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Home , Arianism, Edict of Milan, Penance, Spread of Christianity

Supplement Plan

Materials ӹӹ History AD 100-500 ӹӹ Teacher Resource: Timeline Strips AD 100-500

DAY ONE Warm-Up A. Spend some time orienting the students by going over the items on their timelines thus far. B. Keeping in mind the mission of the Church, have students brainstorm what challenges was facing at this point in history. Keep a list on the board. Look at the list together and discuss as a large group the following questions: ӹӹ What unique challenges does a “new” religion face after more than one or two generations have passed? ӹӹ Can a religion thrive if people don’t agree on its teachings? If people don’t know who is in charge? If people are not allowed to practice their religion? ӹӹ Why do you think the Apostles and the they brought into the Church were so concerned with correcting false teachings?

Activity Ask students to turn to Church History AD 100- Church History AD 100-500 Directions: in ReadConstantinople the essay, then (present use the day information Istanbul, you learnfrom to 481complete to 511, andthe chartis considered that the founder Turkey).follows. That same year, construction began of . Clovis united all the Frankish 500 in their workbooks. Have them work in pairs, on St. Peter’s in . Constantine, tribes throughout what are now France, the the fi rst to become a Netherlands, and Belgium. He converted to he persecutionChristian, of Christians ruled until did 337. not He end was baptized Catholicism, and was baptized on Twith the onEmperor his deathbed, Nero. It acontinued practice that was not Day, 496, in , France.Write Like a Constantine,summary statement under futureuncommon emperors, including during his Emperor time. List key informationClovis brought about thistrue Christianityexplaining the signifi cance of to large read the essay, and use the information they learn , who required everyoneIndividual/event to worship individual/event this individual/event numbers of people under his rule. the of theLater state church or be councilstortued orcontinued killed. to Emperor ,clarify Church who ruled Romanteaching. from Emperor 284 The to Council of Write a summary statement 305, orderedConstantinople the destructionDiocletian (381) of all made Christian clear that the ListThe key fall information of Rome about this explaining the signifi cance of Holy was equal with the Father and to complete the chart that follows the essay. churches. He had and priests Individual/event individual/eventDespite the fl ourishing of Christianitythis in individual/event the Son. The councils of Hippo and imprisoned, and executed anyone who many parts of Europe, the city of Rome was (397) determined which booksVisigoth would become refused to participate in public worship of increasingly under attack from the . part of the . The Council pagan gods. While many Christians held fast The Visigoths were a western tribe of , of (431) declared that the Virgin to their faith, many denied out of fear. a Germanic people. The Visigoths were Mary is truly the or -bearer: pagans; some converted to Christianity but the mother of God, as well as condemned they adhered to the that the Council From oppressiona that to freedomsaid was two persons in Roman Emperor of Nicaea sought to correct. The Visigoths Things beganone to changebody. Twenty for ConstantineChristians years later, the council Emperorattacked, Constantine looted, legalized and burned Christianity Rome in 410. when Constantineof came to (451) power affi in rmed 306. the hypostatic The destruction ofthroughout the city wasRome. one of the union: the truth that Jesus is fully human and Constantine is perhaps most famous for many things that led to the fall of Rome in fully divine. As always, the councils did not ending the persecution of Christians. HeClovis Nicaea. This gathering476. The Visigoths in Nicaea later (present-day settled throughout invent these teachings, but rather affi rmed legalized Christianity with the of Turkey) had theFrance, goal ,of correcting and . the false in 313. This declarationthem in the allowed face of peoplefalse teachings. to teaching, known as , that Jesus was a worship the of their choice, permitted The Eastern in Outside of Rome, Christianity also begancreated being. The council clearly expressed Christians to organize churches, and returned was spared this attack, though it would very to fl ourish in —the area of present-daythe truth that the Father and the Son are of church property that had been taken by the soon face dangerous enemies. DAY TWO France. Clovis, EdictKing ofof theMilan , ruledone Gaul substance (consubstantial). The Nicene Roman government. The was a that we recite at every Sunday Mass landmark proclamation that, for the fi rst time, was set forth at this council. allowed Christianity to spread without the Five years after the council of Nicea, threat of jail, torture, or execution. Constantine took yet another action Warm-Up More than a decade later, Constantine himself that would have far-reaching effects for had become a catechumen. As Christianity Christianity—he divided the Roman Empire had spread, false teachings had begun to into East and West. The West would be circulate. In 325, Constantine convened a centered in Rome; the East was centered Have pairs stand and present information for one council that would be calledCouncil the Council of Nicaea of event/individual on Church History AD 100-500. Continue until all the content has been covered.

