8.
Christianity
I. Rise of Christianity
A. Jews undergoing conflict and struggle
1. Split in the community
- those who retained their Semitic heritage
- those who assimilated into Hellenistic
society
2. Resistance to Roman rule
- Rome conquered Judea (40 B.C.E.)
- Herod the Great (37-4 B.C.E.) was
appointed king by the Romans, but failed to
gain the supports of the Jews
- ten years after Herod’s death Roman rule was
imposed and resisted
- Destruction of the Temple (70 C.E.) and
dispersal of the Jews
B. Jesus of Nazareth(c.6 B.C.E.-30 C.E.)
1. One of many Jewish teachers and prophets, began
to attract a following among the Semitic
Jews of Galilee about 30 C.E.
2. Recognized as the Messiah
3. His teachings were unique
- focus on the transformation of the inner
person
- only two laws: love God, love on another
- ethical principles: Sermon on the Mount
emphasized
humility, charity, brotherly love
C. Spread of Christianity
1. Jesus’ teaching spread from Judea to the
Hellenistic cities
in the east where they were introduced to the Greek
speaking communities
2. St. Paul (c. 3-54 C.E.)
a) a Hellenized Jew from Tarsus in Asia Minor
who
became a Christian missionary
b) first to write down the doctrines of the new
religion:
emphasized the divine nature of Jesus and His role
as Savior; faith in Jesus as a means of salvation
3. Separation of Judaism and Christianity
- Should non-Jews be expected to live according
to Jewish law and ceremonials?
• No, the new revelations superseded the
old law
4. Early followers of the new religion:
- “humble men”
- women from all social and economic groups
5. Early organization
- observed weekly rituals
- active in missionary and charitable work
- looked to the guidance of a local bishop
- after 70-110C.E. the gospels of Mark, Luke,
Matthew,
John appeared; along with the letters of St. Paul
comprised the New Testament
D. Problems faced by early Christians
1. Interpretation of texts
- the Gnostics
- theological school founded in Alexandria,
Egypt
2. Conflict with the Roman State
- refusal to worship state gods > treasonous
- as a semi-secret religion it was illegal
- generally Christians were not prosecuted
3. Roman adoption of Christianity
a) The Great Persecution of Christians
(303-312)
> part of Diocletion’s program to restore
and
strengthen Roman institutions
> the courage of the Christians inspired
conversions
b) Edict of Rome (313 C.E.)
> Constantine granted the Christians
religious toleration
c) Theodosius the Great made Christianity the
state religion
in 380 C. E.
II. Medieval Christianity
A. Division between East and West
1. Political leadership
- the West > weak rulers left a political
vacuum filled by the
Pope in Rome
- the East > Roman Emperors in Constantinople
were actively
involved in the Church
2. Theological Differences
- the West > more concerned with practical
matters and survival
and Christ’s humanity was emphasized
- the East > in the early Church, Eastern
Christians were more
involved in leadership roles and formulating doctrine and
they
emphasized Christ’s divine nature
3. Religious Leadership
- Pope in Rome only religious authority in West
unsuccessfully
claimed leadership over all of Christianity
- Patriarch in Constantinople > unsuccessful in
asserting his
authority over the Eastern Patriarchs
4. Conflict between East and West
a) Iconoclastic Controversy
- Byzantine Emperor Leo III issued an edict
forbidding
the use of icons in 730
- this was opposed by the Pope in Rome
- by end of century the edict was reversed
but differences
remained
b) Differences between Orthodox and Roman
Practices
- baptism by immersion vs. sprinkling of
water
- communion of bread and wine vs. bread
only
- clerical marriage allowed before
ordination vs. clerical
celibacy
- Greek vs. Latin as the Church language
c) Schism of 1054
- refusal of the Patriarch of
Constantinople to accept the
authority of the Pope in Rome led to
the leaders
excommunicating each other
- despite efforts to re-unite the Churches,
the schism remains
B. Development of the Roman Church’s Political Authority
