Religion work
8346p5g33
oct13lecture.pptxThe Church in History
Introduction
History is an effective way for persons to explain their identity.
Theology is the effort to understand and interpret the faith experience of the Church community, whose identity centers on Jesus of Nazareth. (In what ways do we see this come through in the Gospel of Luke?)
The Christian community is around 2000 years old and older Jewish roots.
Even the earliest Christians looked to history for an explanation of their identity.
Primitive Christianity
The Acts of the Apostles (vol 2 of Luke-Acts) describes the beginnings of the Christian community.
The Ascension of Christ is the beginning of the Christian Church (post-resurrection), according to the author of Luke-Acts.
The author of Acts is keenly aware of the problem of the Church in history-that as time changes, so does culture, and thus the experience of the community must adapt as well.
As the Church grew, the exterior experience of the Church developed, but the Church is the same in essence.
Primitive Christianity
The Church began in Jerusalem (Luke-Acts), but spread.
Originally Church members thought of themselves as a Jewish group who acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah. However, the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem didn’t accept the Church as a legitimate form of Judaism.
Church members scattered throughout the Roman Empire, and the religion spread through conversions.
Around the year 50, Jewish leaders began persecuting the early Christians (because they were sill claiming Jewish identity.
Primitive Christianity
From 66-70 the Jews in Jerusalem and the Romans were at war.
The Temple (center of Jewish worship and identity) is destroyed in 70.
After the destruction of the Temple, the Jews and Christians cut all ties.
This is when Christians began to see themselves as a distinct religion.
Now that the Church has separated from Judaism, they must begin to articulate its identity.
Primitive Christianity
Christianity detained much of its original Jewish identity.
Monotheism
10 Commandments
The Bible (mainly the Septuagint-Greek translation of the Old Testament)
Its separation from the civic life of the Roman Empire (Judaism was a protected religion in the Roman Empire as long as they didn’t rebel)
Strong sense of community, which was organized around leaders and worship.
Canon, Creeds, Councils, Popes
2nd century: Church faced three specific challenges (Gnosticism, Marcionism, Montanism), which led the Church to solidify and write down an official liturgy and an authoritative set of writings (New Testament), and a structure for councils of bishops for making pastoral decisions.
Gnosticism
Gnosticism: “popular form of religious mysticism which despised the material world and held that material things were the product of a lesser god who was evil.”
Problem of dualism
Problem of the body (extreme asceticism or complete disregard)
Claimed to have secret knowledge (What would the author of Luke think about secret knowledge of Jesus?)
Church answered Gnosticism with the unequivocal affirmation that Xians believe in one God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, that God’s material creation is good, and Jesus is both 100% human and 100% divine.
Marcionism
Marcion was influenced by Gnosticism.
Believed that God of OT was lesser God of two gods, Jesus of NT is greater God.
Taught that Jesus was pure spirit, who wasn’t born and didn’t die.
Marcion was excommunicated in 144.
Church responded to Marcionism by establishing a “canon” (the rule or normative, official list) of Sacred Scripture.
Montanism
Around 170 Montanus began an apocalyptic movement that urged extreme asceticism and announced the forthcoming end of the world.
This “New Prophesy” was condemned by the bishop of Rome at the end of the 2nd century.
The 2nd century saw a rise in theological writings
Justin Martyr
Hippolytus of Rome
Irenaeus of Lyons
Clement of Alexandria
Persecution
The Church had grown too large for the Roman Empire to ignore them.
Persecution broke out in at the beginning of the third century under Septimus Severus and was renewed in 250 under Decius.
Extensive persecution began in Feb of 303.
Even so, the Church somehow doubled in size and theology flourished.
Toleration to Imperial State Church
Constantine became emperor in 312, and in 313 he issued the “Edict of Milan,” which made Christianity legal in the Roman Empire. This stopped persecutions for the most part.
In 380 the Emperor Theodosius decreed that “all peoples of the Empire should practice…the religion that is followed by Damasus of Rome and by Peter, bishop of Alexandria.”
Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire.
The Church was intimately conjoined with the state and would stay this way for 1600 years.
Councils
Councils: meetings of bishops, called by the Emporer, that formulated official doctrinal teachings for the Church.
Ecumenical Councils…
Nicaea: 325
Bishop Arius (of Alexandria) taught that the Son (Jesus) was subordinate to God the Father
Athanasius argued against Arius that the Son (Jesus) is consubstantial with the Father, meaning that the Son is everything that the Father is, except the Son is Son and the Father is Father
Athanasius received support from Basil, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus (Known as the Cappadocian Fathers)
Councils
Constantinople: 381
Theodosius summoned eastern Bishops of the Empire to Constantinople
Condemned Macedonius for denying that the Holy Spirit is God.
The Trinitarian dogma is articulated and began to be used universally in the Church.
Creed we know today came from this council.
http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/
