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Orthodox and Roman of the Video Series (Footnote annotations by Mr. Yankey) Narrated by Ben Kingsley

I. Introduction to Orthodox and Christianity A. In 1965 the Roman Catholic and the Greek ended a mutual ban of between the two churches that had existed since 1054. II. and Catholicism: Differences and Common Features A. While share certain fundamental beliefs, there has often been conflict between Christians about their . B. The largest divisions within Christianity are between the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Roman and the Protestant Churches.1 C. Each division within Christianity (the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Churches) has considered itself to be the only representative of the true Christian faith. D. The word 'Orthodox' means 'true faith and '2 and the word Catholic means 'universal'. E. Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christianity have been separated by issues of and by the Catholic claim that the is the leader of all Christians. F. In spite of their differences, Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism are similar in many ways. III. Jewish Origins of Christianity A. Christianity began when preached that would soon free from being a captive nation by sending a . B. The core of Christianity is the story of Jesus' ministry, and . C. Christianity began as one of many Jewish which the Romans saw as a threat to public stability. D. Christianity began as a Jewish which was spread to non- by Paul. E. In 49 CE the Council of decided that Christians did not need to be circumcised or follow most of Jewish .

1 Protestant churches emerged in the beginning with when he wrote the Ninety-Five Theses in 1517. These notes will only focus on Christianity in its Orthodox and Roman Catholic forms. 2 “Orthodox” is a combination of two Greek words ορθοϛ “orthos” (literally meaning “straight” or “true,” as in an orthdontist who straightens teeth) and δοξα “” from the word δοκειν “dokein” which means a common opinion or belief. Therefore, orthodox means straight or correct opinion or belief.

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F. Many Christians interpreted the destruction of the Jewish and the failure of Jewish revolts against as a sign that God had transferred his to the followers of Jesus. G. After the Roman Hadrian drove the Jews out of Jerusalem in 135 CE the early Christians became more independent of Jewish and hostile to the Jews. IV. , and Authority on the Early Church A. In the first three centuries of the early Christians were often persecuted for being a political threat to Roman rule. B. The early Christians responded to a spiritual challenge from the Gnostics.3 C. In response to the ideas of the Gnostics, the early church made theological, moral and institutional commitments that would become the foundation for its future development. D. In response to heretical ideas, the early Church decided4 which works to consider holy texts. E. In response to heretical ideas, the early Church established leaders, called , and a declaration of faith, a . F. In combating Gnostic ideas, the church established a centralized line of authority through the bishops to preserve the church's unity. G. Ireneaus of Lyons5 identified the of Rome, the Pope, as a successor to and Paul, which some believed gave the Pope a special claim to authority. V. The Roman Adopts Christianity A. The went through a succession of rulers and civil wars until the emperor Constantine defeated a rival and converted to Christianity. B. A claims that emperor Constantine had a miraculous which converted him to Christianity before a major . C. Constantine's conversion to Christianity brought new freedom and responsibilities to the early Church.

3 “A common characteristic of some of these groups was the teaching that the realization of (esoteric or intuitive ) is the way to of the from the material world.”(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnosticism) In other words, Gnostics denied three things essential to Christianity. First, they believed the material world was not created by God, but by a “” or craftsman who is malevolent and a hater of God. Therefore, the material world is not “good” as stated in Genesis 1:10 and 1:25, “And God saw that it was good,” as well as Genesis 1:31 “And God saw everything that he made, and behold, it was very good.” Second, Jesus was seen primarily as a giver of “gnosis” or knowledge. He was not seen as a substitutionary or atonement for in order to bring salvation to those who believe in him. Salvation was through gaining this knowledge (gnosis) given by Jesus, not through faith in the person and work of Jesus. Third, most Gnostic groups denied that Jesus was the of God as well. They taught he only attained divinity through gaining this gnosis. 4 “decided”: It is the position of Roman Catholicism that the Church decided or determined the “” or books accepted as Scripture that are included in the Christian . Catholic teaches that the Church’s (capital “T”) is infallible; therefore, church Tradition is just as important as in determining the Catholic Church’s teachings. Protestants, on the other hand, claim that the church merely recognized what books were self-evidently canonical God-inspired scriptures. To some this seem an argument of semantics. However, this becomes a key issue in the Protestant of the 16th Century, especially when Protestants denied the inclusion of books called as part of the canon of Scripture. 5 Ireneaus of Lyons lived circa 2nd Century C.E.-202 C.E. He is most famous for his book On the Detection and Overthrow of the So-Called Gnosis, commonly called Against (about 180 C.E.) which is a detailed attack on Gnosticism. His work is included in the Ante-Nicene Fathers.

