1. The Path of Apostasy History of the Church (4)

2. 2 1 Timothy 4:1-6 Defection from… Defection from… The faith The faith The truth The truth The words of faith The words of faith Good doctrine Good doctrine Departure from divine standard Departure from divine standard Rooted in lack of respect for Christ’s authority, Col. 3:17 Rooted in lack of respect for Christ’s authority, Col. 3:17

3. 3 Acts 14:23; 1 Pet. 5:2 E E E BishopBishopBishop APOSTASY IN ORGANIZATION New Testament Acts 20:29-30

4. 4 “The Bishop” “In the college of equal and co-ordinate presbyters, some one would naturally act as moderator or presiding officer; age, talent, influence, or ordination by the apostles, might give one an accidental superiority over his fellows, and appropriate to him the standing office of president of the presbytery.

5. 5 “The Bishop” “To this office the title of bishop was assigned; and with the office and the title began to be associated the authority of a distinct order.” Lyman Coleman The Church, the Falling Away and the Restoration, J. W. Shepherd, page 54

6. Bishops Extend their Authority “In the fore part of the second century the picture began to change. While no single form of structure as yet prevailed, we now hear indisputably of what soon came to be the accepted pattern, a bishop governing a particular church and of at least one bishop, that of the church in Antioch (Ignatius, jrp), acting as though it were his acknowledged right to address himself with authority to other churches.” A History Of Christianity, Latourette, I:116

7. 7 Acts 14:23; 1 Pet. 5:2 E E E BishopBishopBishop CountryChurchCountryChurchCountryChurch The Bishop (Metropolitan) APOSTASY IN ORGANIZATION New Testament Acts 20:29-30 Formation of Clergy -Distinct office, title, authority & recognitionFormation of Clergy -Distinct office, title, authority & recognition

8. 8 Metropolitan Bishops “Gone were the days when in at least some churches presbyter and bishop were interchangeable terms and when there might be several bishops in a church, or, perhaps, a church without a bishop. Now bishops were becoming a characteristic feature of the Catholic Church, with a single bishop in a given city or area. If a city had more than one bishop, others beyond the one would be assistants.

9. 9 Metropolitan Bishops “The bishop was more than an administrator. He also was in charge of the worship and supervised the entire life of the church within his territorial jurisdiction.” A History of Christianity, Latourette, I:132

10. 10 Authority of Metropolitans “In the course of the years the bishops in the larger cities began to exercise authority over the bishops in their vicinity. In 341 the Council of Antioch ordered that in each province the bishop in the chief city, or metropolis, should have precedence over the other bishops in the province, and that the other bishops should ‘do nothing extraordinary without him.’” (Ibid. 185)

11. 11 Acts 14:23; 1 Pet. 5:2 E E E BishopBishopBishop CountryChurchCountryChurchCountryChurch APOSTASY IN ORGANIZATION New Testament Acts 20:29-30 Authority of Metropolitans Metropolitans Province[Diocese]Province[Diocese]Province[Diocese] The Bishop (Metropolitan)

12. 12 Church Councils “Councils are legally convened assemblies of ecclesiastical dignitaries and theological experts for the purpose of discussing and regulating matters of church doctrine and discipline.” “General Councils” New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia

13. 13 Ecumenical Councils The Catholic Church Develops Constantinople Nicea Ephesus Chalcedon 381 325 431 451 553 680-681

14. 14 Acts 15… First Church Council? Confirm what was already being taughtConfirm what was already being taught Agreement already existed among the apostles and eldersAgreement already existed among the apostles and elders Clearly identify the false teachersClearly identify the false teachers Did not decide doctrine (orthodoxy)Did not decide doctrine (orthodoxy) Did not write “Church Law”Did not write “Church Law” Acts 15:2, 4, 6, 22-27; Gal. 2:1- 10

15. 15Patriarchs “The bishops in the chief cities of the Empire had positions of outstanding prestige, a prestige, which, with modifications, has persisted into our own day. Especially prominent were those of Jerusalem, because of its historic associations with the beginning of Christianity, Antioch, the chief city of Syria and where the disciples were first called Christians, Alexandria, Constantinople, and, particularly, Rome. The bishops of these sees were eventually known as Patriarchs.” (Latourette, op. cit.)

16. 16 PATRIARCHS The Catholic Church Develops RomeRome ConstantinopleConstantinople AntiochAntioch JerusalemJerusalem AlexandriaAlexandria Colossians 1:18 Acts 14:23; 1 Peter 5:2 Colossians 1:18 Acts 14:23; 1 Peter 5:2

17. The Papacy “In the year 588, John, Bishop of Constantinople, surnamed the Faster, on account of his extraordinary abstinence and austerity, assembled, by his own authority a council at Constantinople, to inquire into an accusation brought against Peter, Patriarch of Antioch; and upon this occasion assumed the title of ecumenical, or universal bishop.” (Ecclesiastical History, Mosheim, I:145)

18. 18 The Papacy Gregory the Great (540-604): Bishop of Rome called it “apostasy” & “anti-Christ”Gregory the Great (540-604): Bishop of Rome called it “apostasy” & “anti-Christ” He obtained a renunciation of “the wicked title” from new bishop of Constantinople in 596He obtained a renunciation of “the wicked title” from new bishop of Constantinople in 596 Boniface III (606): Bishop of Rome was conferred title of universal bishop by the Roman emperor (Phocas)Boniface III (606): Bishop of Rome was conferred title of universal bishop by the Roman emperor (Phocas) Papal supremacy was introducedPapal supremacy was introduced

19. 19 Bishop of Rome: Universal Bishop The Catholic Church The Papacy 606 A.D. RomeRome ConstantinopleConstantinople

20. 20 Roman Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church The Great Schism 1054 A.D.

21. 21 Church and State John 18:36 “The policy of Constantine (ca. 306- 337) was one of toleration. He did not make Christianity the sole religion of the state. That was to follow under later Emperors. He continued to support both paganism and Christianity.”

22. 22 Church and State John 18:36 “He had his children instructed in the Christian faith...he built and enlarged churches...he forbade any attempt to force Christians to participate in non-Christian religious ceremonies. He took an active part in the affairs of the Church, thus establishing a precedent which was to be followed by his successors.” (Latourette, I:92-93)

23. 23 Monasticism “It was partially as a reaction against this laxity and partly because of the dissatisfaction which the teachings of Jesus and the apostles aroused with anything short of perfection that monasticism arose. “Although it has been prominent in the churches in which the majority of Christians have been enrolled, monasticism was unknown in the first two centuries of Christianity.” (Ibid., I:221, 223)

24. 24 Schools of Theology “…there were beginning to flower in Alexandria a school of Christian thought which was to contribute even more...to the intellectual formulation of the Christian faith.

25. Schools of Theology “In Alexandria the main focus and stimulus to Christian intellectual life was in a catechetical school, made famous through two of its heads, Clement and Origen. This catechetical school was already in existence late in the second century. As its name indicates, its primary purpose was the instruction of candidates for Church membership in the principles of the Christian faith.” (Ibid., I:146-147)

26. The Path of Apostasy Away from “old paths” Jer. 6:16-17; 2 Tim. 3:16-17Away from “old paths” Jer. 6:16-17; 2 Tim. 3:16-17 Grows worse & worse, 2 Tim. 3:13Grows worse & worse, 2 Tim. 3:13 Doctrine of Christ 2 John 9, 4, 6