Doctrine of God - He is One (Part II)

Introduction

Colossians 2:9 KJV 1900

9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

Body

Historical Teachings about the Godhead (Cont.)

The Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Centuries (A.D. 400 - A.D. 700)

The Western Roman empire had effectively disintegrated in the 5th Century.

This is generally recognized as taking place in 476 When the Germanic barbarian king Odoacer (o-doe-A-cer) deposed the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire in Italy, Romulus Augustus.

This left an enormous power vacuum that, to a great extent, the Roman Catholic Church filled for all of Western Europe.

From AD 100 to AD 600 most theologians were Bishops who, through ecumenical councils, formulated doctrine

From AD 600 to AD 1500 most theologians in the west were monks who primarily devoted themselves to preserving the doctrines of previous centuries.

During this period theology as a discipline suffered, and many superstitious elements entered into the church.

Gregory I

Elected Pope in AD 590.

Leo I was actually the first pope to claim universal authority as pope, and he received imperial endorsement of that claim, but Gregory was the first bishop of Rome who was actually successful in exercising that authority. For this reason, Gregory can be considered the first true Pope.

Gregory systematized theological thought and established the framework for the Roman Catholic Church for the next five hundred years.

Gregory was not innovative, but rather he legitimized, and popularized many doctrines and practices that had already developed, or were developing

He used papal authority to approve of, and integrate into the theology of the Roman Catholic Church, many superstitious and pagan elements, particularly purgatory, the sacrifice of the mass (or Eucharist), and the worship (veneration) of saints, angels, relics, and images.

Gregory stated that tradition was equal in authority with the Scriptures, therefore the official pronouncements of the church were equally valid as those of the Bible

The same Holy Ghost that had inspired the writers of scripture had also inspired the church fathers, councils, and popes in their proclamations of truth.

Among many doctrines practiced, he used papal authority to establish the doctrine of the trinity.

Not exactly related to the doctrine of the trinity, Gregory also supported a view known as the miraculous birth of Jesus whereby Jesus did not physically open the womb of Mary when He was born, but miraculously passed through the closed womb. This would serve to keep Mary’s virginity intact.

Priscillianism

Named after Priscillian, the bishop of Avila during the 2nd century AD, excommunicated by the council of Saragossa in AD 380 because of his modalistic view of the godhead.

In the 5th century Priscillianism gained impetus through the influence of barbarian invaders.

Priscillianism grew due to these invaders driving out the established Romans bishops in Spain, effectively lifting the restraint these bishops had placed on it.

Pope Leo wrote a letter July 21, 447, condemning the Sabellianism of Priscillianists.

Montanus of Toledo wrote in 530 AD against Priscillianism

Pope Vigilius wrote a letter to Profuturous of Bracara on June 29, 538, expressing concern over information from Profuturous about the persistence of Priscillianism in northwestern Spain.

The first Council of Bracara in 561 strongly denounced extant Priscillianists that held a Sabellian understanding of the Godhead.

By the 7th century they had become a small and insignificant force in Spain.

The idea that it was still in existence is supported by a letter of Braulio, bishop of Saragossa (631-651) to a Galacian presbyter and monk, Fructuosus, who was curious about Priscillian beliefs and was seeking Braulio’s advice.

The fourth (633), sixth (638), eleventh (675), and sixteenth (693) councils of Toledo repeated condemnation of Sabellianism.

Damian

The patriarch of Alexandria from 570-605.

He is noted from opposing tritheism, particularly the doctrine of John Askusnages, who established pure polytheism and formed a school.

A monk, Athanasius, stood behind this tritheism

Damian stated that the Persons were merely attributes of the one God.

Euchites

The Euchites of Syria and Asia Minor propagated their beliefs from about the second half of the fourth to the sixth century.

They lived holy lives and believed the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost to be different forms of one divine Being.

They are known to historians under various names

Some were called by their respective leaders; i.e., Lampetians, Adelphians, Eusthathians, and Marcianites

They are sometimes referred to as Messalians because of their practice of continual prayer

Choreutes from their mystical dances

Enthusiasts because of the extreme joy they had from time to time

We find a condemnation of Sabellianism at the Lateran Council (Rome) 649

The Quinisext from 692 speaks of Sabellians and the way to admit them back into the Catholic faith:

And on the first day we make them Christians, on the second Catechumens, then on the third day we exorcise them, at the same time also breathing thrice upon their faces and ears; and thus we initiate them, and we make them spend time in church and hear the Scriptures; and then we baptize them.

