Religion Notes (2) PDF

Hellenism: wider expansion of Greek culture under Alexander the Great. He wanted a united Greek culture/worldview but didn’t impose the culture on others, rather he invited them. -gave the Church a universal language that allowed spread of religious info -philosophy made people ready for a supreme...

Hellenism: wider expansion of Greek culture under Alexander the Great. He wanted a united Greek culture/worldview but didn’t impose the culture on others, rather he invited them. -gave the Church a universal language that allowed spread of religious info -philosophy made people ready for a supreme being(Jesus), didn’t mention a loving God -Roman Empire was under Hellenism culture(common culture and language throughout Empire) -Septuagint: Old Testament translated into Greek Rome -During the empire period, good infrastructure (roads and waterways) -Roman Empire was vast, almost entirety of Europe and some of Middle East -Pax Romana: internal peace and stability before Christianity comes(it challenged this stability, which was met with great resistance) -Strength comes from unity, religion viewed as a sort of unity -Emperor viewed as semi-God -Had tolerance for other religions as long as they recognize Roman Gods -Romans allowed Jews to practice their own religion, but didn’t like them -The poor, slaves and women were disenfranchised, might be interested in hearing the Christian message Jewish People -Under Roman control, rarely independent, limited self governance -Monotheistic, one God system, “chosen people” -“us and them” mentality -Sadducees: powerful people, collaborated with Rome, high priests, aristocrats, merchants -Pharisee: strongly traditional people, believed in Messiah(but not in Jesus), anti-Rome -Essenes: Ascetic, detached fringe group -Zealots: political people, very anti-Rome -Religion was tied closely to ethnicity -Strong ethical system, temple viewed as centre of worship, ancient tradition, daily life is religious(rest and assembly) -Diaspora: Jewish population dispersed throughout the Empire, conditions for widespread of Christian message -Exile periods and revolts, growing unrest/acts of rebellion -Strong expectation of a Messiah to restore them Gospels -Religious motivation yet historically reliable -Goal is to identify and preserve the Deposit of Faith -Not biographies -Gospel: good news -Synoptic, not John’s -No doubt about 4 Gospels in the early world, many Gospels weren’t worth keeping  Matthew -Apostle -Writing to a primarily Jewish audience in Palestine, where Jesus did His work -Concerned about Messiah claim, full of Old Testament references -Connects Jesus back to Abraham, ful llment of covenant -Sermon on the Mount parallels Moses -Symbol: man Mark -Disciple of St Peter -Writing to a Roman audience(both Jews and Gentiles) -Jesus is God, not worried about Messiah claim -Short Gospel -Symbol: lion Luke -Doctor and companion of St Paul -Writing to a gentile audience, social Gospel -Jesus as priest -Symbol: bull John -Apostle -Last Gospel written -Wider audience of Jewish Christians -Uses lofty language, explains meaning of what Jesus is doing -Symbol: eagle, lofty high language(soars) Birth Narrative -Claim to divinity is most troublesome aspect -Mention of stable is intentional -Jesus is fully human yet fully divine Baptism of Christ -Di erent than others, represented something new -Beginning of His public ministry -Theophany Passion Narrative -Mixed reaction to Jesus, some viewed Him as a threat to leadership -Jesus’ claim to divinity was viewed as blasphemy, major charge against Him -Jesus challenged the stability of the Roman Empire through His claim to divinity -Pontius Pilate wanted to keep peace so the Roman authorities killed Jesus for treason(acting against state) -Roots of anti-semitism, did Jesus have to die and who’s fault was it ff fi  Post-Resurrection Narrative -Resurrection con rms validity of message -Central belief to Christianity -Represents the start of the mission -Spends 40 days with disciples, 40 = sign for preparation -Peter denies then acknowledges Christ -Evangelical mission -Jesus gives authority to the Apostles, baptize and teach to obey Jesus -“Kingdom at hand, repent”, present reality and expectation -Jesus seeks out the sinner and outcast -We must seek forgiveness and depend on goodness of God -Jesus heals people both physically and morally, connection between both -Prayer is essential -Challenged customs but didn’t break o from Torah or the laws of Moses -Love God and others, connected -Complete submission to will of God, you can’t fail -Can’t serve God and world equally -Su ering seen as sign of accepting the kingdom -Miracles and exorcisms exist within the wider Gospel