In episodes 31-49 of the podcast, we focused primarily on the second century of the Christian church. This was a defining century of the church. All of the writings that would eventually become Scripture were written. The companions of Jesus were now all dead.
Some of the earliest leaders in the century may have known some of the apostles but they were now living in a new age. Christianity was becoming more organized. While the New Testament as we know it was not fully together, the authority of the four Gospels and the letters of Paul were recognized.
Other texts were being written, including other Gospels. How much of these went back to the first century is being debated but they seem to reflect more of the concerns of the second century than the first.
Leaders were rising up, some that would be identified as orthodox and some as unorthodox. Groups identified as heresies were appearing, usually identified with a specific teacher.
The split with Judaism that had begun in the first century was becoming more pronounced. Christianity was losing its privileges with the Romans that it had when it was seen as a Jewish sect. Friction between the Christians and the Jews was also growing.
The Romans were trying to figure out what to do with the Christians. The Romans were generally tolerant of other religions but the Christians refused to fit in. They did not see themselves as one available religious option but as the one true way. They were seen as troublemakers and their refusal to worship the Emperor made them look disloyal. We should not think of an Empire-wide persecution but there were local persecutions popping up from time to time.
Christian thinkers were working through what they really believed. Some came from a philosophical background and they worked out how to articulate the Christian faith in an understandable way. Some turned to apologetics, primarily as a way of convincing the Romans that the Christians were not a threat.
Much of the foundation for later Christianity was set in the second century. I am looking forward to delving into the next few centuries of the church.
