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History of the Church and I Tell You, You Are Peter, and on This Rock I Will Build My Church, and the Powers of Death Shall Not Prevail Against It

History of the Church and I Tell You, You Are Peter, and on This Rock I Will Build My Church, and the Powers of Death Shall Not Prevail Against It

History of the And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of shall not prevail against it. ~ Matthew 16:18

T THE GREAT outpour- “The Edict of Milan larger persecution of the entire ing of the Holy Spir- Christian community in Jeru- it on the disciples at legalized .” salem led by the Pharisee , A (see Acts who would later convert and 2), the Church began its public ministry, bringing become Paul, the to the (see Acts the of to all nations. During 9:1-19; :9-10). (The Gentiles were those not these early years, the Church was primarily a com- of Jewish descent.) As a result of this persecution, munity of Jewish converts. It was to them that Je- Jewish fled to other major cities in the sus had focused his public ministry, and to them that empire such as , , and . As the and disciples had first carried the Good Christians spread to these places, they came into more News. Thus, the focus of the Church’s ministry was frequent contact with Gentiles, who quickly convert- centered at , preaching to the Jews of that ed. Gentiles entered the Church in such large num- great city and those that came to it in pilgrimage from bers that they soon outnumbered the Jewish Chris- their faraway homes. tians, and tensions between the two groups began to arise. A major dispute soon arose about whether The Early Years these new Christians had to follow all the The Jewish focus changed with the Church’s ex- precepts of the Law of . It was clear that the pansion beyond Jerusalem, which began about the (the Decalogue) should be kept year 36 AD. A deacon named Stephen was false- by all, but not clear about dietary laws and practices ly accused of blasphemy, brought before the Sanhe- such as . These latter precepts for cen- drin (the Jewish court of elders), and later stoned turies had helped to distinguish Israel from its pagan to death (see :8-7:60). His death triggered a neighbors amidst persecution and slavery. To re-

The Institution of the , by Fra Angelico, 1387-1455

The Association for Catechumenal Ministry (ACM) grants the original purchaser (parish, local parochial institution, or individual) permission to reproduce this handout. solve this dispute, Christianity and the first Church gave it an equal council was called status with the at Jerusalem, in traditional pagan about 50 AD. religions of Rome. The decisions of Constantine even- this council made tually took control it clear that Gen- of the entire em- tiles were not pire, put an end to bound by the law the remaining per- of circumcision secutions, and re- but were bound united the empire to avoid eating under one leader. meats which had Some historians been sacrificed claim that Con- to idols, both to stantine himself ensure that they The elevation of the Cross, by James Tissot, 1836-1902 converted before themselves would his death. not be tempted to return to idolatry and to demon- strate respect for the traditions and customs of their The Period of Heresies Jewish brothers and sisters (see :1-19). In the wake of its new freedom, the Church was able to establish itself and begin to deal with the con- The Period of Persecution fusion and errors called heresies that were disrupt- The Church continued to grow and spread in ing the lives of many of the faithful. Certain heresies, the following few decades during a period of rela- which centered around the person of Christ — tive peace. This changed when a fire that devastated whether he was God or man or both, and whether much of Rome in 64 AD was blamed on the Christians he was one person or two or a mixture of both — by the emperor . As punishment, Nero began were valuable moments for the Church to reflect persecuting Christians. Many Christians were mar- more deeply on its teaching, gain greater insight into tyred during this persecution, including the two great the truth of its doctrines, and develop greater preci- pillars of the Church, Peter and Paul. This sion in the way they were expressed. persecution lasted only a year, but it began a general Several Church councils were convened during attitude of hostility on the part of Roman authorities this time, beginning with the Council of Nicaea in toward Christians that continued into the 4th century. 325. This council affirmed Christ’s divinity, which During these centuries, the simmering Roman hostil- had been denied by the proponents of , who ity several times erupted into outright persecution in asserted that Christ was only human and had been which Christians were killed for their . It reached created at the beginning of time. Because of the vast a peak in the early years of the 4th century when, in extent of Arianism, which claimed in its ranks even the years 303 and 304, the emperor of the eastern many , another council was called in 381 at half of the empire, , issued three edicts ini- Constantinople. This council reaffirmed the divinity tiating a violent persecution that lasted almost twen- of Christ and reaffirmed the first formulated at ty years in some regions of the empire. In the West, Nicaea, commonly called the . In the the emperor Constantine was more favorable towards following century, another heresy arose, called Nesto- the Church due to the influence of his mother, Hel- rianism, which denied that Mary was the Mother of ena, who had become a Christian. Following a mi- God (, meaning in Greek “God-bearer”) raculous urging Constantine to fight under and claimed that she gave birth only to Christ’s hu- the sign of the cross, Constantine achieved man person. In response, the Church at the Council over his imperial ri- of in 431 af- vals. He and his east- “By the fifth century, the Church had firmed that Christ was ern counterpart issued spread to nearly every corner of the a divine Person who the Edict of Milan in assumed human na- 313, which legalized .” ture when conceived