UNIT 2, LESSON 4 SUPPLEMENT PLAN

Activity A. Before class, copy and cut out Teacher Resource: Timeline Strips AD 100-500 in this book. Go over the events on the strips. As you discuss each event, have students write in each date and event on their timelines and add each strip to the large class timeline. Note: To aid in class discussion, some explanatory notes are included below that are not on the strips. Students may also wish to decorate the large class timeline with artwork. B. For each event, students should write two or three sentences and/or draw a picture explaining the significance of the event to decorate their timelines. They should use Church History AD 100-500 as a reference.

Timeline Event Order and Notes 64 Persecution of Christians begins under Roman emperor Nero. 250 Persecution under Roman emperor Decius. Decius required all to worship the gods of the state, or be tortured and killed. 251 Council of Carthage. This council allowed people who lapsed in their faith during the persecution to be brought back into the Church after a period of . 303 Persecution under Roman emperor Diocletian. Diocletian ordered the destruction of all Christian churches, imprisonment of bishops and priests, and the execution of all who refused to participate in the public worship of pagan gods. 313 Emperor Constantine issues the Edict of Milan. This edict granted religious toleration to Christians and unleashed the . 325 Council of Nicaea. This council, called by Emperor Constantine, set forth the and affirmed that Jesus and the Father are consubstantial — of the same substance. 330 Emperor Constantine divides the Roman Empire into East and West. The West was centered in Rome, and the East was centered in Constantinople (present-day Instanbul, Turkey). 330 Construction of the first St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. 381 Council of Constantinople This council, called by Roman Emperor Theodosius, is best known for clarifying the doctrine of the , and specifically that the is equal to the Father and the Son. 397 The Councils of Hippo and Carthage determine which books will become part of the New Testament. 410 The Visigoths destroy the city of Rome.

UNIT 2, LESSON 4 SUPPLEMENT PLAN

431 . This council condemned a heresy that said that Jesus was two persons in one body, and the council declared that the Virgin Mary is truly the Mother of God (Theotokos). 451 . This council affirmed that Christ is fully human and fully divine the( ). 476 The collapses. 496 Clovis, the King of the Franks, coverts to Catholicism.

Formative Assessment A. Discuss as a large group the following question: Why do you think it took more than 300 years to hold a meeting like the Council of Nicaea? Christianity was illegal before then. Personally practicing Christianity, much less meeting and discussing it openly, would get you killed. B. Discuss how it is important to remember that, while the Holy Spirit always guides the Church, the Church is made up of human beings who can make mistakes and are capable of sinning. Therefore, conflicts, controversies, corruption, and even wars are found throughout the history of the Church. By studying history, we can learn from it. What are the lesson(s) we can learn from this period in Church history? In addition to the ideas students generate, you may add: ӹӹ We can trust Jesus’ promise that the gates of hell will not prevail against His Church (Matthew 16:18). ӹӹ It is challenging, but essential, for members of a religion to believe the same things. ӹӹ Human dignity includes religious liberty. ӹӹ Religious liberty helps bring about peace. ӹӹ Religious persecution has been a constant in world history. Christians are often forced or pressured to act against their consciences. (For example, unjust wars, taxpayer funding to abortion providers, requiring employers to provide insurance coverage for immoral products and procedures, legal euthanasia, and so forth). Religious persecution exists today in various forms. Christian genocide is occurring today in the Middle East. C. For homework, have students, together with their parents, find and read current news stories about the struggles of Christians in the Middle East and throughout the world today against hostile governments, radical Islamic terrorism, and other forms of persecution. They should bring in the article(s) they read to class next time.

UNIT 2, LESSON 4 SUPPLEMENT PLAN

DAY THREE Warm-Up Spend some time discussing the articles students brought in. Encourage students to make connections across time and place to see both the conflict and the continuity between our time and the time period being studied. Look for ways to connect the effects of past government policies, individual decisions, heroic actions, and so forth to chances we have to respond to today’s challenges.

