Church History Final Vocab

Apostolic Succession

Apostolic Succession

The handing on of of an apostolic preaching and authority from theApostles to their successors, the bishops, through the laying on of hands, as a permanent officein the Church

Gnosticism

Jesus wasn’t fully human, material world bad. Good god = spiritual, bad god = earth

Constantine

First Christian emperor, legalizes Christianity

Theotokos

“God-bearing mother”

St Augustine

wrote the confessions

Nicene Creed

The Profession of Faith set forth by the Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople, and typically recited at Sunday Mass, which affirms the essential tenets of the Christian faith and belief in the Holy Trinity

Arianism

Jesus is not fully divine= he was created by God

Nestorianism

Jesus divise erat in 2 Personas, NOT One person with 2 natures

Dark Ages

Great schism; The term used by historians to describe Europe after the Fall of Rome

Anno Domini

“In the year of the Lord”

Ora et Labora

"Pray and work" (St. Benedictus); prayer and necessary work of monks

Lay Investiture

Kings appoint bishops, Church didn’t like that 

Concordat of Worms

kings and church agree not to do lay investiture

Iconoclasm

The Systematic destruction of holy or sacred images

Filioque

Latin for “and from the Son” (in the niceness creed)

Great Schism

The separation of Eastern Christians from the Catholic Church in 1054. The Eastern Churches became known as the Orthodox Church.

Benedictine Order

The religious order founded by St. Benedict of Nursia in the 6th century. Benedictines follow the Rule of St. Benedict, commonly summarized by the phrase Ora et Labora, Latin for “pray and work.”

Papal Bull

An official papal letter or pronouncement. The term bull comes from the Latin bulla (“knob” or “seal”) for the papal seal affixed to the document.

Summa Theologica

The masterwork of St. Thomas Aquinas, a systematic study of everything pertaining to the Catholic Faith and doctrine that draws from the Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, St. Augustine of Hippo, and others. It was written between 1265-1273 and is considered to be the pinnacle of scholastic, Christian philosophy and theology.

Transubstantiation

word for transforming the bread and wine into Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ.

Mendicant Orders

religious communities that give up all possessions and forms of income, rely on almsgiving. Entrust their needs and work completely to the providence of God.

Babylonian Captivity

The 67 years beginning in 1309 during which the papacy was moved to Avignon, France, and all popes were either French or were chose directly or through the influence of the king of France. The popes, papal palace, and many of those associated with them during this time were infamous for their extravagance and excess. Also called the Babylonian Captivity in reference to the 70 years of Jewish captivity in Babylon in the Old Testament.

• AVIGNON PAPACY: Popes were not in Rome, and influenced by French King in France 

Council of Constance

An ecumenical council held from 1414 to 1418 that ended the Western Schism and elected Pope Martin V

Interdicts

An official prohibition, for example in Canon law it is one issued by ecclesiastical authority that excludes the faithful from participating in the liturgy of the Church, the Sacraments (except in a situation of grave need), and/or ecclesiastical burial.

Renaissance

French for rebirth, term used by historians to mark a period of cultural flourishing based on a rediscovery of classical philosophy. The Renaissance began in Italy around 1300 and spread throughout Western Europe through the 16th Century.

Protestant Reformation

revolt begun by Martin Luther divided and splintered Christianity. Many Churches formed, Protestant churches. Although not one, all brothers and sisters in Christ.

Sola Scriptura

The belief held by most non-Catholic Christian churches that the Bible is the only source of divine revelation. Latin for “Scripture alone.”

Justification

Transformation of the sinner from a state of unrighteousness to a state of holiness with God. It is in an act done by God that requires our free participation with His grace. We are justified through Baptism, which makes us children of God. Our justification (salvation) is won by Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross and his Resurrection.

Counter-Reformation

Response of the Church to the Protestant Reformers, time of Reform of the Catholic Church. Stopped selling indulgences 

Thirty Years' War

1618-1648  German v Spain v France v Denmark v Sweden v Austria etc. Martin Luther Civil War (Protestants v Catholics) POLITICAL POWER RATHER than religious differences

Gunpowder Plot

England, tried to assassinate the king by blowing up parliament, nothing to do with the thirty years war.

Introduction to the Devout Life

St. Francis de Sales (our saint) 1609 aimed at helping people achieve holiness in everyday life

Baroque

17/18 century artistic expression ornate detail, complexity, bold ornamentation, and dramatic tension

Gregorian Calendar

Pope Gregory XIII 1582, more accurate methods of determining the date of Easter and counting time, still used today

Sublimis Deus

written by the Pope, Sublime God

Inculturation

The process of adapting the customs of non-Christian peoples to the Catholic Faith, in witness to the universal nature of the Church.

Missions

Communities in non-Christian lands sponsored by the Church for the purpose of spreading the Gospel. They would typically include a church as well as gardens, schools, hospitals, and other facilities

Kakure Kirishitan

Japanese for “Hidden Christians,” those Japanese citizens who practiced their faith in secret through more than 200 years of the bloodiest persecutions in modern history.

Fumi-e

Japanese government held an annual ceremony where all were required to trample upon icons of Christ and the Virgin Mary

Hideyoshi Toyotomi

He regarded Christianity with suspicion. Viewed the religion, particularly the influence of foreign missionaries as threats to his power and to the established social hierarchy.

Cristero War

1926-1929 war between the Catholic Cirstero rebels and the Mexican government forces. It erupted as a result of the harsh anti-Catholic and anti-cleric policies of the Mexican government that stripped priests and religious of their rights and oppressed the free practice of the Catholic Faith.

Immaculate Conception

The dogma that from the first moment of her conception, by the grace of God, Mary was preserved from Original Sin.