Questions tagged [church-history]
The history of the Church following the book of Acts
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Do saints and church fathers generally make the claim that most people go to a hell of everlasting torment?
In the videos of the Catholic YouTube channel / media enterprise "Church Militant", they often make the claim that most people go to hell, and that hell is a place of everlasting unbearable torment. ...
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What is the earliest surviving reference to the Paschal Greeting?
It's common in some traditions to greet one another with a "Paschal Greeting" on Easter, such as "Christ is risen," with the response "He is risen indeed."
The custom seems to have originated in the ...
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What was first, sola scriptura or sola fide?
I just watched a video with an Orthodox professor, in which he said that "Sola Scriptura" came first, and then "Sola Fide". Is that true? The best I can gather from the Wiki articles on these two ...
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Which Protestant theologian first clearly formulated the penal substitution theory of atonement?
The Wikipedia article on Penal substitution states in its opening paragraph:
Penal substitution (sometimes, esp. in older writings, called forensic theory) is a theory of the atonement within ...
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What record is there of a canon of Scripture having been set at the First Ecumenical Council?
According to this synopsis
As to Judith, he notes that the Council of Nicæa had, contrary to the Hebrew tradition, included it in the Canon of Scripture, and this, with his friends’ requests, had ...
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Why was Theodosius successful in ending the Arian Controversy?
In the conventional account of the Arian controversy, the council of Constantinople in the year 381 made an end of that controversy. In reality, the controversy was brought to an end by Emperor ...
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Did Origen castrate himself under a literal interpretation of Matthew 19:12?
I was just reading some history on extreme forms of asceticism and monasticism. In passing the subject of Origen it said he had castrated himself. Is this generally considered true by church ...
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Sola Scriptura and the Biblical Canon [duplicate]
The basic argument of Sola Scriptura is that all Christian teachings and traditions are to be founded in and subservient to the Bible, and in nothing else. Obviously this does not mean that there are ...
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Are there any Christians who only accept the gospels?
Have there ever been historically, or now, Christians who have only accepted either the Gospels, just one of them, or a synthesis/redaction of the four Gospels as being truly inspired or in some other ...
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Are the theories of Evolution and the Big Bang now binding to Catholics and to be held as true?
On Monday, October 27, 2014, addressing the Pontifical Academy of Sciences , Pope Francis is reported to have said, 'the Big Bang, which nowadays is posited as the origin of the world, does not ...
user13992
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Was Origen and/or certain teachings considered a heretic and/or heretical?
What was clear enough has become muddled for reasons unknown about Origen. We can speculate the resurgence of the idea of universal salvation is one reason for Origen's rise.
In the seventeenth ...
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When were the early Christians no longer considered a sect of Judaism?
In Acts 28:22 the group of early Christians is referred to as a sect. Presumably as a sect of the existing Jewish religion.
The question is when were the early Christians no longer considered a sect ...
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Reference for Comprehensive Prophecy Analysis in Scripture?
What all resources/expositions/writings have been published as a comprehensive analysis of prophecy in Scripture? Any resources about prophecy in all of Scripture, its fulfillment, extrabiblical ...
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Does "Positive Christianity" still exist?
Positive Christianity was a movement in Nazi Germany. It advanced interpreting Jesus as an active organiser, preacher and fighter against institutionalised Judaism.
I was wondering if anyone still ...
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Did Jacob Arminius and/or the remonstrants believe they were in agreement with John Calvin?
In a comment on another question on this site, a user says that the Remonstrants thought they more faithfully represented Calvin and Augustine's teaching than did those who eventually convened the ...
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How has the LDS Word of Wisdom changed since its introduction?
In the LDS faith, they follow a law of health called the Word of Wisdom that teaches them to abstain from things like alcohol and tobacco and it encourages them to eat foods like grains, fruits, and ...
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What is the Catholic definition of meat for Lenten Fridays?
On English Language Learners, the definition of meat came up, and the question of what animals comprise meat. Tangentially, this led to a question about Catholics abstaining from meat on Lenten ...
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Was Tetzel robbed by a man who had preemptively bought an indulgence?
Wikipedia recounts a story told by Martin Luther about Johann Tetzel. It goes a little something like this:
Tetzel was in Leipzig selling indulgences. After collecting a large sum of money, Tetzel ...
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Why did John Wycliffe oppose papal authority in the 14th century?
He's been called the "Eosphoros of the Reformation", but how did he come to believe that the Bible opposes the idea that papal authority is above government authority?
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On Bishops Who Refused to Sign Henry VIII's Oath of Succession?
The 1534 Oath of Succession made Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, heir to the throne rather than Mary, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. The oath also recognized the ...
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What were the circumstances behind the loss of the "True Cross?"
It is my understanding that there was a relic, used by the Crusaders, that was claimed to be the very Cross on which Jesus was crucified. I also understand that sometime around 1187, it was captured ...
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What are the origins and history of shaking, trembling, jerking, contorting, collapsing, fainting and similar manifestations in Christianity?
I'm interested in learning about the origins and evolution throughout Church history of manifestations such as shaking, trembling, jerking, contorting, collapsing or fainting attributed to the Holy ...
user50422
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Was St. John Chrysostom Pelagian?
In this answer about Pelagianism (Did Pelagius believe in "faith alone"?) the author makes a sort of apology for Pelagianism and claims that St. John Chrysostom was Pelagian himself. The ...
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What was the impetus for restoring the consecration of virgins for women living in the world in the 20th Century?
The United States Association of Consecrated Virgins says the following about their sacramental:
The Consecration of a Virgin is one of the oldest sacramentals in the Church, and one of the fruits of ...
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What is the earliest instance of Eucharistic adoration?
