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A 4 page essay that summarizes and offer reflection on chapter 7 of Justin Gonzalez's The Story of Christianity, Volume 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation. No additional sources cited.
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4 pages (~225 words per page)
File: KL9_khgonzchp7.doc
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listed below. Citation styles constantly change, and these examples may not contain the most recent updates. Gonzalez, The Early Church, Chapter 7
Research Compiled By - February, 2012 properly! Basic Rumors and Lofty Criticism
As mentioned in the previous chapter, due to the Roman policy towards Christianity throughout the second century and into the third, a Christian was typically not the subject of persecution,
despite the illegality of Christianity, unless the individual was accused by a neighbor. Consequently, some of the most able Christian thinkers and writers of this era devoted themselves to defending
Christianity. Known as "apologists," they concentrated on dispelling misconceptions and false reports on the nature of their faith.i Gonzalez describes some of these misconceptions, and how they originated from the
context of Christian custom at that time. For example, because Christians referred to their weekly celebration of communion as a "love feast" and referred to each other as "brother and
sister," even referred to spouses as "sister," the misconception arose that Christians engaged in orgiastic practices that included "incestuous unions."ii The ridiculous rumors were relatively easy to refute; however, the
considered criticism of cultured pagans who had learned about Christianity and considered it intellectually wanting presented a much more difficult problem. In citing the arguments of some of these pagans,
Gonzalez shows that their antagonism towards Christianity was "deeply rooted in class prejudice."iii By describing the position of pagan intellectuals who opposed Christianity, Gonzalez provides historical background that aids the
reader in understanding why Christian persecution took place. The Main Apologists Second century apologists, responding to these critics, produced a considerable body of theological work. Justin Martyr was one
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