Church in Apostolic times

What is the Nicene Creed?

A prayer developed in response to heretics that clearly states the beliefs of the Christian church

What does Ecumenical mean?

promoting or tending toward worldwide Christian unity or cooperation

What was Arianism?

The belief that Jesus was not God but somewhere between God and man, that if anything Jesus was human and not divine, that God wouldn’t take human form because it is flawed

What is an ecumenical council?

where all the bishops of the world come together to discuss important matters of faith

What is pacifism?

being against fighting/war

What is Martyrdom?

A person who is killed because of their religious faith

What were the Gnostics?

people that believed that all material things including the human body were evil, that Jesus was just an apparition, that humans remained totally ignorant b/c God is so far removed from material things, that the gnostics had secret knowledge of God & spiritual destiny, that salvation was only for the gnostics, and that Jesus was only divine

What is Heresy?

beliefs contrary to some essential belief of faith

What is a creed?

A confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, a statement of the shared beliefs of a community in a form which is structured by subjects which summarize its core beliefs

What was the Edict of Milan

an edict created in 313 that legalized christianity and declared tolerance of religion

What is a bishop?

source of foundation for unity, 1 in each community, shepherd and govern the people of the church

What is a Presbyter?

A priest & elder who performs sacraments; shares the mission of bishops & deacons

What is a deacon?

A person who helps those in need & distributes communion; they share the mission of bishops

Why were christians persecuted in Rome in the early church?

because they were seen as a threat due to the fact that they didn’t believe in Roman gods or worship the emperor, people thought that they were cannibals & practice incest, and they didn’t serve in the army

Why weren’t Jews persecuted in Rome in the early church?

they had made a deal with the Romans when their land was conquered saying that as long as they remained peaceful and payed heavy taxes, they could worship in peace

Who legalized christianity?

emperor constantine

Why was Christianity legalized?

Constantine converted to christianity, he wanted a completely unified empire, and because his mom (st. Helen) was christian

What effects did the legalization of christianity have on the christian church?

It allowed christians to worship freely, the clergy was exempt from taxes, christian items were returned, and churches were built

When did the Council of Nicaea take place?

325

Where was the council of Nicaea?

Nicaea

Who was at the council of Nicaea?

The bishops of Nicaea & Emperor constantine

Why was the council of Nicaea called?

to denounce Arius’ heretic teachings

What number council was Nicaea?

1

What happened/what was decided at the council of Nicaea?

The bishops met, discussed, and developed a creed to spell out key church doctrines

How did the decisions of the council of Nicaea affect the development of the church?

it gave us the creed and defined beliefs of the church, which minimized heresy

When did the council of Chalcedon take place?

451

Where did the council of Chalcedon take place?

Chalcedon

Who was at the council of Chalcedon?

Pope Leo I and bishops

What number council was Chalcedon?

4

Why was the council of Chalcedon called?

to declare Nestorius’ teachings heresy, to decide which bishop would have more authority, to decide if Mary was the mother of God, and to decide if Jesus was God or not

What happened/what was decided at the council of Chalcedon?

That the bishop of Rome had most authority, the bishop of Constantinople was 2nd in authority, that Jesus is both human and divine, and that Mary is the mother of God

How did the decisions made at the council of Chalcedon affect the development of the church?

It caused discourse between the eastern & western christians and led to a complete break between them, but also led to more unity in the west

Why is the bishop of Rome the most powerful bishop in the church?

because Peter was appointed leader of the church by Jesus, so when he became the Bishop of Rome, the title was considered the one with the most power and continued to be when handed down to the next bishop of Rome

Why did the western part of the Roman Empire collapse?

corrupt emperors and leaders, barbarian invasions, weak military, and internal discourse

Who was Constantine?

The first Roman emperor to legalize Christianity; he was originally a Roman man of pagan faith in power who had a dream in which he was told that if he placed the first two letters of Christ's name on his troops' banners and shields, he would win. When he won, he converted, but he wasn’t baptized until he was on his deathbed

What was Constantine’s influence on the Christian church?

He legalized christianity, minimizing persecution and allowing the christians to worship openly