A Summary Idea in the Study of Church History
The history of the Church is divided into several sections:
1. The Apostolic Age
This is the era in which the ancient apostolic churches were founded, including Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Rome, and other regions where the holy apostles labored.
2. The History of the Apostolic Fathers
These were the disciples of the apostles, such as St. Clement of Rome, St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, and Hermas, who wrote The Shepherd. This period may also include the disciples of St. Paul, such as Titus, Bishop of Crete; Timothy, Bishop of Ephesus; and Dionysius the Areopagite, who became Bishop of Athens, among others.
3. The History of the Church Before the Schism
This covers the history of the universal apostolic Church until the first schism caused by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 A.D. It includes the following stages:
a. The Age of the Apologists
Those who defended the faith and wrote books or letters on it, such as St. Justin, St. Hippolytus, and the scholar Athenagoras, head of the Catechetical School of Alexandria, among others.
b. The Age of Martyrdom
This includes all periods of Roman persecution of Christianity, especially the time of Diocletian, which marks the beginning of the Coptic calendar. It continues until the Edict of Milan issued by Constantine, granting religious tolerance and ending the Roman persecution of Christianity.
This era includes famous martyrs such as St. George, St. Menas, St. Victor, St. Apa Fam, the Theban Legion, St. Demiana, St. Dolagy, and many other martyrs and female martyrs.
c. The Age of Early Monasticism
It began with St. Antony the Great in the latter half of the third century, followed by the holy fathers of the wilderness of Scetis: the three Macarii, St. Isidore, St. Pambo, Sts. Maximus and Domadius, St. Isaiah, and St. Moses.
It also includes the monasticism of Upper Egypt founded by St. Pachomius and his teacher St. Palamon, St. Shenouda the Archimandrite, St. Theodore, disciple of St. Pachomius, and St. Wissa, disciple of St. Shenouda.
Then the fathers of Nitria and Mount Parnouj, and the Monastery of St. Menas in Mariut. Also the monasteries west of Alexandria and those of Fayoum led by St. Paphnutius, disciple of St. Antony, with monasticism extending to Mount Qalamoun.
This period also includes the beginning of the age of the anchorites, represented by St. Paul the First Hermit and those who followed him in this angelic life.
d. The Age of the Councils
This includes the three ecumenical councils recognized by our Church:
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The Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.)
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The Council of Constantinople (381 A.D.)
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The Council of Ephesus (431 A.D.)
As well as regional councils before and after Nicaea, such as those of Gangra, Ancyra, Neocaesarea, Antioch, and Carthage, and the canons established by them.
The history of the councils also includes the heresies that caused them, such as those of Arius, Macedonius, Apollinarius, Sabellius, Nestorius, Eutyches, and others.
It also includes the heroes of faith who fought against heresies, such as St. Athanasius the Apostolic (against Arianism), St. Hilary of Poitiers, St. Ambrose of Milan, the three Cappadocian Fathers—St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, and St. Gregory of Nyssa—St. Cyril of Jerusalem, St. John Chrysostom, and St. Cyril the Great.
Also, St. Augustine who opposed Pelagianism, and St. Epiphanius of Cyprus who fought Origenism, with St. Jerome and Pope Theophilus of Alexandria, among others.
From this general discussion of early Christianity, we move to:
e. Christianity in Egypt
This includes the following:
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St. Mark and his evangelism in Egypt and elsewhere, and the succession of patriarchs after him.
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The Catechetical School of Alexandria, its history, scholars, and relationship with the patriarchal see.
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The problem of Origen—his merits and his errors.
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Coptic monasticism, its spread, and the writings about it.
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The history of the Church of Alexandria since the Council of Chalcedon, and the persecution faced by its patriarchs and people from 451 A.D. to 641 A.D. (the Arab conquest of Egypt).
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The history of the Church under Islamic rule from the time of Amr ibn al-As to the end of the Ottoman Empire.
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The history of the Church in the 19th and 20th centuries, including the entry of foreign denominations (Catholic, Protestant, and others), and the establishment of their churches and leaderships.
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The reestablishment of the Theological Seminary and the beginning of the Sunday School movement.
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The patriarchal eras from Pope Peter el-Gawly and Pope Cyril IV to the present day, including the establishment of the Coptic Community Council and the efforts of Coptic societies.
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The Church in the diaspora and within Egypt in our days.
f. The History of the Church in the West During the Middle Ages
This includes the conflict between the popes of Rome and the emperors, as well as the great second schism in the eleventh century between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church of Constantinople and its branches.
g. The Rise of Protestantism and the Reformation
It covers the history of the early Protestant leaders—Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli—then the internal divisions within Protestantism itself and the emergence of countless sects, the conflicts between Protestantism and Catholicism, the Iconoclastic wars, and the emergence of the Anglican (Episcopal) Church, which spread from London to Canada, America, and Africa. It also includes the beginning of the Ecumenical Movement with the founding of the World Council of Churches in 1948 and later regional councils.
h. The Emergence of Modern Sects Opposing Christianity
These include Jehovah’s Witnesses and their wide spread, the Seventh-day Adventists, the Mormons in America, as well as scientific and philosophical movements hostile to religion, and modern atheism in its various forms such as communism and existentialist atheism.
Article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – Al-Keraza Magazine, Year 25, Issues 1 & 2 (January 17, 1997)
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