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Lesson 7 | Quarter Index | Year Index
the Development of the Beast. (Concluded)
Sabbath, August 18 1888
1. WHAT did we find in the preceding lesson was the determination of the bishops of the fourth century? Ans.—To make use of the power of the State for the furtherance of their own aims.
2. What was one of the principal aims of the Western bishops, especially the bishop of Rome? Ans.—The exaltation of Sunday.
3. What did they secure from Constantine? Ans.—An edict, in A.D. 321, in favor of Sunday—the first Sunday law that ever was.
4. What was this law? Ans.— “Let all the judges and town people, and the occupation of all trades rest on the venerable day of the sun; but let those who are situated in the country, freely and at full liberty attend to the business of agriculture; because it often happens that no other day is so fit for sowing corn and planting vines; lest, the critical moment being let slip, men should lose the commodities granted by Heaven. Given the seventh day of March; Crispus and Constantine being consuls, each of them for the second time."—History of the Sabbath, chap. 19.
5. Who convened the Council of Nice? Ans.—Constantine, A.D. 323.
6. What was one of the two principal decisions rendered by that council? Ans.— That Easter should always and everywhere be celebrated on Sunday.
7. Under what authority were its decrees published? Ans.— “The decrees of these synods were published under the imperial authority, and thus obtained a political importance."—Neander, Vol. II p. 133.
8. Who was bishop of Rome during twenty-one years and eleven months of Constantine’s reign? Ans.—Sylvester, January 31, 314, to December 31, 335.
9. What did he do by his “apostolic authority” shortly after the Council of Nice? Ans.—He decreed that Sunday should' be called the Lord’s day. —History of the Sabbath, p. 330.
10. What was commanded by the council of Laodicea, A.D. 363 or 364? Ans.—That if Christians should rest on the Sabbath, “let them be accursed from Christ” and that they should rest on Sunday.
11. Did Constantine’s Sunday law-apply to all classes?
12. Were other laws demanded by the bishops, which should be more general? Ans.— “By a law of the year 386, those older changes effected by the Emperor Constantine were more rigorously enforced, and, in general, civil transactions of every kind on Sunday were strictly forbidden. Whoever transgressed was to be considered, in fact, as guilty of sacrilege.”—Neander, Vol. II., p.300.
13. What petition was made to the emperor by a church convention in A.D. 401? Ans.— “That the public shows might be transferred from the Christian Sunday and from feast days, to some other days of the week.’’ —Id.
14. What was the object of all these State laws? Ans.— “That the day might be devoted with less interruption to the purposes of devotion.” “That the devotion of the faithful might be free from all disturbance.’’ —Id., pp. 297, 301.
15. What was it that so much hindered the devotion of the “faithful” of those times? Ans.— “Owing to the prevailing passion at that time, especially in the large cities, to run after the various public shows, it so happened that when these spectacles fell on the same days which had been consecrated by the church to some religious festival, they proved a great hindrance to the devotion of Christians, though chiefly, it must be allowed, to those whose Christianity was the least an affair of the life and of the heart.”—Id., p. 300.
16. How was their “devotion" disturbed? Ans.— “Church teachers …were, in truth, often forced to complain, that in such competitions the theater was vastly more frequented than the church.”—Id.
17. What does Neander say of all this? Ans.— “In this way, the church received help from the State for the furtherance of her ends. …But had it not been for that confusion of spiritual and secular interests, had it not been for the vast number of mere outward conversions thus brought about, she would have needed no- such help.”—Id., p. 301.
18. When the church had received the help of the State to this extent did she stop there? Ans.—No, she demanded that the civil power should be exerted to compel men to serve God as the church should dictate.
19. Which of the fathers of the church was father to this theory? Ans.—Augustine, who lived from A.D. 354 to 430.
20. What did he teach? Ans.—“It is indeed better that men should be brought to serve God by instruction than by fear of punishment or by pain. But because the former means are better, the latter must not therefore be neglected... .Many must often be brought back to their Lord, like wicked servants, by the rod of temporal suffering, before they attain to the highest grade of religious development.”—Schaff’s Church History, sec. 27; Augustine Epistle 183 ad Bonifacium, sec. 21, 24.
21. What does Neander say of this? Ans.— “It was by Augustine, then, that a theory was proposed and founded, which …contained the germ of that whole system of spiritual despotism, of intolerance and persecution, which ended in the tribunals of the inquisition.”—Church History, Vol. II, p. 217.
