THE SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY

Roman Politics And Christianity

CONSTANTINE

Born 280 Mother – St. Helena – responsible for

churches and basilicas in Bethlehem and Jerusalem

He had a dream – at the battle of Milvian Bridge in 312 he placed the Chi-Rho on the shields and banners of his men. If he did this he would win. He did!

Became “Emperor of the Western Roman Empire”

EDICT OF MILAN

Constantine –Western Roman Empire Licinius – Eastern Roman Empire 313 Edict of Milan – tolerated Christianity

All religious freedom Favored the Christian Church

Clerics exempt from taxation Property returned to the Christians Persecution of Christians came to a hault

CONSTANTINE

324 Constantine defeated Licinius An absolute monarch who united the empire Byzantium – seat of government Byzantium renamed Constantinople (Turkey) Christianity a strong unifying force in the

Empire He was superstitious – dream = Chi-Rho

CONSTANTINE

Points of unity that Christianity offered Monotheism Ethical code that embraced all people Hierarchical system of Church governing Helped the empire maintain order and stability

CONSTANTINE

He became personally active in Church affairs

Because the theological rifts threatened the unity of the empire

Heresy Arianism – challenged Christ’s divinity, by

convoking the first Ecumenical Council of Nicea in 325

LEGALIZED CHRISTIANITY

Emperor Theodosius I – 380 Christianity became the official religion of the

Empire Evangelization became easier to the barbarians

and the non-believers Eight councils were held between the fourth and

the ninth centuries in the eastern portion of the empire

All decrees of the councils had to be confirmed by the canons and the decrees of the Pope.

CHURCH ADMINISTRATION

Five great patriarchates Rome Constantinople Alexandria Antioch Jerusalem

Rome was preeminent because Peter had been the first bishop there and died there.

CHURCH ADMINISTRATION

Church administration modeled the Roman style

Parishes and Diocese resembled the Roman political divisions.

Popes like Damasus, Leo the Great, and Gelasius asserted their power especially when there was a power vacuum in the Empire

(empire capital was moved to Constantinople)

CHURCH AND PAGAN RELIGIONS

Adapted many features of the pagan religions The use of candles and incense in liturgies Promoted the veneration of the saints Saints gave the faithful heroes to look up to and

imitate Saints helped keep many new converts from

their worship of pagan gods.

LEGALIZED CHRISTIANITY AND CHALLENGES

Some emperors became defenders of the Church Interfered in Church affairs Caesaropapism – combining the power of the secular

government with the authority of the Church. Eastern church’s more subject to the whims of the

political rulers. Western church’s more independent – the Pope, weak

Western emperors – distance from Eastern capital.

LEGALIZED CHRISTIANITY AND CHALLENGES

Theological Debates Eastern Church

1. Alexandria in Egypt 2. Antioch in Syria

Church fathers from the East debated core faith issues - Arianism

ARIANISM

Denied Jesus’ divinity Arius a priest from Alexandria (250-336)

Influenced by Greek philosophy Exalted belief in God A human God was incomprehensible

Plato’s idea – demiurge – the creator of the material universe who was not identical with the supreme God.

ARIANISM Arius believed was Christ was God’s greatest

creature who was made before time. He believed that Christ was an adopted son not

divine. This gave consequences for Christian teaching on

salvation Only God can effect Redemption The Word of God was not God Humans would not be Redeemed

CHURCHES RESPONSE TO ARIANISM

First Ecumenical Council of Nicea - 325 Condemned Arius teaching Council spelled out clearly – that Jesus is

“consubstantial” with the Father Christ possess the same nature as God the

Father At Mass – Jesus’ divinity and equality to the

Father – We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ…

THE CHURCH RESPONS TO ARIANISM

Arianism was slow to die out after the council St Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria,

defended the Church He taught that Christ “was made man that

we may be made divine.” If Christ were not God then he would not be

our Savior

THE CHURCH RESPONDS TO ARIANISM

St. Ambrose, bishop of Milan, would combat Arianism in the West.

Clashed with Empress Justina when she tried to establish an Arian Church in Milan.

