Early Church History 101 - Introduction to Dr. R.A. Baker, early christian church history, the early church fathers, church history for beginners, the New Testament Canon, Richard Alan Baker, Al Baker, Alan Baker, St Andrews, Scotland, University of Alabama, Troy University, Dothan, Alabama

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Al Baker's Research Background

R.A. Baker
Ph.D. Ecclesiastical History
University of St Andrews
Summary of my research

I have great passion for church history in general, and the first three centuries in particular. There is a real lack of knowledge and understanding of early church history, especially among Protestants. We should realize that the early church was not perfect, though they were closer to the apostolic age. To understand how the fathers faced the issues of their day should instruct us, at the very least to give us perspective, and help us know which issues are truly important.

My primary focus was on second century Egyptian Christianity as evidenced through the writings of Clement of Alexandria - specifically, the spirituality contained in his third major work, Stromateis (or Miscellanies). Clement led the famous philosophical/theological school in Alexandria, Egypt. He authored several works, all probably written between 190-202 AD.

Gnosticism flourished in second century Egypt. We know this through Irenaeus of Lyons, writing in the 180's, but we also know it from Clement of Alexandria. Clement argues against, and mentions by name, many Gnostic writers who lived and authored documents only a few decades earlier. Around 20% of my research revolved around Gnosticism, gnostic writings, and Clement's interaction with these concepts. Because philosophy was so important to Clement, especially Plato and Philo of Alexandria, another 20% of my research revolved around these two writers, what is now referred to as Middle Platonism, and Clement's interaction with these writers. Another 10% was in New Testament documents, primarily the Pauline letters and the Alexandrian letter To the Hebrews. The remaining 50% focused specifically on Clement and his writings. For those who are interested, you can check out my bibliography.

Published Work and Papers Presented at International Conferences
- "Spiritual Contemplation in Clement of Alexandria's Stromateis: The Adaptation of the Philosophical Category Theoria," (Ph.D. Thesis, University of St Andrews - March 2001)

- "The Secret Oral Tradition of Jesus Revealed in Clement of Alexandria's Stromateis," Prayer and Spirituality in the Early Church, Vol. 2, edited by Pauline Allen, Wendy Mayer, Lawrence Cross (Brisbane 1999), p.229-243.

- "The Clear Language of Prayer and Spirituality in Clement of Alexandria's Stromateis VII.7" (North American Patristics Society - Chicago, U.S.A. - May 2000).

Other Papers Include:
- "The Theology of a Martyr: The Letters of St. Ignatius"
- "Early Christian Worship Represented in the Didache"
- "Second Repentance in the Early Church: The Influence of The Shepherd of Hermas"
- "An Introduction to The Sayings of the Desert Fathers"
- "Origins of Christian Monasticism: Evidence for the Greek Classical Tradition"
- "St. Gregory of Nyssa: A Mystic?"
- "St. John of the Cross: The Positive Framework in his Darkness"
- "The Spirituality of Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Letters from Prison and Life Together"
- "The Biblical Ethos of The Rule of Benedict"

Personal/Professional Experience
- Graduated from Dothan High School, Dothan, Alabama (1977)
- Discipleship Training School/School of Evangelism, Youth With A Mission, Argentina (1978)
- B.S. in Business Administration (Management/Marketing), Troy University, Troy, Alabama (1981)
- Founded and led "The Brother's House," a discipleship center located in Troy, Alabama (1981-1983)
- Chi Alpha Campus Ministry (1983-96)
(Troy University, Western Washington University, and the University of Alabama)
- Chi Alpha District Rep, Alabama Assemblies of God (1989-1996)
- Ordained, Alabama Assemblies of God (1995)
- Homeric Greek, University of Alabama (1989-1990)
- New Testament Greek, University of St Andrews, Scotland (1997-1998)
- Ph.D. Ecclesiastical History, University of St Andrews, Scotland (2001)
- Assistant to Patrick Jones III, Attorney-at-Law, Dothan, Alabama (2001-2002)
- Marketing Manager with BluePhoenix Solutions, a global software company (2002-2007)
- Online Marketing Consultant (September 2008-present)
- Guest Lecturer, Saint Augustine's College, Raleigh, NC (2003-2007)
- Adjunct, Saint Augustine's College, Raleigh, NC (2007-present)

Early Church History 101 is the place where you can learn about early christian history in an open environment. Some topics of interest: ist century christian church history, Hellenized Jews in the New Testament, How the NT canon was formed, the conflict in the early christian church, the conversion of the apostle paul, early church history of Galatians, first century persecution, James, the brother of Jesus, the Decian persecution, second century church history, wine in the New Testament, wine and alcohol in the Bible, Gnosticism in the early church, the second century apologists, early church history of galations, clement alexandria stromateis summary, early church catechesis, early christianity war and conflict, and other struggles of the 1st century church, Palestine vs Israel and the use of "Palestine" in the Bible and many more.