Bible School: Blacks in the Bible, part 3

Attendance: Bible School Totals

I have not kept up, so I need to catch up

6 including tonight, put in the chat how many, or private chat

Review: All races are related, we are on people

Acts 17:26 KJV 1900

And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

in the end, we are all human, one family

different types of flowers in the same garden

no group naturally better or worse than any other group

Review: We can trace people with “black” lineage by finding links to Ham (the son of Noah)

(we can’t say how dark, I am sure there are different shades)

Noah and/or his wife, Nimrod, Goliath, Jethro, Zipporah, Rahab, David, Solomon, Ruth, Bathsheba, Tamar, Zephaniah, Ethiopian Eunuch, Simon of Cyrene, Simeon, Lucius, Caleb, Ebed-Melech, Joshua, Samuel, Josiah, Hezekiah, Jehoshaphat, Jesus

people groups with connections to Ham

Tribe of Manasseh

Tribe of Ephraim

Tribe of Judah

Tribe of Simeon (1/6)

Philistines

Amorites

Hittites

Jebusites

Christian History

Tonight we will look at one person.

A person not in the Bible, but had a major impact of our understanding the Bible

This is Mid-Week Bible School, so there will be a test afterwards. take notes if you need to

History is easier to remember, when you remember they were people just like we are. Same desires, temptations . . .

4 – 100 AD Apostles

Jesus came, lived, died, rose again, trusted in the 12 apostles he called to spread the gospel, and they spread the gospel (and Paul)

Pentecost, Acts, Epistles, formation of doctrine and practices

persecution - apostles suffered and died for their testimony about Jesus

100 – 150 AD Apostolic Fathers

next generation of leaders

disciples of 12 disciples, letters, formation of church structure

stories of some meeting Jesus when they were kids

persecution - many of the aposolic fathers died for their beliefs

150 – 325 AD Church Fathers

next generation of leaders

many of them learned from the Apostolic Fathers

they had persecution too

had a real bad one, so let’s talk about this one

Decian Persecution & The Lapsed (part of Church Fathers period)

just want you to understand the mood of this period - mood of strong disagreements . . . a major one because of this persecution

One of the most terrifying persecutions struck in A.D. 250. This was the “Decian Persecution,” named after the Roman Emperor Decius Trajan (249-251), who started it.

Decius believed that the gods were unfavorable to Rome because the empire’s citizens were not suitably worshipping them. The survival of the empire was in the balance, in his way of thinking.

He considered Christians — and anyone else — who didn’t worship the gods to be atheists and guilty of high treason. So Decius issued a decree commanding all people throughout the empire to sacrifice to the gods and to the emperor. Those complying would receive a certificate attesting to this fact.

The goal was to force them to officially recant their faith. Arrest, exile, confiscation of property, threats, torture and death were employed to make them do so.

Many Christians steadfastly refused to go along with Decius’ demands and confessed Christ even under brutal torture. They were given the honorary title “Confessor” by the church.

However, many Christians did sacrifice to the gods and the emperor. Some bribed authorities to obtain fraudulent certificates stating they had sacrificed, even though they had not.

The Christians who complied with Decius’ order were excommunicated from the church as apostates and called the lapsed.

Once persecution ended “the lapsed” wanted to come back and re-join the church.

What do you think should happen to the lapsed who ask to rejoin?

set up scenario and ask ask class

this is what happened

1 - some said no way,

Matthew 10:33 NASB95

“But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

2 - some said, Peter denied Jesus and was restored

3 - some held middle ground, restore but with penalty

All this happen during the Church Fathers period

1st group to not know Jesus or any Apostles personally

not only did persecution end, but Christianity became the popular religion though!

more people become Christians because the emperor is a Christian

more time to think and write about what they believed vs running to save their lives and encouraging each other

which led to . . . . now people have time to see where they disagree (no main enemy on the outside)

325-451 AD Post Nicene

Big gathering of all church leaders called the council of Nicaea

Apostles, Apostolic Fathers, Church Fathers, Post Nicene period

talk about a black man who lived in the last two periods.

