The Nicene Creed (printable version)
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St.Augustine, bishop of Hippo (354-430 A.D.) wrote the "Confessions", which addressed sin, grace, and the sacraments. He also wrote "City of God" which refutes paganism.
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St. Jerome was commissioned by Pope Damascus I to translate the Scriptures from the original Hebrew into Latin (the common language of the Roman Empire).It was completed in 405 A.D. It was the standard version of the Bible for over 1,000 years.
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St. Patrick preached Christ in Ireland in 432 A.D.
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St. Benedict studied in Rome, but was dismayed at his fellow students lack of discipline and lacksadaisical attitude, he founded a monastery in 480 A.D. At one point there were over 40,000 monasteries under Benedictine rule. Monks transcribed and very accurately preserved the scriptures. St. Benedict's motto was, "pray and work".
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Christianity became accepted and diffused throughout Europe. Of special note is St. Columbanus, who was a missionary to Europe from 590 to 615 A.D.
By the year 1000 A.D. Christianity was being attacked by Islam which was conquering Africa,Turkey, Sicily, and Spain. The Christian nations launched the first Crusade in 1095 A.D.
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When the first phase of the Crusade was over, St. Dominic (1170-1221 A.D.) established the Dominican Order in 1215 A.D., which along with the Franciscan order was the most influential Christians of the thirteenth century.
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The Franciscan Order was founded by St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226 A.D.), the son of a wealthy merchant, he gave away his possesions and took "Lady Poverty" for his bride. He won the hearts of many followers. It was not only that he was kind to every one, even the outcasts of society- the sick and the maimed and the lepers, whom no one would touch. The quality of love seemed to shine out from him in a way that no one could resist, or wished to resist.
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St. Thomas Aquinas was a midieval theologian (1225-74 A.D.) who used "reason" to support Christian theology.
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John Wycliffe (1324-1384 A.D.) tranlated the Bible into English. He sent the "Lollards", itinerant preachers out throughout England and they inspired a spiritual revolution.The Roman Catholic Church expelled him from his postion and he was brought to trial in 1377 A.D. After his death the Roman Catholic church had his bones exhumed and burned.
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John Wycliffe website
In 1453 A. D. Johannes Gutenberg began to print the Bible. He invented the printing press, and this help distribute the scriptures, and literacy throughout Western Civilization.
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In 1517 A.D. Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk posted a protestation of abuses perpetrated by the Catholic Church on the church door in Wittenberg, especially the selling of Indulgences by Johann Tetzel. The list of protests were called the "95 Theses", and they were also mailed to friends in other cities, and were widely distributed.
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Martin Luther's 95 Theses
In 1620 A.D. the ship called the Mayflower brought the Puritans to Massachusetts, who were the forefathers of Christian America, with all it's freedoms and blessings.
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The Mayflower story (chronicled with artwork)
Jonathan Edwards preached in Stockbridge, MA at the height of the New England Revival of 1741 A.D. He was noted for his sermon "Sinners in the hands of an angry God" He wrote a book called "Religious affections" in which a Christian examines his relationship with God. He also preached on Redemption, Communion, Grace, the Trinity, and True virtue.
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Jonathan Edwards website
John Wesley, a noted English preacher, around 1770 A.D. preached the basics of Christianity and faith to counter faithless science. He emphasized the doctrine of the Fall. of Redemption, of Atonement, and he encouraged practical piety.His followers became the modern day Methodists.
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Charles Hadden Spurgeon (1834-1892 A.D.) preached in England for Christians to "show our love of truth by truthful love". He encouraged Christians to heed Him that speaketh from heaven, Jesus Christ. Also he emphasized that we need to lay hold on eternal life, lest we be condemned to hell, which is not a fable, but is real.
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Charles Hadden Spurgeon-Sermon Notes
Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899 A.D.) was an American Evangelist who taught of our glorious life ahead in heaven. To quote him "Some day you will read in the papers that D.L.Moody of East Norfield is dead. Don't you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now; I shall have gone up higher, that is all. Out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal- a body that death cannot touch, that sin cannot taint; a body fashioned like unto His glorious body. I was born of the flesh in 1837. I was born of the Spirit in 1856. That which is born of the flesh may die. That which is born of the Spirit will live forever." He also founded the Moody Bible institute in Chicago, and in Scotland.
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Dwight L.Moody website
The Pentecostal Church has had a profound influence in spreading the gifts of the Holy Spirit throughout the world. Charles Fox Parnham in 1901 A.D. in Topeka, Kansas, a former Methodist preacher, began the modern Pentecostal church. Agnes Ozman was the first person recorded in that church to speak in tongues. In 1906 A.D. the "Azusa St." revival occurred. William Joseph Seymour (1870-1922 A.D.) had attended Parnhams Bible School. He preached in a former African Methodist Episcopal building. He published and distributed freely a paper called "The Apostolic Faith" to 50,000 people thus spreading Pentecostalism.
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William Joseph Seymour website
C.S. Lewis (1898-1963 A.D.) was a writer who on spread the Christian faith through his award winning literature. His writings included "Religion and Philosophy", "The Screwtape Letters", "The Chronicles of Narnia", and "Space Trilogy". C.S. Lewis said " I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."
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The Catholic Church has softened on its strictness, in 1962-1965 A.D. it clarified, modernized, and elucidated a more scripturally enlightened statement called "Vatican II". This dealt with a multiplicity of issues in an edifying Christian manner--- the Mass, the Sacraments, ( Baptism, Confirmation, Penance,Annointing of the sick, Matrimony, Holy Orders, and Funerals), the Liturgical year, Sacred Music, Sacred Art, the Constitution of the Church (especially the recognition of Protestants as separated brethren), the Eastern Church, Ecumenism, and other miscellaneous problems.
The Second Vatican Ecumenical Council website
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CHRISTIAN HISTORY INSIGHT:True Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship with the risen Lord Jesus Christ.
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The Christian Research Institute website. Pictured is Hank Hanegraaff, the Bible Answer Man. Visit the website of the Christian Research Institute. "CRI" is an excellent resource for Bible study, Counter-cult ministry, and of course the Bible Answer Man Program which airs in most of the USA.
You can also listen to archived shows over the web with Realplayer.
click here to hear archived Bible Answer Man radio shows
click here for a Study on Contemporary Cults
