Religion Chapter 8
In the early 4th century
Constantine was the Roman emperor. By the time Constantine became emperor, there were Christians in nearly every part of the empire. In 313 Constantine decided to issue a decree - the Edict of Milan. In this decree, he declared that Christianity was no longer a forbidden religion. The time of persecutions had past. Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire.
Another heresy was taught by Nestorius.
He believed that Jesus was two persons. To Nestorius, Mary was the mother of the human Jesus but not the Mother of God. This heresy was refuted in 431 at the Council of Ephesus. There the bishops declared that Jesus was one person with two natures: one divine and one human. The Council also declared that Mary was the Mother of God since she was the mother of Jesus, the Son of God, who is God himself.
Nero
In A.D. 64, great persecutions began under Nero, the Roman emperor. Nero knew that many Romans distrusted the Christians because they were different. The Christians refused to pay homage to the Roman gods and refused to serve in the military. Nero blamed Christians for a great fire that destroyed much of the city of Rome, and he began to kill them. Under Nero, Peter and Paul were martyred.
Diocletian
In the last Roman persecution, which began in A.D. 303, Diocletian planned to remove every trace of Christianity from the world. Throughout these dangerous times, bishops, such as Ignatius of Antioch, wrote letters to strengthen Christian communities. In one of his letters before he was martyred, St. Ignatius begged the other Christians not to try to stop his death, because he wanted so much to die for Christ.
One very harmful heresy was started by
a priest named Arius. He convinced many people that Jesus was not God but was a created being who existed before the world was created. In stating this, the Arian heresy denied that Jesus was both human and divine. The Church believes that only because Jesus is God could he redeem us, promise us eternal life, and send the Spirit upon us.
When persecution was no longer a problem
another threat arose. This threat, known as heresy, was caused by Christians themselves. Heresies began to create confusion and doubt in Christian communities. A heresy is a false teaching that rejects a truth that has been revealed by God and taught by the Church. A person who believes or teaches a heresy is a heretic.
To stop the Arian heresy
local bishops gathered for meetings called synods. They discussed ways to present the truth to confused Christians. But the Arian heresy continued to spread. Finally Emperor Constantine called a general meeting in the city of Nicaea.
In 381
the Council of Constantinople expanded the creed that was begun at Nicaea. It also defined the divine nature of the Holy Spirit, whose mission is inseparable from the Son's mission.
An important result of the Council of Nicaea was
the creed the bishops began to compose. The Nicene Creed clearly expresses that Jesus is true God and true man. According to the teaching of the Council of Nicaea, Jesus is not a creature made by God. He is God's own Son and is God just as much as his Father is God. This is important for us because it means that, in Jesus, God took on human flesh. It is another reason why we believe that all human life is sacred and that all people must be treated with dignity.