Theodosius I, with Ambrose’s help, issued a series of edicts outlawing Arianism and paganism.

COUNCIL OF CONSTANTINOPLE 381 Correct the heresy – Macedonianism Heresy - The Son created the Holy Spirit who

was in turn subordinate to the Father and the Son.

The Council taught the divinity of the Holy Spirit The Council did not address the relationship

between the Son and the Holy Spirit This would be a major factor in the schism

between the Church in the East and the Church in the West.

CHRISTOLOGICAL DEBATES

Theological debate focused on how Christ was both divine and human

Alexandrian school maintained that Christ’s perfect divinity penetrates his human nature – an internal unity results

Antioch theologians stressed Christ’s perfect humanity as if his divinity indwelled in the man Jesus

CHRISTOLOGICAL DEBATES Nestorius, patriarch of Constantinople,

refused to acknowledge that Mary could be the Mother of God. Two persons in Christ

One divine Only human

Mary was only Christotokos – mother of the human Jesus

Theotokos – Mary is “God-bearer” or Mother of God

Theotokos defended by St. Cyril of Alexandria

CHRISTOLOGICAL DEBATES

St. Cyril taught Jesus was one divine person, the Second person of the Trinity.

Council of Ephesus 431 endorsed the position of St. Cyril and condemned Nestorianism.

After the death of St. Cyril – theologians diagreed with the Ephesus Council

They preached that Christ’s human nature was absorbed into his divine nature

Monophysitism

Heresy – Jesus Christ possessed only one nature- a divine nature. It denied that Christ was really a human being.

This Heresy took root in Egypt Council of Chalcedon – 451

Taught the doctrine of hypostatic union Jesus Christ one divine person subsists in two natures,

the divine and the human. Pope Leo I wrote;

Accordingly while the distinctness of both natures and substances was preserved, and both met in one Person, lowliness was assumed by majesty, weakness by power, mortality by eternity

Council of Chalcedon

The council fathers affirmed the teachings of the councils of Nicea, Constantinople, and Ephesus

The Third Council of Constantinople – 681 convened to restate prior teachings

Christ is one divine personTwo distinct natures –

one human & one divineTwo distinct natures –

two wills – one divine and the otherhuman.

Christological Debates

West was beset with one major theological question The interaction of divine grace and human freedom Whether or not people can save themselves due to

their own good efforts That all people accept Christ as their Savior.

Pelagius, a monk teacher in Rome, he emphasized human freedom and the need to strive for personal holiness.

Pelagius – eventually he held an exalted view of human nature, denying that the Original sin of Adam and Eve had been transmitted to humans.

Christological Debates Pelagius – argued that humans do not need

divine assistance or grace as a help to achieve personal holiness or salvation.

He believed that humans could save themselves without God’s supernatural help.

St. Augustine of Hippo 354-420 – was his major opponent. St. Augustine explained that humans are born

with fallen natures because of Original Sin and its effects.

He taught that God’s grace is absolutely necessary for personal salvation

Pelagianism was officially condemned at the Council of Ephesus (431)

Christological Debates

Pelagianism Heresy died out by the 6th century

Protestant Reformation of the 17th century Relationship between good works, grace, and salvation

Commentators have observed that remnants of Pelagian self-reliance, with its denial of the need for God’s grace and help, appear in many 21st century European and Americans.

Many self-sufficient contemporaries seem to rely on human ingenuity and the discoveries of science, technology, and medicine as the sources of their personal safety and salvation.

The Fall of Rome

476 is the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West.

The Roman Empire can be traced to 27 BC. Pegans blamed Christians and their God for

the collapse. Christians questioned how God could permit

the deaths of innocents and the destruction of the center of civilization.

Barbarian Invasions “Migration of Nations”

Asiastic Huns migrated West Benefits

Fertile landsEconomic opportunitiesProtection from other warring tribes

Germanic TribesBenefits

trade with Romanserved as mercenaries in Roman

armiesBarbarian Invasions 4th Century, increases in population Declining strength of the Roman armies Pressure from the Huns,

Byzantine Empire

Emperor Justinian, 527-565 Married actress – Theodora Justinian had control Of Rome He supervised the rebuilding of the Hagia Sophia

(Holy Wisdom) church in Constantinople – still stands today

He instituted a major reform of laws – later became the basis of European law.

