Church History Fall 2024 Unit 1 PDF

UNIT I The Origin of the Church 0 - 300 AD Chapter 1.1 The Time of Jesus 0 - 33 AD  USCCB Framework 1.a.1 Church planned by the Father 1.a.2 Church instituted by Christ who 1.a.3 Church is revealed by Holy Spirit: fifty-day preparation for Pentecost...

UNIT I The Origin of the Church 0 - 300 AD Chapter 1.1 The Time of Jesus 0 - 33 AD  USCCB Framework 1.a.1 Church planned by the Father 1.a.2 Church instituted by Christ who 1.a.3 Church is revealed by Holy Spirit: fifty-day preparation for Pentecost Lumen Gentium #2 “The eternal Father, by a free and hidden plan of His own wisdom and goodness, created the whole world. His plan was to raise men to a participation of the divine life. Fallen in Adam, God the Father did not leave men to themselves, but ceaselessly offered helps to salvation, in view of Christ, the Redeemer "who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature". Already from the beginning of the world the foreshadowing of the Church took place. It was prepared in a remarkable way throughout the history of the people of Israel and by means of the Old Covenant. In the present era of time the Church was constituted and, by the outpouring of the Spirit, was made manifest. At the end of time it will gloriously achieve completion.”  CCC #763 “It was the Son's task to accomplish the Father's plan of salvation in the fullness of time. Its accomplishment was the reason for his being sent. “The Lord Jesus inaugurated his Church by preaching the Good News, that is, the coming of the Reign of God, promised over the ages in the scriptures." To fulfill the Father's will, Christ ushered in the Kingdom of heaven on earth. The Church “is the Reign of Christ already present in mystery."” Jesus a true Jew Jesus of Nazareth is the founder of the Church. He was raised as a Jew but much of his early life is marked with obscurity as very little is known. In the first two chapters of Matthew and Luke, we get an account of his infancy but then in chapter three we get to the baptism and the account of John the Baptist. But in all, the important theological insight is the Jesus is the son of David and the Son of God, bringing salvation to both the Jews and Gentiles.  Historical and Divine Jesus The gospels are not meant to be a historical or biographical account of Jesus’s life. ○ The fragmented nature of the gospels makes it difficult to draw out chronological account but all the gospel agree on the importance of John the baptist, the baptism by the Holy Spirit, “the kingdom of God is at hand, repent!!” etc They are geared towards conveying a theological explanation of our salvation history and help converts to the faith. God broke into the human race in a definitive and unprecedented way. Jesus and the Torah Jesus did not make any significant break from the Torah. He recognized the sacred laws as the authentic voice of God but he did not hesitate to modify it. ○ Matthew 5: 17-20 ○ Matthew 19: 1-12 ○ Matthew 5: 43-48 ○ Luke 7: 36-50  Jesus and the Torah Suffering and affliction were seen in a new way. Not as absolute ills because they could not hinder us from enjoying the Love of God. The originality of Jesus was found not in the newness of these ideas but in how he brought them together, but more importantly how he made them real in his own life. Jesus Christ was called “King of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2) and he called himself the son of man (Luke 4:16-30). This led to the plot against him. So, the night before the Jewish passover, he gathered for a meal with his apostles. (Mark 14: 12-17) Jesus Institutes the Eucharist Mark 14: 22-24 He offered his body and blood which will be sacrificed to establish the new covenant between God and Humanity. This meal of bread and wine which was a regular Jewish observance was given a new meaning and significance. Jesus promised the apostles to be always present in their midst and to come again Matthew Appeared to Mary Magdalene in and John Jerusalem (John) and Galilee What happened that first Easter morning? (Matt) Paul Appeared first to Peter  ASSIGNMENT WORK ON EXIT TICKET Chapter 1.2 The Apostolic Age 33 - 300 AD  USCCB Framework 1.b.1 The missionary journeys of St. Paul. 1.b.2 The role of Peter and the Apostles in the early Church. 1.b.3 Apostolic Succession preserves the mission, office, and teaching of the Apostles as entrusted to them by Christ The Pentecost Event Acts of the Apostles 2  The Jewish start of the Church The first Apostles were all Jews when they were called. ○ Hence, they were the first converts. ○ The faith did not require them to break from the Temple (Acts 3:1) The Apostles concentrated their evangelization among the Jewish community in conformity with Jesus’ words “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Matthew 15:24. ○ So the spreading of the gospel out was slow. St. Stephen the First Martyr Stephen was one of the first to break out of the Jewish-centric evangelization of the Gospel. he launched into a polemic against his fellow Jews (Acts 7:42-53) This led to his stoning and his followers did not stop preaching but instead dispersed and preached the gospel wherever they traveled. ○ It was in Antioch that they centered and began preaching to the Gentiles. ○ There was undoubtedly a fear that the Church would be swamped by these Gentiles and lose its Jewish character.  