1. Definition of Apostolic Age:
The Apostolic Age is the time in which the Apostles of our
Lord Jesus Christ lived and preached the Christian faith.
It accounts for approximately 70 years and extended from the
foundation of the Church on the day of Pentecost on 30 AD
to the departure of St. John the Apostle, 100 AD.
2. Importance of Study of the Apostolic Age:
1. It is the origin of the Christian Church delineating
its separatism from Judaism. It is the Age of the Holy Spirit,
inspiration and constitution.
2. It is astounding evidence of the power of Christianity
where its preaching and teaching reached almost every part
of the world in a very short period of time as a result
of the Mysterious Handiwork of God.
3. It reflects purity, effectiveness and the Divine power
of Christianity and how by a Mysterious Godly Work could
renew the creation of every nation, Jewish, Roman, Greek
.etc
4. It is well known that the Lord Jesus Christ taught his
holy disciples many teachings and performed many miracles
not recorded in the Holy Gospels (John 20:30). Also, the
Lord spent 40 days after His Glorious Resurrection appearing
to His disciples teaching them about the Kingdom of God
(Acts 1:3) and this also was not recorded in the Holy Gospels.
Therefore, the Christian teaching in the Apostolic Age which
is known as "Tradition" is the reflection of such
teachings and arrangements that were given to the disciples
by our Lord.
5. The Apostolic Age represents role models of great persons
in preaching, teaching and service who were inspired by
the Holy Spirit and supported by the power of the New Creation
in baptism. Definitely this was an incentive for good deeds.
3. Historical Sources of the Apostolic Age:
1. All the Holy Books of the New Testament in particular
the Holy Book of Acts.
2. Teachings and laws that belong to the Apostles such as
the Didache (Teaching of the Twelve Apostles) and Didascalia.
3. Writings of the Apostolic Fathers who are the disciples
of the Apostles such as St. Clement the Roman, St. Polycarp,
St. Ignatius, St. Hermas and St. Papias.
4. Pseudo-Canonical Books (Apocrypha) which can be used
as historical sources of the Apostolic Age although the
Church refused them as inspired books.
5. Jewish sources such as writings by Philo of Alexandria,
Josephus the famous Jewish Historian who was contemporary
of Jerusalem destruction and wrote "Influences of Jews"
and "Wars of Jews", and Mishna which is the teachings
of Rabbis in the First Century and provides good information
about the Apostles, their teachings, the rituals and worship
in the early Church as a excommunicated group out of the
Synagogue.
6. Latin writers and historians such as Tacitus, Suetonius
and Pliny.
7. Writers of the Second Century who are the second successors
of the Apostles such as Justin the Martyr, St. Irenaeus,
and Hegesippus.
8. Christian Historians such as Eusebious, an early Christian
writer, who wrote the church history since the Incarnation
to 324 AD and was called the Father of Church history.
9. Ancient monuments such as scrolls of the Dead Sea.
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A
Brief Look at the World During the Apostolic Age
Birth
of the Church
Persecution
of the Apostles by Jews
How
Did Christianity Spread Throughout the World?
Famous
Apostolic Churches of the Apostolic Age
Christian
Life During the Apostolic Age
The
Tradition of the Apostolic Age
Famous
Persons in the Apostolic Age
Heresies
During the Apostolic Age
Canonical
Books of the New Testament
Apocryphal
Books
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