DOCSLIB.ORG

Protestantism and the Mother of God Kenneth F

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Protestantism and the Mother of God Kenneth F University of Dayton eCommons Marian Reprints Marian Library Publications 1955 035 - Protestantism and the Mother of God Kenneth F. Dougherty Follow this and additional works at: http://ecommons.udayton.edu/marian_reprints Part of the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Dougherty, Kenneth F., "035 - Protestantism and the Mother of God" (1955). Marian Reprints. Paper 9. http://ecommons.udayton.edu/marian_reprints/9 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Marian Library Publications at eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Marian Reprints by an authorized administrator of eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. ?ooteotanfce??t aad fie%fuo4 fu KENNETH F. DOUGHERTY, S.A. Number 35 ABOUI THE AUTHOR . Father Kenneth F. Dougherty, S.A., is a professor of theology at Atonement Semin&ry, Washington, D.C., and a member of the faculty of the College of Notre Dame, Baltimore, Maryland. The survey of the beliefs of Protestant ministers in Mary's Di- vine Motherhood was originall5' prepared for the Mariological Society of America, and a report on the survey was given at the sixth annual convention of that organi zation in January 1955. The present reprint is a condensation of the complete report as published in Martan Studi,es, VI ( 1955 ) . Readers seeking further information on this topic will be interested in the following: Weigel, Gustave, A Suruey of Protestant Theology in Our DaA. Westminster, Md., Newman Press, 1954. Hamer, J. P., "Mariology and Protestant Theolo gy:' Theology Dtgest, Spring, 7954, pp. 67-70. Palmer, Paul F., Mary tn Protestant Theology and' Worship. ( Marian Library Study, 3 ) 1955. Flardon, John A., Protestant Churches of America. Westminster, Md., Newman Press, 1956. Whelan, William J., SeTtarated, Brethren. Milwaukee, Bruce, 1958- (published u;ith ecclesiastical approual ) First printing, May 1955 Reprinted, March 1958 The Marian Library U n iversity of Dayton Dayton, Ohio PROTESTANTFM AND THE IUIOTHER OF GOD KENNETH F. DOUGHERTY, S. A. CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN PROTESIANT ATTITUDES TOWARD IHE DIVINE MATERNITY (ASurveyReportoftheopinionsof|0oProtestantMinistersof l7 Denominations) During the Marian Year Protestants in America expressed a variety of attitudes concerning Mary the Mother of God' These ranged from the awesome bewilderment of the Baptisls to the fervent devotions of Angio- catholic Religious in their convents and monasteries' Twentieth century Protestantism in America is highly variegaled in its attitudes toward our tady. Episcopalians build churches and hospitals in honor of st. Mary. High Church congregalions recite fhe rosary that they may obtain favors through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother' Other Episcopaliar parishes regard all this as "papish supersfitions" and affirm that Mary.is simply a holy woman to whom no cultus is owed because she is the mother of Christ and not the Mother of God' It became obvious that if this article were to bb actualized, the source maferial would have to be furnished by contacting the subiects of this study. This was achieved by sending out a questionnaire to 270 minis- ters of l7 denominations in 29 States and fhe District of columbia' one hundred replies were received which constitute the basis of this research. The original responses are filed in the library of the Atonement seminary, Washington, D. C. These l0O replies from the ministers of l7 denominations are not tc be taken as a representative statistical sample of the many thousands of ministers representing more than 265 sects in America. lt is reasonable to affirm, however, that the study can offer some insight into contempo' rary attitudes of Protestant ministers toward Mary the Molher of God' METHOD OF THE RESEARCH A simple questionnaire posted to the subiects of the research was the only meihod of contact used in this study. The following is a reproduc- tion of the questionnaire: PROTESTANTISM AND THE TIOTHER OF GOD ;::ffT:Tougherty, s. A. ;-:,il*;?,il 8: Reverend and dear Sir: I anl composing a study concerning American Protestant beliefs a- bout Mary, the Mother of God. Would you be kind enough to answer the questions on the remainder of this letter and post it to the address on the envelope enclosed. No personal names shall be mentioned in this study. With kindest regards to you, Sincerely, K. F'. Dougherty, S. A. Do you believe that Mary is the Mother of God ? (Yes - No) What