Saul of Tarsus - St. Paul Paul strips the gospel of the Jewish character and stressed reliance not only on the Law but on Christ who came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it. (Philippians 3:8-9) ○ When it comes to the topic of circumcision (Galatians 2:16 -21) ○ St. Paul of Justification (CCC 1987-1995) ○ St. Paul on Grace and Merit (CCC 1996-2011) Even St. Peter stood with Paul and when he visit, he shared a meal with the Gentiles and later changed his mind, which caused Paul to write a decent against Peter (Galatians 2:11-13) The Council of Jerusalem In an effort to resolve this issue, the Council of Jerusalem was called by St. Peter, probably in the year 49AD (Acts 15) St. Peter makes a firm conclusion to the conference “My brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that I should be the one through whom the Gentiles would hear the message of the good news and become believers… we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” Acts 15:7-11  St. Paul Given the Gentiles the future of the Church was opened and St, Paul took the chance to preach the Gospel to all nations  St. Paul With St. Paul’s epistles to the young communities in ○ Thessalonica ○ Rome ○ Ephesus ○ Corinth ○ Galatia, and ○ Colossea He became one of the greatest shapers of Church History The letters contain deep theological but also eschatological insights. Possible Timeline of St. Paul Missionary Trips 33- 36 - Conversion - spent three 55 - 57 - Third missionary journey - years in Arabia Greece and Illyricum 36 - 44 - Preaches in Tarsus 57 - 59 - Returns to Jerusalem - arrested 44 - 46 - Teaches in Antioch - then 59 - 60 - Imprisoned, appeals to visits Jerusalem Caesar - travels to Rome 47 - 48 - First missionary journey - 60 - 62 - Under house arrest in Rome Cyprus and Galatia 63 - 66 - Possible Fourth missionary 49 - Council of Jerusalem journey - Spain 49 - 52 - Second missionary 66 - Arrested, placed in prison journey - Asia Minor and Greece 67 - Martyrdom - beheaded. 52 - 55 - Stayed in Ephesus  Other Missionary Journeys Though we have a lot less detail about other missionaries who traveled around this time, some legends state that: ○ St. Thomas evangelized the Parthians, ○ St. Andrew the Scythians, ○ St. Bartholomew went as far as India and perhaps to southern Arabia ○ St. Philip died at Hierapolis in Phrygia. Expansion of Christianity The expansion of Christianity brought with it political, social and cultural growth. ○ Firstly, we have the material conditions afforded by Rome’s dominance of the Mediterranean world. There was a diverse medley of diverse people by race and language with marvelous system of roads and shipping. ○ Secondly, the world was largely at peace thanks to the work and constitution of Emperor Octavian Augustus.  Expansion of Christianity ○ Thirdly, thought it was a time of prosperity, there was a great spiritual unrest because of the increase in areas of enjoyment (baths, amphitheatres, stadia). These satisfied the body but left the soul spiritually hungry. The leaders that followed Augustus were marred with scandals and disdain for christianity. Many people found great consolation in philosophy rather than religion. Expansion of Christianity The expansion of Christianity in the first century owed much to the social, cultural and political trends. The primary reason was the fact that the basic religious questions of, ○ The tortured soul ○ The monotheistic teachings ○ Idolatry of the time could only be answered by the preaching of Christ on the liberation from sin, resurrection, a life filled with faith, love and call to holiness.  ASSIGNMENT WORK ON EXIT TICKET Chapter 1.3 The Church taking Root and Worship in the Early Century  USCCB Framework II.1.a An Age of Growth amid Persecution II.1.b House liturgies—Eucharist is the heart of early Christian worship. II.2.a Constantine and the Edict of Milan The Church’s Authority At the end of the Second Century, the Christian church presented itself as an institution with a clearly defined system of authority. ○ The Sacred Scripture ○ Its Creed ○ Hierarchy of Bishop, priest and deacon. But how did they traditions continue?  The Church’s Authority The unique Christocentric self-image of the early Church is revealed clearly in two most important rituals: ○ The Eucharist Celebrated by repeating Christ words at the Last Supper. ○ The rite of Baptism A cleansing with water that was regarded as an essential part of conversion to Christ. The Church’s Authority Many historians prefer the theory that the primitive Church only slowly organized itself and shaped its systems of authority in response to a variety of situations that existed in different localities. ○ Different ministers were called up through time to carry out different functions hence settling on the roles of bishop, priest and deacons. I Cor 12:28 These were possible because the people believed in a closeness of the second coming and the apostles were still alive.  The Church’s Authority With the people realizing that the faith was continuing through history and the apostles were being carried off by death, ○ They had to address the problem of how to stay in touch with the origin and preserve the unity of the Church. ○ Also amidst this was the growing heresy of the Gnostics. To meet this crisis, a threefold solution was gradually devised: ○ A specially commissioned ministry was established, ○ An authoritative list of apostolic writings was issued and ○ A Creed was drawn up. The Commissioned Ministries These leaders had to be men of character and have certain qualities. ○ 1 Timothy 3:1-7 ○ Titus 1:5-9 ○ 1 Peter 5: 1-11 This far the whole church is called a royal priesthood and there is really no distinction between clergy and laity. The first change is noted in the First Epistle of Clement ○ Chapter XL and Chapter XLI  Chapter XL.