Church History Final

Martyrdom

People that gave up their lives to defend Christianity. An example would be Steven from acts chapter 7 he was talking about Christianity in front of jews and was stoned to death.

Atheism:

Christians were accused of being Atheists because they didn't give sacrifices to Roman pagan gods

Cannabalism:

Christians would have holy communion during supper and they would eat the body and blood of Christ done in private after supper.

Incest

Christians were accused of incest because we would refer eachother as brothers and sisters of God.

Labellus

A certificate demonstrating that one had made the appropriate sacrifices to the gods of rome

Sacrificati

Describes those who had actually offered a sacrifice to the idols

Libellatici

Describes those who had false labellus created without actually making the sacrifices. A two year sanction was imposed.

Traditores

Describes those who gave up scriptures an/or revealed names of fellow christians

Patriarch

A high ranking person that would oversee the archbishops and be in charge of continents

Bishop

Has authority over multiple churches of a certain area. They oversee different christian communties.

Elder

Another name for a pastor or priest. Some one who has some authority in the church.

Laity

All baptized members of the church and not deacons or priests.

Apostles Creed

the first time the church came together to put a statement of faith, setting aside our doctrine traditions and what lies at the heart of the christian faith.

"C"atholic

means the Roman Catholic Church

"c"atholic:

worldwide universal understanding of then church.

Way of Life

In the didache it gives you an understanding of the way of life. The moral teachings of Christianity. In the didache it tells you to love your neighbor and God and it also tells you to avoid sins like murder,theft, and lying. Rituals for the way of life would be baptism and the eucahrist

Polycarp

A martyrdom that was burned alive for speaking about christianity in the roman colosseum

Epic (genre)

long, narrative poem that tells the story of a hero's adventures and deeds, often involving great battles, important events, or journeys.

Baptism

A ritual that Christians do where there is holy water dunked on you by a priest and you get reborn again under God and become his child and enter the kingdom of heaven.

Eschatology

The study of the end times

Hebrews

Jewish people

Gentiles

non Jewish people

Monk

:a male that dedicates their life to religious devotion that lives under a monastery. where they follow a disciplined lifestyle focused on prayer, meditation, study, and sometimes manual labor or service.

Nun

:a woman who dedicates her life to religious devotion in a convent. They are engaged in a disciplined lifestyle such as prayer, meditation, charitable work, and sometimes teaching or healthcare services.

Convent

is a religious community and building for nuns that live and work that follow rules under religious order is their home and a place they worship.

Monastery

a building or complex of buildings that houses a room for prayer for monks. It includes a church, dormitory,library, church, school, etc.

Dark Ages

A time where the western roman empire was collapsing and the church was in power and the relationship between the church and the state continued to evolve. In response many monasteries spread throughout Europe to preserve the purity of Christianity and keep its innocence.

Saint Benedict

was a Christian monk, theologian, and founder of monasticism in the west. He founded several monasteries and schools. St Benedict wrote a book about rules that monks should follow on how to live and work together.

Monastic rule:

A set of guidelines that sets expectations for monks and nuns to follow. These rules indicate how members should pray, work, interact, and live in their religious vows. These rules emphasize discipline, devotion, and communal living.

Episcopacy

a system of church governance where bishops hold authority specific denominations

Rule of Faith

a summary of core beliefs from what the apostles taught and from the Bible. Helped shaped the development of the christian doctrine and to state exactly what christians believe in.

Catechumen

a person that is apart of the initiation process to get baptized. They get taught about the fundamentals of the christian faith.

Emperor Titus

Was a roman emperor that played a big part in the fall of jerusalem. He led an army to destroy Jerusalem and their temple.

Apostolicity

Means being an apostle or having relation to a apostle. The church is founded by apostles and they spread the faith from the direct teachings of God.

Infirmary

is a place where sick or injured people receive medical care, such as a small hospital or a medical room in a school, monastery, or military facility. often found in monasteries, where monks and clergy cared for the sick. Monasteries played a significant role in healthcare during the medieval period,

Probationary Year

A year where people that are considering monastic life learn the rules, lifestyle, and spiritual discipline before being fully committed. It gives a chance for the novices to be tested to determine they can handle the commitment.

Tonsure:

he practice of shaving or cutting someone's hair. Many monks were tonsured to represent their commitment to God and so there won't be a barrier from obtaining God's word. It also symbolizes humility because it was unflattering and to shun away from any distractions.

