The Church History of the First Three Centuries, vol. 1
Overview
The history of the development of Christianity dates of course form the departure of Jesus from the world. But in Paul, this history has a new beginning; from this point we are able to trace it not only in its external features, but also in its inner connection. F.C. Baur traces the rise and development of Christianity through the first three centuries.
- First Part: The Entrance of Christianity into the World: Primitive Christianity
- The Universalism of the Roman Empire as a Preparation for Christianity
- Christianity and the Old Religions
- Greek Philosophy
- Judaism
- Primitive Christianity: The Gospels
- The Original Christian Principle
- The Kingdom of God
- The Person of Jesus—The Messianic Idea
- The Death and Resurrection of Jesus
- Second Part: Christianity as a Universal Principle of Salvation: The Conflict between Paulinism and Judaism, and Its Adjustment in the Idea of the Catholic Church
- The Conflict
- The Reconciliation
- Johannine Christianity
- Third Part: Christianity as an Ideal Principle of the World
- Gnosticism
- Montanism
- The Catholic Church as the Antithesis of Gnosticism and Montanism
Top Highlights
“the need of deliverance from the deep-felt schism within, and of atonement with an unknown God.” (Page 8)
“The Acts passes over the occurrence at Antioch with a resolute silence, which shows clearly enough how far what was remembered of the subject was from harmonising with the reconciling tendency of this work.” (Page 55)
“The universalism of Christianity is essentially nothing but that universal form of consciousness at which the development of mankind had arrived at the time when Christianity appeared.” (Page 5)
“But what is it in Christianity that gives it its absolute character?” (Page 6)
“Thus the universalism of Christianity necessarily presupposes the universalism of the Roman empire” (Page 4)
Ferdinand Christian Baur (1792–1860) was educated at the University of Tübingen where he later taught as a professor of theology and is credited with founding the movement known as the “Tübingen School” of New Testament criticism. He applied Hegelian philosophy to Christian history in order to develop a new understanding about how Christianity developed.