The Gospel of Rome
Part 23: Church History Overview:

The Roman Catholic Church often claims to be the first "church" and that all Protestant churches split from her. We shall see that this claim is historically inaccurate.

An exhaustive treatment on the subject of "Church History" is well beyond the scope of this essay. However, it is appropriate to consider "Church History" on some level when discussing the claims of the Roman Catholic Church. This section is meant as a "quick overview."

Pagan Persecution of the Church:

In the Bible we learn that Jesus founded His church and has appointed elders to run it. We also learn from the Bible that members of His church have experienced persecution; even death, but God will not abandon His church, "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18).

The first documented case of imperially-supervised persecution of the Christians in the Roman Empire begins with Nero (37-68). In 64 A.D., a great fire broke out in Rome which destroyed vast portions of the city and economically devastated the Roman population. Nero, whose sanity had long been in question, was widely suspected of having intentionally set the fire himself. In his Annals, Tacitus states that "to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace" (Tacit. Annals XV). By implicating the Christians for this Massive act of arson, Nero successfully capitalized on the already-existing public suspicion of this religious sect and, it could be argued, exacerbated the hostilities held toward them throughout the Roman Empire. [204]

Within the Roman Empire, Christianity was banned and Christians were punished for many years. Feeding Christians to the lions was seen as entertainment in Ancient Rome. [205]

In 109 AD, the historian Tacitus published The Annals, which said:

Nero punished a race of men who were hated for their evil practices. These men were called Christians. He got a number of people to confess. On their evidence a number of Christians were convicted and put to death with dreadful cruelty. Some were covered with the skins of wild beasts and left to be eaten by dogs. Others were nailed to the cross. Many were burned alive and set on fire to serve as torches at night. [206]

The Conversion of Constantine:

A major turning point for Christianity under the Roman Empire occurred in the forth Century, AD. It was then that the Roman Emperor Constantine allegedly "converted" to Christianity as a result of events surrounding the battle of Milvian Bridge.

The Battle of Milvian Bridge took place on October 28, 312 between the Roman Emperors Constantine the Great and Maxentius... Constantine, after arriving, realized he had made a miscalculation and that Maxentius had many more soldiers available than he did. Some sources say the advantage was 10-to-1 in Maxentius' favor, but it was probably more like four to one. In any case, Constantine had a tough challenge ahead of him. [207]

According to the historian Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea in Palestine, before the crucial battle of Milvian Bridge, Constantine was convinced that he needed divine assistance. While he was praying for such assistance, God sent him a vision of a cross of light at midday, bearing the inscription "in hoc signo vinces" ("in this sign you will be victorious"). That night he had a dream that reaffirmed his earlier vision. God told him to use the sign he had been given as a safeguard in all of his battles. Thus, Constantine converted to Christianity and ordered the symbol of his Savior's name (the intersection of the Greek letter chi and rho) to represent his army. Constantine was victorious in the battle of the Milvian Bridge, and he continued to wear the symbol for Christ against every hostile power he faced. [208]

Was Constantine's Conversion Sincere?:

As Christians, it is inappropriate for us to judge the heart of another Christian, however, we are told that we can judge the fruit of salvation. We know from Jesus' own words that there are both true and false converts. (See "The Parable of the Sower" in Matthew chapter 13, Mark chapter 4, and Luke chapter 8.) [209]

When we examine the fruit of Constantine's alleged conversion, we find great reason to question the sincerity of his profession of faith.

Consider the following:

Constantine, following a widespread custom, was not baptized until close to his death in 337, when his choice fell upon the Arian bishop Eusebius of Nicomedia. [210]

Please note that Eusebius of Nicomedia should not to be confused with his contemporary Eusebius of Caesarea, the church historian.

Was Constantine even a Christian?

• He chose an Arian to baptize him. (Arian's denied the Trinity)
• He waited until near death to be baptized so he could continue to sin through his life.
• He continued in his pagan idolatries, incorporating Christ into them.

Whether Constantine's conversion was legitimate or not, it certainly welcomed the insincere to make and change doctrine.