History of the Church — Page 2 in Mary’s womb. “By the conclusion of the first millennium in 410, monasteries Mary’s title as Moth- also became centers er of God came not of Christianity, nearly the whole of of education and because she herself Europe had become Christian.” culture. It is largely was a divine person due to the work of but because she gave who spent human birth to the Divine Person, the Son of God. long hours each day copying manuscripts that West- Twenty years later at the , the ern culture was preserved for future generations. Church defined the way Christ assumed human flesh During the 5th through the 8th centuries, missionary as a union of two natures, human and divine, in one monks were sent out to preach all over divine Person. Leo the Great’s famous Tome Europe. With the work of St. Patrick in Ireland, St. that was read at the Council explained that this union in England, and St. Boni- in Christ’s divine Person united two complete, dis- face in Germany, to name only a few, the Church tinct, and individual natures without any confusion. was established in modern-day Germany, France, Upon hearing this, the bishops gathered there rose Spain, England, Scotland, and Ireland. By the con- and proclaimed: “This is the faith of the apostles; so clusion of the first millennium of Christianity, nearly we all believe. Peter has spoken through Leo!” the whole of Europe had become Christian. The collapse of the empire in the West, which had The Creation of left half of Europe without any centralized leader- By the 5th century, the Church had spread to nearly ship or government, led the Church, specifically the every corner of the Roman empire. Large civic halls , to step in and save Western Europe from total called were converted into churches to al- ruin. When the Hun first approached Rome low for larger numbers to assemble for worship. Be- in 451, it was Pope Leo the Great who met with him cause the possibility of martyrdom had been largely and convinced him to spare attacking Rome. As removed when Christi- the years went by, the anity became a legal re- pope as Christ’s vic- ligion, some members ar (representative) on of the Church went out earth wielding spiritu- into the desert, denying al authority was seen themselves every phys- more and more also as ical comfort as a kind an authority in affairs of spiritual martyrdom of the world. witnessing to their de- The rise of the pa- sire and faith to live and pacy’s political author- die only for the Lord. ity eventually wed the Eventually, many of the Church and state to- faithful were inspired gether in the West, to draw away from the contributing to a ris- world to — if not the ing hostility between desert — a secluded East and West in the place where they could Church. The Pope’s pray and fast. A whole addition of the words new way of Christian “and the Son” to the living was born, called Nicene Creed to de- monasticism. Monas- scribe the procession of teries sprang up around the , with- Europe, generally seen out the use of a world- as beginning with St. wide Church council, Benedict’s in Monte was seen by Eastern Cassino, . bishops as a usurpa- With the collapse of The majestic Gothic Cathedral of Ulm, Germany constructed from 1377 to tion of the authority of the empire in the West 1477; its single spire rises to a height of 529 feet the bishops as a whole.

