History of Christianity

Two of the brightest, most influential, and most prolific church fathers were Origen of Alexandria and Tertullian of Carthage. They were both eventually considered to be heretics. In this episode, we look at these two intellectual giants who continue to influence the Church today.

Pope Pius XII was the pope during the Second World War. There is controversy over how he responded to the crisis. Should he have openly opposed Nazism or should he have positioned himself strategically for later negotiations? This is a special crossover episode between the Second World War Podcast and the History of Christianity Podcast. ... Read More "Episode 50- A Pope in Wartime: Pius XII" &#18...

As we conclude our look at the second century, we revisit some of the people we have already talked about. These are the early apologists. By looking at the things they were responding to, we get a snapshot of what the church was experiencing in this important century. Other episodes related to this episode: Episode ... Read More "Episode 49 – Christian Apologists in the Second Century" &#18...

Since the time before Jesus, the Jews were a part of the Roman Empire. Not a willing part, but a part nonetheless. Not everyone was happy about this and there were attempts to throw off the Roman yoke. There was a war against Rome in the first century in which the Jews were defeated. That ... Read More "Episode 48 – The Second and Third Jewish Wars" »

It is impossible to say exactly how many people in the early church were considered apostles. We can say with certainty that it was more than twelve. The original twelve were these: These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and ... Read More "How Many Apostles Were There?" »

Back in episode 27, we looked at the Roman Emperors of the first century (or most of them). Now we take a look at the emperors from the last part of the first to the last part of the second centuries. This was a good time for Rome as they enjoyed “The Five Good Emperors.” ... Read More "Episode 47 – The Roman Empire in the Second Century" »

One of the most important leaders in the Church today is that of the Pope. But where did the popes come from? They have been in the background all through our narrative. In this episode, we go back and look at the “popes” or bishops of Rome from the first two centuries. Other episodes of ... Read More "Episode 46 – The “Popes” of the First Two Centuries" »

I have loved history for as long as I can remember. When my friends were reading superhero comic books, I was reading comic books about World War Two (Sgt Rock was my favourite). My interest in military history has continued but has also expanded. There are many areas of history that I enjoy, both ancient ... Read More "5 Reasons Why I Love History" »

Clement of Alexandria may not be the most well known of the Church Fathers but he was influential. Clement helped to develop the Alexandrian school, something that would be come even more famous (infamous?) under Clement’s student, Origen. Make sure to visit OMIO and use the code “OMIO5” before July 31, 2021. You can also ... Read More "Episode 45 – Clement of Alexandria" &...

In this episode, we look at one of the most influential of the early church fathers: Irenaeus of Lyons. He is especially relevant when it comes to Christian apologetics. We also take a brief look at the Montanists.

Justin Martyr was an important church father and pioneering Christian apologist. He had the courage to not just write a defence of Christianity but to address it by name to the Roman Emperor. Please consider supporting this podcast through Patreon or by downloading a FREE audiobook with a FREE trial of Audible.

One of the most important movements to understand the history of Christianity, especially for the second and third centuries, is that of Gnosticism. Gnosticism is one of those things that many have heard about but few know what it really means. In this episode, we look at some of the beliefs and possible origins. For ... Read More "Episode 42 – Getting to Know the Gnostics" »

In this episode, I talk to Dr. Gordon Heath of McMaster Divinity College. We have an interesting chat on the nature of church history and how he got interested. If you are interested in church history, you won’t want to miss this interview. Make sure to visit Gord at his website. Resources Mentioned in this ... Read More "Episode 41 – Interview With a Historian: Gord Heath" »

How do we study Christian history? One way is to look at the sermons of the past. Sermons are more than expositions of biblical texts. They reflect both the individual preacher and the historical circumstances. Revived Thoughts is a podcast that brings back the sermons of the past, getting contemporary people to share the messages ... Read More "Episode 40 – Revived Thoughts" »

What do we do with the Secret Gospel of Mark? Some scholars accept it as an early Gospel, earlier even than our Synoptic Gospels. Others see it as twentieth century hoax. In this episode, we look at the Secret Gospel of Mark, how it was discovered and some of the conflicting views concerning it. The ... Read More "Episode 39 – What is the Secret Gospel of Mark?" »

In this episode, we finish up the collection of writings known as the Apostolic Fathers. While not as well known as some of the other Fathers, these two writings (or fragments) are important witnesses to the early Christian faith Recommended Audiobook A History of Christian Apologetics: Defending the Gospel Through the Centuries by John Warwick ... Read More "Episode 38 – Quadratus and the E...

The Gospel of Thomas is probably the extra-canonical gospel that most people have heard of but do not know anything about. In this episode, we take a look at the Gospel of Thomas. In this episode, I refer to a Stanford article about Elaine Pagels. You can find it here. You can find the online ... Read More "Episode 37 – The Gospel of Thomas" »

I had the opportunity to write a chapter for A Noble Company: The Canadians. I wrote about a Baptist who came from Scotland to Canada named Alexander Stewart. I was given two copies of this beautifully bound edition but I only need one. Comment on this post by Easter 2020 and I will randomly pick ... Read More "Episode 36 – A Noble Company: The Canadians" »

We continue to look at documents of the early church with a look at the Shepherd of Hermas and the Epistle of Barnabas. These documents were so important that both were included in the Codex Sinaiticus manuscript. While neither text made it into the canon, they were valued and were read by early Christians. You can ... Read More "Episode 35 – The Shepherd of Hermas and the Epistle of Ba...

There are two ancient Christian writings that are attributed to the Twelve Apostles, even though they unlikely wrote them. One, the Apostle’s Creed is well known, the other, the Didache, less so. And yet both of these writings give us a helpful glimpse into the life and beliefs of the early church. My Recommend Audiobook ... Read More "Episode 34 – The Apostle’s Creed and the Did...

Papias is the most important church father that you have never heard of. Even though none of his writings survive in anything beyond fragments in other writings, he is still influential and is often consulted by New Testament scholars for his traditions about the origins of the Gospels. Recommend Audio Book: The Church History by ... Read More "Episode 33 – Papias of Hierapolis" »

One of the most inspiring of the Apostolic Fathers is Polycarp. At the age of 86, he became a martyr, even though he had the opportunity to escape. As a disciple of John and one who had an impact on Irenaeus, Polycarp plays an important role. Here are some important sources: The Epistle of Polycarp ... Read More "Episode 32 – Polycarp of Smyrna" »

It has been a while since the last episode but I have not given up on the podcast. I am busy with a couple of projects but am also working on an episode on Polycarp. I will try and get that out as soon as possible. In the mean while, check out these other podcasts ... Read More "Update on the Podcast" »

We continue our look at the Apostolic Fathers with a brief look at Ignatius of Antioch. Although we don’t have much information about the early life of Ignatius, what we do have is inspiring. The reading from the Letter to Polycarp in this episode comes from The Apostolic Fathers, edited and translated by Michael Holmes. ... Read More "Episode 31 – Ignatius of Antioch" »

Once we get out of the New Testament era, we move into the period of the Apostolic Fathers. These are some early church fathers who had connections to the apostles. In this episode, we look at Clement of Rome. Clement wrote 1 Clement, a letter that actually had a chance to make it into the ... Read More "Episode 30 – Clement of Rome" »