Module 4: Early Apologists

Hi everyone, and welcome to the fourth module of the History of Christianity 1 Course. In this section, we'll be looking at the challenges faced by the early church and the responses given by early leaders. Because these responses are accurately called apologies or apologetics based on the meanings of these terms given in this module, these early leaders have been termed apologists.

This module will help you to understand the various challenges of the early church, both from the surrounding culture, and from destructive ideas infiltrating the church itself. And you will examine how the church responded, examining both helpful, and some unhelpful responses, in order to learn some principles that can be applied in your own culture.

The student will have opportunity to evaluate the longer-term effects of these movements, approaches, and practices, and the lessons that can be learned from the early church. This module will also aid the student to work through how the lessons learned are applicable in their own life and ministry.

Introductory Scenario

Imagine that you regularly interact with people who believe things dramatically different than you believe about central aspects of reality, morality, and the meaning of human life. How could you test and be sure that what you believe is more true and better than the other options? If you have excellent reasons for believing your views are correct, how could you best convince others of this? What tools and methods can you use? How can you protect yourself from making mistakes in what you believe? Please consider these questions and be watching for material that will help you answer them as you work through this module.

Module Objectives and Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this module, the student will:

  • Describe the history of various challenges to the early church, and the various ways the early apologists and other leaders responded to those challenges.
  • Understand the three main approaches to apologetics in that period, and their different attitudes toward pagan philosophies.
  • Evaluate the two overall approaches toward theology demonstrated in the different apologetic strategies, and how this principle applies to current theology and apologetics.
  • Articulate the Two Principles, why they are important for modern Christians, and how they apply in current situations.
  • Describe a few examples of early false teachings, and how the faithful church responded to them.
  • Place the major people and issues from this period in a general chronology.

Instruction Guides

In this section, you'll find links to important instructional documents for this module. Click the following links to open each document. There is a set of instructions for individual study and a document for group study.

Textbook Content

In this section, you'll find a study guide for the textbook reading for module 4. And then you'll find the link to a practice quiz covering this textbook reading.

This section also contains a review quiz to test your understanding of the textbook material for this module. By clicking the banner below, you will be given a series of questions, in random order. The quiz will be different each time, so feel free to take it more than once.

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Gonzalez Textbook Quiz
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Textbook Review Quiz for Gonzalez chs. 7-9

Click the button next to the best answer for each question, or drag each term to its best definition. Then press the Submit button at the bottom to see if your answers are correct.


Which of these is NOT a rumor spread about the early Christians?

They ate children

Sorry, see Gonzalez pp. 59-60

They vandalized temples

Good Job

They worshipped a donkey

Sorry, see Gonzalez pp. 59-60

Their love feasts were orgies

Sorry, see Gonzalez pp. 59-60

Which best describes the adoption of the canon?

A. It was a decision of central leaders imposed on all the churches

Sorry, see Gonzalez pp. 76-77

B. It was bitterly debated over long periods of time

Sorry, see Gonzalez pp. 76-77

C. The basic shape was agreed early on

True, but incomplete, see Gonzalez pp. 76-77

D. The details were worked out by consensus of what the churches had already recognized as worthy of use

True, but incomplete, see Gonzalez pp. 76-77

C and D are both true

Well Done

All of the above are true

Sorry, see Gonzalez pp. 76-77
Which is NOT true of gnosticism?

It sought secret knowledge to achieve salvation

Sorry, see Gonzalez pp. 70-73

It was a well defined organization

Correct

It taught the matter is evil

Sorry, see Gonzalez pp. 70-73

It denied that Christ had a body like ours

Sorry, see Gonzalez pp. 70-73

It was a severe threat to Christianity

Sorry, see Gonzalez pp. 70-73

Much of the language used to explain the Trinity goes back to Tertullian

True

Correct

False

Sorry, see Gonzalez p. 92
Clement taught that the literal sense of Scripture was the most important sense

True

Sorry, see Gonzalez p. 87

False

Correct
What is the best definition of the word "Apologist"?

One who makes speeches

Sorry, see Gonzalez p. 59

One who argues/debates

Sorry, see Gonzalez p. 59

One who makes a defense

Well Done

One who says they are sorry

Sorry, see Gonzalez p. 59

Marcion rejected all of the Old Testament and kept all of the New Testament

True

He rejected all of the OT, but also rejected some of the NT, see Gonzalez p. 74

False

Well Done
The Gospel of Thomas was almost included in the NT canon, but was later rejected

True

Sorry, it was never seriously considered, see Gonzalez p. 76

False

Good Job
Which of these does NOT describe the concept of "Logos"?

Christians identified the Logos with Jesus

Sorry, see Gonzalez pp. 65-66

They are really painful when you step on them with bare feet

Correct, this is true of Legos, not Logos

Justin used it to reach Greeks for Christ

Sorry, see Gonzalez pp. 65-66

According to Greek philosophy, it is the universal reason behind all reality

Sorry, see Gonzalez pp. 65-66

The general consensus on the canon came quickly among the churches, even though it took a long time to have absolute agreement on every detail

True

Correct

False

Sorry, see Gonzalez p. 75

Lecture Content

In this section, you will find the video lectures for the Early Apologists & Leaders module. Click the banner to open access to the video. There are also links with each video if you prefer to watch on the Rumble or YouTube interface or download just the audio to listen offline.

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4: Early Apologists & Leaders
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Reviews

In this section, you will find the review slides from the course lectures for module 8. This is a convenient way to view and review the summaries for each lecture. Click the banner to open the slide show.

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Review Slideshow
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Click the prev. and next buttons (bottom right of the slide) to move through the slides. You can also click on any thumbnail to go directly to that slide.

