Talks on church history during the first few centuries after Christ. Find out about the canon, the creeds, and how the early fathers found biblical answers to heresy.

Summary: Our English word “pope” comes from the Latin papa, and from the Greek word pappas. Even though these words were the common everyday expressions a child would use for his father, today the concept of “Pope” is more than a reference to a spiritual father. The Roman Catholic Church describes the Pope as the holder of many titles, but the focus of this lesson is the title, “Successor of the Chief of Apostles,” and it begins with Peter. But the views of the Protestant and Catholic churches differ on the role of and the need for a pope. The Roman church considered the church as an “organized, visible, juristic and corporate society.” As such the church set up a government by Christ. It’s growth is charted through various leaders including 1 Clement, Ignatius, Irenaeus and Polycarp. Both the Roman and Protestant views of the early development of church leadership is contrasted.

Accompanying notes for this, and other episodes can be found here.