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"...The church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."
I Timothy 3:15
The Trail of Blood
Dr. J. M. Carroll
1931
FIRST LECTURE
"Remember the days of old. Consider the years of many generations; Ask thy father and he will show thee. Thy elders and they will tell thee." (Deut. 32:7)
1. What we know today as "Christianity" or the Christian Religion, began with Christ, A.D. 25-30 in the days and within the bounds of the Roman Empire. One of the greatest empires the world has ever known in all its history.
2. This Empire at that period embraced nearly all of the then known inhabited world. Tiberius Caesar was its Emperor.
3. In its religion, the Roman Empire, at that time, was pagan. A religion of many gods. Some material and some imaginary. There were many devout believers and worshipers. It was a religion not simply of the people, but of the empire. It was an established religion. Established by law and supported by the government. (Mosheim, Vol. 1, Chap. 1.)
4. The Jewish people, at that period, no longer a separate nation, were scattered throughout the Roman Empire. They yet had their temple in Jerusalem, and the Jews yet went there to worship, and they were yet jealous of their religion. But it, like the pagan, had long since drifted into formalism and had lost its power. (Mosheim, Vol. 1, Chap. 2.)
5. The religion of Christ being a religion not of this world, its founder gave it no earthly head and no temporal power. It sought no establishment, no state or governmental support. It sought no dethronement of Caesar. Said its author, "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's." (Matt, 22:19-22; Mark 12:17; Luke 20:20). Being a spiritual religion it was a rival of no earthly government. Its adherents, however, were taught to respect all civil law and government. (Rom. 13:1-7; Titus 3:1; 1 Pet. 2:13-16)
6. I want now to call your attention to some of the landmarks, or ear-marks of this religion--the Christian Religion. If you and I are to trace it down through 20 long centuries, and especially down through 1,200 years of midnight darkness, darkened by rivers and seas of martyr blood, then we will need to know well these marks. They will be many times terribly disfigured. But there will always be some indelible mark. But let us carefully and prayerfully beware. We will encounter many shams and make-believes. If possible, the very elect will be betrayed and deceived. We want, if possible, to trace it down through credible history, but more especially through the unerring, infallible, words and marks of Divine truth.
Some Unerring, Infallible Marks
If in going down through the centuries we run upon a group or groups of people bearing not these distinguishing marks and teaching other things for fundamental doctrines, let us beware.
1. Christ, the author of this religion, organized His followers or disciples into a Church. And the disciples were to organize other churches as this religion spread and other disciples were "made." (Ray, Baptist Succession, Revised Edition, 1st Chap.)
2. This organization or church, according to the Scriptures and according to the practice of the Apostles and early churches, was given two kinds of officers and only two -- pastors and deacons. The pastor was called "Bishop." Both pastor and deacons to be selected by the church and to be servants of the church.
3. The churches in their government and discipline to be entirely separate and independent of each other, Jerusalem to have no authority over Antioch -- nor Antioch over Ephesus; nor Ephesus over Corinth, and so forth. And their government to be congregational, democratic. A government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
4. To the church were given two ordinances and only two, Baptism and the Lord's Supper. These to be perpetual and memorial.
5. Only the "saved" were to be received as members of the church (Acts 2:47). These saved ones to be saved by grace alone without any works of the law (Eph, 2:5, 8, 9). These saved ones and they only, to be immersed in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19). And only those thus received and baptized, to partake of the Lord's Supper, and the supper to be celebrated only by the church, in church capacity.
6. The inspired scriptures, and they only, in fact, the New Testament and that only, to be the rule and guide of faith and life, not only for the church as an organization, but for each individual member of that organization.
7. Christ Jesus, the founder of this organization and the savior of its members, to be their only priest and king, their only Lord and Lawgiver, and the only head of the churches. The churches to be executive only in carrying out their Lord's will and completed laws, never legislative, to amend or abrogate old laws or to make new ones.
8. This religion of Christ to be individual, personal, and purely voluntary or through persuasion. No physical or governmental compulsion. A matter of distinct individual and personal choice. "Choose you" is the scriptural injunction. It could be neither accepted nor rejected nor lived by proxy nor under compulsion.
9. Mark well! That neither Christ nor His apostles, ever gave to His followers, what is know today as a denominational name, such as "Catholic," "Lutheran," "Presbyterian," "Episcopal," and so forth-- unless the name given by Christ to John was intended for such, "The Baptist," "John the Baptist"(Matt. 11:11 and 10 or 12 other times.) Christ called the individual follower "disciple." Two or more were called "disciples." The organization of disciples, whether at Jerusalem or Antioch or elsewhere, was called Church. If more than one of these separate organizations were referred to, they were called Churches. The word church in the singular was never used when referring to more than one of these organizations. Nor even when referring to them all.