Discussion/Reflection Questions

This section contains questions for further thought and discussion from Module 4. It is recommended that you take time to think through these issues in order to thoroughly grasp the significance and explore the application of the material you are learning. These questions can also be used as essay questions in a classroom setting exam. Below, you will find links to the Response and Application Reflection Instructions for Individuals, and the Response and Application Discussion Instructions for Groups. And you will find a link to the detailed question document for this module. Or Click the banner below to view the questions in a simplified format.

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Discussion/Application Questions
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The following questions are for your thoughtful consideration and discussion:

  1. How should the church interact with the surrounding culture? How does it apply?
  2. How did the early apologists defend the truth of Christ? What can we learn from them?
  3. Do you agree with the two Principles? Why or why not? How does this apply?
  4. What else did you learn? How does it apply?

(Optional) Timeline - Part 4

This section contains instructions for an optional Timeline activity to be constructed over all sixteen modules. Below is a link to the detailed instructions for this activity.

Step Four of the Timeline should include the following information:

  • The main apologists and their writings.
  • Other significant leaders from this general period.
  • The main false teachings and teachers, and the responses made by the church.

Annotate any significant approaches, ideas and principles from the early apologists, and from the responses to false teachings, which were influential on the early church, and which are applicable to the current church and Christian life.

(Optional) Principles Chart - Part 4

This section contains instructions for an optional Principles Chart activity to be constructed over all sixteen modules. Below is a link to the detailed instructions for this activity.

Step Four of the Principles Chart will add any important principles noted from the history of the early opposition and false teachings, and the various responses of the apologists and the church as a whole.

It is suggested that the student begin this activity before watching the Guiding Principles portion of the lecture. Then the student may supplement their work after learning additional insights from the Guiding Principles.

(Optional) Term Project - Research

The student will begin locating relevant resources and researching about their chosen topic for their term project. The student should read the research of reputable historians (hopefully at least some writing from a faithful Christian world view). But, as much as possible, the student should also read primary sources, to learn firsthand the views and experiences of the people involved in those things. The course textbook the course bibliography, the course lectures, and the primary resource reading lists are good places to start for finding quality resources.

Below is a link to detailed instructions for the entire project.

Primary Source Reading

This section contains instructions and resources for the Primary Source Reading activity. The student should read a minimum of 10-20 pages from a primary resource or resources discussed in this module's lecture and write or discuss a brief response to their reading. Below is a link to detailed instructions for the Primary Source Reading, which contain a list of recommended resources, by module. And click the banner below to access a list of recommended resources with links to where they may be found.

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Primary Sources
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The following is a list of the recommended primary sources for this module. This list contains links to the resources in print and/or online format. These links may change, so feel free to search for other sources for these same titles. In addition, please do not feel you are limited only to this list. Feel free to choose from any primary source from the period and topic covered in this module:

Links to Primary Sources

Review Quiz

This section is a link to a review quiz to test your understanding of the objective material for Module 4. By clicking the banner, you will be taken to a series of questions, in random order. Answer each question and then push the Submit button to check your answers. Every question must be answered before you can submit the quiz. At the end, you will be shown your score for the entire quiz. The quiz will be different each time, so feel free to take it more than once. Click the banner to begin the quiz.

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Quiz for Module 04
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Review Quiz for Module 04

Here is a review quiz for the material covered in this module's lectures. Click the button next to the best answer for each question, or drag each term to its best definition. Then press the button at the bottom to see if your answers are correct.


Allegorical reading of the Bible seeks to go beyond the literal meaning of the text to find the deeper, spiritual meaning.

True

Correct

False

Sorry, see Lecture 04
Which early heresy taught that the God of the Old Testament was not the Father of Jesus and rejected the Old Testament?

Marcion

Well Done

Gnosticism

Sorry, see Lecture 04

Clement of Alexandria

Sorry, see Lecture 04

Non-Christian Judaism

Sorry, see Lecture 04

Neo-Platonism

Sorry, see Lecture 04

Drag each heresy to the corresponding response made by the early apologists.
Neoplatonism
Marcion
Gnosticism

Most taught a better way but did not directly confront the teaching of this philosophy

They showed that Christ was genuinely human and that His salvation was publicly revealed for all

They recognized the Canon and showed the continuity of the two testaments

Whether we reject parts of current culture when they disagree with the Bible, or we reject or explain away the Bible, demonstrates what is our primary, functional authority.

True

Correct

False

Sorry, see Lecture 04
Drag to match the teacher with the general approach
Tertullian
Clement of Alexandria
Justin Martyr

Rejected Greek Philosophy

Philosophy is under God's Revelation

Philosophy stands over God's Revelation

Whenever any source of knowledge except God and His revelation is given primary or functional authority, it always tries to squeeze out God and typically ends bad.

True

Correct

False

Sorry, see Lecture 04
Gnosticism focused on secret knowledge and initiation that allowed one to transcend the divide between spirit and matter

True

Correct

False

Sorry, see Lecture 04
There are only two possible foundations for truth - we can ultimately trust ourselves, or we can ultimately trust God and His Revelation

True

Well Done

False

Sorry, see Lecture 04
Gnosticism claimed that because Jesus was a genuine human, He can help us escape the limitations of the material world.

True

Sorry, see Lecture 04

False

Well Done
The Lecture suggests the allegorical method is the proper manner of reading the Bible.

True

No, just the opposite, see Lecture 04

False

Good Job

Module Completed!

Congratulations, you have reached the end of the fourth module. I hope that you have found it rewarding and have noticed personal growth.

I encourage you to continue on the next module as soon as is convenient. The button below will take you to Module 5.