Thus was formed the union of Church and State out of which grew the Papacy. Thus was developed “the beast,” which made -war with the saints of God, and wore out the saints of the Most High.
the Development of the Beast. (Concluded)
Sabbath, August 18 1888
1. WHAT did we find in the preceding lesson was the determination of the bishops of the fourth century? Ans.—To make use of the power of the State for the furtherance of their own aims.
2. What was one of the principal aims of the Western bishops, especially the bishop of Rome? Ans.—The exaltation of Sunday.
3. What did they secure from Constantine? Ans.—An edict, in A.D. 321, in favor of Sunday—the first Sunday law that ever was.
4. What was this law? Ans.— “Let all the judges and town people, and the occupation of all trades rest on the venerable day of the sun; but let those who are situated in the country, freely and at full liberty attend to the business of agriculture; because it often happens that no other day is so fit for sowing corn and planting vines; lest, the critical moment being let slip, men should lose the commodities granted by Heaven. Given the seventh day of March; Crispus and Constantine being consuls, each of them for the second time."—History of the Sabbath, chap. 19.
5. Who convened the Council of Nice? Ans.—Constantine, A.D. 323.
6. What was one of the two principal decisions rendered by that council? Ans.— That Easter should always and everywhere be celebrated on Sunday.
7. Under what authority were its decrees published? Ans.— “The decrees of these synods were published under the imperial authority, and thus obtained a political importance."—Neander, Vol. II p. 133.
8. Who was bishop of Rome during twenty-one years and eleven months of Constantine’s reign? Ans.—Sylvester, January 31, 314, to December 31, 335.
9. What did he do by his “apostolic authority” shortly after the Council of Nice? Ans.—He decreed that Sunday should' be called the Lord’s day. —History of the Sabbath, p. 330.
10. What was commanded by the council of Laodicea, A.D. 363 or 364? Ans.—That if Christians should rest on the Sabbath, “let them be accursed from Christ” and that they should rest on Sunday.
11. Did Constantine’s Sunday law-apply to all classes?
12. Were other laws demanded by the bishops, which should be more general? Ans.— “By a law of the year 386, those older changes effected by the Emperor Constantine were more rigorously enforced, and, in general, civil transactions of every kind on Sunday were strictly forbidden. Whoever transgressed was to be considered, in fact, as guilty of sacrilege.”—Neander, Vol. II., p.300.
13. What petition was made to the emperor by a church convention in A.D. 401? Ans.— “That the public shows might be transferred from the Christian Sunday and from feast days, to some other days of the week.’’ —Id.
14. What was the object of all these State laws? Ans.— “That the day might be devoted with less interruption to the purposes of devotion.” “That the devotion of the faithful might be free from all disturbance.’’ —Id., pp. 297, 301.
15. What was it that so much hindered the devotion of the “faithful” of those times? Ans.— “Owing to the prevailing passion at that time, especially in the large cities, to run after the various public shows, it so happened that when these spectacles fell on the same days which had been consecrated by the church to some religious festival, they proved a great hindrance to the devotion of Christians, though chiefly, it must be allowed, to those whose Christianity was the least an affair of the life and of the heart.”—Id., p. 300.
16. How was their “devotion" disturbed? Ans.— “Church teachers …were, in truth, often forced to complain, that in such competitions the theater was vastly more frequented than the church.”—Id.
17. What does Neander say of all this? Ans.— “In this way, the church received help from the State for the furtherance of her ends. …But had it not been for that confusion of spiritual and secular interests, had it not been for the vast number of mere outward conversions thus brought about, she would have needed no- such help.”—Id., p. 301.
18. When the church had received the help of the State to this extent did she stop there? Ans.—No, she demanded that the civil power should be exerted to compel men to serve God as the church should dictate.
19. Which of the fathers of the church was father to this theory? Ans.—Augustine, who lived from A.D. 354 to 430.
20. What did he teach? Ans.—“It is indeed better that men should be brought to serve God by instruction than by fear of punishment or by pain. But because the former means are better, the latter must not therefore be neglected... .Many must often be brought back to their Lord, like wicked servants, by the rod of temporal suffering, before they attain to the highest grade of religious development.”—Schaff’s Church History, sec. 27; Augustine Epistle 183 ad Bonifacium, sec. 21, 24.
21. What does Neander say of this? Ans.— “It was by Augustine, then, that a theory was proposed and founded, which …contained the germ of that whole system of spiritual despotism, of intolerance and persecution, which ended in the tribunals of the inquisition.”—Church History, Vol. II, p. 217.
Thus was formed the union of Church and State out of which grew the Papacy. Thus was developed “the beast,” which made -war with the saints of God, and wore out the saints of the Most High.