—Let Us Preserve in the Church the Order Appointed by God. These things therefore being manifest to us, and since we look into the depths of the divine knowledge, it behoves us to do all things in [their proper] order, which the Lord has commanded us to perform at stated times. He has enjoined offerings [to be presented] and service to be performed [to Him], and that not thoughtlessly or irregularly, but at the appointed times and hours. Where and by whom He desires these things to be done, He Himself has fixed by His own supreme will, in order that all things, being piously done according to His good pleasure, may be acceptable unto Him. Those, therefore, who present their offerings at the appointed times, are accepted and blessed; for inasmuch as they follow the laws of the Lord, they sin not. For his own peculiar services are assigned to the high priest, and their own proper place is prescribed to the priests, and their own special ministrations devolve on the Levites. The layman is bound by the laws that pertain to laymen. Chapter XLI.—Continuation of the same Subject. Let every one of you, brethren, give thanks to God in his own order, living in all good conscience, with becoming gravity, and not going beyond the rule of the ministry prescribed to him. Not in every place, brethren, are the daily sacrifices offered, or the peace-offerings, or the sin-offerings and the trespass-offerings, but in Jerusalem only. And even there they are not offered in any place, but only at the altar before the temple, that which is offered being first carefully examined by the high priest and the ministers already mentioned. Those, therefore, who do anything beyond that which is agreeable to His will, are punished with death. Ye see, brethren, that the greater the knowledge that has been vouchsafed to us, the greater also is the danger to which we are exposed.  The Commissioned Ministries The term “Bishop” was originally a secular Greek expression, episkopos, meaning supervisor or overseer. It gradually came into the church and became synonymous with the word for leader, presbyter. ○ These elders governed collectively but later this power was consolidated under one person, who came to be called the bishop. By the end of the first century, the monarchical episcopate was clearly developed as is evident by the letter of Ignatius, bishop of Antioch and the classics of St. Irenaeus around 185 A.D The Authoritative List of Writings The Canon of Scripture was also established. ○ This Canon of the New Testament was suppose to contain authentic tradition about Jesus. ○ All the books were to be associated with an Apostle in some way ○ Also, it had to be orthodox in doctrine. The judgement of the authenticity was based on the tradition of the Church in this matters as trustworthy in general, although it could be “wrong” in detail.  The Authoritative List of Writings The Gospel of John for example was not readily accepted at first but after convincing by St. Irenaeus of John as the author, its canonicity was established. Also the Epistle to the Hebrews, was not accepted for almost 200 years by writers in the Western churches. The Canon was virtually complete by the early decades of the second century but was not definitely finalized in the west until 380-390 AD and even later in the East. The Rule of Faith The third means by which the Church upheld its authority was by the formulation of the Creed, a compendium of the main teachings of the bishops. The first synod of which we have knowledge took place in Asia (160-175 AD). Gradually certain churches assumed authority over others. Some then acquired metropolitan status (primacy over provinces), while others like Rome, Alexandria, and Antioch acquired suprametropolitan status (primacy over metropolitan churches). Rome enjoyed certain attributes, one being it was the see of the apostles Peter and Paul, hence giving it preeminent authority as the unquestionable channel of pure apostolic doctrine.  Constantine Favors the Christians Constantine Favors the Christians The Edict of Milan was a document issued in February 313 AD by Roman emperors Constantine and Licinius that granted legal recognition to Christianity and ended the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire Constantine’s Conversion is certainly one of the greatest turning points in the history of the Church and of the world.  Worship, Faith and Life in the Early Church Originally called the Last Supper, this was celebrated by the first Christians in the late afternoon. It was joined with a regular meal of ritual character. By the middle of the second century, it had become established as an independent rite and was now celebrated on Sunday morning and combined with a service of reading and preaching. Our earliest description of the mass is from the pen of Justin Martyr and reflects its development. Excerpt from THE FIRST APOLOGY by JUSTIN MARTYR Worship, Faith and Life in the Early Church The oldest liturgical form of the Mass (except the Didache, a different type) is found in the Church Order of Hippolytus The Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus The place of Worship had no particular importance in itself, as it was usually just a large room in one of the member’s homes. ○ The focus was on the worshiping and praying community itself. ○ As time passed the Eucharist was no longer consecrated on a regular table but on a more ornate altar made of precious marbles and gems.  Worship, Faith and Life in the Early Church Constantine as earlier noted had such a massive influence on the Church, especially in this regards as he provided for the church ornate places of worship, Basilicas. ○ St. Peter being erected where Peter’s bones we thought to rest. Millions of pagans soon entered the Church and so did some of their customs. In a way 5 main liturgies grew to dominance: 3 in the East (West-Syrian of Antioch, the Coptic of Alexandria, and Byzantine of Constantinople) and 2 in the West (Romano-African and Gallican). ASSIGNMENT WORK ON UNIT I TEST