Islam

In 622 Muhammad had founded Islam in Arabia as a monotheistic religion.

The early Moslems spread quickly, conquering Arabia, the Middle East, and North Africa.

The Byzantine Empire held them at bay in Eastern Europe until 1453.

They conquered Spain, and they threatened Western Europe until Charles Martel, grandfather of Charlemagne, defeated them at the Battle of Tours (France) in 732.

They were eventually defeated in Spain in 1212, but weren’t totally driven out until the 1400’s.

Eights through the Fifteenth Century (A.D. 700 - A.D. 1500)

Charlemagne

Or Charles the Great, king of the Franks,

Crowned the Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III in the basilica of St. Peter on December 25th, 800.

According to Paul Johnson in his work A History of Christianity, “Two days later, in the great basilica of St. Peter’s, Charles and his generals celebrated Christmas, and the Pope insisted on performing a Roman ritual under which he placed a crown on Charles’ head, and then prostrated himself in an act of Emperor-worship, the crowd of Romans present calling out a monotonous series of ritual acclamations.”

His rule brought peace and stability to western Europe by exerting strict control over both church and state

This period is often referred to as the Carolingian Renaissance, as his name in Latin is Carol

Renewed interest in culture, education, and theology

This lead to new doctrinal ideas being propagated

A number of doctrinal controversies occurred during this period of renewed theological activity.

Adoptionistic Controversy

Some Spanish theologians began teaching the doctrine of adoptionism. According to this view, Christ is the eternal Son according to His deity, but as a human He is an adopted Son.

His human Sonship was the result of an adoptive act by God, perhaps at His conception, birth, or baptism.

Charlemagne rejected this doctrine in favor of traditional Christology, and the church followed his leadership.

Filioque (PHIL-e-oge) Controversy

Originally inserted into the Nicene Creed at the council of Toledo in 589, eventually contributing to the east-west schism of 1054.

The Eastern theologians taught that the Spirit proceeds from the Father only

The Western theologians taught that the Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son (filioque = “of the Son”)

The East saw this doctrine as detracting from the dignity of the Holy Ghost

The West saw it as necessary to create a proper balance in the trinity, establishing a one-to-one relationship between each member.

Charlemagne supported the western view

The Controversy over the Miraculous Birth of Jesus

By this time, the glorification of celibacy and the worship of Mary had converged to the point that almost everyone believed Mary was a perpetual virgin.

Augustine had taught this.

Even after she married Joseph she remained celebate

The brothers of Jesus that Scripture mentions were not the children of Mary but cousins of Jesus or sons of Joseph by a previous marriage.

The church ultimately ruled that the birth was indeed miraculous and that Mary remained a physical virgin her entire life.

The Crusades

Seven military expeditions lasting from 1095 to 1291 in which Catholic Europeans attempted to conquer the Holy Land from the Muslims.

In 1070 the Seljuk Turks took Jerusalem from the Fatimid dynasty of Egypt and began to mistreat Christian pilgrims and holy places, and were threatening the Byzantine Empire.

Thus, in 1095, Pope Urban II called on all God-fearing Christians to do their duty and free the Holy Lands from the infidels.

Bogamils

Descended from the Euchites who found converts especially among the Slavic race, particularly the Bulgarians.

They grew rapidly, although secretly, and came to be known in the 12th century as Bogamils

They were strong proponents of Sabelliansim in the Byzantine Empire.

First headed by the priest Bogomil and constituted perhaps the most powerful movement of dissent in the medieval history of Eastern Christendom.

From its original home, which was probably in Macedonia, it later spread to many areas of the Byzantine Empire, enjoyed a brief though spectacular vogue in Constantinople at the turn of the eleventh century, survived in Bulgaria (alongside the largely separate Paulician sect) until the late Middle Ages, and spread westwars to Serbia and Bosnia and, in the second half of the twelfth century, exerted a powerful influence upon the Patarene and Cathar (or Albigensian) movements in Italy and Southern France.

Dimitri Obolensky, The Byzantine Commonwealth

Emperor Alexius Comnenus wanted to rid Constantinople of Bogomilism, and so he invited Basilius, chief leader of the sect, to his palace under the guise of wanting to convert.

He hid a stenographer behind a curtain to record everything that was said.

