|
|
|
Did the Original Christian Church Adopt Pagan Influences?Jan 09, 2010How did the original Christian Church, started by Jesus and the apostles resist pagan influences? How did Martin Luther fight against Catholic teachings and the paganized Christianity that had developed as the Catholic Church?
The mainly Gentile Church: - did not live under the Old Testament laws - met and worshipped on Sunday, not the Sabbath - followed the leadership established by Paul rather than the Jerusalem leadership So the "original Christian Church started by Jesus and the apostles" had already changed dramatically by the beginning of the second century. The Catholic Church likes to say that it started with Peter. Most Protestants like to say that the Catholic Church started with Constantine. In reality what we know as the "Catholic Church" with a Pope does not become a settled movement until Gregory, known as "Gregory the Great" in 590 AD. Prior to this leadership power resided more with regional bishops, with ecclesiastical power slowly evolving to the Roman bishop, sometimes called "papa" by some to illustrate his primacy. But it is critical to note that prior to Gregory there were conflicts where regional bishops refused to abide by the decision/opinion of the Roman "papa" bishop. Gregory consolidated this power and authority. One must also consider that when Constantine moved the seat of his power to Constantinople in 330 AD. This at least signals the beginning of the Eastern Orthodox Church which represents a huge sector of Christianity often ignored by Western Christians, especially Protestants. "the time the Catholic church paganized Christianity" I can only assume that you are talking about influences that found their way into Christianity like: Constantine's use of the Sun god, wedding rings, naming the days of the week after the planets, the development of Christmas trees, and even the cross (or crucifix) which was adopted from the Romans. Many Christian symbols, dress, and tradition comes from the Old Testament. This makes perfect sense - as mentioned above, Jesus was a Jew and the primitive Church was Jewish at first. The Israelites, however, adopted things from the other nations around them in the Old Testament. This is what Christians did as well. Sects like the Jehovah's Witnesses point to "pagan" influences while ignoring their own adoption of "non-Christian" concepts. Jehovah's Witnesses, for example, meet in a building - the primitive church met in the public arena and/or in private homes. I have never met a JW with longer hair and a beard, yet the Jewish primitive Christians would have done so. To crop your hair short and shave your beard would have been seen as trying to look like the Greeks or Romans. I think you can see my point. As King Soloman said, "There is nothing new under the sun." No religion is absent of ALL outside influence. The problem when you try to isolate and eliminate all outside influences is - where do you stop? As I sit here on my Dell computer (I wonder if they invest in ANY company that MIGHT do something I would NOT agree with) watching NFL football (which is very similar to going to the Roman coliseum to watch the "games") I am wearing Nike cross-training shoes (Nike, being a Greek god). This kind of obsessive-compulsive thinking is what led young men to lives in caves, sleep on the ground with a rock as a pillow, and live on nothing but bread, water, and a bit of cabbage; wearing extremely rough clothing made of wool that scratched the skin to remind them that pleasure is not really a good thing. Finally, to the last part of your question: "to the time Martin Luther broke away from the Catholic church, and did they fight against Catholic teachings when they began to enforce them?" Martin Luther did not intend to break away from the Catholic Church. He was forced to against his will. He was specifically arguing against the concept that the Pope or a Church Council could dictate teaching not supported by the New Testament. He was not arguing against the Papacy, or against Church councils. He probably did not agree with several specific items of Catholic teaching, but this was always the case. The Catholic tradition is filled with men/women who did not agree with particular teachings. The Catholic Church has always allowed dissent; but it always mattered HOW you complained or disagreed. Luther had been engaged in aggressive debate with fellow priests and theologians at the university - nobody was really bothered by this kind of discussion/debate. The Pope and the Church just did not appreciate it when Luther nailed his complaints on the church door. The Reformers quickly separated into sects, unable to agree with each other completely on many issues. So, do we have to agree with EVERYTHING in order to share in "the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace?" No matter what a particular leader or sect thinks is "right," another equally spiritual leader will see it differently. I hope this helps. Comment Here: |
CH101 Newsletter 
OR Send a Comment: 
Questions/Answers |
| © 2010 - CH101 All rights reserved. |
Faculty Contributors | 1st Century | 2nd Century | 3rd Century | Resources | Podcasts | Feedback Q & A | Site Map |
Early Church History 101 is the place where you can learn about early christian history in an open environment. Some topics of interest:
water baptism in early church history,
wine in the New Testament, and the ancient world,
the view of the fathers on NT Revelation,
fathers on santification and holiness,
faith and the resurrection,
tithing and the new testament,
wine and alcohol in the Bible,
Gnosticism in the early church,
pagan influences in Christianity, Catholic Church,
the use of candles in Church,
and many more.
|
|