reasons do you give for this belief or disbelief ? ( A spuce f ollnuted for the crnsu)er - mnnA ol tltp ministers g&ue arn- ple replies u>hich entended on th,e oth,er sidn of the letter. ) If you believe in Mary as the Mother of God, what devotions, if any, do you have in her honor ? The denominations covered in this survey are the following: Episcopa- lians, Northern and Southern Baptists, The United Lutheran Church of America, Evangelical Lutherans, Lutherans of the Missouri Synod, Presby- terians, Methodists, Church of the Latter Day Saints, Evangelical and Re- formed Church, Disciples of Christ, Universalists, The Church of Christ, The Seventh Day Adventist, Quakers, Unitarians and Congregationalists. Responses came from ministers in twenty-nine States. Most of the re- plies came from rural and urban ministers. Some came from professors in seminaries. The I 00 replies out of 270 ministers contacted are con- sidered a good return. GENERAT SURVEY OF REPI.IES In answer to the question: Do you believe that Mary is the Mother of God? the following answers were received from ministers of the particu- lar sects surveyed: PNOTESTANTISM AND THE MOTHER OF GOD Name of Sect Total of Responses Yes No Pos ition U ncerta in Episcopalians 18 11 7 Ba ptists 16 2 9 5 Lutherans 21 5 12 4 Presbyteria ns 9 I M ethod ists 21 3 14 4 Smaller Sects 15 1 12 2 Total . 100 22 63 15 ln the classification of the smaller sects we include: Morrnons (The Church of the Latter Day Saints), Evangelical and Reformed Church, Dis- ciples of Christ, Universalists, Church of Christ, Seventh Day Adventist;, Quakers, Unitarians and Congregationalists. In response to the question: "lf you believe in Mary as the Mother oF God, what devotions, if any, do you have in her honor?" eleven Episco- palians affirmed that they had such devotions as the rosary and the Angelus, novenas in her honor as well as Masses and offices of the bre- viary. One Lutheran minister said that he recited the Angelus; another Lutheran said that he kept Candlemas, the Feasts of the Annunciation and "other Bible-founded festivities of Our Lady". A Northern Baptist min- ister affirmed that he said the rosary privately. Eighty-six ministers reported no devotions to Mary. The common reason why 63 ministers inI this survey denied that Mary is the Mother of God is to be found inn their belief that the Catholic Church divinizes Our Lady by this tirle. Frequently throughout the let- ters received there was evidenced a definite attempt lo give scriptural evidence for lhe humanity of Mary and also to prove that she belonged to fallen human race. The ministers appealed to the testimony of fhe Scriptures that there is only one Saviour and Mediator beNveen God and man, fhe Lord Jesus, and that Mary cannot be for us another saviour and mediator. They argued, furthermore, that Mary's maternity is simply human in thpt she is only the mother of Christ the man and nol the Mother of God, because God cannot have a beginning, as the Scriptures repeatedly remind us. In this respect one might label their error for the most part Nestorian, but in general their reason for denying the Di- vine Mafernity of Mary is more broad than the Nestorian denial of the Theotokos. THE PROTESTANT EPISCOPAT CHURCH One refired bishop, two seminary professors, five Religious and ten PROTESTANTISM AND THE MOTHEN OF GOD ministers in parishes responded to our questionnaire. Out of these eight- teen, eleven affirmed fhat Mary is the Mother of God, seven dissented. The retired bishop from a Southern state said that the Divine Mafernify was "a medieval teaching"' and preferred to call Our Lady "the Mother of Jesus" and not the Mother of God. A seminary professor from Berkeley Divinity School, New Haven, Con- necficul, affirmed that Mary is the Mother of God because: "Our Lord is the Divine Son of God. Therefore, the Blessed Virgin, His Mother, can rightfully be called "Mother of God"' "Theotokos". A seminary pro- fessor from Western Theological Seminary, Evansion, lllinois, wrote: "The term 'theotokos' is meritable as applied to the Blessed Virgin as a safe- guard against Nestorianism." Episcopalian Religious in their replies were unanimous in their affir- mation of the Divine Maternity. An Episcopalian Sister from a convent af Peekskill, New York, observed: "lt is the only reasonable thing one can think, if one believes in the Incarnation, which is the foundation of the Catholic faith." These and other Episcopalians quoted the Church Coun- cils, the Scriptures and tradition in favor of the revealed truth that Mary is the Mother of God. The seminary professor from Evanston, lllinois, pleaded that this was Anglican Church doctrine: "You know of course that the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus in 431 is accepted by ihe Anglican Church." The seven dissenting ministers would not agree with this opinion of the Evanston professor. A typical negative reply came from a minister at Princeton, New Jersey: Mary is a child of God (hence a creature) who was chosen by Him to bear and deliver to the world the Child, the Son of Man, the hu- man nature of the Second Person of the Divine Trinity, in the Incar- nation. She is therefore of Time and Space, historically speaking.