History of the six theological schools of the first 500 years

The first system of Christian theological schools started with Origen in A.D. 230. There were six theological schools from around this time in the church at large. The six schools were: Alexandria, Caesarea, Antioch, Edessa, Asia Minor and Northern Africa. Alexandria and Antioch followed the universal restoration view of Origen, while Antioch and Edessa were of the universalistic view of Theodore of Mopsuestia and Diodore of Tarsus. Asia Minor believed in annihilation. The Northern African School favored the doctrine of endless punishment. It is said that this last school derived its view from Latins through the misunderstanding of Greek Scriptures due to their mistranslations.

In the year A.D. 544, Origen was condemned for his doctrine of universal restoration for the first time and was anathematized as heretical by Justinian. It, along with eight other anathemas ordered by Justinian, was not sanctioned by the council. In fact, these were given to the Home Synod, but it did not indorse them either, while at the same time it did pass fifteen canons. So it refused to reprobate universal restoration.

Tertullianus (A.D. 160 − A.D. 220) was born in Carthage, Africa. He grew up under pagan education but later in adulthood converted to Christianity. He lived a moral life from then on and became a presbyter. The problem was that much of his pagan past infected him and he became heterodox and fell into some of the heresies of his time. He was the first of the African-Latin writers to reach public fame and his writings were noticed by Augustine, who was also from Africa. Both Tertullian and Augustine (A.D. 354 – 420) were hampered by not knowing the Greek language. Tertullian quoted many scriptures in his writings and Jerome may have grounded his Vulgate Latin version on Scriptures from this African source. The Latin Church came from Africa, not Rome. This was the beginning of Latin Christianity. Tertullian was probably the one who came up with the idea that those who would be punished would be punished in fire for the same length of time that the saved would enjoy everlasting happiness.

Universal restoration seems to have been the majority view of Christians in both the Eastern and the Western churches during the period of the fourth and early years of the fifth centuries. After A.D. 553 the doctrine of eternal punishment became the prominent view lasting through the Middle Ages.