After Christ and Before Constantine - Church Then & Now E6

In this episode, Ethan Hoover & Matthew Maher walk us through what went on during "the gap." The timeframe after Christ and before Constantine.

Show Notes: 

• Intro
• Recap of Season 2 up to this point
• Historical details matter
• What happens during “The Gap”
  • Between the era of the Early Church and the Rise of the Roman Catholic Church
  • The apostles pass the baton
  • Christianity spreading outside of Jerusalem
    • To Middle East, Greece, Rome, etc
  • Christians are heavily persecuted by Rome
    • Nero, Diocletian, etc
  • Attacks on the church change from outside-in, to inside-out
  • The church by name gains more visibility, while the true church becomes invisible
  • Ethan has a flash from the past: The Storytellers animated series from his childhood
  • How spiritual-political rulers are used throughout scripture
    • Nebuchanezer > Cyrus > Xerxes > And on
  • Throwing it forward to a use of a spiritual-political ruler in the End Times
  • The cycle that God uses
• History lesson
  • Tyrants that come before Constantine
  • The difference between the title of a “Caesar” and “Augustus” 
  • Where did Constantine come from? His story told.
• Was the early church’s goal to conquer through war?
• Why would Constantine use the sign of the cross? What was he after?
• The edict of tolerance
  • The mixture of paganism and Christianity
  • Polytheism enters the “church” 
• This is the moment where the visible church completely separates from the true/invisible church
  • The State church

Resources: 

• The Spread Of The Early Church: https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1-300/the-spread-of-the-early-church-11629561.html
• A Look At The Early Church: https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1-300/a-look-at-the-early-church-11629559.html
• Who Was Constantine The Great? https://www.gotquestions.org/Constantine-the-Great.html
• Constantine & the Early Church: https://brewminate.com/constantine-and-the-early-church/
• The Era of Constantine, When Church Met State: https://calvarychapel.com/posts/the-era-of-constantine-when-church-met-state/

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