The Emperor Constantine is one of the major figures of Christian history. After his conversion Christianity moved swiftly from the seclusion of the catacombs to the prestige of the palaces. The movement started the forth century as a persecuted minority; it ended the century as the established religion of the empire. [211]

Before Constantine, a person faced the real threat of torture and death for professing faith in Christ. After Constantine, that same profession was the ticket to influence within the empire.

Marks of the New Testament Church:

In the introduction to J. H. Carroll's significant book, The Trail of Blood: Following the Christians Down Through the Centuries, Clarence Walker noted the marks of the New Testament Church:

• Its Head and Founder--CHRIST. He is the law-giver; the Church is only the executive. (Matt. 16:18; Col. 1:18)
• Its only rule of faith and practice--THE BIBLE. (II Tim. 3:15-17)
• Its name--"CHURCH," "CHURCHES." (Matt. 16:18; Rev. 22:16)
• Its polity--CONGREGATIONAL--all members equal. (Matt. 20:24-28; Matt. 23:5-12)
• Its members--only saved people. (Eph. 2:21; I Peter 2:5)
• Its ordinances--BELIEVERS' BAPTISM, FOLLOWED BY THE LORD'S SUPPER. (Matt. 28:19-20)
• Its work--getting folks saved, baptizing them (with a baptism that meets all the requirements of God's Word), teaching them ("to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you"). (Matt. 28:16-20)
• Its financial plan--"Even so (TITHES and OFFERINGS) hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel," (I Cor. 9:14)
• Its weapons of warfare--spiritual, not carnal. (II Cor. 10:4; Eph. 6:10-20)
• Its independence--separation of Church and State. (Matt. 22:21)

In any town there are many different churches -- all claiming to be the true church. Dr. Carroll did as you can do now -- take the marks, or teachings, of the different churches and find the ones which have these marks, or doctrines. The ones which have these marks, or doctrines, taught in God's Word, are the true churches. [212]

True Bible-Believing Churches Existed Before the Roman Catholic Church:

The Roman Catholic Church as we know it can trace its beginnings back to the Emperor Constantine in the forth century, AD. The true Church of God started at Pentecost in the first century, and there have been true Bible-believing churches ever since.

Jesus said to the Apostles, "lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:20).

NOTE: birth of the New Testament church began at Pentecost!

True Christians Throughout the Years:

Using the marks of a true New Testament church outlined above, J. H. Carroll showed that our Lord Jesus was true to His promise that there would always be true churches after Pentecost. This was outlined in Carroll's book, The Trail of Blood: Following the Christians Down Through the Centuries.

In the above timeline, the green line represents Old Testament people of God (Hebrews 11). The true church began at Pentecost (yellow line). Until the beginning of the forth century, the church was persecuted by the Roman Empire under such notable Emperors as Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Titus, Marcus Aurelius, Diocletian, Constantine, and others. At 312 AD, Constantine "converted" to Christianity, and began what would become today's Roman Catholic Church, represented by the red line (top line).

True Bible-believing churches existed since Pentecost, and continued to exist after the formation of the Roman Catholic Church in the forth century. These churches were called by different names as they scattered throughout Europe and Asia. In some places they were known as "Donatists." In other places, "Paulicians," or "Ana-Baptists," or "Waldenses" or one of many other names. All of them had in common the fact that they stood apart from Rome, taught the biblical gospel of grace, and had the marks of a true New Testament church as identified in the Bible. Many of the members of these churches died at the hands of Roman inquisitors for that faith.

True Bible-Believing Churches Existed Before the Reformation:

On October 31, 1517, Luther's 95 Thesis were posted at Wittenberg, but there have been Biblical churches that stood apart from Rome well before that, going back to the Apostles. In fact, these churches existed before the formation of what became today's Roman Catholic Church in the forth century.

The true Church of God has existed well before Luther and Calvin and also well before the Roman Catholic Church came into being.

Pastor Bill Cornelison wrote the following:

I am not a Protestant because I am a member of the Church of God by virtue of salvation, and the Church of God is not a Protestant church. All Protestant churches can trace their origin to the Roman Catholic church. But the Church of God was founded and established by Jesus Himself, several hundred years before the Roman Catholic church ever came into existence. [213]

We should be thankful to God for the "Reformation" because it brought to the forefront essential doctrines, but let us not think that there were not true Bible-believing Christian churches before the Reformation. There have been true New Testament churches that taught the true gospel and stood against Rome since the founding of the church at Pentecost.