narrative, people don’t follow Jesus simply for this -Had authority -Last Supper is new and nal covenant, God acting to free His people -People follow Jesus because of hope, salvation, su ering message The Church -Union with God is purpose of our life -The Church doesn’t have a mission, it is a mission -Mechanism of redemption is Jesus’ life and resurrection -Ecclesia: assembly, congregation -Born out of New Covenant at Last Supper -tangible sign of Christ on Earth -Institution and people of God working towards mission -Mystical body of Christ: soul of the Church is Divine -One(1 faith, united), Holy(founder and mission is Holy), Catholic(universal), Apostolic(trace back to mission and teaching of Apostles). Four marks ff fi fi ff ff  Pentecost -Birth of Church, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit, start of mission -Apostles were hiding from Jewish authority, then went out to preach -St Peter speaks on behalf of the disciples -Jews from every nation in Jerusalem hearing the message, ideal situation -12 Apostles represent the new 12 tribes of Israel Deacons -Apostles are so busy with mission that more people are needed to support the Church -Apostles ordain 7 men for the role of Deacon(service role) -Apostles understood that they have authority to do so -St Stephen: powerful speaker, stoned, rst Christian martyr St Paul -devoted Pharisee who hated followers of Christ, persecuted them -Very responsible for spread of Christianity -“why are you persecuting me”, the Church is the body of Christ -Immediately goes out to preach, believes he’s an Apostle -Other Apostles are suspicious of him -Roman citizen -Worked as leatherworker and preached -Tended to go where there were already Christians St Paul’s Contributions -Helps spread and develop the teaching of the Church(early theology) -Bridges the world of the Jews and Roman/Gentiles(can speak to both) -Unity: stays connected to Apostles, send money to help them. Corrects any movement away from authentic tradition in di erent communities -Works hard to keep scattered communities uni ed -Believed that Jewish traditions didn’t have to be kept to be Christian, the message of Jesus is universal Council of Jerusalem -Debate on who the Christian message is for. Jews or universal? -Peter and Cornelius story, even Peter needs guidance and encouragement. Eat unclean animals, Cornelius(a Gentile) told to nd Peter -How much Jewish practices do Gentiles have to adopt? Ex: circumsicion(Paul says no) -Paul recognizes the authority of the Apostles -Council of Jerusalem(49-50AD): Gathering of Apostles on expectations for converted Gentiles. No meat sacri ced to pagan Gods, and adopt marriage practices fi ff fi fi fi  Implications of the 1st Council -Makes Christianity worldwide, expanded from Jewish roots -Mechanism to solve problems, sets precedence -Adapting matters of practice, precedence of expanding the mission to new communities -Apostolic Authority. “Seems good to us and the Holy Spirit” -Shift from Jewish to Gentile Church and Rome Life of the Early Christians -Aliens in their own country, increasingly isolated from their communities(both Jews and Gentiles) -Had the con dence that Jesus and his Apostles are real, bene t of close historical proximity -Con icting moral requirements, multiple religions were being followed in the Empire, with con icting expectations and requirements -Worship in secret, try not to draw attention to themselves Early Beliefs -Christ left a mission(Church), but not a clear theology -Christ established a leadership structure(authority of the Apostles), they respond to the times, with the Holy Spirit guiding them -Theology develops over time -Judaism the starting point of the “new religion” -Diversity of believers, some more Jewish, others more Hellenized, others Gentile converts. Try to include everyone Baptism -Instituted by Christ -Sing of conversion to the faith, join movement through Baptism -Developed into a process, catechumens = person trying to get Baptized -Early practice of waiting to deathbed to get baptized and gain the reward of life everlasting -Initially baptism only for those who choose, theology adapts -Infant mortality rates were high, baptism promised salvation -Doctrinal reasons for change: Original Sin forgiven, access to grace -Practical reasons for change: infant mortality, access to salvation, raising child as a Christian, Christian family Eucharist -On Sunday to commemorate resurrection, in addition to temple on Saturday -Primary access point to presence of Christ -Instituted at Last Supper -“body and blood”, Jesus is new sacri cial Lamb -Visible sign of obedience to “do this in remembrance of me” -Not symbolic -Representation of Jesus’ one sacri ce