Athanasius of Alexandria

Also called Athanasius the Great

Patriarch of Alexandria

or bishop (pastor, one church per city)

Venerated as a saint by 4 different groups

Catholics, Lutheran, and couple of other groups, although we don’t believe in this

a black man, here is a made up picture

so why do we say he was black?

Born in 298 in Alexandria

Alexandria is in Egypt

What color of people live in Egypt?

various shades, let’s look at some ancient archeological finds

so there are a lot of brown skin in Egypt, and also . . . . Athanasius was called the black dwarf by his enemies

Athanasius

Became bishop of Alexandria in 328 (one of the youngest in church history at that time), and served over 45 years

Why is he famous?

The heresy of Arianism

heresy - crazy wrong Bible teaching

ex. God is an mighty ostrich in the sky

fight against it

God is a spirit

we are made in his image, we do not look like birds

Arianism (taught by a guy named Arius) said that Christ is not God, that he was created . . . he was the savior and all that, but he started as a created creature like us

he was born, so he was created

back to our false prophet teaching - when people mess with who Jesus is, you have found a false prophet

Problems

Bible doesn’t teach that

If he were not God, he could not save us.

One Scripture that shows that Christ is God

John 1:1–3 KJV 1900

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Colossians 1:16–17 NASB95

For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

John 8:56–59 NASB95

“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.

Council of Nicaea (325)

The emperor called Christian leaders together to Nicaea to work out this controversy - Is Christ, God?

Commercial

conspiracy theories - a secret meeting to change Christianity

no, it was a public meeting to keep Christianity from being changed

It was a very public gathering with records

Emperor Constantine called it, but he was not arguing biblical points

Now the controversy started in Alexandria and was seen as Alexander the bishop of Alexandria vs Arius

Athanasius was a deacon and secretary for the then bishop of Alexandria, Alexander

but he was so talented, and passionate, that he ended up being the main person for supporting the deity of Christ and the Nicene Creed

He did not coin the term Trinity, but that understanding was argued and set here

Arius also gave his side, but the bishops voted with Athanasius, and wrote the Nicene Creed

This creed is what every major Christian group believes today

"I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God,begotten of the Father before all worlds;Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary,and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate;

He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father;

and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father [and the Son]; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.

And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church.I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen."

Athanasius, a black man, is the person most responsible for the fact that Christians believe in the Trinity.

Three years later, Athanasius became the bishop of Alexandria

Yet Arius and his followers had some political connections to fight what Athanasius and majority of church leaders believed . . .

The result being that Athanasius was exiled 5 different times . . . but eventually any serious threat of Arianism died out.

Finally Nicene Creed was accepted for good without major opposition

Why? Because it was the truth

Jehovah witnesses are one group that supports Arianism today

His steadfast commitment to theological principles and opposition to political pressures earned him the title "Athanasius contra mundum" (Athanasius against the world).

Athanasius is also credited by many with being the first to list 27 books of the New Testament as canonical (397)

in other words, “these books are definitely God’s inspired words”

Apostolic authority and associaton

Use by early church fathers

Wide spread use (different regions)

Alignment with other books

Class Questions Questions

some questions will be out loud, some you will type in the comment section if you dare

What did they call the Christians who made sacrifices to false gods

What did they call Christians who stuck with Christ no matter what?

What continent was Athanasius from?

Africa

What city was Athanasius born and raised?

Alexandria

What was the name of the gathering that debated the Arianism question?

council of Nicaea

When was the council

325AD

What word is commonly associated with Athanasius?

Trinity

How many times was Athanasius exiled?

5

What does the word bishop really mean?

pastor

Fill in the blank: You could say, “bishop of Alexandria” or ____________ of Alexandria.

patriarch

What does “Athanasius contra mundum” mean?

Athanasius against the world

Is Jesus Christ, God?

yes

One of the greatest figures in church history was ____________ of Alexandria, who played a crucial role in shaping Christian theology.

(spell it . . . Athanasius)

Questions/Comments

Announcements

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