Assessment A. Have students respond to one of the following prompts in a one-page essay. ӹӹ Imagine that Congress passed a law that all people in your state had to perform ritual animal and participate in daily public prayers to a false god. Those who refuse will be tortured and killed. Do you think you would have the courage to refuse? Imagine that you are a persecuted Christian from the third century writing a letter to future Christians. What would you say to them to help them endure persecution? ӹӹ In the 251 Council of Carthage, St. allowed those who had worshiped false gods during the Roman persecution to be brought back into the Church after a period of penance. Imagine that you are a Roman Christian whose father, having remained steadfast in his faith, had been tortured and killed by Emperor Decius. Would you have supported the council’s decision? Was the decision correct? How do you know? ӹӹ Imagine that you are Emperor Constantine writing a letter to King Clovis. What would you say in the letter? What special advice would you give him, given the key role he could play in bringing the light of Christ to the people of Gaul? Make sure to give specific references to things you did while you were emperor that Clovis might learn from. B. To close, lead students in this prayer from the Mass for Persecuted Christians: Father, in your mysterious providence, your Church must share in the of Christ your Son. Give the spirit of patience and love to those who are persecuted for their faith in you that they may always be true and faithful witnesses to your promise of eternal life. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Optional Extension Have students choose either to: 1. Write a letter to the editor urging their follow citizens to take a specific action in defense of religious freedom in the United States or to help Christians persecuted around the world. 2. Write a letter to an elected representative urging him or her to support legislation that would help Christians from persecution in other parts of the world.

UNIT 2, LESSON 4 Church History AD 100-500 Answer Key Diocletian Council of Nicaea

ӹӹ Roman emperor from 284 to 305. ӹӹ Convened in 325 by Emperor Constantine in Nicaea (in what is now Turkey) when he was ӹӹ Issued extremely oppressive of a catechumen. Christians. ӹӹ Had the goal of correcting the false ӹӹ Suggested summary statement: Like his teaching, known as Arianism, that Jesus was predecessors, Diocletian continued the a created being and established that the persecution of Christians in the Roman Father and the Son are of one substance Empire. (consubstantial).

ӹӹ Set forth the Nicene Creed. Constantine ӹӹ Suggested summary statement: The Council ӹӹ Roman emperor from 306 to 337. of Nicaea established core Christian ӹӹ First Roman emperor to become Christian. teachings. ӹӹ Split the Roman Empire into East and West. ӹӹ Issued the Edict of Milan. Visigoths

ӹӹ Convened the Council of Nicaea. ӹӹ Western tribe of the Goths, a Germanic ӹӹ Baptized on his deathbed. people. ӹӹ Suggested summary statement: Emperor ӹӹ Their religion was pagan; some converted Constantine’s policies made possible the to Christianity but they adhered to the spread of Christianity throughout the heresies that the Council of Nicaea sought Roman Empire. to correct. ӹӹ Attacked, looted, and burned Rome in 410, Edict of Milan and later settled throughout France, Spain, and Portugal. ӹӹ A proclamation issued by Emperor Constantine in 313. ӹӹ Suggested summary statement: Attacks by the Visigoths were among the many reasons ӹӹ Allowed people to worship the deity of their for the collapse of the Roman Empire. choice and allowed Christians to organize churches. Clovis ӹӹ Returned property that had been taken from Christians by the Roman government. ӹӹ Ruled Gaul from 481 to 511. ӹӹ Suggested summary statement: The Edict ӹӹ Considered the founder of France. of Milan was a landmark proclamation that ӹӹ King of the Franks — he united all the allowed Christianity to spread. Frankish tribes throughout what are now France, the Netherlands, and Belgium. ӹӹ Converted to Catholicism, baptized on Christmas Day, 496, in Reims, France. ӹӹ Suggested summary statement: Clovis is similar to Constantine in that he brought true Christianity to large numbers of people under his rule.

UNIT 2, LESSON 4 Timeline Strips AD 100-500

TEACHER RESOURCE

AD 330 AD 431 Construction of Council of Ephesus. the first St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. AD 451 Council of Chalcedon AD 381 Council of Constantinople AD 476 The Western Roman Empire collapses. AD 410 The Visigoths destroy the city of Rome. AD 496 Clovis, the King of the Franks, coverts to Catholicism.

UNIT 2, LESSON 4