1. Discuss the characteristics of the Systematic Period (200-255AD). The men of this period were systematizers who developed their own speculative theological beliefs. Biblical theology presents the Bible and nothing else. Speculative theology presents the Bible and tries to fill in the gaps. The characteristics of this period were (1) they recognized the need for a systematic study of the Scriptures, especially the New Testament. Someone had to solve the apparent problem between Paul's teachings (grace) and James' teachings (works). The goal was to organize and solve. (2) These men reflected a speculative theology, and this was a negative. They used philosophy as much as theology. (3) These writers reflected Neoplatonist thoughts even though they were not Neoplatonists, and this was a negative. (4) Each writer of the period was orthodox, although Origen was borderline. (5) They used an allegorical approach to interpreting the Scriptures, which meant that they were always looking for the major and minor meanings in Scripture. (6) This was the beginning of later doctrinal confusion, especially with respect to the deity of Christ, and some of these questions caused doubts among believers. (7) Most writers were in Alexandria, Egypt, which was a center for Greek culture.

2. Discuss Pantenas. Pantenas founded the Christian school in Alexandria, Egypt. He also brought Clement of Alexandria into the school, but this was not the same Clement as Clement of Rome. Recall that Clement of Rome had existed in the first century and written to the church of Corinth. Pantenas was a minor figure of this period.

3. Discuss Clement of Alexandria (Egypt) (160-212AD). Clement worked as a leader of the Christian school in Alexandria in 190AD when Pantenas fled persecution. Clement was an excellent teacher, and Christian schools became very popular. Clement started a deity of Christ debate. Bible and Speculative Theologians try to piece all the Scriptures together to answer the tough questions. The kenosis and the virgin birth are an example of how two thoughts can be tied together even when one of them does not explicitly come from the Bible. Clement wrote "Address To The Gentiles", an apologetic to lost Gentiles (to the nonconverted). This was a good book. He wrote "The Instructor", a pedagogue to discuss Christian growth, and this also was a good book. Finally, he wrote "Miscellaneous" which was very speculative and not so good. In that book, he wrote a lot about the Holy Spirit and sacerdotalism.

4. Discuss Origen (185-254AD). Origen was more problematic than Clement. He took over school from Clement when he was 17. He was very brilliant. His mother and father were very dedicated Christians. His father, Leonidas, was martyred, and Origen would have been, too, had his mother not hid his clothes from him. Origen was a practicing aesthetic. He was very disciplined and saw evil in the material flesh. He took Matthew 19:12 very seriously about being a eunuch, but he failed to give equal importance to Deuteronomy 23:1. He was excommunicated from the church in Alexandria and went to Jerusalem where he found acceptance and was ordained a presbyter. Origen was more speculative than Clement. He speculated where the Scriptures had gaps, but he also speculated where there were not gaps. He pondered the possibility that God could give the devil a second chance to be saved, and this view was a big negative. He developed the allegorical method for interpreting Scriptures, and this was also somewhat negative. He related 3 types of interpretations to the body, soul, and spirit where he came up with literal, moral, and spiritual. He said that the literal was related to the body and was therefore the least important. The moral interpretation was more important, and the spiritual interpretation was the most important. He wrote the "Hexapla" which was a six column parallel translation of the Old Testament. He wrote "Against Celsus", which pitted him against another genius and Neoplatonist. Celsus wrote that Jesus was the son of a Roman soldier. Origen's final book was "Of First Principles", and this book was a highly speculative, systematic theology. He is the first one to do this in such a thorough fashion.

5. Discuss the nature of faith in 325AD. In 100AD, salvation had been by a simple faith in Jesus Christ. By 325AD, there was some belief that salvation could be granted by the church and through the observance of certain sacraments. In 100AD, the church was composed of born again believers. By 325AD, the churches were no longer seen as equal, they observed more than the two ordnances of baptism and the Lord's Supper, and some bishops had power over some presbyters. Baptism went from immersion to sprinkling through the following five steps. First, there was baptism by immersion, and the church began to place special value on it. Second, because baptism was seen as having special sacramental value, children and the elderly should be baptized. Third, it was not always easy and efficient to baptize babies, the elderly, and even some heavy people. Fourth, babies were sprinkled. Fifth, everyone was sprinkled. This change in baptism happened over multiple centuries. In the 225 years from 100AD, the church had taken on the appearance of the Catholic Church.

				Tom of Bethany

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