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Investigation of the Idea of Nestorian Crosses— Based on Fa Nixon's
    QUEST: Studies on Religion & Culture in Asia, Vol. 2, 2017 INVESTIGATION OF THE IDEA OF NESTORIAN CROSSES— BASED ON F. A. NIXON’S COLLECTION Chen, Jian Andrea Published online: 1 January 2017 ABSTRACT It is generally agreed that the study of the Nestorian Cross (a kind of bronze piece believed to be an early Chinese Christian relic), has great significance both for the developing study of Jingjiao and for ethnographic studies of the Nestorian Mongol people. The most important question that we should ask, however, is, “Are these so-called Nestorian Crosses part of the Mongolian Nestorian heritage?“ In other words, before starting to interpret the pieces in question, we need to ask if the identification, made at the first step of examination, is convincing enough as a basis upon which to build the interpretation. This paper focuses on issues concerning all aspects of the concept of Nestorian Crosses, looking first into the history of such an idea, then investigating its inner logic, and finally challenging its hard evidence. It is hoped that the conclusions of this paper will initiate a paradigm shift in the current study of this topic. Introduction to the Study The Jingjiao and the Yelikewen The name “Nestorian Crosses” clearly reveals that the religious dimension has been the primary consideration in the existing identification of these items, an identification which subsumes them as relics of Chinese Nestorianism, or more accurately, of the Jingjiao and the Yelikewen. Although controversies surround the identity of Nestorianism, the most commonly accepted description is as follows: At the Ephesus Council of 431 A.D., the Patriarch Nestorius was deemed heretical and his teaching anathematized due to his insistence that Mary should be called “Christotokos (Christ-bearer)” instead of “Theotokos (God-bearer).” This insistence is thought to emphasize a distinction between Christ’s divine and human natures instead of their unity.
    [Show full text]
  • Nestorianism 1 Nestorianism
    Nestorianism 1 Nestorianism For the church sometimes known as the Nestorian Church, see Church of the East. "Nestorian" redirects here. For other uses, see Nestorian (disambiguation). Nestorianism is a Christological doctrine advanced by Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople from 428–431. The doctrine, which was informed by Nestorius' studies under Theodore of Mopsuestia at the School of Antioch, emphasizes the disunion between the human and divine natures of Jesus. Nestorius' teachings brought him into conflict with some other prominent church leaders, most notably Cyril of Alexandria, who criticized especially his rejection of the title Theotokos ("Bringer forth of God") for the Virgin Mary. Nestorius and his teachings were eventually condemned as heretical at the First Council of Ephesus in 431 and the Council of Chalcedon in 451, leading to the Nestorian Schism in which churches supporting Nestorius broke with the rest of the Christian Church. Afterward many of Nestorius' supporters relocated to Sassanid Persia, where they affiliated with the local Christian community, known as the Church of the East. Over the next decades the Church of the East became increasingly Nestorian in doctrine, leading it to be known alternately as the Nestorian Church. Nestorianism is a form of dyophysitism, and can be seen as the antithesis to monophysitism, which emerged in reaction to Nestorianism. Where Nestorianism holds that Christ had two loosely-united natures, divine and human, monophysitism holds that he had but a single nature, his human nature being absorbed into his divinity. A brief definition of Nestorian Christology can be given as: "Jesus Christ, who is not identical with the Son but personally united with the Son, who lives in him, is one hypostasis and one nature: human."[1] Both Nestorianism and monophysitism were condemned as heretical at the Council of Chalcedon.
