God’s forgotten Word 4 Lost Lawbook 3 Early digressions and Constantinic revolution

In the previous chapter we told that modern theologians have a strong tendency to turn away from the Bible, or at least to relativise strongly the teaching of it .

Early digressions

However, such development is not new in the history of Christendom or in Christianity. Already in the time of the apostles there was a tendency to mix the gospel with Greek philosophical ideas. The Greeks wanted to constantly adapt the gospel to their own world. Paul opposed in Acts and in his letters fiercely against these trends. But with the loss of the first generation and the death of the apostles these forces began to have free play. The apostle John did in his first letter, probably written somewhere at the end of the first century, one last attempt to refute certain ideas, but then there was nothing in the way. Especially the so-called Church Fathers (some fundamental theologians of the early church, after the time of the apostles) have in fact contributed to the dilution of the pure doctrine of the gospel with Greek ideas. And many of their thoughts reach into our time.

The ‘Constantinic‘ revolution

But that’s not all. There was the first church where at a given moment occurred a dramatic development with far-reaching consequences. In the first three centuries of our era, the early church tried to maintain themselves in the pagan Roman Empire, sometimes with patience and sometimes with severe persecution. But in the fourth century, Constantine made Christianity the state religion, not out of conviction but because he decided to bet on another horse. And the church, suddenly freed from the ever lurking danger of persecution, is stepped with open eyes into this trap. The mistake has been done by others sufficiently explained, then it would be necessary here to this again. But the acceptance of this status had eventually far reaching consequences. The ‘Free independent church community of believers‘ existing by voluntarily joined members who were only accountable to their Lord, suddenly became subordinate to the emperor and the state interest.

Michael Pacher – Altarpiece of the Church Fathers – WGA16810 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

From that moment there was nothing more non-committal on the membership of that church. Every citizen of the Roman Empire was eventually obliged member of that church. Questions of faith were, as the bishops could not solve them, ruled by the Emperor, whether or not through a party sponsored by him in the conflict, because the emperor wished above all peace in his kingdom. And thus the church was slowly but surely modeled on the lines of the previous pagan period. In the words of one writer (Verduin, from Reformed house): the church became from a free church to a “sacred” church. With sacral (lit .: holy or sacred) Verduin indicates universal top-down church, in contrast to the “sectarian” church of dissenters who followed their own leader Christ .

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Preceding article: God’s forgotten Word 3 Lost Lawbook 2 Modern scepticism

Original Dutch text: Gods vergeten Woord 4 Verloren Wetboek 3 Vroege afdwalingen en de ‘Constantinische’ omwenteling

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Please find further reading material:

1. The Advent of the saviour to Roman oppression
2. A rebellious movement founded on a fake?
3. History of the acceptance of a three-in-one God
4. History of Christianity
5. Hellenistic influences
6. Politics and power first priority #1

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