10. I venture to give one more distinguishing mark. We will call it -- Complete separation of Church and State. No combination, no mixture of this spiritual religion with a temporal power. "Religious Liberty," for everybody.
And now, before proceeding with the history itself, let me call your attention to
the following chart:
I believe, if you will study carefully this chart, you will better understand the
history, and it will greatly aid your memory in retaining what you hear and see.
Remember this chart is supposed to cover a period of two thousand years of religious
history.
Notice at both top and bottom of the chart some figures, the same figures at both
top and bottom - 100, 200, 300, and so on to 2,000.
They represent the twenty centuries of time--the vertical lines separating the different
centuries.
Now notice on the chart, near the bottom; other straight lines, this line running
left to right, the long way of the chart.
The lines are about the same distance apart as the vertical lines. But you can't
see them all the way.
They are covered by a very dark spot, representing in history what is known as the
"dark ages." It will be explained later. Between the two lowest lines are the names
of countries . . . Italy, Wales, England, Spain, France, and so forth, ending with
America. These are names of countries in which much history is made during the period
covered by the names themselves. Of course not all the history, some history is made
in some of the countries in every period. But some special history is made in these
special countries, at these special periods.
Now notice again, near the bottom of the chart, other lines a little higher. They,
too, covered in part by the "dark ages," they also are full of names, but not names
of countries. They are all "nick-names." Names given to those people by their enemies.
"Christians"--that is the first: "The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch"
(Acts 11:26). This occurred about A.D. 43. Either the pagans or Jews gave them that
name in derision. All the other names in that column were given in the same manner
-- Montanists, Novationists, Donatists, Paulicians, Albigenses, Waldenses, etc.,
and Ana-Baptists. All of these will again and again be referred to as the lectures
progress.
But look again at the chart. See the red circles. They are scattered nearly all over
the chart. They represent churches. Single individual churches in Asia, in Africa,
in Europe, in mountains and valleys, and so forth. Their being blood red indicates
martyr blood. Christ their founder died on the Cross. All the Apostles save two,
John and Judas, suffered martyr deaths. Judas betrayed his Lord and died in a suicide.
The Apostle John, according to history, was boiled in a great cauldron of oil.
You will note some circles that are solidly black. They represent churches also -but
erring churches. Churches that had gone wrong in life or doctrine. There were numbers
of these even before the death of Peter, Paul and John.
Having now about concluded with a general introduction and some very necessary and
even vital preliminaries, I come to the regular history:-
FIRST PERIOD A.D. 30-500
1.
Under the strange but wonderful impulse and leadership of John the Baptist, the eloquent
man from the wilderness, and under the loving touch and miracle-working power of
the Christ Himself, and the marvelous preaching of the 12 Apostles and their immediate
successors, the Christian religion spread mightily during the first 500-year period.
However, it left a terribly bloody trail behind it. Judaism and Paganism bitterly
contested every forward movement. John the Baptist was the first of the great leaders
to give up his life. His head was taken off. Soon after him went the Savior Himself,
the founder of this Christian religion. He died on the Cross, the cruel death of
the Cross.
2. Following their Savior in rapid succession fell many other martyred
heroes: Stephen was stoned, Matthew was slain in Ethiopia, Mark dragged through the
streets until dead, Luke hanged, Peter and Simeon were crucified, Andrew tied to
a cross, James beheaded, Philip crucified and stoned, Bartholomew flayed alive, Thomas
pierced with lances, James, the less, thrown from the temple and beaten to death,
Jude shot to death with arrows, Matthias stoned to death and Paul beheaded.
3. More
than one hundred years had gone by before all this had happened. This hard persecution
by Judaism and Paganism continued for two more centuries. And yet mightily spread
the Christian religion. It went into all the Roman Empire, Europe, Asia, Africa,
England, Wales, and about everywhere else, where there was any civilization. The
churches greatly multiplied and the disciples increased continuously. But some of
the churches continued to go into error.
4. The first of these changes from New Testament
teachings embraced both policy and doctrine. In the first two centuries the individual
churches rapidly multiplied and some of the earlier ones, such as Jerusalem, Antioch,
Ephesus, Corinth, etc., grew to be very large; Jerusalem, for instance, had many
thousand members (Acts 2:41; 4:4, 5:14), possibly 25,000 or even 50,000 or more.
A close student of the book of Acts and Epistles will see that Paul had a mighty
task even in his day in keeping some of the churches straight. See Peter's and Paul's
prophecies concerning the future (II Pet. 2:12; Acts 20:29-31. See also Rev., second
and third chapters).
