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Backward to 0 to A.D. 100
The world did not change greatly as historically we move into this second century after Christ. The Christian Church still made only a limited impression at the time when the Roman Empire was at its full extent, blocked still in the east by the Parthians. Beyond the latter the Kushan Empire reached its zenith, controlling central Asia and much of India. The Han Dynasty continued to rule China and there were some great cultural advances there in spite of many difficulties which appeared from year to year. (Please again refer to map of page 61). The Maya civilization approached its Classic Period.
By mid-century churches had been established in Italy, the Rhine Valley, north Africa, perhaps Spain and many in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire. The mystical belief, Gnosticism, continued to expand. (See page 296). Valentinius, an Egyptian educated at Alexandria, was one of the chief exponents of this Gnosticism and perhaps wrote the "Gospel of Truth", one of the manuscripts recently found at Nag Hammadi. Even though women had participated extensively in Christianity in the first century, by this second one the majority of churches began to oppose equality and endorsed the pseudo-Pauline letter of Timothy which stressed Paul's anti-feminist views. By A.D.122 any groups which continued to have women in leadership roles were branded as heretical. (Ref. 38 , 163 )
Forward to A.D. 201 to 300
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