True Christians Persecuted by Rome:

The true New Testament church of Bible-believing Christians were persecuted by Pagan Rome in the first three centuries of Christendom, and have been persecuted by the Roman Catholic Church ever since.

No group has killed more Christians than the Roman Catholic Church. To read an account of some of the vicious acts of the Roman Catholic Church against Bible-believing Christians, read Foxe's Book of Martyrs.

Evolution of Catholic Doctrine:

The Catholic Church maintains that it is the same Church it has always been, dating back to the Apostles. But this is plainly not the case.

The following are the dates that many modern Catholic doctrines were introduced:

2nd century:	Presbyter (or elders) were first called priests by Lucian
200:	Immersion of infants who are dying, but considered sinless. (Tertullian V.12)
300:	Prayers for the dead
325:	Council of Nice: prohibition of clerical marriage was rejected
375:	The veneration of angels and dead saints and the use of images
379:	Praying to Mary and Saints
385:	first prohibition of clerical marriage in West
394:	Mass as a daily celebration
416:	Council of Mela: infant baptism by immersion commanded for all infants
431:	Council of Ephesus: first use of term "Mother of God"
500:	Priests began to dress different from the laity and to wear special clothes
526:	Extreme Unction, a.k.a. "last rites"
593:	The Doctrine of Purgatory popularized from the Apocrypha by Gregory the Great
600:	Prayers began to be offered to Mary, dead saints, and angels
607:	First Pope: Boniface III is the first person to take the title of "universal Bishop" by decree of Emperor Phocas.
709:	Kissing of Pope Constantine's feet
787:	2nd Council of Nicea: veneration of the cross, images, and relics authorized
850:	Holy water
890:	Veneration of Saint Joseph
927:	College of Cardinals begun
995:	Canonization of dead saints, first by Pope John XV
1022:	Penance
1079:	Celibacy enforced for priests, bishops, presbyters (Pope Gregory VII)
1090:	The rosary, or prayer beads (copied from Hindus and Mohammedans) was introduced by Peter the Hermit
11th century:	The Mass developed gradually as a sacrifice, attendance was made obligatory
1184:	Council of Verona: Inquisition of heretics instituted
1190:	Sale of Indulgences
12th century:	Seven sacraments defined by Peter Lombard
1215:	Fourth Lateran Council: Transubstantiation, Auricular Confession, Mass a Sacrifice of Christ, The "Inquisition" legalized and promoted
1217:	Adoration and Elevation of Host: ie. communion bread (Pope Honrius III)
1268:	Priestly power of absolution
1311:	Council of Ravenna: Baptism by sprinkling accepted as the universal standard
1414:	Council of Constance: Laity no longer offered cup at communion
1439:	Council of Florence: purgatory proclaimed a dogma
1546:	Council of Trent: Apocrypha added to the canon, tradition is declared of equal authority with the Bible
1854:	The Immaculate Conception of Mary (Pope Pius IX)
1864:	Condemnation of all scientific discoveries not approved by the Roman Catholic Church (Pope Pius IX)
1870:	Vatican I: Infallibility of Pope
1930:	Condemnation of public schools (Pope Pius XI)
1950:	Assumption of the body of the Virgin Mary into heaven shortly after her death (Pope Pius XII)
1965:	Mary "Mother of the Church" (Pope Paul VI)
1996:	Catholics can believe in Evolution (Pope John Paul II) [214]

The Roman Catholic Church claims that her understanding of doctrine has developed over time and God has used His True Church to teach us what may not be immediately evident in Scripture.

This, however, is evidently not the case. James White was correct when he noted:

One cannot speak of doctrinal development when attempting to defend the Marian doctrines, for example, or the concept of Papal Infallibility. They are not developments based upon a further study of the Bible but a departure from Scripture based upon exterior sources of authority. [215]

But it was not a process of the development of Christian doctrine but rather a process of slowly departing from Christian doctrine. [216]

Next: Anti-Semitism Within Roman Catholicism

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