These great churches necessarily had many preachers or elders
(Acts 20:17). Some of the bishops or pastors began to assume authority not given
them in the New Testament. They began to claim authority over other and smaller churches.
They, with their many elders, began to lord it over God's heritage (III John 9).
Here was the beginning of an error which has grown and multiplied into many other
seriously hurtful errors. Here was the beginning of different orders in the ministry
running up finally to what is practiced now by others as well as Catholics. Here
began what resulted in an entire change from the original democratic policy and government
of the early churches. This irregularity began in a small way, even before the close
of the second century. This was possibly the first serious departure from the New
Testament church order.
5. Another vital change which seems from history to have had
its beginning before the close of the second century was on the great doctrine of
Salvation itself. The Jews as well as the Pagans, had for many generations, been
trained to lay great stress on Ceremonials. They had come to look upon types as anti-types,
shadows as real substances, and ceremonials as real saving agencies. How easy to
come thus to look upon baptism. They reasoned thus: The Bible has much to say concerning
baptism. Much stress is laid upon the ordinance and one's duty concerning it. Surely
it must have something to do with one's salvation. So that it was in this period
that the idea of "Baptismal Regeneration" began to get a fixed hold in some of the
churches. (Shackelford, page 57; Camp p. 47; Benedict, p. 286; Mosheim, vol. 1, p.
134; Christian, p. 28.)
6. The next serious error to begin creeping in, and which
seems from some historians (not all) to have begun in this same century and which
may be said to have been an inevitable consequence of the "baptismal regeneration"
idea, was a change in the subjects of baptism. Since baptism has been declared to
be an agency or means to salvation by some erring churches, then the sooner baptism
takes place the better. Hence arose "infant baptism." Prior to this "believers" and
"believers" only, were regarded as proper subjects for baptism. "Sprinkling" and
"pouring" are not now referred to. These came in much later. For several centuries,
infants, like others, were immersed. The Greek Catholics (a very large branch of
the Catholic church) up to this day, have never changed the original form of baptism.
They practice infant baptism but have never done otherwise than immerse the children.
(Note -- Some of the church historians put the beginning of infant baptism within
this century, but I shall quote a short paragraph from Robinson's Ecclesiastical
Researches.)
"During the first three centuries, congregations all over the East subsisted
in separate independent bodies, unsupported by government and consequently without
any secular power over one another. All this time they were baptized churches, and
though all the fathers of the first four ages, down to Jerome (A.D. 370), were of
Greece, Syria and Africa, and though they give great numbers of histories of the
baptism of adults, yet there is not one of the baptism of a child till the year 370."
(Compendium of Baptist History, Shackelford, p. 43; Vedder, p. 50; Christian, p,
31; Orchard, p.
50, etc.)
7. Let it be remembered that changes like these here mentioned
were not made in a day, nor even within a year. They came about slowly and never
within all the churches. Some of the churches vigorously repudiated them. So much
so that in A.D. 251, the loyal churches declared non-fellowship for those churches
which accepted and practiced these errors. And thus came about the first real official
separation among the churches.
8. Thus it will be noted that during the first three
centuries three important and vital changes from the teachings of Christ and His
Apostles had their beginnings. And one significant event took place, Note this summary
and recapitulation:
i. The change from the New Testament idea of bishop and church
government. This change grew rapidly, more pronounced, and complete and hurtful.
ii. The change from the New Testament teachings as to Regeneration to "baptismal
regeneration."
iii. The change from "believers' baptism" to "infant baptism." (This last, however,
did not become general nor even very frequent for more than another century.)
9. "Baptismal
regeneration" and "infant baptism." These two errors have, according to the testimony
of well-established history, caused the shedding of more Christian blood, as the
centuries have gone by, than all other errors combined, or than possibly have all
wars, not connected with persecution, if you will leave out the recent "World War."
Over 50,000,000 Christians died martyr deaths, mainly because of their rejection
of these two errors during the period of the "dark ages" alone -- about twelve or
thirteen centuries.
10. Three significant facts, for a large majority of the many
churches, are clearly shown by history during these first three centuries.
i. The
separateness and independence of the Churches.
ii. The subordinate character of bishops
or pastors.
iii. The baptism of believers only.
