The Path of Christianity (McGuckin)

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RamistThomist

Puritanboard Clerk
McGuckin, John. IVP, 2017.

John McGuckin’s project is unique in that he starts his account in the 2nd Century, not the 1st. This allows him to explore the different “secessionist” offshoots from the main church. This meant for the Church that the office of the bishop had to arise primarily to confront fringe and schismatic groups (Ebionites, Natsirim, Montanists, etc).

Post-Apostolic Fathers

With Clement of Rome we see the terminology of presbytery as a group of elders but we are also beginning to see one presbyter/episkopos beginning to have administrative authority. With Ignatius of Antioch the role of bishop is now monarchical. Yet when Polycarp writes to the church of Philippi, he speaks not of a bishop but a council of presbyters (McGuckin 65; Polycarp, Epistle to the Philippians 6.1).

Cyprian

For Cyprian there can never be schism in the church, it is always schism from the church. He isn’t just arguing for unity, but for unicity. Disobedience to the church is a crime against the unity of the church (220). If you are out of the church, you are cut off from the grace spigot. Not surprisingly, Cyprian set himself up for failure. His theory couldn’t answer later questions: like who is the true church when the patriarch is a slave to the Ottomans or the Soviets or to George Soros?

I bring up Cyprian so that one can see how Augustine's ecclesiology is something of a foil.

Mediterranean Magic Cults

Good sections on the Cult of Cybele and Mithras.

Justinian Reforms

Justinian didn’t simply “shut down” the Academy in Athens. He cut off govt funding and forced them to pay their way. They couldn’t do that (because people didn’t want to see a mix of Plato and magic), so the magician-philosophers went to Persia (and then came back).

Christians and Magic
  • St Paul defined every magician as a son of the Devil (Acts 13:8-12)

  • All Greco-Roman rites were demonic (and thus the tie-in with daimonic, human contact with invisible world of spirits (1010)).

  • Athanasius best represented the Christian approach to cthonic forces and magic. We have to understand how widespread this fear was in the ancient world (and pretty much everywhere that isn’t comfortable America). “At the sign of the cross all magic ceases, all witchcraft is rendered void, all idols are abandoned and denied, all superstitious longings cease, and everyone raises their eyes to heaven” (De Incarnatione 31).
Conclusion

This is my new favorite church history book. There were many parts I didn't include: Christological controversies, early monastic reforms, etc.
 
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