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Dr. James Lee- Foundations of the Early Church

  • 7 Lessons
  • Duration not available Total length

Foundations of the Early Church

How did the Church come to confess the Trinity? Why does the Nicene Creed say that Christ is “of one substance with the Father”? What does it mean to say that Jesus is one person in two natures? These foundational doctrines did not appear overnight. They were clarified through centuries of careful reflection, pastoral leadership, and theological controversy.

In this course, Dr. James Lee guides us through the formative centuries of the Christian Church. Beginning with the earliest apostolic writings and moving through the great debates of the fourth and fifth centuries, we encounter the pastors and theologians who helped articulate the Church’s confession. Figures such as Ignatius, Irenaeus, Cyprian, Athanasius, Cyril, and Augustine show us how the Church wrestled with Scripture, confronted error, and defended the Gospel.

Through seven engaging sessions, you will explore the Church’s earliest teachings, the reality of persecution and martyrdom, the struggle to preserve unity and truth, the development of Trinitarian language, the Christological debates that culminated at Chalcedon, and Augustine’s lasting legacy in the Western Church. Along the way, you will see how doctrine is not an abstract exercise but the Church’s faithful attempt to confess the God who has revealed Himself in Christ.

Topics Covered in the Course

The teaching and structure of the earliest Christian communities.

How persecution and martyrdom shaped the identity of the early Church.

The struggle for unity and authority in the face of division.

The Arian controversy and the Church’s confession of the Trinity.

The Christological debates surrounding Nestorius and Cyril.

The doctrine of the hypostatic union and the Council of Chalcedon.

The life, writings, and theological legacy of St. Augustine.

Let’s Get Started

This course contains seven sessions, each with a video lecture, downloadable notes, and a quiz. As you work through the material, you will see how the Church’s confession of the Trinity, the incarnation, and the grace of God was forged in the early centuries and continues to shape Christian faith today. Move through the sessions at your own pace and discover how the early Church helps us understand the faith we confess every week in the Creed.

Lessons in this course

Introduction and the Didache

Introduction and the Didache

This opening session introduces the world of the earliest Christians and one of the most remarkable documents from that period: the Didache. Written near the end of the first century, the Didache offers a glimpse into how the earliest Christian communities worshiped, prayed, organized themselves, and taught new believers. In this lecture, we explore what […]

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Ignatius, Irenaeus, and the Development of Episcopal Leadership

Ignatius, Irenaeus, and the Development of Episcopal Leadership

In this session, we turn to several key voices from the early Church—Ignatius of Antioch and Irenaeus of Lyons—who help us see how Christian leadership and doctrine developed in the generations after the apostles. Writing in a time of growing challenges to Christian teaching and unity, these bishops emphasized the importance of faithful pastoral oversight, […]

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Persecution and Martyrdom

Persecution and Martyrdom

In this session, we explore the reality of persecution in the early centuries of the Church and the powerful witness of the martyrs. Christians in the Roman world often lived under suspicion and, at times, faced imprisonment, torture, and death for refusing to deny Christ or worship the Roman gods. Through accounts of martyrdom and […]

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Cyprian of Carthage and the Lapsed

Cyprian of Carthage and the Lapsed

In this session, we examine the leadership of Cyprian of Carthage and the crisis that arose in the Church during periods of persecution. When many Christians denied the faith under pressure from Roman authorities—later known as the “lapsed”—the Church faced a difficult question: could those who had fallen away be restored? Cyprian’s writings and pastoral […]

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The Arian Controversy

The Arian Controversy

In this session, we turn to one of the most significant theological disputes in Christian history: the Arian controversy. At stake was the identity of Jesus Christ—whether the Son of God was truly divine or a created being exalted by the Father. Through the teaching of Arius and the response of bishops such as Athanasius, […]

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The Hypostatic Union: Cyril and Nestorius

The Hypostatic Union: Cyril and Nestorius

In this session, we explore the Christological controversy surrounding Cyril of Alexandria and Nestorius, a debate that centered on how to rightly understand the relationship between Christ’s divine and human natures. At stake was not only theological precision but also the proclamation of the Gospel itself: who is Jesus, and how does His person accomplish […]

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The Legacy of St. Augustine

The Legacy of St. Augustine

In this final session, we turn to the towering figure of St. Augustine and consider the lasting impact of his theology on the Western Church. Living during a time of cultural upheaval and theological controversy, Augustine wrote extensively on sin, grace, the will, and the nature of the Church. His reflections on humanity’s fallenness and […]

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