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D. Constantine built a new capital for the Roman Empire in which led to a division of the Roman Empire between and west. in its VI. Dealing with : The Council of Nicea6 A. The early Christians developed the idea that original (325 C.E.) the Jesus was the incarnation of the Logos7 (word) of God. We believe in one God, the Father B. As more people converted to Christianity the Almighty, Maker of all things visible and Arian idea that Jesus was not the of God invisible. became more popular. And in one Jesus , the C. There was a major dispute in the early Church , begotten of the Father [the between Arias and Athanasius about whether only-begotten; that is, of the of Jesus was the Son of God or not. the Father, God of God], Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not D. Because of the dispute within the church, made, being of one substance with the Constantine sent bishops to an ecumenical Father; council at Nicea in 325 CE that determined that By whom all things were made [both Jesus was the Son of God and that wrote the in and on earth]; 8 beginning of the Nicene Creed. Who for us men, and for our E. Between 325 CE and 787 CE a series of salvation, came down and was incarnate ecumenical councils addressed questions of the and was made man; true nature of Jesus and other issues in dispute He suffered, and the third day he in the early church. rose again, ascended into heaven; F. In spite of the decision of the Council of Nicea, From thence he shall come to judge the church had to continue defining the status the quick and the dead. of Jesus to prevent misunderstanding. And in the Holy . [But those who say: 'There was a time when he was not;' and 'He was not before he was made;' and 'He was made out of nothing,' or 'He is of another substance' or 'essence,' or 'The Son of God is created,' or 'changeable,' or 'alterable'—they are condemned by the holy catholic and apostolic Church.] A symbol of the

6 The Council of Nicea (325 C.E.) was the first “.” This means that this was a council that represented a united of both Western and Eastern churches. There were seven in all, including Constantinople (381), (431), Chalcedon (451), Constantinople II (553), Constantinople III (680-681), and Nicea II (787). 7 See 1:1. Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος, καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν, καὶ Θεός ἦν ὁ Λόγος. It is usually translated by Trinitarians as “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” In Greek the “” means “word.” , who began this controversy, denied that the Logos was the second person of a Trinity or triune God. This over the of this verse continues today between Trinitarians and non-Trinitarians. 8 See the form of the creed in 325 above. In 381 the wording of the creed was expanded and the passage at the end in brackets was removed. The result was close to the creed presently used by these churches.

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G. Over a few hundred there were seven ecumenical councils altogether which dealt with issues of Jesus as human or divine. (The following numbers added by Mr. Yankey). 1. Nicea (325) condemned .9 2. Constantinople (381)condemned Apollinarianism.10 3. Ephesus (431) condemned .11 4. Chalcedon (451) condemned .12 5. Constantinople II (553) again condemned certain Nestorian writers. 6. Constantinople III (680-681) condemned .13 7. Nicea II (787) restored the of and ended the first iconoclast controversy.14 H. The last of the early ecumenical councils met at Nicea in 787 CE and dealt with the use of icons. VII. The Roman Church Turns to A. In 410 CE Alaric, a Visigoth Chief and Arian Christian, sacked Rome causing distress in the church. B. emphasized the difference between religious and secular values.15 C. The fall of Rome meant there was no generally recognized political authority in the West. D. of Rome gained secular authority with the fall of the Roman empire due to the church's wealth and efforts to convert many of the tribal peoples of Europe. E. In 800 CE Pope Leo III crowned ruler of the . F. Charlemagne's rule did not bring lasting stability to Europe but the church had established a role as a source of political authority. VIII. Between East and West A. The gradually developed a mystical . B. The Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches disagree about the way to describe the three parts of the Trinity.

9 Arianism: Denying the Trinity and the Jesus was Divine as the Second Person of the Trinity. Arius asserted the Logos was a created being, not of the same being as God. 10 Apollinarianism: The teaching that Jesus could not have had a human , but only had a human body, a lower soul (the seat of the emotions) but had only a divine mind. 11Nestorianism: The teaching that within Jesus was two persons, one human and one divine. also denied that Mary was the (“God Bearer” or “ of God”). 12Monophysitism: The teaching that Jesus had only one Divine nature in the incarnation, and that the of Jesus was absorbed into the divine leaving only one nature. The Orthodox position of Chalcedon is that Jesus is ONE PERSON with TWO NATURES (one human and one Divine). 13 Monothelitism: This view denies, like monophysitism, that Jesus had both a Divine will as well as a human will. The Orthodox asserted that Jesus had both a Divine as human will similar to having both natures in one person as the Incarnation of God’s Son. 14 Iconoclast Controversy: Notice that this controversy came after the rise of in the . Some hold that the Byzantine emperor condemned the use of icons or images in worship as a result of the close proximity to Islam and its aversion to images of any kind. The Orthodox affirmed the veneration of icons because they asserted that Jesus as the Incarnation is in a sense an of God, therefore, icons can be used in worship. 15 Augustine wrote about these differences in his famous book City of God where he contrasts of Man with .

