Evil Western Heritage Midterm Two

Res Gestae Divi Augusti

Author: Augstus

Augustus realizes he doesn’t want to be viewed as a dictator (and doesn’t want people to kill him)

So he has people call him “Princeps” which means 1st citizen

Yes he’s 1st, but he’s also a CITIZEN

He’s trying to ensure that the roman people don’t start accusing him of the republic being dead because even their emperor is still a citizen

Augstus says: I was offered a dictatorship, but I declined!

Always mindful of how the people view him/his actions

Preserves traditions in order to keep people happy, and ultimately creates peace, prosperity and security (which is what people want)

The Annals

Author: Publius Cornelius Tacitus

Tacitus claims that Augustus is commiting a form of bribery! Claims that Augustus is just trying to deny being a dictator.

Augustus benefitted from creating a stable society, in terms of peace, food and prosperity

Augustus moved intentionally with a matter of self interest

Suggests that Augustus abandoned virtues of Rome, even though Augustus tried to cover it up

Augustus bribed people to achieve his goals

Augustus won over soldiers w/ gifts, the populus with cheap corn, and oversaw a transfer of the power of the State to himself, while maintaining the appearance of a Republic

Augustus created a BLOODLESS REVOLUTION (totally upturned Rome’s form of government without killing anyone)

Yes, Augustus did things that ended up benefitting Rome, but he did it for his own benefit

Nero

Author: Suetonius

Begins with a good public figure (similar to Augustus)

Then… his TRUE colors come out as he does not care to hide his dark side from his people anymore

Beings to beat people up in the middle of the night

Robbed people and sold the posessions he stole at the palace

Assaulted and raped women, and spent time with prostitutes

Incestual relationship with mother, eventually killed her

Castrated a boy and married him to force him to be his “wife”

Meditations

Author: Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

blah blah blah I’m so amazing and here’s why

He’s a philosopher king, a true poster child of plato and aristotle

he’s a stoic and references Epitetus

Was very concerned with being the best possible Emperor he could be

The Gospel According to Matthew

Authors: Matthew/God

Jesus desires his followers to be meek, humble, merciful, and peacemakers

AKA NOT Roman ideals

Disconnect between what Jesus is preaching and the Roman world. Jesus is counter-cultural.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for there’s is the kingdom of heaven

Foreshadowing: if you follow Me, if you are counter-cultural like Me, then you will be persecuted

There’s something higher than the Empire, it’s called the kingdom of heaven (dangerous to say stuff like that during these times)

There’s more to life than the here and now, your life ought to focus on the kingdom of God, the Hereafter

“Store up your treasures in heaven”

However, that doesn’t mean to party it up now or not care about the present

Do good works, help people, spread good things to people, spread the message and gospel

Brings glory to God when you spread the word

“The Great Comission” Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, but do this WITHOUT violence (aka not conquering them)

The Gospel According to John

Author: John/God

In the beginning was the word…

Word = Jesus = God = w/ God = Is God

Spread the “word” through kindness and understanding

Draw more flies with honey than with vinegar

Acts of the Apostles

Author: Luke (perchance)

Pentecost - fire over apostles heads and they were able to speak in tongues and other languages

people thought apostles were drunk but no, this was the spirit of God

Apostles are going out and performing miracles

Early christians gave a lot of their stuff away to people for the common good, this did NOT make them communists because they were doing it voluntarily, no government was forcing them to do this

Disciples did not force or coerce people into joining their religion, rather they lived out their faith and people saw how loving and kind and simple their lifestyle was and then WANTED to join

Saul gets confronted by God in the road to Damascus (becomes blind)

Saul then goes in synagogue, and starts to try to convince people that Christianity is true

Communal living w/Apostles = good lifestyle that attracts other people

Simple lifestyle draws people in

Galatians

Author: Paul

Debate over whether gentiles had to adopt Jewish practices (circumcision, etc.) to become Christians

Paul did not believe this

“I have been crucified by Christ, now it is Christ who lives and not me”

Living by faith is part of the “transformative” process of becoming a Christian

A covenant is still needed to get a relationship w/ God, but Christ fulfilled this covenant for everyone who accepts it, so anyone can become Christians

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

“If you are Christ’s you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise”

Faith is what saves you, not the cts performed in a covenant

According to what Paul is saying, the Jewish people don’t need to follow all these customes anymore (no pork, circumsicion, etc)

scripture (old testament) foreshadows that all nations will be blessed through Abraham (including gentiles)

Prescription Against Heretics

Author: Tertullian

Philosophers are heresies who turn away from the true faith and wisdom (God) to man’s wisdom, including Plato, Aristotle, etc.

