HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT – WEEK THREEEARLY/ORTHODOX CHURCH HISTORY WEEK THREE: A SURVEY OF THE SECOND CENTURY – EXAMINING NON-CANONICAL AND DOGMATIC DOCUMENTS OF THE SECOND CENTURY AND THE HISTORY THAT GOES WITH THEM (PART ONE)Review 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 Epistle of Ignatius of Antioch to the Ephesians (http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/ignatius-ephesians-roberts.html), The Epistle of Ignatius of Antioch to the Magnesians (http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/ignatius-ephesians-roberts.html), The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians (http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/polycarp-lightfoot.html), Fragments of Iraneus of Lyons (http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/irenaeus-fragments.html), Clement of Alexandria (http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/irenaeus-fragments.html)Understanding the Apocrypha:The word “Apocrypha” literally means “hidden.” This term refers to works that were considered suppressed, or hidden by church authorities for various reasons once the established authorities began to set in and change the structure and understanding for the church. Last week, several documents read were considered Apocryphal. For one reason or another – mostly relating to politics – they were not considered canonical. Apocryphal writings continued in many different forms through the early centuries of the church. They were accepted with various levels of authority depending on the different communities, regions, and nations you might have been in. Eventually, as the church became more autocratic, the church itself eliminated the majority of these documents from its list of acceptance.The Apocryphal documents were largely hidden for many years until archaeological discoveries began unveiling them in the past few centuries. These important discoveries give us many clues about the early church that we don’t get simply from reading a book on the topic. The church was NOT as autocratic as Catholic history would like us to believe. These documents reflect current thought, contemporary ideas, and different issues that were on the minds of believers and leaders within the church. Understanding the “Early Church Fathers”:The Early Church Fathers were a group of men, revered within their respective Orthodox and Roman Catholic Traditions as teachers of the early centuries of the church. Very few of these men were clergy; in fact, it is unclear with some of them how they received their training. Some were believed to be individuals trained by the Apostles themselves, while others were trained by people connected to the Apostles, while still others were trained by somebody somewhere along the line. Most were trained by people years after the Apostles died.Through the work of these men, we are able to see the “trail” of error as the church began to depart from the New Testament system of decency and order and begin to adopt pagan beliefs and political practices. We can see a change in leadership structure, worship style, approach to the faith, and even beliefs as time goes on. Studying the Early Church Fathers is perhaps one of the greatest ways to tie in council history, beliefs, understanding, and change as began to rise in the church. We will quickly note it did not take long to see strange and disordered doctrines within their teaching. Many of these individuals would be considered, by modern standards, to be abnormal in their attitudes about many things and mentally disturbed. The classifications of the Early Church Fathers:Apostolic Fathers (96-155) – Written in GreekSt. Clement of RomeSt. Ignatius of AntiochSt. Polycarp of SmyrnaUnknown authors of the Shepherd of Hermas and DidacheGreek Fathers (c. 100- c. 749) – Wrote in GreekSt. Clement of RomeIreaneus of LyonsSt. Clement of AlexandriaSt. Athanasius of AlexandriaSt. John ChrystostomSt. Cyril of AlexandriaMaximus the ConfessorJohn of DamascausThe Cappadocian FathersBasil of CaeseareaGregory NazianzusPeter of Sebaste Gregory of NyssaLatin Fathers (c. 160-636) – Wrote in Latin TertullianSt. Cyprian of CarthageSt. Hilary of PoitiersSt. Ambrose of MilanSt. Jerome of Stridonium (responsible for the Vulgate)St. Augustine of HippoSt. Gregory the GreatSt. Isidore of SevilleDesert Fathers – Monastics who did not write much but their writings were considered highly relevantSt. Anthony the GreatSt. Pachomius Syriac Fathers – Wrote in SyriacSt. Ephraem the Syrian St. Isaac the SyrianHistorical issues present in the timeframe (about 100-150 AD):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 Rome122 AD The Roman emperor Hadrian on a visit to Britain ordered the construction of a defensive wall. The wall stretched 70 miles across Northern England. 132 AD Bar Kochba Revolt- The Jews of Jerusalem rose up in rebellion in 132 after the Romans built a temple to Jupiter on the site of the Jewish Temple. The revolt was led by Simon Bar Kokhba and Rabbi Eleazar and achieved some successes early on. The Romans were forced out of Jerusalem and most of Judea. Three years later, Roman armies under the command of Julius Severus retake Jerusalem and sack it. Bar Kokhba is killed at the village of Bethel. Under the orders of Roman Emperor Hadrian, Jerusalem is completely leveled and Jews are forbidden to live there.110-179 A.D. Institutes of Gaius are written. They pertained to legal issues, possession and ownership, and modified the complex and rigid laws of Roman rule. HOMEWORK STUDYResearchIn the documents listed for reading, there are authors listed. Answer the following about TWO of the authors of the documents and the documents themselves:Estimated date of authorshipWho was the attributed author, what were there credentials, and when did they live?Why were the letters written (general themes of each)In one or two sentences, state the purpose of the document (who it was written for, and why)List some of the names of the Apostolic and Greek Fathers.Short AnswerAnswer the following questions in 1-3 sentences.What does the word “apocrypha” mean and how does this term apply to many early church writings?Why was the discovery of apocryphal documents such a big deal to our understanding of church history? Who were the Early Church Fathers? What is the main difference between the Early Church Fathers and the Apocryphal writings? Essay Questions (minimum one half side of a sheet of paper, typed – 3-6 sentences)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 second century church.Looking at the historical timeline above, do you think history shaped what began to happen to the church? Why or why not? Select one historical event, research it, and explain how it affected the writings and attitudes of the time.Write an essay on the Early Church Fathers as a classification, their identifications (apostolic, Greek, Latin, etc.) and why their documents are important as part of studying church history. Now that you have reviewed some of them, what is your perception of them and their purpose? Why do you think they rose to the fame they did? Reading these now, where do you think they were heading? What do you think you will see in future documents?