fl fl fi fi fi fi Church Structure -In order to preserve the movement, a structure is developed -Not instant, out of need -Apostles were dying, end was not immediate, expanding mission to Gentiles -40% growth per decade Structure -Commissioned ministry, system of elders, accepted leaders from Apostolic authority and succession. Ordained through the laying of hands -Authoritative list of writings, letters(used in liturgy) -Creed, accepted beliefs, used everywhere -Fixed leader = presbyter Bishop -Task of preserving the oneness of the message, unity was a huge reason for success -Guarantor of oral tradition, main source of authentic tradition -Magisterium: teaching o ce of the Church -Bishops were successors of the Apostles, the primary worship leader, local supreme authority -Bishops provide a way of addressing challenges in the community -Bishop of Rome is the supreme bishop The Canon -Essential cannon established in 382AD, de nitive list not until 1500s -Church accepted the Septuagint -3 traces of authenticity: apostolicity (traces to an Apostle). Orthodoxy (right teaching, does text match with Apostolic tradition). Universality/catholicity (was it universally accepted) Rome and Pope -St Peter and Paul end up in Rome, center of the Empire, best place to setup -Jerusalem Church has issues with the Jewish leadership Other Early Traditions -Early Christians practiced fasting Wednesday(Judas betrays) and Friday(cruci xion) -Fasting(abstaining from meat) helps people to abstain from meat sacri ced to pagan gods and save money to help others -Fish is a secret code, anchor represents hope, cross does not have meaning immediately -Due to the shift to the Gentile Church, the Saturday observance becomes moved to Sunday(more meaning) Interactions with State and Society -Slavery: ACR, slavery gradually drops (takes time) -Non-violence: ACR, amount of Roman soldiers falls -Sexual ethics: abortion and contraception were both practiced in the Roman Empire -Women: great division among women in the Empire, Christianity elevated the role of women ffi fi fi fi  -Inability of Christians to do sacri ces and participate in Roman pagan tradition causes Christians to run into trouble with the State Apologists -Apostolic Fathers: 1st generation of leaders and writers trying to preserve the oneness of the faith -Apologetics: branch of theology concerned with defending and explaining the faith using reason and philosophy. Trying to prove that Christians can be good citizens, not a threat -Need to defend and explain the faith against false understanding, unfounded fear, heresy Early Writings -Written word becoming more important, part of Sacred Tradition -Ignatius of Antioch and Polycarp of Smyrna were early bishops appointed by John Martyrdom -Martyrs: those who died for their faith, imitating Christ(witness) -Average converts -Strengthened other Christians, remained steadfast in faith, accepted su ering -Not intended to be sought after, but accepted -Did not have the desired a ect for Romans, instead of causing mass fear and loss of faith, number of Christians rises -“Christ faithful to you, you faithful to Christ” -Initially, the word Saint was reserved for those who died for their faith Value of Su ering -Su ering, death and resurrection of Jesus is primary message, cause for redemption -God tolerates su ering because some greater good arises -Su ering seen as part of the human experience, Jesus’ experience -Su ering is part of redemption -Christianity grows even though people understood this message Jewish Heresy -As long as Christianity is viewed within Judaism, Christians aren’t persecuted independently -Romans initially believed that Christianity was part of Judaism -With the growth in Gentile converts, shift away from Judaism is clear Nero -Tyrant/paranoid. Wife and mother were killed -Great Fire of 63 AD, early suspicions fell on Nero, he blamed the Christians -Rumor that Nero sets the re in order to rejuvenate Rome -Christians seen as trouble group -Brutally persecuted the Christians, accused them of “hating the human race”, not interested in being part of Roman society -Local persecution but sets a precedence that it is acceptable to persecute Christians ff ff ff ff ff fi ff fi ff  Domitian -Christianity starts spreading to aristocracy -Accuses the Christians of being atheists because they don’t believe in Roman Gods, also accused of being superstitious -Finds Roman tradition important Trajan -Empire at its height -First structured decrees against Christians -Being a Christian is a crime, but not cause for active persecution -Being a Christian is not yet a big deal Ignatius of Antioch -Martyred during rule of Trajan -“borne by God” Ignatius was held by Jesus -Christians could visit him on his way to Rome Hadrian -Tough actions against Jews, leading to Jewish Revolt in 132 AD, revolt against honor given to Roman Gods -Jews banned from Jerusalem -Hadrian’s Rescript: wanted law to prevail, no mob rule, as long as Christians keep their duty of honoring, they are safe (prosecuted for breaking the law) St Polycarp of Smyrna -Bishop who was martyred (Hadrian’s Rescript) -Disciple of John the Apostle -In court, Christians had to o er sacri ces to the Emperor and Roman Gods -The re won’t burn him Marcus Aurelius -Pax Romana is ending, greater instability -Author and philosopher, reasonable Emperor (except when it comes to Christians) -Mob persecutions go unanswered, wanted people’s anger to shift from the Empire to Christians -Anonymous accusations St Justin Martyr -Writes to Rome, Emperor or high-up person -Died during persecutions of Aurelius -Argues with philosophy that Christians are good citizens, not unreasonable -Apologist -Speaks out against false descriptions of Christians St Ireneus -Bishop of Lyons 177 AD fi ff fi  -Bishop and Pope weren’t glori ed positions, expectation of death -Refusal of heresy -Emphasized key elements of the Church, list of Popes Septimus Severus -Weakening of Empire -Sought religious harmony, restoration of Roman tradition to discourage dissent -Conversions outlawed, bans baptism, circumsicion. Catechumens under suspicion -Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity -Promoted syncretism, can take multiple religions and fuse them together as long as Emperor is honored -After his death, 40-50 years of peace for Christians Emperor Decius -Prior to Decius, relative peace for Christians, allowed Christianity to grow -Empire facing internal and external threats, division, economic issues, losing territory -Believed survival of Empire tied to restoration of pagan Rome, strength from unity -First Empire wide persecutions, blamed Christians for the ills of Rome Barbarian: person not belonging to the Roman Empire Apostasy -Apostate: one who abandons their faith, not heresy -Decius enforces the mandatory worship of pagan Gods and Emperor -Device to cause the Christians to su er and abandon their faith, leading to a weakened community -Gives certi cates to Apostates -Confessor: one who resists persecution, sustains community -Issue arises of what to do with those who lapsed (denied faith but wanted to be readmitted), Novatian Schism: could never be readmitted -Schism: break in community -Pope believes that Sacrament of Reconciliation is su cient Valerian -Issues 2 rescripts: no assembly, persecute Church leadership -Pope St. Sixtus II and Deacon St Lawrence were martyrs -Treasure of the Church is the poor Diocletian -Wife and daughter were Christians -Worst persecution of Christians -Divides Empire into more manageable regions, assigns an Emperor for one region, with a second Emperor to prevent civil war -Great persecution begins in 303 AD -Edicts are most destructive to Christianity, demands everyone honors Roman Gods -Martyrdom of St Agnes Triumphant Church -Constantine (307 AD), wins a battle and attributes it to the Christian God fi fi ff ffi -Constantine takes control of the Empire -Edict of Milan 313 AD: persecutions of Christians come to an end, decriminalization of Christianity, saw that persecutions of Christians led to disunity -Slow abandonment of paganism, with paganism being outlawed by Theodosius -Constantine was not pro-Christian, elevated view of Christian God -Laws and structure to support Christianity -Emperor in charge of religion, Milan will become a very important political and religious center Julian the Apostate -Rejects his faith -Anomaly in Christian/Roman history -Sparks fear in Christians of continued mass persecutions -Pulled back funding of Churches -Wants to undo what Constantine did -Tries to mimic Christian rituals with pagan ones Christianity and The Roman Empire -Theodosius makes signi cant moves to end paganism -391 AD, Theodosius makes Christianity the religion of the Empire, state support of paganism ends -Heresy outlawed, dwindle in sacri ces, paganism slowly outlawed -When Christianity was minority, survival depended on authentic faith, will authenticity be threatened? -Christian unity matters now that it is the state religion fi fi  Creeds -Unity matters now that Christianity is the state religion -de nitive statement of belief, re ects history, clari es something not known to all -Words were carefully selected -Component of the faith that develops in response to false teaching, communal and de nitive -Tools of correcting inauthentic belief, capturing the essence of Apostolic teaching -If one does not agree, they are outside the community Heresies -Misrepresentation of the Deposit of Faith(truth) from a baptized Christian -Misrepresents the nature of Christ -People trying to make sense of the Deposit of Faith in a way that is not consistent with tradition -Main teachings: Jesus born, human, God, died, resurrected. Baptism and Eucharist, Apostolic succession Greek Philosophy -Platonic: material and immaterial world exist, material world is inferior to immaterial one, Jesus inferior to God. Immaterial is the real thing -Logos: implies Jesus is created by God -Plato is not Christian, hellenism provided a general philopshical framework for the early Christians Gnostic Heresies -Predates Christianity -Belief in salvation through secret knowledge -Dualistic worldview, believed material is bad/evil and immaterial is good -The world is evil, not created by a good God -Many Gods: Demiurge(evil) and Divine Being -Rejects Jesus’ human nature, sees creation as evil -Christians believe in the goodness of creation, supremacy of one God, Christ is human and God Docetism -Matter is corrupt, Jesus is not human, could not have su ered -Spirit of God left the human -A God can’t su er -Misuse of scripture Ecumenical Councils -Ecumenical = worldwide -Bishops gather with Pope to discuss central issues -Highest authority -Infallibility on matters of faith and morals Church Fathers fi ff fl fi ff fi  -Leaders in the faith, doctor -Opposed heresy -Famous and orthodoxy -Not infallible teaches St Ambrose -Bishop by popular demand, Milan -Worked hard to keep the Church independent, not afraid to stand up to the Emperor -Ambrose got Theodosius to repent -Western Church is more independent than the Eastern one St Jerome -“Rough” character, calls people out -Expert in ancient Greek, Latin, Hebrew -Makes the vulgate: rst translation of the Bible into Latin St John Chrysotom -Eloquent preacher/writer -Makes rigorous demands as a Bishop, even calls out priests -Twice exiled by rules, he criticized prevailing luxury and moral laxity of society and royal family -Bishops act in a way to take control over the Church, stood up to Emperors(who thought they ran the religion) Christotological heresies -Related to the humanity and divinity of Jesus -Misuse of Greek philopshical language and scripture Arianism (4th century) -Arius claimed that Jesus was not God, elevated gure, not Divine -Nothing that comes from God can be equal to God -O ered a middle ground for pagans, multiple Gods -Rejection of divinity challenges beliefs about the Trinity, redemption -Arian refuses to recant, moves and spreads ideas, two messages emerge -There is disunity among Christians, Constantine calls a council, unclear about who controls the religion Council of Nicea (325AD) -Constantine is anxious over the unity in the Empire -1st free action for the Church, rst large scale event -Heart and soul of the Church at stake, if Jesus isn’t God can we attain Heaven? Solution -Need for right language, better understanding of who Jesus really was -Hypostasis: the who (name) ff fi fi fi -Ousios: essence, nature -Nicene Creed: “consubstantial” Athanasius gives this term. Of the same substance -pro-Arian and pro-Nicene bishops emerge, people don’t know how to follow. Pro-Nicene bishops tortured and exiled -Three Cappadocians: write to defend pro-Nicene view. St Basil the Great, St Gregory N. St Gregory of N. Hypostatic union: Jesus is one person, fully human and fully God, human and divine will, human and divine nature. Contradiction = heresy Mark 5 1-13 -Jesus heals a man who was an outcast of society, living amongst the tombs and mountains -“Son of the God most high”, Mark is trying to reinforce that Jesus is God, not worried with Messiah claim -Jesus cares about all members of society and helps all Philippians 4: 10-20 -“I can do all things through him who gives me strength”, writing to the Philippians who are facing trouble with Roman authority -Thanks them for their continued help and support, reinforcing the unity that St. Paul worked so hard for Pliny to Trajan -Pliny is writing to Trajan because he is unsure of how to deal with Christians -Pliny interrogates people denounced as Christian, he executes those who persist -He believed the Christians to have stubbornness and in exible obstinacy -Discharged those who worshiped the Gods and Emperor, and cursed Christ (test) -Christians gather on a xed day, sing to Christ, bind themselves by oath (to be good people), partake in food -Christianity has spread everywhere, more people going to the temples Trajan to Pliny -Christians aren’t to be actively persecuted, no anonymous persecutions -People denounced as Christian but who worship the gods are forgiven Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity -Felicity