Kneip Church History Exam 1 Review

What led to Rome being less tolerant of the early Christians?

Christians were rapidly spreading and encouraging others to not only follow them but neglect honoring the emperor.

Why do we study history of the church?

Identity, community, accountability, and certainty

What was the situation of the correspondence between Trajan and Pliny?

Pliny the younger was a governor of Pontus/Bithynia and encounters Christianity for the first time. He corresponds with emperor Trajan.

Pliny to Trajan: not sure how to handle cases with Christians, many claim they're no longer Christian and will worship Trajan and Pliny's gods

Trajan to Pliny: Pardon those who worship "our" gods, don't seek out the Christians

What were three things christians valued that Pagans did not?

Infants, sexual morality, and slaves

Which emperor conducted the first major persecution against christians in AD 64?

Emperor Nero

How were christians persecuted under Nero's reign?

Nero set fire to his own city for 6 days and blamed the Christians, leading to their imprisonment, torture, and murder.

Christians were seen as what three things to Pagans?

Atheists, Sexually immoral, and Cannibals

What were the circumstances for the last major persecution of christians in the 4th century?

Emperor Diocletian led the last persecution. Scripture was taken from believers and burned

What were the ways in which christians were living differently Pagans?

They refrained from social gatherings, gladiator fights, dinners, hospitals, and even working.

Polycarp

a Bishop from smyrna in Western Asia Minor who was Martyred

they tried to get him to renounce Christ and he prayed that his death would be a sacrifice and he was burned

Who was Diocletian and what did he do?

- most savage persecutions of the church

- military career/commander of army before emperor

- randomly persecuted even though wife and daughter were christians

Who was Decius?

What led to terrible persecution in AD 64?

A fire in Rome with Emperor Nero

Suspicion of cannibalism and sexual sins

Accused of atheism (monotheism was unattractive to Rome)

Supreme cause = arose from the tradition of emperor worship

- Goddess Roma incarnate in emperor

- Caesar worship was a test of political loyalty and good citizenship

What was the reason for persecution?

Danger to the state (angry gods)

What are the four big periods?

The "early church" (30 - ca. 500 CE)

The "medieval period" (ca. 500 - ca. 1500)

The "Reformation" (ca. 1500 - ca. 1600/1650)

The "modern period" (ca. 1600/1650 - present)

Why were Christians the exception to Rome's acceptance of religions

They were vocal and trying to convert Roman citizens and the way they lived was so different

What is the land called that is north of Israel and the name of the capital?

Syria, capital = Damascus

The Apocrypha

a list of books the Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox churches follow but Protestants do not.

Who was Marcion?

I rich ship owner who in AD 140 followed a Gnostic teacher and believed the O.T God was evil and that N.T God was gracious.

He was antisemitic, has an effect on churches in Italy, Armenia, and Egypt

He was excommunicated from the church for his ideas.

What was montanus's doctrine?

that Jesus and the N.T were in the past and the Holy Spirit could work contrary to it's teaching.

Theology

Rational thought about God

What was the turning point when the Christians started to be seen as a threat?

Christians preached to everyone about Jesus and the Jews did not identify with them.

What are the 5 steps to Christian Scripture?

50 AD - texts being written

150 AD - new, written Scriptures from Jesus followers

200 AD - there's a canon

300 AD - canon is closed

400 AD - we have the same canon

What were the criteria for something to become Scripture?

Inspiration, orthodoxy, apostolicity, antiquity (Roman culture valued old things), and catholicity (Catholicity = universally)

Docetism/ seemism

Jesus wasn't human

Ebionite

believed that Jesus was fully human who was justified by obeying the law

The Apostles creed in simple terms

God relates to the world and people and Jesus's death leads to our redemption

Gnosticism

an umbrella term, generally a movement offered by a guru or spiritual leader. Dualism, the balance of good and evil in the world.

- A belief that salvation comes only from secret knowledge

- the material world is evil

- the goal is to be set free the spirit trapped in one's physical existence

What was in the Muratorian Canon? When was it written?