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C. Disagreement between the Roman Catholic The Controversy Church and the Orthodox Church was concerned with the authority of the Pope16 The Greek text of the Nicene Creed of and questions about the nature of the the Eastern Orthodox churches reads: Trinity. Καὶ εἰς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον, D. Disagreement about the nature of the τὸ κύριον, τὸ ζῳοποιόν, τὸ ἐκ Trinity led to a break between Eastern and τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐκπορεσόμενον Western churches in 863 CE and continues (And in the , the 17 to be unresolved. Lord, the giver of , from E. In 1053, when the Pope asked for assistance the Father proceeding). from the East, the leaders of the Orthodox Church took offense and the two churches The text speaks of the Holy Spirit excommunicated each other. as proceeding "from the Father and the Son". IX. Islam, The and the

A. Muslim conquered much of the Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Mediterranean basin and threatened Dominum, et vivificantem: qui and the . ex Patre Filioque procedit B. After the defeat of in 1071 CE, the (And in the Holy Spirit, the Emperor of appealed to the West Lord, and giver of life, who for help in fighting the and Pope from the Father and the Son Urban II responded by calling the first proceeds). Crusade in 1095. C. The West organized several Crusades over The Orthodox object to the idea of the two hundred years, with “double ” of the Holy Spirit. becoming increasingly hostile to Eastern Christians and even sacking Constantinople in 1204 CE. D. While the Byzantine Emperor did regain control of Constantinople in 1261 CE, the Ottoman conquered the Byzantine Empire in 1453 CE. E. With the fall of the Byzantine Empire, became the center of the Eastern Orthodox world, even after abolished the . X. Medieval Catholicism, the Reformation and the A. In Western Europe the church was sometimes threatened by new religious movements of great religious enthusiasm.

16 Authority of the Pope: The Roman Catholic Church holds to “,” meaning that the Pope (Bishop) of Rome has supremacy over the whole church. The Orthodox originally held only to the “primacy” of the Roman bishop. They believed that when a theological controversy arose between the main Provinces of , , and Constantinople on some issue, that they were to consult the Bishop of Rome for his opinion. In this sense the Bishop of Rome was considered a “first among equals” but never the ruler of the whole church. However, the Roman Bishop came to see himself as having outside his own Roman province. 17 See the text box The Filioque Controversy above. The issue about the “nature of the Trinity” was the adding of the “filioque clause” (adding the words “and the Son”) to the Nicene Creed by the West.

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B. The Dominicans18 and Franciscans19 were devout communities of believers who became prominent in medieval and led the Inquisition.20 C. In the thirteenth century the Roman Catholic Church came under attack for abuse of power in Europe and excessive concern about wealth.21 D. Dissatisfaction with the Roman Catholic Church led to Luther's split with the church in 1521 CE.22 E. The Council of Trent23 in the sixteenth century rejected Protestant ideas and reaffirmed that the Roman Catholic Church was the sole authoritative interpreter of both Scriptures and the . F. The Inquisition of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries attacked mostly Jews and Muslims, but also independent thinkers such as Galileo. XI. The First and Second Vatican Councils A. Since the Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church has centralized authority in the Pope, culminating in the in 1870 which declared the Pope infallible. B. The most recent centuries have seen attempts to modernize in both the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. C. In the second half of the twentieth century both the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic churches have made efforts to , such as the which opened in 1962. XII. Conclusion to Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christianity A. There is in uniting Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christianity in spite of serious differences. B. The history of the Church is complex, including elements of sin and of .

18 Dominicans: Known as The Order of , founded by Dominic in 1216. 19 : Known as The Order of Minor, founded by around 1209. 20 Inquisition: It was a “group of decentralized institutions within the system of the Roman Catholic Church whose aim was to "fight against heretics". It started in 12th-century to persecute heresy, and was later expanded to other European . Inquisition practices were used also on offences against other than heresy.” (Quoted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inquisition) 21 , a and scholar from the of Oxford, strongly criticized the Roman Catholic Church for holding large amounts of wealth and land in and throughout Europe. He lost his teaching position at Oxford over this, as well as his translation of the Bible into Middle English (spoken at the time). His teachings were eventually condemned as heresy by the after his death, and his bones were ordered exhumed and burned to ash. 22 We will learn about Martin Luther in 17.3 “Luther Leads the Reformation.” 23 : This was a church council that met between 1545 and 1563. It was part of the “Catholic Reformation” sometimes called by Protestants the “Counter Reformation.” This council established Catholic teaching over against Protestant teaching, but reformed the church by forbidding the SALE of while still maintaining its teaching about indulgences and .

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