and Perpetuated are both arrested for being Christian -Perpetua believes Christianity is her identity, can’t renounce it -Perpetua has a vision of an immense garden with Jesus and many saints/angels, and Jesus tells Perpetua that he is glad she came. Perpetua interprets this as a sign that she has to die -Perpetua also has a vision of deacon Pomponius telling her that heaven is waiting for her -Felicity was pregnant when arrested -They partake in the Eucharist before death, are happy to die, receive the death they ask for -Perpetua helps the young gladiator to kill her, indicates strength of women 1st Clement fi fl  -Clear evidence of in uence and authority of the Pope -Clement is 2nd or 3rd successor of St Peter -Apostles are part of God’s plan, can’t be changed or else messing with God’s will -Apostles have authority of Jesus that has been transferred to Bishops, Apostolic succession -Mechanism of retaining unity is trust is Apostolic Succession BFW 2 -Common view: the Church has been suppressing gospels that reveal that Catholicism is a misguided form of true Christianity, and that true Christianity is far di erent than what exists today. -What Stark says: lost Gospels are not a reason for revision of theology because: -the message they present is completely di erent, more akin to pagan mythology(an evil God created the world, more than one God exists, Jesus is a teacher with the power to free elites) -Authors of the lost Gospels aren’t the genuine ones(Jesus did not have a twin brother, and the timelines just don’t make sense) -Lost Gospels were quotes essentially word for word. BFW 3 -What the Church teaches: the exponential rise of Christianity was due to Christian Emperors and the Church “brutally” persecuting pagans. Stark claims that this is wrong because: -Constantine was very committed to religious harmony and peaceful pluralism.: continued funding of pagan temples, gave pagans high-up positions -No widespread persecutions in the post-Constantine period: temples remain open, pagans continue to be appointed to high positions -Christianity actually grew di erently: Christian message is more appealing (loving, caring God instead of immoral Gods), o ered attractive eternal life and clear method for forgiveness of sins, pagans prospects were on the downward trend Sacramental/Dogmatic Heresies: how do we get to Heaven? How does grace work? St Augustine -Most in uential Church Father of the early Church, dominant in Christian theology/thought -Lives a sinful life, very smart person -He has to submit himself to the will of God to get out of sin, can’t do it alone -St Ambrose explains Christianity to him -He is sent back to North Africa and has to earn people’s respect fl fl ff ff ff ff Fall of the Empire -Western Empire falls but the Church remains, provides structure and hope, mission continues -Structures that arise during the persecutions help get the Church through and create hope -Barbarians begin invading the Empire, Pope goes out to meet Attila the Hun (shows the Church has state authority) -Barbarians becomes Romanized, adopt Christianity -Church attitude: universal, structure essential for unity, pause on theological thinking Post-Fall -476 AD: fall of the Roman Empire, barbarian claims to be Emperor -Academic pursuits limited to priests/monks, clergy is preserver of language, writing, intellectual -Less urbanized, roads are unsafe, no more high authority. Isolated communities -Church learns that it doesn’t need an Empire to function -Church adopts diocese format -Church is a unifying symbol Missionaries -St Martin of Tours and St Patrick -Ireland becomes a center for missionaries -Top down method of conversion, royal family rst, tends to trickle down -The Church must preach the Gospel, salvation is for all -Bishop starts taking on temporal a airs -Missionary activity pause after Western Empire is Christianized Monasticism -Response to desire to live a more authentic Christian life, separated from the world, dependency on God -Eremitical(hermit), live alone. Cenobitical(common), others live with hermit -Rule, modeled on Christ, guideline on how to live in community -Vital for early Church, adopted to maintain unity -Towns emerge around monasteries, help to preserve western intellectual civilization, scriptoria -Help the Germanic people, under a Christian context -Monasteries: access point to the faith, training ground for priests, center of missionary activity St Benedict -Italy 6th century, withdraws from society, other joined -Abbot, established monasteries -People submit to authority of the abbot -Ora et Labora: prayer and work to resist temptation of sin, in uences early Christianity -People look up to monks as an example ff fi fl