Basilius stated that Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are merely titles ascribed to the Father.

He confessed his disappointment of transubstantiation, viewing communion as symbolically done in commensuration of Calvary.

He revealed his distaste for Mariolatry, saint worship, and image worship

After all was revealed and recorded, the curtains were opened

Despite repeated attempts to force him to recant, Basilius held to his beliefs.

He became the first Bogomil martyr in 1119.

After this an inquisition was held by Alexius the Emperor and Nicolas the Patriarch against the Bogomils

Some recanted while others held fast to their profession

Those who didn’t recant were imprisoned for the rest of their lives.

Peter Abelard

Born in 1079 and became one of the most renowned philosophers and the twelfth century and a noted theologian.

He wrote a work which was called, translated from the original Latin, “On the unity and the divine trinity”

This writing was condemned as Sebellian by the Synod of Soisson in 1121.

It seems, however, certain that the charge of Sabelliansim preferred against him at Soissons was based upon some sure foundation of fact. Unfortunately, the proceedings of that council are no longer extant, while the passage to which, according to the account of Otto of Freising, exception was taken, cannot be found in any of his writings. But one passage in the “De Unitate” is Sabellian, and may have been the one referred to by Otto. There Abelard says that ‘God is three persons in such a way as if we said that the divine substances is powerful, wise and good.’ Similar Sabellian opinions can also be found elsewhere in his books.

Jeffrey Garrett Sikes, Peter Abailard

Later, at the Council of Sens (1140), Abelard was defamed and kept from making his own defense by a man named Bernard, who later became a saint.

Cathari and Waldenses (WALD-en-ses)

The Cathari, which were influenced by the Bogomils of the Eastern Empire, became strong in southern France, northern Italy and northern Spain.

In some areas they even became predominant in the 12th century.

The Waldenses were started by a rich merchant of Lyons named Waldo in 1176

He was inspired to get closer to God and asked a theologian what he should do.

The theologian quoted Matthew 19:21 “21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.”

Waldo did just that. He laid hold of a New Testament and began preaching repentance.

Him and his followers appealed at the third Lateran Council in 1179 for permission to preach.

They were denied, but he continued to preach anyway. He was excommunicated by Pope Lucius III in 1184.

At a Synod held in Toulouse in 1229, the convening members came to some conclusions.

Many of the problems caused by the Cathari and Waldenses came about because of their use of the Holy Scriptures

So they passed resolutions forbidding the laity to have access to the Word of God

They formalized at this Council the Papal Inquisition

Inquisition

In the early 13th century, Pope Innocent III announced a crusade against the Albigenses (al-bi-JEN-ses), a large separatist group in southern France that rejected papal authority.

Catholic armies attacked town after town, executing everyone who refused to pledge allegiance to the papacy.

When the town of Beziers in southern France refused to surrender its heretics, the crusaders conquered it and massacred twenty thousand men, woman, and children.

This campaign against the Albigenses led to the establishment of the Papal Inquisition.

Relatively mild at first, it judged certain books and doctrines as acceptable or unacceptable.

Later of course, it became an organized terror machine. Many people were falsely accused by political opponents, greedy officials, or jealous neighbors.

Since the possessions of the accused would be forfeited to the church, state, or his accuser, many people had a financial interest in the investigations.

In 1252 Pope Innocent IV authorized the use of torture for suspected heretics, and later popes condoned it.

In 1280, Pope Nicholas III threatened to excommunicate all laymen who “discussed matters of the Catholic faith” or who failed to report a heretic to the authorities.

A common method of determining whether a person was guilty or innocent was to use torture.

If the person was innocent, it was believed that God would protect him from pain or harm.

If he confessed under torture, which most people did, then he was guilty.

If he refused to confess, perhaps he was innocent, but it was more often believed that he was able to resist only because of the power of Satan.

Torture methods included:

Flogging

Putting people on the rack

Throwing them in a dungeon

Roasting their feet

Seven steps to heaven

Much more

Punishments included:

Severe penance

Fines

Banishment

Imprisonment

Execution

The church historically refused to shed blood, but now it devised a method of technically abiding by the rule yet exterminating heretics: Burning at the stake.

The Spanish Inquisition was established in 1478 by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella and was modeled after the earlier Papal Inquisition

Under it the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492.

The Spanish Inquisition didn’t officially end until 1834.