Through the Ages

David was a blessed man by the Lord. God was gracious to David that, God placed certain people in his life with whom David could lean during the hard times. People  provided a strong support for David and helped him during the dark hours in his life. One of the most precious and profound of the relationships David enjoyed was the  friendship with King Saul’s son Jonathan. Jonathan was a true of God to young  David. In fact, the very name Jonathan means Jehovah has given. Jonathan was  strategically placed in David’s life at the very time David needed a friend. Jonathan  proved to be the greatest and dearest friend that David would know in his entire life. It is a shame and a disgrace that some have tried to take this precious, godly  relationship between two men and make it into something different. Some have taken  the words of 2 Samuel 1:26 and have twisted them to imply that David and Jonathan  were lovers. The truth is that Jonathan became to ...

The development of Orthodox Christ ology, which is the theological understanding of the nature of Jesus in Orthodox Christianity, can be traced back to the early centuries of the Church. Here is a brief overview of its development: Arius and the Council of Nicea (325 A.D): Arius was an important controversial figure; he was a presbyter of Alexandria. He taught that God is Eternal, who is one. His teachings: Jesus Christ was not eternal, he had a beginning, and there was a time he was not. The Son was a created being with the Father, and through whom God created the other things. (Similar with Gnostic teachings).  He said, Christ is the highest ranking of all created beings. He was inferior to God or secondary  God, he was neither fully God, nor fully man.  The Son was not of the same substance as the Father (homoousios: homo-same, ousios- substance). Arius was opposed by Alexander the bishop of Alexandria and his secretary Athanasius wh...

John 1:1-5  ( For PPT Click here ) The emphasis on getting better Christmas, we want it bright. We want the tree, the decorations, the lights, and the  presents. We want everyone to be happy. We want to be able to get and give plenty. We want peace and joy to  abound. In reality, Christmas often turns into a real difficulty. We are rushed and pushed for time. We spend money  for Christmas, but we don’t have money for people who are in need. I believe God wants us to get the real meaning of  Christmas. I believe that He is not so interested in our having a decorated Christmas as He is interested in our having  a Spiritual Christmas. This passage (1:1-5) reveals some ingredients which are absolutely essential if we are looking for spiritual Christmas.  Well, I realize that this is not the traditional Christmas text. John does not write about angels, shepherds, stars or  sheep. But, He does something the other Gospel writers do not do. John puts the ...

  The medieval period existed from A.D. 590-1517 (when Gregory the Great was inaugurated as Bishop of  Rome) until 1517 (Reformation began by posting 95 theses on the door post of Wittenberg in Germany by Martin Luther). It is a period about 1000 years and it is called the papal church and the church in the Dark Age. Many Roman Catholic doctrines were developed during the medieval period. Purgatory: This doctrine includes 595 by Gregory I. Prayer: To Mary, Saints and Angels, in 600 A.D. that doctrine was formulated in 600 A.D. Kissing: Pope’s foot 709 A.D. Canonization: Death of saints in 995 A.D. Celibacy of the priesthood in 1075 A.D. The doctrine of Transubstantiation and confession of sins to priest in 1215 A.D. The seven Sacraments was developed 1439 A.D., (Baptism, Conformation, Marriage, Extreme unction, Eucharist, Penance, Ordination). There are a number of controversies: i. Iconoclastic controversy, ii. Filioque controversy, iii. Predestination  controversy, iv. ...

Pelagius greatly disturbs the church in the 5th century. He was a British monk, visited Rome in AD 400. He was grief/ shock at the sinful life of Christians in Rome. When he asked them about their immoral  life they say that it is impossible to live better lives because of the sinfulness of human nature, second  excuses they said was that the fall of Adam effected man, so it was not their false. So he began to  teach the sufficiency of free will, without depending on supernatural grace. Pelagius rejected the  concept of original sin. His Teachings on Sin and Grace:  In 410 AD he came to Africa, where he met Augustine with him he had sharp controversy. The conflicting issues were on three points: Original sin Freedom of will Necessity of divine grace for salvation Original Sins: Pelagius rejected the concept of original sin. He taught man is born without original sin  because God created each soul individually. Adam's sin did not affect the human race,...

Augustine  was known as the theologian of “Grace”. He lived during the time 354-430  A.D. He was born in northern Africa of a pagan father (Patricius) and devout Godly mother (Monica).  Augustine excels as a student, especially in the art of rhetoric. His Conversion: Augustine lived a very worldly life. His quest for true found its satisfaction in the person  of Christ. The saving grace of Christ became the center of his theology. This personal search for truth is  discussed in his writing “confession”. The confession was one of the profound spiritual autobiographies  of history where he explains his conversion experience.  One of Augustine greatest hurdle was the problem of evil. His question was how could a good God permit a world filled with evil, pain, suffering? He thought that he found the answer in Manichaeism (He was the follower of Manichaeism: The fundamental doctrine of Manichaeism is its dualistic division of the universe into c...

The Cappadocian fathers were Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa and Gregory of Nizianzus. They  formulated the doctrine of the Trinity by accepting Nicea‟s formula of Athanasius “ homoousios ” and also  accepted the three distinct persons that are “ hypostaseis ” (of Father, Son and Holy Spirit), at the same  time THREE in ONE. The Cappadocian fathers established “ usia ” as a Greek equivalent to the Latin  word “ substantia ” by giving precise meaning to the term “ ousias ” as in talking about the trinity. Basil  paves the way for the council of Constantinople 381 A.D, where it formulated the orthodox doctrine of  the trinity. Basil was the first to fix the accepted formula for the trinity, i.e. one substance (ousia or  substantia) and three persons (hypostaseis). One of the most profound truths of the Christians faith is the doctrine of the trinity. It separates  Christianity from all other world religions. The bible teaches that God is one (Deut...

Church at 5th century gave the title to Virgin Mary “Theotokos”. Nestorius did not accept this title Theotokos, but he uses the title Christokos (bearer of Christ). He said so because God could not have Human parents. Mary as a human cannot bear God, but the Mary bearer of Christ. So there was a great dispute and a council were called in 431 A.D at Ephesus, known as the council of Ephesus headed by Cyril. Cyril was a representative of Alexandrian theology. Cyril follows an Alexandrian theology wanted to make use this opportunity to humiliate the Antiochian school. His main task/concern was to condemn Nestorianism. Also, there was a hard discussion on the title “Theotokos”. And in this council Nestorius was condemned as heretic and the title “Theotokos” was continued to use. The conflict with Nestorius led to another clash between the Alexandrian and Antiochian schools.

The study of Christian Apologetics, which involves defending the faith through reason and evidence, has a rich history dating back to the early centuries of the Church. Throughout the centuries, many notable figures have contributed to the development of Apologetics, leaving behind a legacy of influential writings that continue to shape the discipline today. In this essay, we will explore some of the major apologists and their most significant works. 1. Justin The Martyr (100-165 AD):  He may be rightly being regarded as chief of the apologists. He was born about A.D 100 A.D in the biblical town of Shechem in Samaria. He was a convert from paganism, a Greek. Though he was born in Samaria, but he was non-Jews native of Palestine, a converted philosopher. He was a well-educated person of his days and knowledge of popular philosophies, those of the stoic, Plato and Aristotle.  His Works : His famous writing is “dialogue with Trypho”. In his book he discusses ...