I quote now from Mosheim--the greatest
of all Lutheran church historians. Vol., 1, pages 71 and 72: "But whoever supposes
that the bishops of this golden age of the church correspond with the bishops of
the following centuries must blend and confound characters that are very different,
for in this century and the next, a bishop had charge of a single church, which might
ordinarily be contained in a private house; nor was he its Lord, but was in reality
its minister or servant. . . All the churches in those primitive times were independent
bodies, or none of them subject to the jurisdiction of any other. For though the
churches which were founded by the Apostles themselves frequently had the honor shown
them to be consulted in doubtful cases, yet they had no judicial authority, no control,
no power of giving laws. On the contrary, it is as clear as the noonday that all
Christian churches had equal rights, and were in all respects on a footing of equality."
11.
Up to this period, notwithstanding much and serious persecutions, Christianity has
had a marvelous growth. It has covered and even gone beyond the great Roman Empire.
Almost, if not all the inhabited world has heard the gospel. And, according to some
of the church historians, many of the original churches organized by the Apostles
are yet intact, and yet loyal to Apostolic teachings. However, as already shown,
a number of very marked and hurtful errors have crept in and gotten a permanent hold
among many of the churches. Some have become very irregular.
12. Persecutions have
become increasingly bitter. Near the beginning of the fourth century comes possibly
the first definite government edict of persecution. The wonderful growth of Christianity
has alarmed the pagan leaders of the Roman Empire. Hence Galerius, the emperor, sent
out a direct edict of more savage persecution. This occurred Feb. 24, 303 A.D. Up
to this time Paganism seems to have persecuted without any definite laws to that
effect.
13. But this edict failed so utterly in its purpose of stopping the growth
of Christianity, that this same emperor, Galerius, just eight years thereafter (A.D.
311) passed another edict recalling the first and actually granting toleration --
permission to live the religion of Jesus Christ. This was probably its first favorable
law.
14. By the beginning of the year A.D. 313, Christianity has won a mighty victory
over paganism. A new emperor has come to the throne of the Roman Empire. He evidently
recognized something of the mysterious power of this religion that continued to grow
in spite of persecution. History says that this new emperor who was none other than
Constantine had a wonderful realistic vision. He saw in the skies a fiery red cross
and on that cross written in fiery letters these words--"By this thou shalt conquer."
He interpreted it to mean that he should become a Christian. And that by giving up
paganism and that by attaching the spiritual power of the Christian religion onto
the temporal power of the Roman Empire the world could be easily conquered. Thus
the Christian religion would in fact become a whole world religion, and the Roman
Empire a whole world empire.
15. So under the leadership of Emperor Constantine there
comes a truce, a courtship and a proposal of marriage. The Roman Empire through its
emperor seeks a marriage with Christianity. Give us your spiritual power and we will
give you of our temporal power.
16. To effectually bring about and consummate this
unholy union, a council was called. In A. D. 313, a call was made for a coming together
of the Christian churches or their representatives . Many but not all came. The alliance
was consummated. A Hierarchy was formed. In the organization of the Hierarchy, Christ
was dethroned as head of the churches and Emperor Constantine enthroned (only temporarily,
however) as head of the church.
17. The Hierarchy was the definite beginning of a
development which finally resulted into what is now known as the Catholic, or "universal"
church. It might be said that its indefinite beginnings were near the close of the
second and beginning of the third century, when the new ideas concerning bishops
and preacher-church government began to take shape.
18. Let it be definitely remembered
that when Constantine made his call for the council, there were very many of the
Christians (Baptists) and of the churches, which declined to respond. They wanted
no marriage with the state, and no centralized religious government, and no higher
ecclesiastical government of any kind, than the individual church. These Christians
(Baptists) nor the churches ever at that time or later, entered the hierarchy of
the Catholic denomination.
19. When this hierarchy was created, Constantine, who was
made its head, was not himself at that time a Christian. He had agreed to become
one. But as the erring or irregular churches which had gone with him into this organization
had come to adopt the error of Baptismal regeneration, a serious question arose in
the mind of Constantine, "If I am saved from my sins by baptism, what is to become
of my sins which I may commit after I am baptized?" He raised a question which has
puzzled the world in all succeeding generations. Can baptism wash away yet uncommitted
sins? Or, are the sins committed prior to baptism washed away by one method (that
is, baptism), and the sins committed subsequent to baptism washed away by another
method?
20. Not being able to settle satisfactorily the many questions thus arising,
Constantine finally decided to unite with the Christians, but to postpone his baptism
until just preceding his death, so that all his sins might thus be washed away at
one time. This course he followed, and hence was not baptized until just preceding
his death.
21. Constantine's action in repudiating for the whole Roman Empire, the
pagan religion, and accepting Christianity incurred the hot displeasures of the Roman
Senate. They repudiated, or, at least opposed his course. And their opposition finally
resulted in the removal of the seat of empire from Rome to Byzantium, an old city
rebuilt and then renamed Constantinople for Constantine. As a result there came to
be two capital cities of the Roman Empire -- Rome and Constantinople. The two rival
cities several centuries later became the ruling centers of the divided Catholic
church – Roman and Greek.
