Season 1
12 episodes · 2012
When you look back to study the early church, you're not just getting an interesting history lesson. You're seeing a testament of God's faithfulness and steadfast love for His people. In this series, respected church historian W. Robert Godfrey introduces us to the major figures, events, and contributions from the first five hundred years of the church.
1Introduction
Christians today have inherited a great legacy from the ancient church. In the first part of this series, W. Robert Godfrey explains how we benefit from early discussions on the Trinity, Christology, Scripture, missions, and more.
2Expansion of the Church
As the gospel spread beyond its Jewish context, new challenges began to arise. In the second part of this series, W. Robert Godfrey explains how the early Christians defended their faith throughout the wider Greco-Roman world.
3Defending the Faith
Heresies are often repetitions of past errors. In the third part of this series, W. Robert Godfrey introduces us to the early heresies, their modern counterparts, and some well-reasoned defenses against them.
4Pioneering Theologian: Origen
Apart from Scripture, even well-meaning efforts to understand the world will fall short. In the fourth part of this series, W. Robert Godfrey explains how Origen got himself into trouble by relying too much on Greek philosophy.
5Developing Theology
What is a saint? Are all Christians saints, or only some of them? In the fifth part of this series, W. Robert Godfrey considers the biblical definition of this term and how it would later become distorted by the Roman Catholic Church.
6The Bishop
Church leaders are called to serve with wisdom and humility-not to amass power for themselves. In the sixth part of this series, W. Robert Godfrey traces the rise of the papacy.
7Constantine and the Church
Constantine's conversion to Christianity brought sweeping changes to the church and the Roman Empire. In the seventh part of this series, W. Robert Godfrey examines the impact of these changes-for good and for ill.
8Jesus as God
What is Jesus' relationship to the Father? In the 300s, a ferocious theological debate raged over this question. Bishops took opposing sides, and Constantine was caught in the middle. In the eighth part of this series, W. Robert Godfrey looks at the events leading up to the first universal church council.
9Jesus as Man
How can it be that Jesus is both truly human and truly divine? In the ninth part of this series, W. Robert Godfrey considers how the early church fathers wrestled with this important question.
10The East and the West
Why are there so many denominations? What should we think about these schisms and splits? In the tenth part of this series, W. Robert Godfrey sets the context for these questions as he examines the widening gap between the East and the West.
11Augustine
Augustine went from being a rebellious youth to one of the greatest theologians of the ancient church. In the eleventh part of this series, W. Robert Godfrey discusses important lessons from Augustine's conversion and confessions.
12Worship and Sacramentsfinale
The early Christians were not perfect, yet they were faithful in trying to measure everything against the standard of Scripture. In the final part of this series, W. Robert Godfrey shows us how they worshiped