ANALYTICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS. THE Author's reasons for abandoning in this work the usual method of This history is divided into five parts or periods, ending respectively at CHAPTER I.-The Propagation of Christianity. 1 60 The Church of Jerusalem. James the Just its first President 65 Secession of the Christian Church to Pella No tabularies or public acts preserved by the primitive Christians 134 Foundation of Elia Capitolina by Adrian 40 Church of Antioch, founded by St. Paul and Barnabas There the Converts first assumed the name of Christian 107 Ignatius, the second Bishop, suffered martyrdom in the persecution The pretended correspondence between Jesus Christ and Abgarus, The Church of Ephesus, founded by St. Paul, and governed by 166 The Church of Smyrna governed by Polycarp, till his martyrdom The Churches of Sardis and Hierapolis. Melito and Papias. Con- 107 The testimony of Pliny the Younger, contained in his Epistle to The difficulty of establishing the Church at Athens may be ascribed 95 Greater facility in the conversion of the Corinthians. The dissensions 165 The seven Catholic Epistles of the Bishop Dionysius 64 The persecution at Rome by Nero is related by Tacitus, with little humanity. St. Peter and St. Paul are believed to have suffered on that occasion. Testimony to the numerical importance of the Con- 196 Victor, Bishop of Rome, addressed an order to the Asiatic Bishops 177 A persecution in Gaul by Marcus Antoninus Irenæus was subsequently Bishop of Lyons Some reasons why the Church of Alexandria was probably nume- 55 134 Testimony of the Emperor Adrian, respecting the religious character PAGE CHAPTER II.-On the Numbers, Discipline, Doctrine, and Morality of the 200 The great extent over which Christianity was spread before the end The earliest converts were chiefly of the middle or lower classes; The great facility of intercourse throughout the Roman Empire, the On the miraculous powers claimed by the Church, and the period to which they were most probably confined The episcopal government generally established after the death of the Apostles. . . A perpetual succession of Bishops traced up to that time in most of the Eastern Churches and in Rome 20, 21 On the temporary ministry of the prophets On the subordinate office of deacon, and the extent of the spiritual The Bishop co-operated with the Council of Presbyters in the 150 et seq. Origin and composition of the first provincial assemblies From these synods proceeded the title and dignity of the Metro- politan, and the general aggrandizement of the episcopal order The variety of early creeds, and primitive use of the Apostles' Creed. Exemplary morality of the early Christians, proved from the writ- 28-31 28-31 Charity the corner-stone of the moral edifice The first appearances of corruption in the Church necessarily pro- ceeded from the increased numbers and more varied character 313 Before the time of Constantine, Christianity was deeply rooted in Some vague pretensions of Rome advanced and resisted 231 The Roman Synod against Novatian was attended by sixty Bishops 203 Origen was made President of the Catechetical School, and re- 33 mained so for nearly thirty years. His great diligence and er- roneous principles in the interpretation of Scripture. He was successful in converting some Arabian Heretics 192 Tertullian was made Presbyter of the Church of Carthage. He fell 250 Cyprian was raised to the See of Carthage The dignity of the Metropolitans was exalted, and the general dis- Some inferior classes in the ministry were instituted; the distinc- The sect of the Eclectics, founded by Ammonius Saccas, tended to CHAPTER IV.-Persecutions of several Roman Emperors. The theory of pure Polytheism permits an unlimited reception of 64 Whether the persecution of Nero was general or confined to Rome, and whether his laws against the Christians were more than an application to them of the standing statutes of the empire 94 or 95 The grandsons of St. Jude were brought before Domitian, and The Rescript of Trajan enjoined death as the punishment of a con 162-181 The first systematic persecution was that of Marcus Antoni- 35, 36 36, 37 38 39 40 nus, and it lasted during his whole reign. He encouraged in- 202-211 The Edict of Severus against the Christians remained in force; it was most destructive in Egypt 250 Decius pretended to constrain all his subjects to return to the re- ligion of their ancestors; many perished; and many fell away from 258 Cyprian suffered martyrdom in the reign of Valerian, on his re- 303 The teachers of philosophy were instrumental in bringing Diocle- tian to begin his persecution. It was continued for ten years, with a severity comprehending every form of oppression; and ceased not till the accession of Constantine 313 The early unpopularity of the Christians is accounted for by an- cestral, prejudices, the fame of peculiar sanctity, converting zeal, 52 Jewish hostility, and various calumnies; the exclusive character 53, 54 Contumacy the pretext for these Pagan inflictions Various false notions respecting the characters and ends of the em- These persecutions were not, upon the whole, unfavourable to the CHAPTER V.-On the Heresies of the First Three Centuries. The original meaning of the word heresy is choice; it passed from The earliest fathers strongly opposed erroneous opinions; yet per- The names of dissent were in no age more numerous than the ear- Some errors probably older than the apostolic preaching 58 59 Mosheim distinguishes the early heretics into three classes The division of heresies here given is rather in reference to their The vain inquiry respecting the origin of evil; it is ascribed to matter: hence the eternity of matter, and supposition of an evil The association of this philosophy with Christianity occasioned Simon Magus was classed among these; and his disciples are 120-1 Saturninus introduced the opinions into the Asiatic, Basilides into the Egyptian, School; and Carpocrates and Valentinus further ex- tended or refined them. Cerdo and Marcion introduced them into 172 Tatian, disciple of Justin Martyr, founded on them the heresy of the Encratites, who professed meditation and bodily austerities The Docetæ (Phantastics) were of very early origin; they had a sys- 200 Theodotus was expelled from the Church of Rome, while Victor was bishop, for asserting the mere humanity of Christ 269 Paul of Samosata was deposed, and removed by Aurelian 250 Sabellius denied the distinct personality of the second and third persons, considering them as energies, or portions of the first: hence his followers were called Patripassians 170 Montanus began to prophesy in Phrygia, in company with Maxi- milla and Priscilla. Tertullian became a convert and advocate 257 A controversy rose about the baptism of heretics, in which Ste- 6885 The Novatians, the earliest ecclesiastical reformers, were con- demned by the Church; they subsisted till the fifth century Observations on the character of the early heresies, and the man- On the epistle of Barnabas, the shepherd of Hermas, the epistles of Ignatius, and that of Polycarp 140 The two Apologies of Justin Martyr and his dialogue with the Jew CHAPTER VI.-Constantine the Great. 312 An inquiry into the miracle of the luminous cross; it rests on very 313 Publication of the edict of Milan-an edict of universal toleration. The suspicions of Constantine's sincerity are founded on the inade- quacy of his morality to his profession; and are counteracted by many particulars of his conduct and character Before Constantine, neither the authority of synods or bishops, n what the strength of the Antenicene Church consisted. That strength, as well as the peculiar qualities of Christians, influenced Constantine to legalize Christianity He received the Church into strict alliance with the State; investing the Crown with the highest ecclesiastical authority, with great 321 The internal administration of the Church remained in the hands of the Prelates. Permission was granted to bequeath property to the Church; also exemption from civil offices, and independent The Emperor assumed the control of the external administration; the right of calling general councils, &c. This right was the creation of a new power, not an usurpation on Constantine, in the ecclesiastical, followed the civil, divisions of the empire. To the three leading Prelates of Rome, Antioch, and Alexandria, he added the Patriarch of Constantinople A thousand Bishops administered the Eastern, and eight hundred The establishment of the Church was, upon the whole, favourable Various sources of the Romish corruptions Note. On the historical respectability of Eusebius; to what his CHAPTER VII.-On the Arian Controversy. 85-6 |