Eucharistic adoration is a practice in Catholicism in which the Eucharist, being bread that has literally turned into the body of Christ, is publicly displayed. Commonly, it is placed in a monstrance ...
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Which biblical verse was used against Galileo?
Which biblical verse was used against Galileo by the Church to punish him for his blasphemy? Which biblical doctrine was erroneously interpreted by Galileo for such a punitive action by the Church?
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What is the first recorded observation of Good Friday?
When was the first Good Friday commemoration observed, distinct from Pascha/Passover or Sunday Easter?
Related:
What is the origin of the Good Friday tradition?
However, I am not interested in ...
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Why did the medieval church become involved with marriage?
It seems, through my research, that the Christian Western marriage was created during the Middle Ages (cf. this question).
So, does that mean that before the Middle Ages, the Western Christian church ...
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How did Baptists in the southern US justify slavery as compatible with Christianity?
The wikipedia article on Slavery in the US states:
Over the decades and with the growth of slavery throughout the South, Baptist and Methodist ministers gradually changed their messages to ...
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Why did the Council of Laodicea condemn "Judaizing" Sabbath rest?
The Council of Laodicea states in canon 29:
Christians must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honouring the Lord's Day; and, if they can, resting then as ...
user3961
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What is the history and explanation as to why the "diaconate" was MIA in the Western Church over a certain period of time?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church implies that over a certain time in the period in the Western Church, there weren't any deacons.
CCC 1571 Since the Second Vatican Council the Latin Church
...
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What was Calvin's view of capital punishment?
What was John Calvin's position on use of the death penalty?
For what offenses did he support its use?
Did he support or oppose any particular methods of execution?
In what ways did his views change ...
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How did the Inquisition impact modern Christianity?
Related Question
How did the Crusades impact modern Christianity?
How did the Inquisition impact modern day Christianity own sense of morality and spirituality?
What do these things mean to a ...
user301
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What innovations in ethics occurred within Christendom during the 9th Century?
I am looking for any noteworthy developments, formulations, or codifications of ethics that occurred between 770 and 890 AD in any country or empire that was nominally Christian. If the answer relates ...
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When is earliest mention of the Church tradition that Jesus was born in a cave?
The birth of Jesus as recounted by Luke says that:
7 And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place
for them in ...
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Has any church organization refused lottery winnings as donation? [closed]
Sometimes I've played the lottery when it gets over $100 million, thinking I could retire on a small fortune and then give tens of millions away to charity, including of course, Christian ones.
Has ...
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From where does the teaching on women in ministry come? [duplicate]
First off, since I know this may be a somewhat controversial question in today's climate, let me just state that I'm not intending to take any part in that controversy. I'm just asking this question ...
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What were the scriptural arguments used for modern western racism?
A blight on the modern western church is that the bible has been used by certain people to justify racism--specifically dark-skinned people's inferiority and light-skinned people's superiority. Some ...
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What is the history of periodically transferring parish priests?
What is the history of periodically transferring parish priests?
St. John Vianney was the curé (parish priest) of Ars until his death (18th cen.). Even today, priests in some rural parts of Mexico ...
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What are the historical arguments against a literal interpretation of Luke 22:44?
This question led me to reread Luke 22:44 in various translations, and I noticed that all of them used a comparison, as if Jesus’s sweat was similar to great drops of blood, but not actually great ...
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Why were Anabaptists called Anabaptists?
Anabaptism, according to the OED, means "a second baptism, re-baptism", but the answer to this question says that Anabaptists only baptize once. Why were Anabaptists called Anabaptists, then?
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In Western communion services, when was the origin of the practice of consistently offering only the bread to the laity?
The practice of "communion in both kinds" by the laity, that is, both the eating of the bread and drinking of the cup, seems to have been the typical practice in the early church. 1 Corinthians 11:28 ...
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When was the "Evangelist" title first applied to the Gospel authors?
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are known as the "Four Evangelists" because they are believed to have written the four canonical Gospels. The word "evangelist" means a messenger of ...
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Did the early Church become full preterist after AD 70?
Full preterists believe that the last trumpet call took place in AD 70. A very elaborate presentation of this view can be found in Gina's answer in one of my previous questions. A quote from the ...
user50422
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In what ways did early Jansenists believe that their doctrine of salvation differed from that of Calvinism?
The soteriology of Jansenism appears to bear some resemblance to that of Calvinism, as both emphasize doctrines like original sin, predestination, and irresistible grace. The two movements also share ...
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When was the term 'substitutionary atonement' first coined and what was the reason for the choice of the 2 words?
The term 'substitutionary atonement' has been used within Trinitarian, Protestant, Reformed Baptist circles for some time, and it is those I wish to examine in this question.
But the word 'substitute' ...
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Why did St. Augustine and St. Thomas endorse ensoulment at 40 or 80 days?
I know the story that they lacked our current biological knowledge. I know the story that they still considered abortion to be a grave evil. These two excuses seem inadequate to me. Regardless, they ...
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Are there any accounts of former Pagans being supernaturally reached by God (or an angel) with the Gospel before any human missionary arrived?
Continuing with a series of questions on the eternal fate of the unreached (see here, here, here and here), I would like to ask a question now about the possibility of God Himself reaching unconverted ...
user50422
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Did early Christians believe the world was about to end?
Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who
will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His
kingdom. (Matthew 16:28, NIV)
Edit: adding another verse in ...
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What is the earliest claim that Jesus Christ kept the law of Moses on behalf of others?
J N Darby and William Kelly, those responsible for the Plymouth Brethren movement in the mid to late 1800s, did not accept the concept that, during his earthly life, Jesus Christ kept the law on ...
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