Apostolic Alignment School Of Ministry
Church History
Intermediate

The Early Church: Pentecost to the Council of Nicaea

The Apostolic Age and the Struggle for Doctrinal Purity (30–325 AD)

An immersive study of the first three centuries of the Christian church, from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. This course traces the explosive spread of the Gospel under the power of the Holy Ghost, the era of the apostolic fathers, the persecution under the Roman Empire, the rise of heresies and the church's response, and the pivotal transition from a persecuted community to an institutional religion. Students will discover how the Spirit moved through ordinary believers, how the canon of Scripture was recognized, and how the church navigated the tension between spiritual vitality and organizational structure.

David Beraru9 hoursNKJV
Student Membership
Non-Accreditation Notice: This course does not grant academic credit, a college degree, or government-recognized credentials. It is for religious education and ministry training purposes only.

What You'll Learn

Analyze the operational power of the Holy Spirit in the early church as a blueprint for contemporary revival.
Evaluate the impact of Gnosticism and other heresies on the church's commitment to apostolic truth.
Examine the correlation between holiness, separation, and the sustained anointing of the early believers.
Identify the patterns of persecution and resilience that prepare the modern church for societal opposition.

Course Introduction

Welcome to this journey through the fire of the first three centuries. As Dr. David Beraru, I invite you to step beyond dates and names to encounter the living God who moved through the lives of the saints to establish the pillars of our faith. We will examine how they maintained the unction of the Spirit while under the intense pressure of both pagan darkness and ideological compromise.

Curriculum

9 lessons

Course Details

Materials: Foxe's Book of Martyrs by John Foxe (https://www.exclassics.com/foxe/foxe1pdf.pdf); The Confessions of Saint Augustine (https://www.ccel.org/ccel/a/augustine/confess/cache/confess.pdf); The City of God by Saint Augustine (https://ccel.org/ccel/s/schaff/npnf102/cache/npnf102.pdf); The Pilgrim Church by E.H. Broadbent (https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks10/1000351h.html)

Translation: NKJV

Level: Intermediate

Passing Score: 70%

Student Reviews