Church History Chapter 2 : Persecution of "the Way" and Heresies
How did St. Augustine combat Donatism?
- Augustine was a fierce opponent - said "Christ is the true minister of every sacrament, even if the person is in a state of sin" - ex opere, operate = from the work having been done - separated the worthiness of the priest from the validity/efficacy of the sacrament
How did Constantine help promote the spread of Christianity?
- 313 Edict of Milan - freedom to practice Christianity in public - saw Christianity as a way to unify the empire
What is Manichaeism?
- A religion that mixed elements of Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and Christianity to create one prophet for all humanity. It spread mostly among merchants on the Silk Road - continue dualism - material body = darkness - spiritual - soul = light - very ascetic (self denying), fasting, penance - St. Augustine followed Manichaeism for years
What are some Christological heresies?
- Arianism : Jesus is a creature of the Father (he's less than the father) - Nestorianism : 2 persons of Christ (50% God / 50% man) - Monophysitism : ultimately one nature in Christ (all God no man)
Who was St. Ignatius of Antioch?
- Bishop - Wrote letters while being brought under guard to Rome - "I am God's wheat, ground by teeth of wild beasts, that I may be found Christ's pure bread" (reference to sacred Eucharist) - Emphasized the role of bishops against false belief and as a sign of unity with Christ (development of local heresies) - 1st to use term "Catholic Church" (universal church/belief) - Emphasized papacy and deference to Bishop of Rome (unity through bishops)
Who was Iraneaus of Lyon?
- Bishop and martyr - Fought early heresies - Emphasized the episcopacy (role of bishops), scripture (what's in the Bible), and tradition (unwritten tradition passed down) - Martyred
What is Monophysitism?
- Christ is only divine and barely human - one nature in Christ - Eutychus said his human nature "is like a drop of wine in the ocean" of his divinity
What happened during the lead up to the Council of Constantinople I on 381?
- Constantine appointed Arians as bishops and as Patriarch of CP (ehh is the emperor appointing bishops?) - more disunity
Describe the city of Constantinople.
- Constantine moved the seat of government from Rome to Byzantium/CP - this led to a shift in political, economic, societal power from Rome (Latin and poor) to CP (Greek and wealthy) - set in motion the split in the empire and church
What is Gnosticism?
- Heretical belief that there is a "secret knowledge" necessary for salvation - dualist (believed in two god like figures) - divine being was spiritual - Demiurge - material - Jesus did not have a material body/body as it is evil, did not die on the cross - Jesus came only to bring gnosis/secret knowledge - similar to new age — "find the light within"
Where were the church councils held?
- Jerusalem - Antioch - Constantinople - Alexandria - Rome
What is Arianism?
- Jesus is neither God nor equal to God - was obedient to the Father's will - a "creature of God" (anything that made is a creature and therefore less than) - dangerous heresy - "there was a time when he was not" - riots in the empire - the world awoke to find instead Arian (Arianism spread really fast) - Arius used song to teach heresy
What is Docetism?
- Jesus is only divine and only looks human - another type of Gnosticism - Jesus only had the appearance of a body - Halloween
What is Nestorianism?
- Mary was not the Theotokos (God-Bearer) but only the Christokos (Christ-Bearer). She bore his humanity in her womb, but his divinity was a later addition - how can Mary be the mother of God - Nestorius said Jesus is the unity of a Divine person and a human person and that Mary is the mother of the HUMAN Jesus - rejected "theotokos,
who started the persecution of the Christians
- Nero : insane "Let the Christians be exterminated" - Blamed Fire of Rome on Christians - Tortured them to death - Continued under Emperor Domitian - local persecutions in the city of Rome
What happened at the Council of Chalcedon in 451?
- Pope Leo the Great issued the "Tome of Leo" - Jesus Christ is the "God-man, ONE Divine Person with two natures" - Peter has spoken through Leo - declared that Jesus is One Divine Person with 2 natures, a human nature and a divine nature - Cyril of Alexandria called this the "hypostatic union" - rejected BOTH Nestorianism and Monophysitism - Jesus is like us in all things except sin
Who was Diocletian?
- Roman emperor - continued the empire wide persecution of the church through the early 4th century
Who was Justin Martyr?
- Was a philosopher - Later a Christian - Saw philosophy was a shadow of truth of Christ - Martyred with his students when they refused to offer sacrifice to the gods
Who was Ambrose of Milan?
- a catechumen acclaimed to be Bishop - baptized, ordained, made bishop within weeks - sought independence from state - opposed Arius at the council of Nicaea - great preacher, encouraged conversion of Augustine
What is a heresy?
- a false teaching about a Christian truth of the faith - it tries to explain a mystery so we can "understand it"
What happened at the Council of Nicaea?
- called by Constantine (not even Christian yet) due to riots and disorder - Athanasius (Coptic Egyptian) proposed a Greek philosophical term, "Homoousios"
What was Trajan's Rescript?