in Europe
1. Establishment of the Concept of Dual Authority
> God granted the Kings temporal authority and
the Church
spiritual authority so that they may govern society in
partnership
- Pope Leo III’s coronation of Charlemagne
as Holy Roman
Emperor in 800
2. The Struggle for Supremacy
a) The Holy Roman Empire > Coronation of King
Otto the
Great in 962
- Otto and his successors asserted their
authority over the Church
> appointing bishops, investing them
with their religious authority
and incorporating them into the
feudal system as vassals in
return for use of Church lands
b) Investiture Controversy (1075)
- Pope Gregory VII opposed the
subordination of the Church to
secular authority as well as the
concept of dual authority
- Maintained the supremacy of the Church
and wanted to see the
creation of an international government
under the Pope’s control
- when HRE Henry IV appointed his own
candidate as Archbishop
of Milan, the Pope summoned him to Rome
- Henry IV responded having the German
clergy depose Gregory VII
- Gregory VII excommunicated Henry IV and
deposed him as Emperor
- Henry IV appealed for forgiveness in
January 1077
- only to be excommunicated again three
years later
- this time Imperial troops forced Gregory
VII to flee Rome
- Concordat Of Worms (1122)
> only the Pope could invest a bishop
with spiritual authority, but
the king can invest bishops with a
fief and have a representative
present at the election of a bishop
c) The Babylonian Captivity (1305-1378)
- 1296 Pope Boniface forbade the clergy to
give grants to rulers
without papal permission, but French
King Philip the Fair forced
him to back down
- 1301 when Philip the Fair had a French
bishop arrested for treason,
Pope Boniface threatened him and Philip
the Fair had the Pope
beaten and arrested
- subsequent Popes did not challenge the
French King
- in 1305 a French Pope, Clement V was
elected and the Imperial
capital was move to Avignon
- a period of wealth, luxury, moral laxity
and corruption in the Church
d) The Great Schism (1378-1418)
- Newly elected Pope Urban VI returned the
papacy to Rome and in
response the cardinals voided the
election and voted for a new Pope
- Council of Pisa > met to settle the
problem of the existence of two
Popes; it deposed the first two and
elected a third
- Council of Constance (1414-1418) -
deposed the three popes and
appointed Martin V as Pope seated in
Rome
- undermined the authority of the Papacy
C. Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274)
- important for his intellectual contributions to
Christian thought
- influenced by newly translated works of the Greek
philosophers
- Summa Contra Gentiles > a series of arguments
defending the Christian faith
- Summa Theologiae > a massive systemization of
Christian beliefs
- in the controversy over the relationship between
faith and reason argued that
both
were needed for Christian belief
III. The Protestant Reformation
A. Early Reform Movements
1. John Wycliffe (1320? – 1384)
a) Teachings:
> Theory of Dominion
> Community of Believers
> Scripture and individual conscience is
the source of religious authority
> Predestination
> Rejected the doctrine of
transubstantiation
> rejection of Church’s mediatory and
sacramental role
b) Lollardy
1) followers of Wycliffe’s ideas
- derived from anti-clericalists
- wanted a more intense and personal
religious experience
- benefited from Wycliffe’s translation
of the Bible
2) Decline of Lollardy
- John of Gaunt withdrew his
prootection
- Lollardy purged from Oxford
- 1401 Statute for the Burning of
Heretics
- yet Wycliffe’s ideas endured
2. Jan Hus (1374-1415)
- influenced by Wycliffe’s writings
- denounced the corruption of the pope and the
selling of indulgences
- gained a large following in Prague
- condemned by the Council of Constance and
burned as a heretic
B. Martin Luther (1483-1546)
1. Life
- Concerned with his personal salvation
- became an Augustinian monk and Professor
of Theology at the University at Wittenberg
- Eventually reassured by the Biblical passage:
“The just shall live by faith”
