arapahoepark
Puritan Board Professor
Are there any good articles outlining the history of the Roman Catholic/Orthodox Church and why they came up with the doctrines they did like mary worship and so forth?
Good articles outlining RCC history?
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Prof. R. Scott Clark has a good accurate treatment of the Church of Rome Resources on Roman Catholicism
An old treatment of Romanism
An old one on line is Antidote to the poison of popery in the writings and conduct of Professors Nevin & Schaff, professors in the German Reformed Church in the U. S. of America
An old one on line is Antidote to the poison of popery in the writings and conduct of Professors Nevin & Schaff, professors in the German Reformed Church in the U. S. of America
R. Scott Clark
Puritan Board Senior
Hi Trent,
1) Boettner's work isn't generally recommended. It's more of a period piece, illustrating the way Protestants thought of Rome when it was published.
2) The "Roman Catholic Church" began at the Council of Trent (c. 1543-62). Prior to Trent, there was the Western church. Trent split the Western church in two and relegated the Roman communion to sectarian status.
3) The history of the Western church is thus a shared history to which both Protestants and Romanists lay claim. The Fathers and the orthodox medieval theologians are, in many respects more "ours" than they are Rome's. Most of the Fathers would be horrified to see Rome claiming them as forerunners. Not a few medieval theologians would be shocked to find out that they've been eternally condemned by Rome.
I can recommend some basic reading on the Patristic (c. 100-500), medieval (500-1500), and Reformation (and post-Reformation) church. Check out the course syllabi and recommended reading here.
4) The very short story is that the Patristic church spent much of its time hammering out basic Christian doctrine on the Trinity (three persons, one God) and Christology (two natures, one person), and spent some time in the late 4th and early 5th centuries articulating essential Christian doctrine on salvation (Augustine v Pelagius) but a great lot was not worked out. The medieval church, in reaction to some of the early church heresies (e.g., gnosticism--salvation through climbing a ladder of sorts into a spirit world through arcane knowledge) began to place more authority in the church than in Scripture. The church also lost the early Christian approach to worship and began to reinstate a version of the OT priesthood and sacrifice replaced the table, Mary, the saints, and angles began to replace Jesus as the mediator, and man-made human practice in worship (that the Reformed called "will worship") were instituted as sacraments over a very long period. Still, as late as the 9th century there were only two sacraments. The Roman church, as we know it, really came into focus between the 12th and 16th centuries and was consolidated at the Council of Trent.
1) Boettner's work isn't generally recommended. It's more of a period piece, illustrating the way Protestants thought of Rome when it was published.
2) The "Roman Catholic Church" began at the Council of Trent (c. 1543-62). Prior to Trent, there was the Western church. Trent split the Western church in two and relegated the Roman communion to sectarian status.
3) The history of the Western church is thus a shared history to which both Protestants and Romanists lay claim. The Fathers and the orthodox medieval theologians are, in many respects more "ours" than they are Rome's. Most of the Fathers would be horrified to see Rome claiming them as forerunners. Not a few medieval theologians would be shocked to find out that they've been eternally condemned by Rome.
I can recommend some basic reading on the Patristic (c. 100-500), medieval (500-1500), and Reformation (and post-Reformation) church. Check out the course syllabi and recommended reading here.
4) The very short story is that the Patristic church spent much of its time hammering out basic Christian doctrine on the Trinity (three persons, one God) and Christology (two natures, one person), and spent some time in the late 4th and early 5th centuries articulating essential Christian doctrine on salvation (Augustine v Pelagius) but a great lot was not worked out. The medieval church, in reaction to some of the early church heresies (e.g., gnosticism--salvation through climbing a ladder of sorts into a spirit world through arcane knowledge) began to place more authority in the church than in Scripture. The church also lost the early Christian approach to worship and began to reinstate a version of the OT priesthood and sacrifice replaced the table, Mary, the saints, and angles began to replace Jesus as the mediator, and man-made human practice in worship (that the Reformed called "will worship") were instituted as sacraments over a very long period. Still, as late as the 9th century there were only two sacraments. The Roman church, as we know it, really came into focus between the 12th and 16th centuries and was consolidated at the Council of Trent.
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