History of the Church — Page 3 When Pope St. Leo III crowned The “” as emperor of From approximately the 11th the Holy Roman Empire on through the 14th centuries, Eu- Christmas Day 800, the hostil- rope experienced its greatest pe- ity reached its peak. How could riod of unity and the formation the Pope not only allow but also of a true culture of Christianity. crown a French king This period is termed the “high to the of the Roman em- middle ages” (that is, a portion pire? The in the East of the period from about the 5th were furious. For the next 150 to the 14th centuries), and saw years the situation was only as well the rise of great learn- worsened by popes of ill repute. ing, the establishment of uni- In 1054, the final break between versities, and a greater develop- Rome and the of Con- ment in trade. This is the period stantinople took place, there- of St. and St. by severing the Eastern (now Dominic, founders of two of called Orthodox) Churches the Church’s greatest religious from the West. Today, many of orders, and the period of the the wounds caused by this divi- greatest philosopher and theo- sion have been healed and rela- logian the Church has ever pro- tions with the East have consid- duced, St. . erably improved, although the St. Ignatius in Port Tobacco, Maryland, the first parish founded by the Jesuit priest Fr. Andrew A much-needed reform of has not yet been ended. White, and the oldest parish in continuous service in the papacy began with the es- the original thirteen colonies tablishment of the Cluny mon- The Rise of Islam and the astery in France in 910. This “From approximately monastery, free from feudal th In the 7 century, Islam was th control, became the model for founded and began a centu- the 11 through the monasteries during this time; by ries-long period of conquest in 14th centuries, Europe the mid-12th century there were the Christian world. Within a over 300 monasteries modeled century, Islamic warriors had experienced its greatest on Cluny. Monks from these taken over much of Christian period of unity and houses began taking leader- Minor, North Africa, and ship roles in the Church, in- Spain, only halted by Chris- the formation of a true cluding the papacy. This led to tian military resistance at Con- the actions of several popes to stantinople in 717 and south- culture of Christianity.” establish the Church’s autono- ern France in 732. An uneasy my from secular influence. The peace with numerous clashes prevailed for the next most notable example is Pope Gregory VII (1073- several centuries. 1085). Pope Gregory, himself from a reformed mon- The first Crusade, launched by Pope Urban II in astery, sought to free the Church from the influence 1095, was a response to the plea from the Byzantine of Emperor Henry IV. Although Pope Gregory lost Empire (the former Eastern Roman Empire) for help his own battle, dying in exile from Rome, his ideas against Muslim conquest of Christian holy places and remained, and the Church eventually won the war. attacks on Byzantine soil. The Crusaders also sought The pinnacle of papal power in this era was probably to open a passageway to the Holy Land in order to Pope Innocent III (1198-1216). Pope Innocent did ensure that pilgrimages by Christians would always spiritual battle with King Philip Augustus of France be possible in the Muslim-dominated territory. How- and later King John of England, in both cases com- ever, after initial success, the later Crusades had less- ing out the victor. The power of the Church over honorable aims, becoming more and more materialis- kings would never be greater than under this pope. th tic. By the end of the 13 century, the Muslims had But troubles remained. In the early 14th century driven the Crusaders out of the Holy Land. the papacy moved to Avignon, France, where it re-

History of the Church — Page 4 “The Counter- removed many of the abuses and problems that had made the Protestant revolt possible.” mained for about seventy years, heavily influenced by and removed many of the abuses and problems that French monarchs. The Pope eventually returned to had made the Protestant revolt possible. Rome, but there were rival claims to the papacy and Simultaneously with the problems in Europe, by 1415 three men, each from a different “chain” of the Church was growing tremendously in the New succession, claimed to be pope. Only with the Coun- World. Missionaries were sent to preach the Gospel. cil of Constance in Switzerland in 1417 was the situ- They not only preached but also worked to improve ation sorted out, but the damage that had been done the manner in which both natives and those peo- lasted for centuries. ple enslaved and transported from Africa were treated, and to alleviate their burdens. The Protestant Revolt and the The many Church condemnations of slavery, sadly, had little effect on A whole variety of factors in its general practice in the New the Church came together in World. Nevertheless, great 1517 when the Augustinian numbers of the oppressed nailed population converted and his “Ninety-five Theses” (a entered the Church. Mis- list of criticisms of Church sionary efforts, most no- practices in his day) to the tably by the Jesuits, Church door in Witten- were also carried out in burg, Germany. Initially the Far East in India, intended only as a chal- Japan, China, Indochi- lenge to debate, Luther’s na, and the Philippines. Theses became a rallying The blood of many mar- point for people discon- tyrs was spilt in order to tented with the Church establish the Church in and its problems at the time. these lands. Luther and others quickly broke away from the Catho- The “Enlightenment,” th lic Church, leading away from Vatican I, and the Early 20 the Church many millions in Ger- Century man-speaking states, France, Swit- The next major challenge to the zerland, England, Scotland, the Nether- Church did not come from kings and lands, and Scandinavia. rulers but from philoso- Pope Pius VII, a Benedictine monk, reigned from 1800 to In response to the doctri- 1823, began to reestablish the Jesuit Order, resisted and phers. With the dawn of the nal challenges of the reform- excommunicated Napoleon, and was himself imprisoned by “Age of Reason,” also called ers, and the genuine need for the French ruler, established several important feast days in the “Enlightenment,” faith reform of corrupt practices honor of Mary, and aggressively sought to foster was ridiculed. The “enlight- evangelization; portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence, 1769-1830 by members of the Church, ened” philosopher could not the Church convened the be a person of faith because Council of Trent (1545-1563), which reaffirmed the religion and science, faith and reason were viewed as doctrines of the Church with great clarity. With as- incompatible opposites. The consequences for the sistance from a new order of priests called the Soci- faithful were dire. Not only did outright persecu- ety of Jesus (the Jesuits), the Church launched the tions result from the denial of God’s role in human Counter-Reformation, which sought to reclaim the affairs, such as that which characterized the French peoples and nations that had separated themselves Revolution in the late 1800s, but more important- from the Church. Although only a portion of Europe ly the faith of many people was systematically un- was restored to the Church, the Counter-Reforma- dermined, so that today, throughout nearly all of tion succeeded in renewing the Church as a whole old Christendom and the parts of the world where

