Professional Documents
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Ecclesiology in Church History
Ecclesiology in Church History
Ecclesiology in Church History
One
Holy
Catholic
Apostolic
Reformation
The Word rightly preached
Proper use of the two sacraments—Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
Wrote against schism and revolt and called on Christians to live a righteous life in the
style of Old Testament characters.
Ignatius (35–107)
Cyprian shaped the church’s ecclesiology through Augustine and the Middle Ages.
His most significant work was, On the Unity of the Catholic Church(251).
He argued two points: (1) schism is totally and absolutely unjustified; and (2) lapsed or
schismatic bishops are deprived of all ability to minister the sacraments or act as
ministers of the Christian church.
For Cyprian, the unity of church was Episcopal not theological; he argued for the
authority of the bishop of Rome.
He condemned the Novatian schism.
Cyprian had three famous statements:
o “He is not a Christian who is not in Christ’s church.”
o “He cannot have God for his father who has not the church for his mother.”
o “There is no salvation outside the church” (Salus extra ecclesiasm non est).
He was important to the development of the Mass.
He said the main mark of the true church is apostolic succession (used Matt. 16:18-19 to
support this).
Constantine (280–337)
His reign as Roman emperor and his Edict of Milan put an official end to persecution of
the Christian church.
He gave Christianity legal freedom and restored confiscated property back to Christians.
Constantine is viewed as the pivotal figure in the merger between church and state; with
him, the “Christian Empire” began.
Believing that division was worse than war, Constantine was responsible for the first
great ecumenical council—the Council of Nicea (325). This council dealt primarily with
the issue of the person of Christ.
Eusebius (270–340)
Was bishop of the church in Caesarea during Constantine’s reign.
He related Constantine’s reign to the messianic kingdom.
His Ecclesiastical History became the principle source for church history from the first
century until the time of Constantine.
Augustine (354–430)
He addressed the Donatist controversy; he argued against the Donatists saying: (1) the
lapsed brethren should be accepted into the church; and (2) the sacraments are not
invalid because of an unholy administrator.
He agreed with Cyprian that schism was wrong.
He promoted the idea that the church is a corpus permixtum—a mixed body of saints
and sinners.
His views became dominant in the Western church.
Augustine agreed with Cyprian on the issue of apostolic succession.
He agreed with Cyprian that baptism plays a role in salvation.
He believed the sacraments are effective ex opere operato—on account of Christ and
not on account of the human agent. Thus, sacraments by an unholy minister are still
valid.
Was the Pope whose papacy is generally considered the beginning of the medieval
period.
He increased the authority and power of the papacy.
He believed the Roman pope was Peter’s sole successor and was supreme head over
the universal church; he asserted political authority for the papacy.
Was known as the Morning Star of the Reformation because of his writings against
transubstantiation and the pope; he denied the efficacy of the mass and condemned
certain rituals and ceremonies.
He viewed the church as a predestined body of believers.
Calvin associated the “marks” (notae) of the church with testing and verification. He
surpassed Luther’s concepts of the marks as mere indicators of the visible church.
Calvin, unlike Bucer and the following Reformed tradition, did not elevate ecclesiastical
discipline to the technical status of a mark ornotae. Like Luther, he believed the more
certain marks were the Word purely preached and the sacraments rightly administered.
(He did see discipline as important.)
The two poles of Calvin’s ecclesiology were divine election and the local congregation.
He held to a visible/invisible tension for the church; the visible church was made up of
wheat and tares and the invisible church consisted of the elect.
Calvin used two metaphors for the church—Mother and School
Calvin believed baptism was designed to confirm faith in the elect although he believed it
should be applied indiscriminately to everyone in the visible church.
Calvin believed in four offices—pastor, teacher, elder, and deacon.
Calvin believed there were two kinds of elders—those who ruled and those who ruled
and taught.
He held to the cessation of apostles and prophets.
They did not believe the Magisterial reformers went far enough; restoration of the
church, not reformation, was needed.
For the Anabaptists, the marks of the true church were preaching of the Word, right use
of sacraments and regenerate church membership; it is with this last mark that they went
beyond the Magisterial reformers.
They believed only believers should be baptized; thus they were against infant baptism.
Held to a strict distinction between church and state; unlike the Magisterial reformers,
they did not look to the state to contribute to the cause of the church.
Henry was King of England at the time of the Reformation; he initiated the Protestant
Reformation in England.
He founded the Anglican church.
Henry rejected the authority of the pope and the Roman Catholic Church.
He confiscated church lands and promoted religious reformers to power.
Wesley was the founder of Methodism and a primary figure in the eighteenth century
Evangelical revival.
Newman was famous for his conversion from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism.
He held to apostolic succession of the episcopate.
He launched Catholic Anglicanism known as Tractarianism (stressed authority of the
bishop as the way to renewal).
Vatican II (1962–65)