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Introduction

Introduction

What is History?

Definitions

    Webster's 1913 Dictionary
  1. A learning or knowing by inquiry; the knowledge of facts and events, so obtained; hence, a formal statement of such information; a narrative; a description; a written record; as, the history of a patient's case; the history of a legislative bill.
  2. A systematic, written account of events, particularly of those affecting a nation, institution, science, or art, and usually connected with a philosophical explanation of their causes; a true story, as distinguished from a romance; -- distinguished also from annals, which relate simply the facts and events of each year, in strict chronological order; from biography, which is the record of an individual's life; and from memoir, which is history composed from personal experience, observation, and memory.
  • This speeks more about what history isn't rather than what it is.

Biblical Basis

  • The Bible consists almost entirely of history.
    Besides the "so-called" historical books of the Bible, there are historical accounts found in almost every other book.
  • The calls for remembrance: Exodus 13:3, Deuteronomy 5:15, Deuteronomy 7:18, Deuteronomy 8:2, Deuteronomy 9:7, Deuteronomy 15:15, Deuteronomy 16:3, Deuteronomy 16:12, Deuteronomy 24:9, Deuteronomy 24:18, Deuteronomy 32:7, Joshua 1:13
  • Remembering and Judgment:
    Not remembering leads to judgement: Judges 8:34
    Remembering leads to repentance and blessing: I Chronicles 16:1-26, Psalms 22:27 Psalms 77:1-15

A better definition for 'history'

History is a recounting of the acts of an eternal, omnipotent God in the created world, by His people.

History: the most neglected subject amongst Christians

1500 years of neglected history.

    Roman Catholics
  • Hold that the Roman Catholic Church has taught the same things since the time of Christ. Even the teachings that have only just recently been adopted. Truth is, the Roman Catholic Church holds to many novel doctrines that were never endorsed in the past.
    Protestants
  • Have forgotten that the reformation was built on the first 1500 years of the Church. It was a Reformation, not a revolution.
  • Great discontinuity between New Testament and Luther.
  • Belief in a "Great Apostasy" that lasted 1500 years.
  • Today's protestantism more closely resembles the anabaptist heresy in terms of their beliefs about Church history.
    Secular Humanist
  • The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbons. Gibbons hated Christianity, and wrote his book to glorify the so-called secularism of the pagan world and hold Christianity responsible for its demise.
  • Secularists believe that world history was in its darkest moment while it was under the influence of Christianity. The so-called "dark ages" were supposedly a time when there were no signicant human advancements and humanity was ruled by Christian popes and emperors with an iron fist.
  • No secularist has ever adequately answered Lord Acton's critique of Gibbons pooh.
    Truth about the time.
  • The so-called "Dark Ages" were years of light in terms of human achievement and learning.
  • Ancient academies where multiple disjointed truths were taught, became universities where truth was seen as a cohesive whole
  • No greater advancements had taken place during the Middle Ages in human history until the industrial revolution in the 18th century
  • Christianity does what the Roman empire failed at doing: civilizing the western world!
  • Modern ideas of government and liberty of conscience came from the Middle ages, NOT from the pagans
  • It can be shown that the Rennaissance were the real "Dark Ages". This was during a decline of the Christian church. Adoption of pagan beliefs compromised Church doctrine.

Reading for Next Week

Recommended Reading:
The Story of Christianity by Justo L. Gonzalez