    [Show full text]
  • Evangelism and Capitalism: a Reparative Account and Diagnosis of Pathogeneses in the Relationship
    Digital Commons @ George Fox University Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary Portland Seminary 6-2018 Evangelism and Capitalism: A Reparative Account and Diagnosis of Pathogeneses in the Relationship Jason Paul Clark George Fox University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/gfes Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, and the Christianity Commons Recommended Citation Clark, Jason Paul, "Evangelism and Capitalism: A Reparative Account and Diagnosis of Pathogeneses in the Relationship" (2018). Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary. 132. https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/gfes/132 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Portland Seminary at Digital Commons @ George Fox University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ George Fox University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. EVANGELICALISM AND CAPITALISM A reparative account and diagnosis of pathogeneses in the relationship A thesis submitted to Middlesex University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Jason Paul Clark Middlesex University Supervised at London School of Theology June 2018 Abstract Jason Paul Clark, “Evangelicalism and Capitalism: A reparative account and diagnosis of pathogeneses in the relationship.” Doctor of Philosophy, Middlesex University, 2018. No sustained examination and diagnosis of problems inherent to the relationship of Evangeli- calism with capitalism currently exists. Where assessments of the relationship have been un- dertaken, they are often built upon a lack of understanding of Evangelicalism, and an uncritical reliance both on Max Weber’s Protestant Work Ethic and on David Bebbington’s Quadrilateral of Evangelical priorities.
    [Show full text]
  • Early-Christianity-Timeline.Pdf
    Pagan Empire Christian Empire 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 1 AD Second 'Bishop' of Rome. Pupil of Student of Polycarp. First system- Bishop of Nyssa, brother of Basil. Pope. The Last Father of the Peter. Author of a letter to Corinth, atic theologian, writing volumi- Bishop of Original and sophisticated theologi- model of St Gregory the Church. First of the St John of (1 Clement), the earliest Christian St Clement of Rome nously about the Gospels and the St Irenaeus St Cyprian Carthage. an, writing on Trinitarian doctrine Gregory of Nyssa an ideal Scholastics. Polymath, document outside the NT. church, and against heretics. and the Nicene creed. pastor. Great monk, and priest. Damascus Former disciple of John the Baptist. Prominent Prolific apologist and exegete, the Archbishop of Constantinople, St Leo the Pope. Able administrator in very Archbishop of Seville. Encyclopaedist disciple of Jesus, who became a leader of the most important thinker between Paul brother of Basil. Greatest rhetorical hard times, asserter of the prima- and last great scholar of the ancient St Peter Judean and later gentile Christians. Author of two St Justin Martyr and Origen, writing on every aspect stylist of the Fathers, noted for St Gregory Nazianzus cy of the see of Peter. Central to St Isidore world, a vital link between the learning epistles. Source (?) of the Gospel of Mark. of life, faith and worship. writing on the Holy Spirit. Great the Council of Chalcedon. of antiquity and the Middle Ages. Claimed a knowledge and vision of Jesus independent Pupil of Justin Martyr. Theologian.
