The Death of The Early Church Cont...

I want to continue my post about The Messianic Church by Robert Heidler tonight. In Chapter 3: The Death of the Early Church, Heidler describes what he calls the "death knell" for the early church, which he says was the "conversion" of the Roman Emperor Constantine in the 4th century. I would just like to present a few points that he discussed. Heidler writes that Constantine instituted several changes within the Church when he became a convert and when Christianity became the state religion. The changes he points out are:

1. The Death of the House Church
2. A Change in Worship
3. The Rejection of the Church's Jewish Roots
4. The Influx of Paganism

All of these points are extremely alarming and fascinating, yet one excerpt I would like to point out is in reference to the rejection of the church's Jewish roots. Heidler writes:

"From a twentieth century perspective, we would probably identify many of these churches (the early churches) as Messianic Jewish congregations. Gentile members walked in the liberty of the New Covenant, while benefiting from the rich heritage of their Messianic roots. When Constantine came to power, however, all of this began to change.

Like many Romans, Constantine hated the Jewish people. The Romans had long considered the Jews peculiar for their "strange" ways, but after Israel's rebellion against Rome and brutal defeats in A.D. 70 and A.D. 130, Romans openly despised anything Jewish. Officially, the Jews were labeled a "conquered people hostile to Rome."

Because of this hatred of the Jews, Constantine determined to establish the paganized Christianity of Rome and Alexandria as the standard for the entire church. Every church in the empire was commanded to conform to this non-Messianic standard. Those who would not conform were severely persecuted.

Speaking of the church's observance of Passover, he (Constantine) wrote, 'Let us, then, have nothing in common with the Jews, who are our adversaries...this irregularity [observing Passover] must be corrected, in order that we may no more have anything in common with the parricides and murderers of our Lord.' Those who followed Jewish practice were marked anathema (cut off or accursed), which eventually evolved into a crime against the state, punishable by death."

Heidler goes on to talk about many Church councils down through the centuries that continued to mandate what Constantine had set into place, including the Council of Nicea in 787. One of the statements reads, "[Those who] openly or secretly keep the Sabbath and follow other practices in the manner of the Jews are not to be received into communion, nor into prayer, nor into the church."

Near the end of the chapter, Heidler writes:

By the year 800, church councils had outlawed the Jewish lifestyle once embraced by Jesus and the apostles. For a Christian to observe the Sabbath or celebrate Passover became a crime punishable by death. Obedience to these decrees was enforced through torture and execution.

The rich heritage God had prepared for the church through 2000 years of Israel's history was lost, and we have not yet fully recovered it."

Next post, I will continue to relay some amazing things about what the church has lost when we lost our Jewish roots. Shalom and good night...