- don't persecute Christians denounced anonymously - If they offered sacrifice to the gods they could live (Christians can't worship false gods) - Christianity still a crime but limited conditions under which they could be persecuted - BUT still his policy was apostasy or death
Who were the Church Fathers?
- heroes of the church - holy leaders - explained the Faith - orthodox in doctrine, holy, well known in the early church
What did Theodosius do?
- in 391 made Christianity the official religion of the empire (even people who don't want to be Christian will be baptized) - this close connection between church and state risked the empire meddling in the church = caesaropapism - this was soon seen in the Eastern Empire (where the emperor lived) but resisted in the West (bc of Ambrose)
What did St. Ambrose force the Emperor Theodosius to do that increased the authority of the Church?
- made to do a public penance for the death of innocents in Thessalonica - held accountable for killing thousands for innocents out of revenge for the death of one of his generals in a riot - "Emperor is in the Church, not above the Church"
What is homoousios?
- means of the same substance/nature/essence - we need more than just Scripture to prove Jesus is both God & man and equal to the Father
Who was John Chrysostom? (Golden Mouthed)
- patriarch of Constantinople (emperor is also located there) - great preacher, spiritual death AND practical application - criticized the moral laxity in CP (they didn't take morality seriously) - banished 3x by the empress - died in exile
Describe St. Augustine's life after conversion.
- priest and bishop (from Hippo in Africa) - wrote about the heresies of his day (Arianism, Manichaeism, Donatism, and Pelagianism) - wrote his spiritual autobiography "Confessions" (addressing his feelings and conversion) - wrote "City of God" which looks at the earthly and heavenly kingdoms - The earthly kingdom and its struggle will end so we must seek the heavenly kingdom-the City of God - This was written as the Vandals were overcoming Hippo
What happened at the Council of Constantinople I in 381?
- reaffirmed Nicaea and gave us the Creed as we know it today - emphasized the Divinity of Jesus - "God from God, Light from Light... begotten not made"
What is Pelagianism?
- salvation and holiness can be achieved by mere human effort - don't need sacraments or grace (this means we don't need God) - Augustine fought this saying that due to Original Sin we need baptism and grace
How did the church deal with apostates (those who left the church to save themselves)
- some said they could never be forbidden - popes said they could be forgiven after a long penance (Peter denied knowing Jesus and was forgotten)
How did Constantine become emperor?
- sought to be emperor - Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312 - "In this sign, conquer" - symbol Chi Rho = Christ - victorious - looked to God to attain victory
What did Emperor Decius do?
- started the first empire wide persecution of Christians - claimed Christian loyalty was to Christ, not the state - arrested, exiled, and executed anyone who would not sacrifice to the gods (no where to hide)
Who rose up against heresies?
- the Patriarchs = the Fathers - seen as of great importance to the early church - Apostolic and Imperial - Constantinople - deference to see Peter in Rome to settle theological questions
What happened as a result to the relented persecution of Christians?
- the church suffered a loss of faithful Christians because they were martyred - also suffered a loss of the unfaithful (apostasy - many left the church out of fear)
Who was St. Jerome?
- translated the Bible into Latin - translated the OT from Hebrew and Greek into Latin - translated the NT from Greek into Latin - Greek theologian and scholar - died a martyr in Bethlehem
Who was St. Augustine?
- well educated - lived with his girl friend for years, had a son (Adeodatus) - followed Manichaeism (material body (bad)/spiritual soul (good)) - his mother Monica prayed for years for his conversion - went to Milan to study and teach, met Ambrose of Milan - "take and read" Paul's letter to the Romans struck him - "make no provision for the flesh" - what he thought was making him happy was actually making him unhappy - converted
How did the church grow during the reign of Constantine?
- with freedom for the church, growth in public worship and liturgy - building of churches to show glory to God - Constantine and Helena built Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem
Who are the Cappadocian Fathers?
Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Gregory of Nyssa
What is Hadrian's Rescript?
Christians could only be persecuted for violation of the law, NOT just for being Christian
What was the first ecumenical council?
Council of Nicaea in 325
What title was given to Athanasius?
Defender of the Divinity of Jesus
Which council established that Jesus is God & man?
Ephesus
Which councils were established by the apostles?
Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and Rome
What is the study of Church Fathers called?
Patristics
What is the Demiurge?
a heavenly being, subordinate to the Supreme Being, that was considered to be the controller of the material world
When were Christians first called Christians?
at Antioch; Christians means "little Christ"
What is the Latin term for homoousios?
consubstantial
What are Christological heresies?
deal with the nature of Christ
Who is St. Gregory of Nyssa?
defended the title of Mary "Theotokos" (mother/bearer of God)
Who is St. Gregory of Nazianzus?
important figure at the Council of CP I
Who is St. Basil the Great?
monastic rule, defender of orthodoxy, author of liturgy of St. Basil
What is the sacramental heresy of Donatism?
rejected validity of sacraments celebrated by bishops or priests who had betrayed the faith
Where does the Nicene Creed come from?
the Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople
What were early Christians called?
the way; followers of the way of Christ?