    [Show full text]
  • Protestant Experience and Continuity of Political Thought in Early America, 1630-1789
    Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School July 2020 Protestant Experience and Continuity of Political Thought in Early America, 1630-1789 Stephen Michael Wolfe Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Political History Commons, Political Theory Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Wolfe, Stephen Michael, "Protestant Experience and Continuity of Political Thought in Early America, 1630-1789" (2020). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 5344. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/5344 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. PROTESTANT EXPERIENCE AND CONTINUITY OF POLITICAL THOUGHT IN EARLY AMERICA, 1630-1789 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Political Science by Stephen Michael Wolfe B.S., United States Military Academy (West Point), 2008 M.A., Louisiana State University, 2016, 2018 August 2020 Acknowledgements I owe my interest in politics to my father, who over the years, beginning when I was young, talked with me for countless hours about American politics, usually while driving to one of our outdoor adventures. He has relentlessly inspired, encouraged, and supported me in my various endeavors, from attending West Point to completing graduate school.
    [Show full text]
  • Cautions About the Reformation and Its Theologies Dr
    Cautions about the Reformation and Its Theologies Dr. David Saxon Maranatha Baptist University I. It was not a primitivist movement – restoration of the NT ideal – but rather a reformatory movement – restoration of the ideal of catholicity A. Affirmed scripture’s sole authority but embraced the 5th century father Vincent of Lerins’ formula that the catholic faith is “What is believed everywhere, at all times, and by all.” B. Viewed “catholicity” as an ideal achieved in the early church and still desirable 1. “The distinctive ideas which thinkers such as Luther and Calvin held to underlie Christian faith and practice had been obscured, if not totally perverted, through a series of developments in the Middle Ages. According to these and other reformers of that age, it was time to reverse these changes, to undo the work of the Middle Ages, in order to return to a purer, fresher version of Christianity which beckoned to them across the centuries. The reformers echoed the cry of the humanists: ‘back to the sources’ (ad fontes) – back to the Golden Age of the church, in order to reclaim its freshness, purity and vitality in the midst of a period of stagnation and corruption” (Timothy George, Reformation Thought, 3-4). 2. Mainline reformers constantly quoted Augustine and other church fathers to establish the antiquity of their theology. This is understandable because the Catholics were claiming the church fathers for their many theological aberrations, and their claims were clearly not true. 3. But the church fathers, including even Augustine, got a long of things wrong, and the ultimate appeal needed to bypass them and go directly to the Scriptures.
    [Show full text]
  • Trinitarian/Christological Heresies Heresy Description Origin Official
    Trinitarian/Christological Heresies Official Heresy Description Origin Other Condemnation Adoptionism Belief that Jesus Propounded Theodotus was Alternative was born as a by Theodotus of excommunicated names: Psilanthro mere (non-divine) Byzantium , a by Pope Victor and pism and Dynamic man, was leather merchant, Paul was Monarchianism. [9] supremely in Rome c.190, condemned by the Later criticized as virtuous and that later revived Synod of Antioch presupposing he was adopted by Paul of in 268 Nestorianism (see later as "Son of Samosata below) God" by the descent of the Spirit on him. Apollinarism Belief proposed Declared to be . that Jesus had by Apollinaris of a heresy in 381 by a human body Laodicea (died the First Council of and lower soul 390) Constantinople (the seat of the emotions) but a divine mind. Apollinaris further taught that the souls of men were propagated by other souls, as well as their bodies. Arianism Denial of the true The doctrine is Arius was first All forms denied divinity of Jesus associated pronounced that Jesus Christ Christ taking with Arius (ca. AD a heretic at is "consubstantial various specific 250––336) who the First Council of with the Father" forms, but all lived and taught Nicea , he was but proposed agreed that Jesus in Alexandria, later exonerated either "similar in Christ was Egypt . as a result of substance", or created by the imperial pressure "similar", or Father, that he and finally "dissimilar" as the had a beginning declared a heretic correct alternative. in time, and that after his death. the title "Son of The heresy was God" was a finally resolved in courtesy one.