History of the Church — Page 5 “Western values” predominate, a new kind of pagan- ed wealthy nations of their obligation to help the poor ism has become the predominant culture, but with- and to work toward a more just distribution of human out even the redeeming feature of in and wor- goods throughout the world. ship of some kind of god. At the Vatican I Council in 1870, the relationship of Vatican II to the Present faith and reason was affirmed. The Council explained In order to adapt itself to the quickly-changing that, although the truth obtained through faith is inac- times and more successfully proclaim the Gospel, the cessible to reason alone, it is no less rational because Church held its twenty-first in of it. The person of faith does not put his or her rea- 1962-1965, Vatican II. In many ways, Vatican II was son aside. Rather, the light of faith purifies reason and the fruit of the renewal that had already begun in the enables the believer to use reason to make sense out areas of and . In the wake of of divine Revelation. Also, amidst the growing athe- this Council, the Church has sought to implement its ism of this time, Vatican I affirmed that knowledge reforms and become more effective in proclaiming of God’s existence could be discovered through rea- the Gospel to the modern world. Pope John XXIII son alone. As Scripture says, “Ever since the creation of called the Council; Pope Paul VI closed it and im- the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and plemented many of its reforms. Pope John Paul II deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been emphasized the theological, social, and political im- made. So they are without excuse” (Rom 1:20), that is, portance of human dignity and made Vatican II the those who say they cannot discover him. rallying point of his papacy as he led the Church into At the turn of the 20th century, a new heresy called the third millennium of Christianity. Pope Bene- modernism appeared that was a synthesis of many dict XVI, elected in 2005, has made Christian uni- previous heresies. (1903-1914) was an ty, combatting the of the secular culture ardent defender of the Church’s teaching in the face (see handout on Errors of Modern Culture), and re- of modernism. His successors would find themselves evangelization of nations once authentically Chris- occupied with the tian important parts of problems of two world “The Church has vigorously defended his work as Universal wars and the political Shepherd. ideologies of Commu- human rights and promoted the value Sadly, the first sev- nism and Fascism that of the individual person.” eral decades following came between and af- Vatican II coincided ter them. Pope Pius with a rise in a “culture XI (1922-1939) sought to confirm the rights of Catho- of dissent” within the Church, which even claimed lics under Fascist governments in Italy and Germany. that the conciliar documents somehow supported their Pope Pius XII (1939-1958) sought to stop World War desire to change doctrine and overthrow ancient disci- II and saved hundreds of thousands of Jews from the plines. This culture may be on the wane, but it is the genocidal evil of the Nazi regime in Germany. responsibility of every to fully and joyfully During this period and in the following decades up conform to the Church’s unchanging teaching, even to the present, the Church has vigorously defended when the cost is, as Jesus tells us, taking up our cross human rights and promoted the value of the individ- daily (see Lk 9:23). ual person against both totalitarian communist states, Although God allows us to work out, for both which suppressed human freedom by promoting the good and ill, the consequences of the use of our free state over and against the individual, and states that will, we must always realize that the he is the Lord allowed or promoted such evils as abortion and eu- of history; ultimately, he is in : “For thou hast thanasia. In the West, the Church also faces the chal- done these things and those that went before and those that lenge of proclaiming the Gospel to an increasingly sec- followed; thou hast designed the things that are now, and ular and materialistic culture. In various encyclicals those that are to come. Yea, the things thou didst intend (papal letters), the popes during these years have de- came to pass, and the things thou didst will presented them- fended the value of and the family and pro- selves and said, ‘Lo, we are here’; for all thy ways are pre- moted the value of human labor over capital, under- pared in advance, and thy judgment is with foreknowledge” scoring that the person and his or her work cannot be (Jdt 9:5-6). treated as another mere raw material in the process of (CCC 269, 304, 817, 849, 851-852, 882, 1040, production. The Church has also repeatedly remind- 1122)

History of the Church — Page 6

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