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1
REL 1350
Study Guide Materials
Basic Introductory Terms
(Handout)
Apostolic Fathers
• Definition
o The generation after the New Testament era
o leaders claimed to be students of Jesus’ disciples/apostles
• Connection to apostles
o Apostolic fathers= students of Jesus’ apostles/disciples
 Not fathers of the apostles
• Definition of martyrdom
o died for faith
o Ultimate witness
Ignatius of Antioch
• Use of the word catholic
o coined the word “catholic” (universal) for the church
 Catholic= Roman Catholic Church
 Refers to: wherever the Christians are, the church is
• → the church is spreading
o b/c Christians are spreading
• Monarchical episcopate
o Monarchical Episcopate (“following 1 leader”): Growing Role of the Bishop
 Ignatius= speaks about the importance of church leadership
 Bishop= “episcopos” (Greek)
 Move away from collegial leadership and prophets
• Collegial leadership= follow several leaders
• Prob:
o They could say diff things about God
• Ignatius= lived during a time when ppl claimed diff msgs frm God
o → way to protect orthodoxy= move away frm collegial leadership & prophets
 Follow the leader
 Centralized leadership to fight heresy
• shun divisions
o follow the bishop
 Where the bishop is, there is the church- mystical presence
 Emergence tied to the Eucharist; represented the faithful to God
• View of Eucharist
o Real presence in the Eucharist (term he coins)
 Medicine of immortality
• for salvation
 Eucharist= the Lord’s Supper
 “thanksgiving”
 Not a symbol
• Jesus is really present
 Igantius believed that if u are a believer in Jesus, u will partake in the Eucharist
• View of martyrdom
o Ignatius= Desired to be poured out as a libation/offering for God
 Ignatius said, “I want to be wheat in God’s mouth”
o Jesus said, “take up your cross & follow Me”
• Apostolic Father

2
Perpetua
• Story
o Died for their faith
o Lived in North Africa
o Perpetua= just had a baby
o Perpetua’s father= wanted her to come home to take care of her baby
o Perpetua told her father that Christians don’t compromise their faith
 Just like a pitcher pours water
o God gives her a miracle
 She no longer had pain frm breast feeding
o her father tried to dissuade her from being a Christian
 got angry → left her alone→ Perpetua got batpzied
o imprisoned
 unbearable heat & anxiety for her baby
 deacons Tertius & Pomponius= paid for them to be moved to better part of the prison
 asked her mother & bro to care for her son
• l8er granted the privilege of having her son w/ her in prison
 loved being @ prison
o asked the Lord if she would b condemned or freed b/c her bro knew that she could ask Him
 allusion:
• bronze ladder reaching up to heaven
o iron weapons= attached to the ladder
 if climbed ladder w/o looking upward, would b mangled by the weapons
o dragon= underneath the ladder
o Saturus= climbed ladder 1 st & made it to the top
o Perpetua= climbed ladder
•