Written around 200 AD

4 Gospels, connects Acts with Luke, 7 letters from Paul (also letters to Laodiceans, Alexandrians, and several more wrong ones), Wisdom of Solomon (and others that are now part of the Apocrypha), the Pastor, and more

Doesn't have the suffering of Peter or Paul's trip from Rome to Spain

Orthodox

Majority opinion

Who is Origen?

Third century Christian from Alexandria

Very brilliant

First Christian to formulate a systematic approach to Scriptural interpretation

created hexa-plug (6-column addition of Bible)

- scripture had outward meaning, soul , and spiritual meaning

Who is Montanus?

From Asia Minor

Had two prophetesses and proclaimed the second coming of Christ.

Said that opposition to the prophecy was blasphemy against the Spirit.

Denied that revelation had occured in Christ

Made Muratorian Canon

How did Heretics serve the early church?

They made the Church have to refine their understanding and make a solid clear theology.

Greco-Roman Philosophy: Platonism

World of the forms - everything we have is just a copy/replica

Allegory of the cave

Greco-Roman Philosophy: the "Logos"

connects humans and God

The "logos" (message/word) becomes flesh

Goes agaisnt Platonism

Greco-Roman Philosophy: Diversity

Weren't offended by new ideas

There were monotheists that weren't Jewish

What were some of the key topics of theology in the early church?

God, Jesus, and creation

What were dynamic monarchians?

believed that Jesus lived perfectly so God adopted Him - "today I have begotten you"

What was the Muratorian Canon?

Oldest known surviving list of the NT

What heresy did Ignatius of Antioch address and how so?

Docetism

He taught that Jesus was human

Who were the 3rd-century emperors?

Decius and Diocletian

What did Marcion try to do? (140 AD)

Shorten the canon

What was the supreme cause of Roman persecution to Christians? (during the time of Caesar)

Emperor worship

What is Docetism?

The belief that Jesus appeared to be god, but was truly human. Something like a "divine phantasm"

What makes a book canonical?

1) self-evidencing quality, carry uniqueness about them, transforming power

2) used in Christian worship

3) ties to an apostle

Who was Tertullian?

- From Carthage

- Second and Third-century Christian

- countered Clement the Alexandrian

- he disagreed that anything good could come from Greco-Roman culture (worldly wisdom vs. spirituality)

Who was Justin Martyr?

- From Palestine

- wrote an apology to the emperor against charges of atheism

Criteria for scripture:

- inspiration

- orthodoxy

- apostolicy

- antiquity

- catholicity

What was Irenaeus's response to Gnosticism

we have inherited scripture as one book. we can trace back our teachers to the Apostles.

Jesus lets himself be touched by other people and was human himself.

Against Docetism

What is the significance of Cyprian of Carthage?

There was an empire-wide persecution and he fled, protecting himself and writing letters to the church

What are some aspects of Hippolytus' Apostolic Tradition?

Baptism - immersed 3 times

Baptized naked (how we were in physical birth and so again for rebirth)

Martyrs - baptized in their own blood

Milk and honey - eat after, promised land food and also baby food

Where was Tertullian from and was he pro- or anti-culture?

Carthage, anti-culture

Where was Justin Martyr from and was he pro- or anti-culture?

Palestine, pro-culture

Where was Clement from and was he pro- or anti-culture?

Alexandria, pro-culture

Where was Origen from and what did he say about passages that made no sense

From Alexandria

He was a biblical scholar and said that the passages that make no sense in an obvious way are there for a reason, which is so we dig deeper and pray about it

What did Julian the Apostate say about the spread of Christianity?

the Church puts the government to shame because of how good they care for the poor

What probably first brought Christianity to Asia

Trade

What missionaries were important to the spread of Christianity in Asia?

Syriac missionaries

Which heresy is arianism a form of?

Monarchianism

What did the "Thomas Christians" believe and where were they located?

India

They believed __

What was Arian trying to do?

Preserve God's divinity and still give reasons why we worship Jesus

What is the primary emphasis of the Nicene Creed?