    [Show full text]
  • A Liberal Protestant Reflection on Erik Borgman's Cultural Theology
    HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies ISSN: (Online) 2072-8050, (Print) 0259-9422 Page 1 of 8 Original Research ‘Something is recognised’: A liberal Protestant reflection on Erik Borgman’s cultural theology Author: The Dutch Roman Catholic theologian Erik Borgman (1957), who developed a cultural 1,2 Rick Benjamins theology, was appointed as a visiting professor at the liberal Protestant theological Mennonite Affiliations: Seminary in Amsterdam. In this article, his progressive Roman Catholic theology is compared 1Protestant Theological to a liberal Protestant approach. The historical backgrounds of these different types of theology University, Amsterdam/ are expounded, all the way back to Aquinas and Scotus, in order to clarify their specific Groningen, the Netherlands & character for the sake of a better mutual understanding. Next, the convergence of these two Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, University types of theology in the twentieth century is explained with reference to the philosophy of of Groningen, the Netherlands Heidegger. Finally, the difficulties posed by postmodern philosophies to both a progressive Roman Catholic theology and a liberal Protestant theology are shown. It is asserted that both 2Department of Dogmatics types of theology claim that the insights of their particular tradition can be relevant beyond and Christian Ethics, Faculty of Theology, University of this tradition to modern and postmodern humans. Pretoria, South Africa Project leader: D.P. Veldsman A conference was held on 16 October 2015 on the occasion of the joining of Erik Borgman as a Project number: 01224719 visiting professor at the Mennonite Seminary (doopsgezind seminarie) in Amsterdam.1 Borgman (1957), the biographer of the famous theologian Edward Schillebeeckx (Borgman 2002), is a Description: Prof.
    [Show full text]
  • Nestorians Jǐngjiàotú ​景教徒
    ◀ Neo-Confucianism Comprehensive index starts in volume 5, page 2667. Nestorians Jǐngjiàotú ​景教徒 Nestorians refer to Christians who follow Nestorians first translated their scriptures into Chinese Nestorius, a leader of an early Eastern Chris- and established a Nestorian church in Chang’an. After tian tradition. Persecution for heresy forced the that many Nestorians came to China either by land from Nestorians toward Central and East Asia, includ- Central Asia or by sea from Persia (Iran). The Nestorian Stele was erected in 781, a time of relative prosperity for ing China. As the first generation of Christians Chinese Nestorianism. It is said to have been inscribed coming to China, they arrived in the Tang court by a Nestorian priest named “Adam” (“Jingjing” in Chi- in the early seventh century, and remained in the nese) with the sponsorship of a larger congregation. The country for two hundred years. stele offers a brief but thorough history of Nestorianism in Tang China. According to manuscript sources, the Ne- storian leader Adam translated about thirty-five​­ scriptures hristianity was introduced to China during the into Chinese. Several of these translations survived as the Tang dynasty (618– 907 ce) and became widely manuscripts from Dunhuang; one of them is identified as known as “Jingjiao” (Luminous Teaching) dur- Gloria in excélsis Deo in Syriac texts. However, after 845 ing the Tianqi period (1625– 1627) of the Ming dynasty the Nestorians virtually disappeared in Chinese sources, (1368– 1644) after the discovery of a luminous stele (a having suffered political persecution under the reign of carved or inscribed stone slab or pillar used for commem- the Emperor Wuzong.
