Much of what is written during this time period on is written by the Catholic Church. This is where the descent into the Dark Ages began. Anything that the Catholic Church did not agree with was considered heretical.
Jovinian and Vigilantus are considered the forerunners of Protestantism by the Catholic Church. They basically pull them out from the Christians of the first three centuries who believed the doctrinal positions of salvation by grace through faith and adult baptism and state that they created a new doctrine.
Protestantism was considered the belief in justification of the sinner by faith alone (no works, no communion, etc), the priesthood of all believers (a Christian could pray directly to God and didn't need an earthly priest or the intercession of dead saints), adult baptism (only adults who confessed Christ as their Savior would be baptized; no infant baptism), and the infallibility of Scripture as the sole source of all matters of faith and practice (Scriptures told them how to live, not a contemporary religious leader or an organization).
Jovinian was a fourth century Christian. What was written about him has come from Jerome (the translator of the Latin Vulgate used by the Roman Catholic Church). He taught that a woman's marital status had no bearing on her station in the Christian community- women were all equal regardless of whether they were married, single, or widowed. He preached that marriage was an institution from God given to mankind and that it wasn't wrong for clergy to marry. He believed in the eternal security of the believer ( that once you were saved, your unrighteous works couldn't void your salvation). He also preached that there was a difference between a physical local church on earth and a spiritual heavenly church made up of all believers in Christ.
Vigilantius was a Christian in the early part of the fifth century. He wrote against many contemporary church practices of his day. Jerome also wrote about him as a heretic. Jerome attacked him, calling him a monster for "believing that the graves of martyrs and saints should not be venerated, opposing virginity (celibacy) and being against fasting for the saints." Vigilantius considered praying to "saints" idolatry, and preached against it. He spoke against burning candles for the saints was absurd because those who died in Christ were in the light of His presence. He also spoke out against the donation of money to the church.
Boniface, a seventh century monk, is called by the Catholic Church the "Apostle to the Germans". Not so well known, is that he requested an Army from Pope Gregory II to root out the "heretical missionaries" who had been in Germania for at least a century before he arrived.
From its inception the Catholic church has held itself as the only path to salvation. Their use of force against any opposing viewpoint has been utilized by them since the beginning. They seem to believe that since they are the only way to heaven, they can be absolved of any perceived wrong-doing in how they "help" people to accept their religion. Anyone who truly studies Catholic history will see the bloody trail they blazed.
The Catholic church likes to point out a "line of succession" from Peter through to those who are called "pope". It's not that Peter chose who would lead after him, and then that guy chose the next in a line of succession. At first the next pope was chosen by consensus among rulers or appointment by the existing pope or other clergy. Since 1274, a new Pope is chosen by the College of Cardinals, who gather in a private meeting called a "conclave" at the Vatican to vote on a new leader; only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote, and a candidate needs a two-thirds majority to be elected pope.
Bible believers believe that the line of succession comes from the Scriptures, not from the people's choice. We aren’t interested in what person passed the baton to whom. We’re interested in who heeded God's call to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. Christ told the disciples to "go", and Paul told Timothy to find faithful men and teach them so they can carry the gospel forth and teach others.
Matthew 28:19- Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
II Timothy 2:2- And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
The Catholic Church says that those who believe differently from the Catholic teachings are heretics and their teachings are new beliefs not found in religion. The Catholic church just wants you to think they are the "real" ones and the others are "fake".
During the Middle Ages, the Catholic CHurch continued to mix the church and the state. Creating a large religious-political organization. Not every Catholic agreed with this. Religious and political tensions within the Catholic Church led to a massive church split.
The Catholic Church split permanently in the mid-eleventh century- Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox. This event is known as the Great Schism, and it permanently divided the Catholic church into two religious orders.
The differences between the two orders are many. Roman Catholics believe the pope is the highest authority, that priests must remain celebate, Mary is above all the other saints, and that divorce is a sin. The Greek Orthodox church believes that there isn't one absolute authority figure, priests are allowed to marry and have a family, that Mary is equal with the other saints, and that divorce is to be allowed.
Another difference is the Bible version that they used. Jerome's Latin Vulgate became the source Bible for the Roman Catholic Church and their services are still done in Latin. The Greek Orthodox church uses the Septuigent, a Greek translation of the Old Testament, and a Byzantine Text (also in Greek) for the New Testament.
Bible believers chose to follow Scriptures as their sole authority. We can see that since the first century, Paul was preaching against speaking in unknown tongues, forbidding marriage, refusing to eat meat, and there are clear Scriptures that back up the fundamental doctrines that were mentioned previously.
Of course there were some weirdo’s as there are with all religions and cultures, but most of the Christians back then were Bible believers who were taught by Bible believers and they, in turn, taught others to be Bible believers. Many of these people can be traced back to the 2nd or 3rd century. They are sometimes named after a famous preacher from their sect, sometimes hundreds of years down the road.
