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
He did not become Christian, and did not make Christianity the state religion. This does not necessarily contradict the point of the Trail of Blood.
History says that this new emperor who was none other than Constantine had a wonderful realistic vision.
Define this usage of 'realistic.'
I quote now from Mosheim--the greatest of all Lutheran church historians.
This historian is quoted a lot. A lot of this belief seemed based on if this historian was right. Which seems unlikely as new and more plentiful evidence is availble now than there was then.
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.
I'm very curious how this number was arrived at.
Baptismal Regeneration
Neat term. I like it.
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.
Bart Ehrman discusses how profitable churches used their money to install their own clergy in other churches and make them subservient. I think this was in Truth and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code, though it could have been Misquoting Jesus.
All the Apostles save two, John and Judas, suffered martyr deaths.
Side note: as far as I know, this is believed on tradition without evidence.
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.
I'm curious why these are important. I looked up one, Paulicianism, mostly because of the comment I made above about Paul founding Christianity. Wikpedia says:
Paulicians... were a Christian sect, also accused by medieval sources of being Adoptionist, Gnostic, and quasi-Manichaean Christian.
Baptists do not believe in adoptionism. Just because they were attacked by the central church does not mean they were baptist. I'm very curious why they are brought up and listed here. The charts seems to list them favourably.
No combination, no mixture of this spiritual religion with a temporal power.
I am again reminded of Jehovah's Witnesses.
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.
Sounds like many neo-pagan beliefs.
What we know today as "Christianity" or the Christian Religion, began with Christ, A.D. 25-30
Or, really, Paul a little later. Then the Gospels, written anonymously, after that.
Its independence--separation of Church and State. (Matt. 22:21)
Very cool belief everyone should agree with.
Its name--"CHURCH," "CHURCHES." (Matt. 16:18; Rev. 22:16)
Wasn't written in English!
"Before the rise of Luther and Calvin, there lay secreted in almost all the countries of Europe persons who adhered tenaciously to the principles of modern Dutch Baptists."
If the argument is people kept looking at the Bible, and kept reviving ideas that were considered heretical by church authorities, I buy that. This is different than an unbroken chain, which is what I assume they are going for, maybe.
"I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matt. 16:18)
I could see this as implying that a metaphoric church will win. But not that it will be persistent through all ages.
"I will be with you alway, even unto the end of the age." (Matt. 28:20)
Does not seem to be about a linage of churches, but a 'personal relationship with Jesus.'
The history of Baptists, he discovered, was written in blood. They were the hated people of the Dark Ages.
I'm very interested to learn about how baptists were around in this era, before the Protestant Reformation of 1517-1648 CE. Where they organized, or one offs?
"Overcame Satan by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony: and they loved not their lives unto death," Rev. 12:11
This quote is used to imply that the church and specific correct doctrines persisted until the war of armegeddon. But this verse is actually about defeating the Dragan / the accuser and throwing him out of heaven.
This is the best looking copy of the Trail of Blood I could find online. There is another copy at the Fundamental Baptist Institute that was even uglier. You can also download it at Archive.org.
making known the little-known history of those FAITHFUL WITNESSES of the Lord Jesus
This reminds me of the Jehovah's Witnesses who claim to have an unbroken line through the ages of true followers of God, whose name in the Bible is often translated as Jehovah or Yahweh.