The Christian influence gave women and children more protection.

Punishment still reflected the times – mutilation of the body for some crimes, repressive measures against non-Christians, including the Jews

Byzantine Empire

Justinian’s successor were weak. Reluctant co operation between the Byzantine

Emperors and the patriarchs of Constantinople and the Pope contributed to the schism between Eastern and Western Christianity in 1054.

Eastern Christianity – vibrant liturgical life, exquisite art and music, a spiritual depth which resulted in hundreds of monasteries.

The Eastern Empire survived until 1453 under the Ottoman Turks.

Muslim, followers of the Islamic faith, shook the foundation of the Eastern Christianity

The Rise of the Papacy

Pope Leo the Great 440-461 Ability to use biblical, historical, and legal

arguments to assert the primacy of the Pope among all bishops

Pontifex Maxium = Highest Bridge Builder Bishops looked to the Pope as supreme teacher,

ruler, and judge in the Church Pope Gregory the Great 590-604

Title – Servant of the Servants of God Reform of liturgy – Gregorian chant His authority stabilized the Church throughout

Europe and promoted missionary activity

Conversion of Clovis

“As the leader goes so goes the tribe” Clovis converted to Catholicism in 496

He forced the Goths to convert from Arian Christianity to accept the orthodox faith

Clovis and the Franks helped convert many of the barbarian tribes

Magyars became Catholic because of the conversion of their king, St. Stephen

Bohemians because of the baptism of St. Wenceslaus

Poles because of the conversion of the leader, Mieszko

Missionaries of the Era

St. Patrick 389-461 Apostle to Ireland

A Roman citizen in Britian Son of Christian parents Patrick was captured by Irish pirates at the age of 16

Made a bishop in 432 and returned to Ireland to convert most of the local Celtic kings

Established monasteries, continued evangelization, and education

Irish Christianity thrived and helped to preserve Christianity during the Dark Ages

Words of Wisdom

Pope Gregory the Great’s words of instruction to St. Augustine “destroy as few pagan temples as possible; only

destroy their idols, sprinkle them with holy water, build altars and put relics in the buildings, so that, if the temples have been well built, you are simply changing their purpose.” (Letters,XI,56)

Monasticism

A spiritual and social movement in which men and women withdrew from the world to live solitary or communal lives to attain personal holiness.

Monasticism – derived from Greek word monos = alone or single

Monasticism became an opportunity to live discipleship to it extreme.

It was called a “bloodless martydom” – a way of witnessing to the faith and pursuing pure Christian holiness

Benefits of Monasticism Economics

Good example of land management Reestablish agriculture after the barbarian invasions

Spirituality Respect for the liturgy Value of daily prayer life A countercultural response to Christianity that had

grown tepid Stability

Refuge to travelers Centers of learning Educated future Church leaders

Christianity Kept alive and spread

Negative effects of Monasticism

Monastic asceticism – self-mutilation to tame their weak human nature

St. Jerome praised celibacy so much that he ended up teaching that marriage is not a means to holiness, but a necessary evil

Religious life was the only true model of holiness

A healthy lay spirituality was neglected for centuries.

Rule of St. Benedict

Laughter: Obedience: Prayer: Respect: Temperance: Work:

Fathers of the Church

St. John Chrysostom St. Ambrose St. Jerome St. Augustine

From chapter 2 St. Clement of Rome St. Ignatius of Antioch

Prayer God is great and glory to you, O God. Yours is the praise. Blessed is your name, and exalted is your majesty There is no deity to be worshiped but you. I seek refuge in God from the evil one, the accursed. Praise be to God, Lord of all that is The compassionate, the merciful Ruler on the day of reckoning You alone do we worship, and you alone do we ask for help Guide us on the straight path, The path of those who have received your grace; Not the path of those who have brought down wrath, Nor of those who wander astray.