Abbot

is the head or leader of a monastery in certain Christian traditions. An abbott oversees the monks, manages the monastery, and provides spiritual guidance. An example of an Abbot would be St Benedict, an influential person in monastic history.

Rule of St. Benedict:

​​The Rule of St. Benedict is a set of guidelines for monastic life written by St. Benedict of Nursia around the the Arian controversy.

Roman Empire:

One of the most largest civilizations in history. They worshiped Roman Gods and defeated Jewish people in the Roman-Jewish war. Emporer Constintine introduced Christianity later on.

Judaism

A religion where it started in Israel. They believe in an omnipotent God that revealed himself from Abraham and they are still waiting for the messiah to come from the line of david to re-establish Israel.

Athanasius

A theologian and the 20th bishop of alexandria. He argued against the teachings of Arius and faced exiles due to him opposing Arius. He wrote "On the Incarnation" He emphasized that the mystery of the word was becoming flesh, Jesus' salvation and he taught about how the trinity is 3 in 1.

On the Incarnation:

The author of "On the Incarnation is Athanasius and it talks about how God became human in the person of Jesus Christ. It explains why God became human, how it achieves humanity's salvation and the Incarnation for restoring the corrupted human nature caused by sin.

The Divine Dilemma:

conflict between God's justice, which demands the punishment of sin, and God's mercy, which desires to save humanity.

Chalcedon

was an important meeting of Christian leaders (bishops) held in 451 AD to settle disputes about the nature of Jesus Christ.

Nicaea:

The first ecumenical(universal) council that bishops and priests from different places in the world were gathered and it was called by Constantine because of the conflict in the church and to solve divine or a mix of divine and human, rather than having two distinct natures

Nicene Creed

a way to declare shared faith and understanding of core Christian beliefs.

Constantine:

was the emperor of Rome that saw a vision of the angels and the cross and converted to christianity and legalized christianity in rome.

Edict of Milan

a proclamation that granted religious freedom in Rome. It ended persecution for Christians and recognized christianity as a legal religion.

Battle of the Milvian Bridge

A conflict fought between Maxentius and Constantine near the Milvian Bridge and the purpose was who was going to control the western European empire and Constantine won.

Arius

was a christian elder that had teachings called arianism that caused a lot of controversy. He believed that the son was created by the father and there was a time the son didn't exist. (That Jesus and God did not coexist)

Begotten

This shows that Jesus is the son of God and he shares the same divine essence with God the Father and has existed eternally without beginning or end.

Begotten

This shows that Jesus is the son of God and he shares the same divine essence with God the Father and has existed eternally without beginning or end.

Ecumenical Council:

A formal assembly of church leaders and theologians to discuss and resolve critical issues concerning doctrine, practice and church unity. They are also universal and include people from across the world.

Heresy

a belief or teaching that goes against the official beliefs or teachings of a religion, especially Christianity.

Monophysitism:

is someone who believes that Jesus Christ has only one nature, which is divine or a mix of divine and human, rather than having two distinct natures

Ebionism:

a member of an early Christian group that believed Jesus was a human prophet and not divine. They followed many Jewish traditions and saw Jesus as a teacher and the Messiah (chosen one), but not as God.

Doceitism:

The belief that Jesus was only fully divine and he only appeared to be human

Nestorianism:

Nestorians believed that the human Jesus and the divine Jesus were distinct and separate, almost like two persons working together. named after Nestorius

Eutycheanism

Jesus had only one nature after his birth, and his divine nature was so powerful that it "swallowed up" or replaced his human nature.

Polytheism

a belief that worships different gods that have different characteristics.For example in greek mythology there are different gods like zeus( god of thunder and sky), poseidon(god of sea), and Athena(goddess of wisdom).

Pantheism:

The belief that God and the universe are identical. God is present in all things like nature, people, animals, and physical objects.

Deism

Deism is a belief that there is a creator who designed the universe but they don't get involved in human affairs. There also isn't any scripture or prophets that communicate to humans or religious authority

Atheism:

Christians didn't believe in Roman pagan gods so they were called atheists.

Geneva, Switzerland

played a major role in the Protestant Reformation. It became a center of Reformed Christianity, especially under the leadership of John Calvin, one of the most important Reformers.

Wittenberg, Germany :Wittenberg is important because it's where Martin Luther spoke out and started the movement that changed Christianity.