22. Up to the organization of the Hierarchy and the uniting
of church and state, all the persecution of Christianity has been done either by
Judaism or Paganism. Now comes a serious change. Christians (in name) begin to persecute
Christians. Constantine, desiring to have all Christians join with him in his new
idea of a state religion, and many conscientiously opposing this serious departure
from New Testament teachings, he begins using the power of government to compel.
Thus begin the days and years and even centuries of a hard and bitter persecution
against all those Christians who were loyal to the original Christ and Apostolic
teachings.
23. Remember that we are now noting the events occurring between the years
A.D. 300 and 500. The Hierarchy organized under the leadership of Constantine, rapidly
developed into what is now known as the Catholic church. This newly developing church
joined to a temporal government, no longer simply an executive to carry out the completed
laws of the New Testament, began to be legislative, amending or annulling old laws
or enacting new ones utterly unknown to the New Testament.
24. One of the first of
its legislative enactments, and one of the most subversive in its results, was the
establishing by law of "infant baptism." By this new law, "Infant Baptism" becomes
compulsory. This was done A.D. 416. Infants had been infrequently baptized for probably
a century preceding this. Insofar as this newly enacted law became effective, two
vital New Testament laws were abrogated -- "Believers Baptism" and "Voluntary personal
obedience in Baptism."
25. As an inevitable consequence of this new doctrine and law,
these erring churches were soon filled with unconverted members. In fact, it was
not very many years until probably a majority of the membership was composed of unconverted
material. So the great spiritual affairs of God's great spiritual kingdom were in
the hands of an unregenerate temporal power. What may now be expected?
26. Loyal Christians
and churches, of course, rejected this new law. "Believers baptism," of course, "New
Testament baptism," was the only law for them. They not only refused to baptize their
own children, but believing in the baptism of believers only, they refused to accept
the baptizing done by and within the churches of this unscriptural organization.
If any of the members from the churches of this new organization attempted to join
any of the churches which had refused to join in with the new organization, a Christian
experience and a rebaptism was demanded.
27. The course followed by the loyal churches
soon, of course, incurred the hot displeasure of the state religionists, many, if
not most of whom, were not genuine Christians. The name "Christian," however, was
from now on denied those loyal churches who refused to accept these new errors. They
were robbed of that, and called by many other names, sometimes by one and sometimes
by another, "Montanist," Tertullianists," "Novationists," "Paterines," etc., and
some at least because of their practice of rebaptizing those who were baptized in
infancy, were referred to an "Ana-Baptists."
28. A.D. 426, just ten years after the
legal establishment of infant baptism, the awful period known as the "Dark Ages"
had its beginning. What a period! How awfully black and bloody! From now on for more
than a decade of centuries, the trail of loyal Christianity is largely washed away
in its own blood. Note on the chart some of the many different names borne by the
persecuted. Sometimes these names are given because of some specially heroic leader
and sometimes from other causes, and frequently names for the same people vary in
different countries and even in different centuries.
29. It was early in the period
of the "dark ages" when real Popery had its definite beginnings. This was by Leo
II, A.D. 440 to 461. This, however, was not the first time the title was ever used.
This title, similar to the Catholic church itself, was largely a development. The
name appears, as first applied to the Bishop of Rome 296-304. It was formally adopted
by Siricius, Bishop of Rome 384-398. Then officially adopted by Leo II, 440-461.
Then claimed to be universal, 707. Then some centuries later declared by Gregory
VII to be the exclusive right of the papacy.
30. Now to sum up the most significant
events of this first five-century period:
i. The gradual change from a democracy to
a preacher-church government.
ii. The change from salvation by grace to Baptismal
Salvation.
iii. The change from "believers' baptism" to "infant baptism."
iv. The Hierarchy
organized. Marriage of church and state.
v. Seat of empire changed to Constantinople.
vi.
Infant baptism established by law and made compulsory.
vii. Christians begin to persecute
Christians.
viii. The "Dark Ages" begin 426.
ix. The sword and torch rather than the
gospel become the power of God (?) unto salvation.
x. All semblance of "Religious
liberty" dies and is buried and remains buried for many centuries.
xi. Loyal New Testament
churches, by whatever name called, are hunted and hounded to the utmost limit of
the new Catholic temporal power. Remnants scattered over the world are finding uncertain
hiding places in forests and mountains, valleys, dens and caves of the earth.