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History of the Catholic Church a 2,000-Year Journey

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History of the Catholic Church a 2,000-Year Journey History of the Catholic Church A 2,000-Year Journey Why Study Church History? • To come to know Jesus better through his Church and its teachings • To gain a better sense of our identity as Catholic Christians • To be able to address many of the common errors and inaccuracies about the Church and its history • To learn how best to express God’s Word in today’s world 2 Course Outline I. Definition of the Church II. Mission of the Church III. Models of the Church IV. Church History V. U.S. Catholic Church VI. Roles and Responsibilities of the Baptized In the Beginning… • Eternal Triune God • The Word, Wisdom Incarnate, through Whom all is created • Judaea Christian view of time • Catholic Sacramental perspective of History • The Word was made flesh- The Incarnation • The Annunciation - “Mary's obedience unties the knot of Eves disobedience” St Irenaeus 4 Definition of the Church • CCC 751 The word "Church" (Latin ecclesia, from the Greek ek-ka-lein, to "call out of") means a convocation or an assembly. Ekklesia is used frequently in the Greek Old Testament for the assembly of the Chosen People before God, above all for their assembly on Mount Sinai where Israel received the Law and was established by God as his holy people. By calling itself "Church," the first community of Christian believers recognized itself as heir to that assembly. • 752 In Christian usage, the word "church" designates the liturgical assembly, but also the local community or the whole universal community of believers. Church Mission • 849 CCC The missionary mandate. "Having been divinely sent to the nations that she might be 'the universal sacrament of salvation,' the Church, in obedience to the command of her founder and because it is demanded by her own essential universality, strives to preach the Gospel to all men": "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and Lo, I am with you always, until the close of the age.“ Catholic Church Built Western Civilization • Modern science was born in the Catholic Church • Catholic priests developed the idea of free-market economics five hundred years before Adam Smith • The Catholic Church invented the university • The Church great patron of the Arts • Western law grew out of Church canon law • The Church humanized the West by insisting on the sacredness of all human life Models of the Church, Cardinal Avery Dulles • Institution • Mystical Communion • Sacrament • Herald • Servant • Community of Disciples Understanding the Past “…it is impossible to understand the past unless we understand the things for which the men of the past cared most.” -Christopher Dawson (Catholic Historian From a historical perspective, we realize that the Church is… • Based on the life and teachings of an historical person, Jesus of Nazareth from Gospels • The story of the relationship of Jesus and the believers • A mystery filled with God’s presence throughout history History of the Catholic Church Part 1 The Early Church- 1st Century (30 – 330 AD) Early Christians • Church born at Pentecost • Founded by Christ, authority given to Peter, Apostles formed as leaders, and to last till end of time • New life in dying and rising with Christ in Baptism • Acts of the Apostles describes early Church as; - Sharing goods in common - Charitable - Eucharistic - Apostolic - Missionary * “The Way” Influence: Jewish Sources • Early Church thoroughly Jewish: Jesus, Apostles, first followers were all Jewish • NT writers (Luke possible exception) were all Jews • Church is considered the New Israel Christ called: the New Law; the New Adam; the New Moses; the Son of David Paul • OT prophecies central to NT: Matthew cites OT 41 times – “it might be fulfilled.” • Jesus Christ would make no sense without the OT roots • Pius XI: “Spiritually, we are all Semites.” The Beginnings: Roman Sources • Roman Empire at its material peak when Jesus is born (Pax Romana) from Spain to Persia, from Egypt to Scotland • Effectiveness of communication and transportation not exceeded until the invention of the telegraph & railroad • Culture, architecture, arts, laws, language – homegrown & borrowed from others (Greeks) • Rome created an atmosphere in which missionary could activity flourished • Romans tolerant of established religions; considered early Christian activity Jewish Pax Romana The Domestic Church (2nd – 3rd centuries) • They also met in private homes for the “breaking of the bread” and the prayers. Eventually some houses were specifically designated for worship. • A house-church in Dura-Europos [Iraq] was built c. 250 A. D. and still stands. Persecutions • Jewish • Nero (64-67) – Peter & Paul • Domitian (95-96) – Clement I 1 • Trajan to Hadrian (112-138) – Ignatius of Antioch; Polycarp • Marcus Aurelius (161) – Cecilia; Justin • Septimus Severus (202) – Perpetua; Felicity; Irenaeus • Maximin of Thrace (235) – Popes Pontian and Antherus • Decius (249-251) – Fabiran; Agatha- Libellus • Diocletian- most brutal • Romans were scandalized by the Cross • Roman religion was civil religion- goal was political unity Graffiti – “Alexamenos worships his God” Why Christians Were So Disliked? • 2 forms of early Christian literature explains 1. Martyrologies 2. Apologies • Claims of Incest and Cannibalism Justin Martyr, in his Letter to Diogenes, explained: • Christians “marry as men do and beget children, but they do not practice abortion. They share tables but not beds. They live in the flesh, but not according to the flesh…” “The world suffers nothing from Christians but hates them because they reject its pleasures.” • Neighbors often denounced Christians out of sheer dislike, or for greed for their property Constantine’s Rise to Power • Diocletian forced to resign • Constantine Battle of Milvian Bridge (312) • Constantine, was told in a vision to use a Christian symbol during the battle • His victory effectively gave Constantine at Milvian him control of the Empire Bridge The Peace of Constantine • In 313 through the Edict of Milan • Constantine legalized Christianity, granting religious freedom to everyone, built Churches, instituted humane laws, gave Church and Bishops place of honor, Sunday Sabbath. • Constantine reunited the Empire used the Church as a means to achieve that unity. • 1st Christian Emperor. Catholic Culture: Early Debate Christians faced problems in a pagan world: • How to educate their children? • Could classical culture be assimilated or should it be rejected in favor of a new culture based solely on Scripture and the Fathers? • Tertullian believed in the latter: “What has Jerusalem to do with Athens…the Church with the academy, the Christian with the heretic?” • Clement of Alexandria held opposite view: since God is source of all truth, the many truths found in Greek philosophy, arts and sciences were not to be rejected. A well-educated Christian can better receive and defend the truths of the Faith Early Heresies & Schisms • The Great Heresies [313-476 A.D.] • Gnosticism. Secret Knowledge- false Gospels • Arians. Opposed by Nicaea in 325. “There was a time when he was not.” homoiosios (similar) versus homoosios ( true teaching, same nature or substance) • Apollinarians. Condemned 1st Constantinople, Augustine 381. Christ had a human body and a human refuting heretic sensitive soul, but no human rational mind, the Divine Logos taking its place. • Nestorians. Condemned by Ephesus, 431. Mary shouldn’t be called “Mother of God,” since she’s mother only of the human side of Jesus Great Heresies Continued… • Monophysites. Condemned by Chalcedon in Pelagius 451. Jesus really has only one nature, a divine nature, which supplanted his human nature. • Donatist. Condemned local Council of Arles in 314. Repeated errors of Novatianism and Montanism regarding sinners; held that sacraments administered by clergy in state of mortal sin are invalid. • Pelagians. Condemned by Council of Ephesus in 431. British monk, Pelagius, denied existence of original sin; possible to achieve salvation solely through reason and free will, without necessity of grace or the Church. Councils – Explaining Our Faith • Doctrine developed in the face of controversy and persecution • Clarification and expression of church teachings • Followed Apostolic model, and must be convened or recognized by the Pope Germanic Migrations and The Huns • Rome didn’t fall in one catastrophic event (410-476) • Last Roman Emperor (Romulus Augustulus) deposed in 476 by Odoacer These Germanic (or Gothic) peoples attacked • Forced Romans and Visigoths to form an alliance (451) which held Attila at the Battle of Chalons – so he headed south…toward Rome • Cooperation of Romans, barbarians and Church would form the foundation of a new future Changing the Face of Europe • West deteriorates into multitude of barbarian kingdoms • The Church was the only organized institution • Even where barbarians did not destroy the Empire’s infrastructure, they had no clue how to maintain it • Cities eventually disappeared • Although pagan barbarians adopted Christianity, their ignorance and low morals actually lowered society’s standards • Conversion of Frankish king, Clovis, leads to conversion of barbarians – common religion brought some unity The “Dark Ages” • Historical revisionists claim Christianity rejected classical civilization – even sought to destroy it – and thus inaugurated the Dark Ages • Truth: Christianity not the cause of the decline of late Roman culture • Last flowering
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