Timeline
Ask the early Church
Type a question about what Christians believed. You get a short answer, then every witness in date order, in the writers' own words, each a click from the Greek or Latin and the full work.
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The 100 questions readers ask most, by subject: 778 quotes from 190 writers and councils. Each question shows its witnesses as dots on a line from the year 30 to today. Where the churches stand shows each church's position, question by question. Creeds and churches puts every major creed on one timeline, and Did Christ die for all? follows one question through church history.
The Bible
- 1Who decided which books are in the Bible, and when?
- 2Did Constantine or the Council of Nicaea choose the books of the Bible?
- 3Which Old Testament books did the early Church use? Were Tobit, Wisdom and Maccabees Scripture to them?
- 4When were the four Gospels settled, and why were other gospels left out?
- 5Is the Bible the only rule of faith, or is church tradition also binding?
- 6What was "the rule of faith" the early Church appealed to?
- 7Did the early Church believe the Bible was inspired and without error?
- 8Which Bible text did they read: the Hebrew or the Greek Septuagint?
- 9How did they read the Old Testament: literally, or as types and figures of Christ?
- 10How can we trust that the text was copied faithfully?
God and the Trinity
- 11Is Jesus God?
- 12Was Jesus created, or eternal? What was Arianism?
- 13Is the Holy Spirit a person, and is he God?
- 14When did Christians start teaching the Trinity? Was it invented at Nicaea?
- 15Did the early Church teach that the Son is subordinate to the Father?
- 16From whom does the Holy Spirit proceed, the Father alone or the Father and the Son?
- 17Did the one God make the world, or a lesser god, as the Gnostics said?
- 18Does God change, suffer, or learn?
Jesus Christ
- 19Did Jesus have a real human body, or only seem to?
- 20Is Christ one nature or two natures in one person?
- 21Was Jesus born of a virgin?
- 22Did Jesus rise bodily from the dead?
- 23Why did Jesus have to die? What did his death accomplish?
- 24Did Christ descend to the dead after the crucifixion?
- 25Did Jesus have a human soul and mind, or did the Word replace them?
- 26May Mary be called Mother of God?
Salvation
- 27Are we saved by faith alone, or by faith and works?
- 28What is grace, and can anyone do good without it?
- 29Do we have free will?
- 30Are babies born guilty of Adam's sin? What is original sin?
- 31Does God choose who will be saved before they are born?
- 32Can a Christian lose salvation?
- 33What happens to people who never heard the gospel?
- 34Will everyone be saved in the end?
- 35Is hell eternal?
- 36What does it mean to be made like God (theosis)?
- 37What happens to a Christian who sins seriously after baptism?
- 38Can a Christian become fully holy in this life?
- 39Does God want everyone to be saved?
Baptism and the Lord's Supper
- 40Did the early Church baptize infants?
- 41Does baptism save, or is it only a sign?
- 42How was baptism done: immersion or pouring, and with what words?
- 43Who could baptize, and was baptism by heretics valid?
- 44Did the early Church believe the bread and wine become Christ's body and blood?
- 45Is the Eucharist a sacrifice?
- 46Who could receive communion, and how often?
- 47Did Christians worship on Sunday or keep the Sabbath?
- 48What did a Sunday service look like in the second century?
- 49Did early Christians confess their sins to a priest?
- 50What is chrismation or confirmation, and when did it begin?
The Church
- 51Was Peter the first pope? Did the bishop of Rome rule the whole church?
- 52How was the church governed: bishops, presbyters, deacons?
- 53What is apostolic succession, and did the early Church teach it?
- 54Were there women deacons or women clergy?
- 55Could priests and bishops marry?
- 56Is there salvation outside the church?
- 57Who counts as a heretic, and what makes someone one?
- 58How did the church discipline members, and could the excommunicated return?
- 59When did the church begin to call itself "Catholic"?
- 60What is the Apostles' Creed, and where did creeds come from?
- 61What happened at the Council of Nicaea?
- 62Why did the Eastern and Western churches separate?
- 63Was the first church the true church, and did it "fall" later?
- 64Did the apostles found the church in Rome, and how did the apostles die?
Mary, the saints, images and prayer
- 65Did Mary remain a virgin all her life?
- 66Was Mary free from sin?
- 67How did Mary's life end: death, or assumption?
- 68Did early Christians pray to the saints and martyrs?
- 69Did they honor relics of the martyrs?
- 70Did they make images of Christ and the saints, and are icons idolatry?
- 71Did they pray for the dead, and is there a purgatory?
- 72What did they believe about angels and demons?
- 73How did they pray: set hours, set prayers, facing east?
The last things
The Holy Spirit and gifts
How Christians lived
- 84Could a Christian serve in the army or kill?
- 85May the state put a criminal to death?
- 86What did they say about abortion and exposing infants?
- 87Marriage, divorce and remarriage: what was allowed?
- 88Was virginity valued above marriage?
- 89Wealth, almsgiving and lending at interest: what was taught?
- 90Did the early Church accept slavery?
- 91What did they teach about same-sex acts?
- 92Fasting: when, how long, and why?
- 93Could a Christian swear an oath or hold public office?
- 94Must Christians obey the emperor, and pray for him?
- 95Why die rather than offer a pinch of incense? What is martyrdom for?