God and Jesus' equality

What is the word that the Nicene Creed uses that isn't Scriptural language?

"Consubstantial," meaning of the same substance or essence

When did the council of Nicaea meet?

325

Who called the council of Nicaea?

Constantine

Who's teachings was the Nicene Council in response to?

Arias

What is homoousious and what is it part of?

sameness, part of Nicene Creed

What is anathema and what was it part of?

condemned, was part of original Nicene creed but was eliminated

Who was Clement?

- Alexandria

- bishop of Alexandria

- exemplifies synthesis between Greco-Roman philosophy and Christian theology. (argues Plato got things from Moses)

- Christian theology in conversation with culture

- no statues(humans are living statues)

Who was Irenaeus?

- Bishop of Lyons

- taught by Polycarp

- wrote against Gnostic teachers, argued God is in harmony in both OT and NT

- African

What are catechumens?

Unbaptized people who are preparing to receive all of the Sacraments of Christian Initiation

Who was Cyprian of Carthage?

- Bishop under Decius persecution

- Had to deal with the aftermath of persecution(what do we do with those who committed apostasy?)

-Unity of the church

What heresy led to clarification about the Holy Spirit in the second stage of the Nicene creed?

Apollinarianism

What was the Cappodocian fathers' teaching on our experience of God?

We experience God in a hierarchical sense on earth but in an equal plane in heaven (Trinity)

Like a dance - one may be a leader but everyone participates

Who won at the Council of Ephesus, what year was it, who did they win against, and how?

Cyril won in 431 against Nestorius because he started the meeting before some bishops came

Who taught a high view of Mary?

Cyril

Order of councils and centuries

When was the first time Christians met "worldwide"?

Council of Nicaea

Which was the first "worldwide" creed?

Nicene Creed

What is the problem with Apollinarianism?

Some of our sin is soul sin. If Jesus doesn't have a human soul, He's not really human

What was the Apollinarianism teaching on the Holy Spirit?

Instead of having a human soul, Jesus has a divine soul

Human body, divine soul

What was the main idea of Arianism?

Jesus is definitely human and definitely divine, just not as divine as God.

Jesus was created.

If God is 100% divine then Jesus is 99% divine.

What did Donatism emphasize?

The church and its purity

Idea that impurity can be handed over/spread

What did the Apostles creed do?

1)God almighty, maker of heaven and earth (repudiates Gnosticism that the world is evil)

2) Jesus Christ born and crucified (complete humanity of Jesus)

3) resurrection of the flesh (body worthy to be resurrected)

Why was the Apostles creed written?

declaration of Christian truths, especially against Gnosticism?

What is Episcopacy?

office of the bishop

What are presbyters?

priests

pastoral leaders

priests and deacons

What is intermediary prayer

praying to a saint to pray for someone

what is a confessor?

Someone who bore witness to the Faith with life of 'heroic virtue', but does not suffer martyrdom.

Who was Egeria?

- Spanish nun

- wrote about pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

- Had a dream that she saw Jesus's cross remains at the place. people went and found wood

What are Saint's birthday's?

day of commemoration for saints that mark their death (birth into heaven)

what is refrigerium?

communal feasts held near the buried?

reasoning for veneration?

they feel far from God and feel like someone needs to come in between them

What tension was Donatism formed after?

During persecution and burning of Bibles people were giving their Bibles over in exchange for their lives. This was seen as an act of a traitor

Who was the chief opponent of Donatism and what did they say?

Augustine - everyone is sinful, purity of the Church relies of the purity of Jesus

Why did Christianity spread?

trade (Christian merchants)

poor/low social status accepted it often

publicity from martyrdom

practical expression of Christian love

What did monophysites teach/believe?

"Only one nature"

Who did monophysites agree with and what do they not accept?

Cyril, don't accept Chalcedon

Who was the main opponent of Pelagianism and what did they teach?

Augustine - sinfulness is on the inside also. It is impossible to go a day without sin

If you can go a lifetime without sin, then why Jesus?