- Concerned with the corruption of the Catholic
Church: secular interests
of the Pope; practice of simony; poorly
educated and morally lax clergy
- “95 Theses” > opposed the sale of indulgences
2. Why was Lutheranism successful?
- Luther had the protection of Frederick the
Wise
- The slow reaction of the Pope and the Holy
Roman Emperor, Charles V
- Appealed to the German Princes:
> religious concerns
> nascent nationalism
> economic concerns
- Popular movement
> Peasants War (1524-1525)
3. The Peace of Augsburg (1555)
- HRE Charles V failed to stop the spread of
Lutheranism
- The treaty allowed the ruler to decide the
religion of his state
4. Establishment of the Lutheran Church
- removed from practice all that did not
conform to scripture
- translated the Bible into German
- wrote hymns and encouraged the clergy to
marry
C. Spread of Protestantism
1. Anabaptists
- attempt to omit all elements of Christian
belief and practice
not found in the New Testament and advocated adult baptism
- Münster > ruthlessly crushed
2. Switzerland - Zwingli (1484-1531)
> War of religion ended with Zwingli’s death
> the cantons were left free to choose between
Catholicism
and Lutheranism
3. France – John Calvin (1509-1564)
- Predestination
- Calvinism spread to:
> Geneva, Switzerland
> France (Huguenots);
> England (Puritans);
> Scotland (Presbyterians)
- French Wars of Religion (1559-1589)
- Henri IV: “Paris is worth a mass”
- Edict of Nantes (1598) > allowed Huguenots to
practice
in France
D. England-Henry VIII (1509-1547)
- Renounced Catholicism and the Pope to divorce
his wife,
Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn
- Act of Supremacy (1534) passed by Parliament
established the Anglican Church
IV. Modern Christianity
A. Catholic Reformation
1. Council of Trent (1545-1563)
- fundamental issues concerning doctrine or
rituals were
not addressed
- seven sacraments were confirmed
- Some changes instituted to improve the
quality of the
clergy, catechism, index and inquisition
2. New religious orders founded: Franciscan,
Dominicans,
Jesuits
3. Baroque Art
B. Catholic Dogmas since the Counter-Reformation
1. Immaculate Conception of Mary (1854)
2. Papal infallibility in matters of dogma and
morals
(Vatican Council, 1869)
3. Bodily Assumption of Mary (1950)
C. Vatican II (1962-1965)
1. Called by Pope John XXIII to update and
revitalize
the Church
2. Eastern Orthodox Christians and Protestants were
invited as observers
3. Achievements:
- non-Catholics recognize as true Christians
- the use of the vernacular allowed in Mass
- Index of Forbidden Books abolished
- more participation of the congregation in
worship
- Jews no longer responsible for Jesus’s death
- Dialogue sought with non-Christians
D. Modern Protestant Movements
1. Branches of Protestantism
- Lutheran
- Reformed and Presbyterian (Calvinism)
- Anabaptists (Baptists, Mennonites, Amish)
- Church of England and Methodists
2. Methodism
a) Discontent with the Church of England
- Christianity seen as a reasonable and
practical
guide to how one should live
- little concern for belief, the spirit and
assurances
of salvation
- little interest in the poor or working
poor
- Corruption within the Church
b) John Wesley (1703-1791)
- an Anglican minister
- experienced a religious conversion
“ I felt my heart strangely warmed, I felt I
did trust
in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and
an assurance was
given to me that He had taken away my sins, even mine,
and saved me from the law of sin and death.”
c) The Evangelical Movement
- Wesley became convinced only those who
had a similar
experience were saved
- began to preach so that others will open
their hearts
to God
- appealed to people’s fear of damnation
and offered
assurances of salvation through
repentance
- Methodism spread quickly among the lower
classes
d) Establishment of the Methodist Church
1) while Wesley wanted Methodism to remain
within the
Anglican Church this proved impossible
- many Anglican churches close
their doors to
Methodist preachers
- little common ground could be
found among the
Anglican upper classes and
the lower classes who
embraced Methodism
- Methodists refused to receive
sacraments from
Anglican clergy
2) Final rupture came when Wesley ordained
two ministers
to preach in the Americas and gave
them the power to
ordain others vs. Anglican rule
3) Methodism continued to spread quickly
due to:
the practices of the Church: music,
rituals, festivals,
education, entertainment,
opportunity to exercise
leadership
- the French Revolution: created
a climate of both
excitement and anxiety
- population increase and
economic expansion: uprooted
people, especially the
working class, were offered
spiritual assurance,
education, confidence and discipline
- Methodism became the second
largest Protestant
denomination in the United
States
V. Christianity Today
A. Liberation Theology
B. Fundamentalism
C. Evangelicalism
D. Mormonism
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