Nestorians are Christian that originated in Asia Minor and Syria in the 5th century. They were named after Nestorius. They believed that Christ had two natures, one divine and one human. They said that Mary was the mother of Christ's human nature, and that she had no bearing on His divine nature. Hence, the Nestorians preached against Mary worship. They are said to have done missionary work all over Southern Asia. It is said that in the 13th and 14th centuries, the Nestorian church experienced a resurgence in China under the Mongols, but was suppressed again under the Ming Dynasty. The Xi'an Stele, or Nestorian stone, erected in 781 that documents 150 years of early Christianity in China. It was thought to have been buried in 845, during the Huichang persecution, and was re-discovered in 1625. Nestorians believed that Jesus Christ would return in the future as a warrior to rescue Israel from trouble.
The Paulicians of Armenia are said to have originated around the 7th century. Their converts would change their names to those of people mentioned in the Pauline Epistles. Some accused them of being Manichaeans (mentioned in part 1).Among other doctrines, they preached a spiritual baptism of a Christian at the moment of salvation. The Empress of Theodora began persecution of them, and put 100,000 of them to death in 842 AD. Many fled to the area of Yugoslavia and Bulgaria, some to areas of Armenia under Arab control.
The Bogomils, named after a Macedonian named Bogomil, lived in the Balkans. They are thought to be descendents and converts of the Paulicians. They didn't use the symbol of the cross, or even build churches. Their name literally translates as "dear to God". By the 16th century, the Bogomils had been nearly eliminated due to persecution and conquest.
Waldenses, 12th-century French Christians sometimes known as Lyonists, sought to follow Christ in poverty and simplicity. Waldenses departed from the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church by rejecting some of the seven sacraments. They were known for quoting scripture to defend their beliefs. Known for making their own copies of the Scriptures. They rejected the use of indulgences. They believed that baptism was to be by full immersion in water and was not administered to infants. Waldenses denied the doctrine of transubstantiation. They also rejected the notion of purgatory and of prayers offered for the dead. Additionally, a formal church building was not viewed as necessary to worship God, and thus many Waldenses held services in their homes, stables, or other locations.
In 1215, Pope Innocent III officially denounced the Waldensians as heretics. And in 1487, Pope Innocent VIII issued a bull ordering their extermination. The persecution was so great that there was even a poem written about it by John Milton.
Avenge, O Lord, thy slaughter'd saints, whose bones
Lie scatter'd on the Alpine mountains cold,
Ev'n them who kept thy truth so pure of old,
When all our fathers worshipp'd stocks and stones;
Forget not: in thy book record their groans
Who were thy sheep and in their ancient fold
Slain by the bloody Piemontese that roll'd
Mother with infant down the rocks. Their moans
The vales redoubl'd to the hills, and they
To Heav'n. Their martyr'd blood and ashes sow
O'er all th' Italian fields where still doth sway
The triple tyrant; that from these may grow
A hundred-fold, who having learnt thy way
Early may fly the Babylonian woe.
Lie scatter'd on the Alpine mountains cold,
Ev'n them who kept thy truth so pure of old,
When all our fathers worshipp'd stocks and stones;
Forget not: in thy book record their groans
Who were thy sheep and in their ancient fold
Slain by the bloody Piemontese that roll'd
Mother with infant down the rocks. Their moans
The vales redoubl'd to the hills, and they
To Heav'n. Their martyr'd blood and ashes sow
O'er all th' Italian fields where still doth sway
The triple tyrant; that from these may grow
A hundred-fold, who having learnt thy way
Early may fly the Babylonian woe.
The Albigensians, also known as Cathars, were Christians that flourished in 12th–13th century southern France. They originated from an anti-materialist reform movement within the Bogomil churches of the Balkans calling for what they saw as a return to the Christian message of perfection, poverty and preaching. Local French Catholics declared that all Albigenses should be put into prison and have their property confiscated. The Albigensian Crusade was a military campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate them, which nearly wiped them all out by 1229. This event was instrumental in the coming Medieval Inquisition.
Persecution during the middle ages was led by the Catholic Church and its ruling members. Anyone who disagreed with their teachings, whether Christian or not, would be tortured and/or killed.
What would these crimes be? Rejecting any of their teachings, claiming the Bible is the sole authority of the church, opposing worship of Mary or praying to the saints, discrediting the power of crosses or relics, and claiming that the Lord's table (communion) should be a memorial and not a sacrifice.
The inquisition came about from the Albigensian war. The Inquisition was a Catholic Church office that was established in the 12th century to hunt down and punish heresy in Europe and the Americas. It was known for its severe tortures and persecution of Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Inquisitors went after charges of "suspicion" of heresy.
Romans 8:36- As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
What does God have to say about those who gave their life for the gospel?
Hebrews 11:35b-38- and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
God views these people as extraordinary men and women of whom the world was not worthy.
Many of the people who fled to America did so to escape persecution. It's one of the reasons there is such wording as "separation of church and state". It was to keep the state from telling churches what they had to preach and teach. The purpose was so no government could persecute anyone based on their religious beliefs.
Bible believers wanted a country where they could freely study the Scriptures and follow their teachings without fear of retribution from opposing religious organizations. The rules and laws of this country allow people to worship uninhibited, so long as their religious practices don't violate any other persons freedoms.
The inquisitions are also why America’s forefathers put “innocent until proven guilty” into our constitution. It was a safeguard to help keep a tyrannical government at bay. In America, you cannot be accused of a crime, and then tortured until you confess. Your accuser must put forth evidence that proves beyond a doubt that you are guilty of the crime you are being accused of.