Calvinism

Calvinism is a branch of Protestant Christianity based on the teachings of John Calvin, a Reformer during the Reformation. centered in Geneva switzerland

Lutheranism

is a branch of Christianity that started with Martin Luther during the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s.

Anglicanism:

Anglicanism is a branch of Christianity that began in England during the Reformation.Started by King Henry VIII - He broke away from the Catholic Church in the 1530s when the Pope wouldn't let him get a divorce. Mix between protestantism and catholicism

Act of Supremacy:

The Act of Supremacy was a law passed in England in 1534 It made King Henry VIII the head of the Church of England instead of the Pope.

-This happened because the Pope wouldn't let Henry get a divorce.

-The law started the official break from the Catholic Church and began the English Reformation.

In Praise of Folly

a book by Erasmus that critisized the Catholic Church and helped influence the reofrmation and wanted the church to reform itself.

Iconoclasm

Many Protestants believed that Catholic churches had too many statues and paintings that people treated like idols.-Reformers like John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli supported removing or destroying images from churches.

Consistory:

is a type of church court or council that was important in some Christian churches, especially during the Protestant Reformation.

made decisions about church rules, discipline, and behavior.

Coram deo

"before the face of God" or "in the presence of God." means living your life fully aware that God is always with you, guiding and watching over everything you do.

Jesuits:

a group of Catholic priests that focused on education, missions, and defending the Church during a time of big religious changes in Europe.

Constantinople

was the capital of the Byzantine Empire and one of the most significant cities in history. Founded by the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great in 330 CE, it became the center of Eastern Christianity, culture, trade, and politics for over a millennium.

Byzantine Empire

was the eastern half of the Roman Empire that survived the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE. Its capital was Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), and it lasted for nearly a thousand years, making it one of the longest-lasting empires in history.

Filioque

Was a statement added to the Roman Catholic version of the Nicene Creed that was a factor of theological divide between the east and west in the Great Schism. The west believes that the holy spirit proceeds both from the father and the son emphazing unity. The east believes that it is a hierarchy and that the holy spirit proceeds only from the Father and that it is a voluntary agreement.

Icons/holy images

are religious images or paintings depicting Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, saints, or biblical events. They are significant in Orthodox Christianity and are seen as a veneration; to inspire devotion and prayer.

The Great Schism

as the formal split between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church in 1054. It was caused by a mix of theological, political, and cultural differences that had been growing for centuries between the Western (Latin) Church, centered in Rome, and the Eastern (Greek) Church, centered in Constantinople.

Patriarchs

a patriarch is a high-ranking bishop who serves as the head of an important Christian center. There were five major patriarchs at the time of the Great Schism.

Islam

believes in the worship of one God, called Allah in Arabic. Islam was the dominant religion in the Middle East, particularly in the regions of Jerusalem, Syria, and North Africa, where the Crusades took place.

Excommunication

is a formal act by a Christian church that excludes a person from participation in the sacraments and community of the Church due to serious violations of doctrine, discipline, or morality. In the Great Schism

Charlemagne

he is one of the most influential people in European history by uniting Western Europe during the Middle Ages.

Holy Land

The Holy Land refers to a region in the Middle East that holds significant religious importance for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. During the Crusades, the Holy Land was the main area of conflict, as Christian forces sought to reclaim Jerusalem and other sacred sites from Muslim control. It is modern day Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and Syria.

Latin:

Latin Church: Based in Rome, spoke Latin, led by the Pope

Greek

Greek:Greek Church: Based in Constantinople, spoke Greek, led by the Patriarch of Constantinople

Celibacy

someone that is abstaining from marriage and sexual relations often for religious or spiritual reasons. It is commonly practiced by monks and nuns.

Counter-Reformation

The Catholic Church's response to the Protestant Reformation.

They made changes to fix problems and stop the spread of Protestantism. Groups like the Jesuits helped lead this movement

Thirty Years War

:a religious conflict between Protestants and Catholics in the Holy Roman Empire (mostly modern-day Germany), but it quickly turned into a political war for power between major European countries.

Peace of Westphalia

The agreement that ended the Thirty Years' War.

It allowed rulers to choose their country's religion (Catholic, Lutheran, or Calvinist) and helped shape modern Europe.

Council of Trent

A big meeting of Catholic leaders during the Counter-Reformation.

They clarified church teachings, corrected abuses, and said that faith and good works were needed for salvation.