    [Show full text]
  • And Eastern Monophysitism
    Athens Journal of History - Volume 1, Issue 4 – Pages 267-288 The Political and Social Conflict between Orthodox Christianity (Constantinople and Rome) and Eastern Monophysitism By Jayoung Che The 4th Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon (431) denounced Eutychianism/Monophysitism as a heresy. Rushdoony suggested that the Chalcedonian formula made Western liberty possible because the unity and particularity (or individuality) firmly grounded in the triune God freed man from the oppression of the state. In my opinion, however, even the triune God does not always refer to everybody’s liberty, but could degenerate into an instrument protecting the privileged. The so called universalism exploited by some Byzantine emperors or most senatorial aristocrats refers to the enforcement of the religious dogma; the former preferred Monophysitism for consolidating autocratic imperial power, and the latter the Chalcedonian formula for securing their liberty against the emperors’ despotism. Enforcing whichever kind of religious dogma denotes the degeneration of the Byzantine Society towards an exclusive, privileged society. Contrary to religious exclusivism, there was a type of Christianity which was more universal and open- minded, not only towards heretics but even to the pagans. Introduction As Constantine the Great promulgated the Edict of Milan (313 AD), the Hellenic-Roman traditions and the various sects of Christianity began to co- exist legally. Actually, however, the universalism of Christianity allowed it to open its mind towards the so called pagans
    [Show full text]
  • TIMELINE of EARLY CHRISTIAN HISTORY: 100 AD to 800 AD C 100 St
    TIMELINE OF EARLY CHRISTIAN HISTORY: 100 AD TO 800 AD c 100 St. John dies. End of Apostolic age 107 Ignatius of Antioch martyred 156 Polycarp martyred 161-180 Persecution of Christians increases under Marcus Aurelius c 165 Justin Martyr martyred c 180 Irenaeus of Lyon writes Against Heresies 184 Birth of Origen 250 Persecution of Christians under Decius 253 Death of Origen, shortly after suffering two years of imprisonment and torture 303-312 The Diocletian persecution – the Roman empire’s last, largest and bloodiest persecution of Christians 310 Armenia becomes the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion. 312 Constantine, at the Battle of Milvian Bridge, experiences vision of the cross carrying the message, In Hoc Signo Vinces ("with this sign, you shall win") 313 Constantine issues the Edict of Milan, providing for the toleration of Christianity and Christians c 323 Eusebius of Caesarea completes Ecclesiastical History 325 First Council of Nicaea (the first ecumenical council) is convened by Constantine. Debate rages over whether Christ is of the "same substance" or "similar substance" to God. The position of Arius, that Christ was of “similar substance” (i.e., that he is a created being), is refuted. Nicene Creed is drawn up, declaring Christ to be "Begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father." 324 Constantinople becomes capital of the Roman Empire 349 Birth of John Chrysostom 354 Birth of Augustine of Hippo 367 Athanasius, in his annual festal letter to the churches of Alexandria, lists the 27 books he believed should constitute the New Testament 380 Theodosius issues the Edict of Thessalonica, declaring Nicene Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire 381 First Council of Constantinople is convened by Theodosius.
    [Show full text]
  • NEH Summer Seminar: Central Asia in World History Final Project Sam Thomas University School Hunting Valley, OH <[email protected]
    NEH Summer Seminar: Central Asia in World History Final project Sam Thomas University School Hunting Valley, OH <[email protected]> In this project, students will be asked to use a variety of primary sources to answer a central historical question: Were the Nestorians truly Christian? The Nestorians were a heretical sect of Christianity that made its way to east Asia in the second half of the first millennium. Much of Nestorian history is obscure, but when European monks arrived in Asia in the thirteenth century they found practitioners who claimed to be Christian, although it is clear that they had incorporated elements of other religions (particularly Buddhism) into their beliefs and practice. In order to complete this exercise, students will wrestle with a number of questions, large and small: • How should they use evidence that is scattered across centuries and thousands of miles? • How reliable is a given source, when it is written by someone from outside the culture he is observing? • How can archeological artifacts be ‘read’? • What does it mean to be a Christian, and by extension, what does it mean to follow any given faith? There are a lot of documents here, and you can pull them some of the texts out as you see fit. If you’d like an electronic copy of this packet, feel free to send me an email. Document A: Berkshire Encyclopedia of China Christianity was introduced to China during the Tang dynasty (618-907) and became widely known as “Jingjiao” (Luminous Teaching) during the Tianqui period (1625-1627) of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) after the discovery of a luminous stele (a stone pillar used for commemorative purposes).
    [Show full text]