Early/Orthodox Church History - Week 2 Homework

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT – WEEK TWOEARLY/ORTHODOX CHURCH HISTORY WEEK TWO: A SURVEY OF THE FIRST CENTURY – EXAMINING NON-CANONICAL DOCUMENTS OF THE FIRST CENTURYRead and research the following documents and then answer the following questions. Please keep in mind spelling and grammar do count towards grading. If you have any questions, please forward them to ApostleLeeAnn-talmud@endtimearmy.orgDocuments to read: The Gospel of Thomas (http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/gthlamb.html), The Gospel of Peter (http://earlychristianwritings.com/text/gospelpeter-mrjames.html), 1 Clement (http://earlychristianwritings.com/text/1clement-lightfoot.html), The Shepherd of Hermas (http://earlychristianwritings.com/text/shepherd-lightfoot.html), The Odes of Solomon (http://users.misericordia.edu//davies/thomas/odes.htm) (with documents longer than ten chapters in total [the Shepherd of Hermas, 1 Clement, The Odes of Solomon], read the first ten chapters of the document)Some facts to keep in mind when dealing with documents from the first centuries of the church:Many diverse documents exist from the decades immediately following the death of Christ to the end of the first century. Some are very primitive, reflecting early beliefs and thoughts; some are more complex; some contain heresies; and others reflect the trail of error that began to emerge within the church.Some documents are very long; others are very short. They are by a host of different writers and claimed by a host of different writers. Some are dogmatic, some are more spiritual, and in some ways, you would never notice a difference between some of the writings and those found in the New Testament.These documents reflect current thought, contemporary ideas, and different issues that were on the minds of believers and leaders within the church. Some of the writings are extremely simple; some are extremely complex. Some take great study; others seem to be easy reading. Historical issues present in the timeframe (about 50-120 AD):43 A.D. Roman Conquest of Britain 61 A.D. Queen Boadicea's Revolt 64 A.D. Emperor Nero blames the fire that destroys much of Rome on the Christians. He persecutes the church ruthlessly, and uses Christians as candles to light his garden. It is likely that both Peter and Paul were executed during this persecution68 A.D. The end of Nero's reign70 AD. Destruction of the temple/Romans take Jerusalem79 A.D. Destruction of Pompeii by eruption of Vesuvius81 A.D. Domitian becomes Emperor. As Emperor, he persecuted both Jews and Christians96 A.D. The end of Domitian's reign98 A.D. Trajan becomes Emperor. Trajan eventually instituted a policy toward Christians that stayed in effect until the time of Aurelius. His policy was not to seek Christians out, but if they were brought before the authorities they were to be punished, usually executed, for being Christians By the end of the first century it is possible to document congregations in almost every city that the Apostle Paul visited on his three missionary journeys. There are also a few churches in Egypt and along the coast of Northern Africa100 A.D. Plutarch117-138 A.D. Hadrian Emperor of Rome120 A.D. Institutes of Gaius HOMEWORK STUDYResearchIn the documents listed for reading (The Gospel of Thomas, The Gospel of Peter, 1 Clement, The Shepherd of Hermas, and The Odes of Solomon, answer the following:Estimated date of authorshipAttributed AuthorStyle of the writing (poetic, disciplinary, essay, epistle, etc.)In one or two sentences, state the purpose of the book (who it was written for, and why)List some names of early church leaders.Short AnswerAnswer the following questions in 1-3 sentences.What do these books tell us about the state of the church at the time of their writing?Seeing these different writings, do you believe the entire church body was where it needed to be, even this early in the game? Why or why not? Based on these documents, what changes do you see happening within the church structure that are different from what was laid out in the New Testament? What things do you see that remained consistent and the same? Essay (minimum one side of a sheet of paper, typed)Taking one of the assigned reading works, summarize its contents in essay form, what you learned from it, and what, now that you have studied it, how it has helped you to understand more about the first century church.Looking at the historical timeline above, how do you believe these events impacted the situations within the church and the writings popular in the church in those times?Based on your knowledge of the New Testament and what you are learning about early church history, what do you think it was like to be a believer in those days? What issues do you think believers faced on a regular basis? As a leader, given the call upon your life, how would you have handled some of the issues they faced?