Don’t embrace the world’s wisdom, embrace God’s wisdom

Use God/Bible/Christianity for your philosophy

sites Paul as a source to show that Philosophy should not be followed, Christ should be followed

“Away with all attempts to produce a mottled Christianity of Stoic, Platonic, and dialectic composition. We want no curious disputation after possessing christ jesus, no inquisition after enjoying the gospel. with our faith we desire no further belief.

On Philosophy

Author: Clement of Alexandria

There are similarities between christianity and greek philosophy

There are good truths in philosophy that COME FROM God

The greeks/gentiles are being prepared by God through Greek philosophy

Therefore, Christianity can build off of the philosophies

The way of truth is therefore one, but into as into. aperennial river streams flow from all sides

using liberal arts (geometry, music, grammer, philosophy) take good parts of these to figure out the truth

On Christian Doctrine

Author: Augustine, Bishop of Hippo

Ok sure this philosophy isn’t perfect SOOOO let’s use it to our own benefit

Use some of these greek ideas that god gave them as. agift, and use it to preach gospel and live out christian life

some traditions are good some are bad

use christianity to determine what traditions are good

ultimately: they found nuggets of God’s truth like nuggets of silver and gold which God has scattered throughout the earth

The Martyrdom of Perpetua

Author: Perpetua

Often, the blod of Martyrs turns people MORE to christianity then apostles just living out their faith

Thought process: huh… people are dying for their beliefs? that’s weird… I wonder what their belief really is

These accounts help remind people that Martyrdom is still going on, not just something that happened in the old testament

Perpetua was a new(ish) believer in Christ, with. ahusband and infant son, then she is arressted for being. aChristian

Dad to perpetua is kind of like crito to socrates

Perpetua: I can’t be called anything else than what I am

Dad: Don’t die please, think of me and your family and friends, we’ll be mocked and scorned and potentially also hurt

Perpetua stuck to her faith along with her friends, Romans still had some rules that they thought were civilized (like not allowing pregnant woman to be martyrs)

God gave her and other martyrs many prophetic dreams to help them understand their faith

Life of Constantine

Author: Eusebius Pamphilus

Constatine made Christianity legal in Rome in 313 AD (not official religion)

Eusebius “rounded off” the edges of Constaine’s life (eusebius is. abiased historian)

Constantine removed. adictator of Rome from power and made Christianity legal, which makes many people overlook his worse actions, especially Christians

Eusebius notes how: people who pray to multiple gods end up being destroyed, the prayers to those who pray to one God are answered

A “sign” appeared to Constantine in the sky, and this sign was a cross

his whole army saw this miracle cross

after witnessing this, he had the gospel explained to him, and appointed priests as his counselors

After Constantine defeats Maxentius, Constantine. is humbled and gives glory to God

The people of Rome welcomed Constantine as. asavior/deliverer of them from Maxentius

Instead of being arrogant about this, constantine credits God

The arian heresey started in Northern Africa, developed by Arius = was Jesus REALLLYYY God since Jesus has a beginning and God is timeless, Jesus must be less than God

Constantine thought: as this heresy grows across the continent, it’s now. athreat to split Christianity, so Constantine viewed himself as. asecular head/protector of the church

Constantine priotized unity in the church over all else so: constantine believes Arius’ thoughts should have been kept to himself instead. ofputting them in the public eye AS WELL AS arius’ bishop should have not addressed the issue and made it worse in the first place

“Let therefore both the unguarded question and the inconsiderate answer receive your mutual forgivness” (you guys are both being silly)

Constantine believes strife within the church is much more dangerous than war/conflict or even incorrect theology

Constantine works with both sides to get an agreement, overall was a conflict resolver… this resulted in the NICENE CREED

The Nicene Creed

Author: Council of Nicaea

Jesus was there during creation, so Jesus is God

All those who disagree with this are “disclaimed” by the Catholic and Apostlic Church

City of God

Author: Augustine, Bishop of Hippo

What is the role of a Christian in a temperol world?

There are two worlds (two cities)

there’s a city of God and a city of men

Problem for Augustine: for Christians, we must exist in both worlds! We live in the temporal world, but they ought not to prioritize the temporal

Christians are pilgrims, passing through this life. But it’s good and ok to use their time and advantages to pursue material things that help to ease your stress/bolster your faith/remedy the flaws. ofyour earthly body as long as it doesn’t divert you from god/the morally right path

Talks about slavery/forced servitude

slavery was seen. asa spoil. ofwar after a succesful conquest

slavery stems from sin, god did not intend that man (a rational) creature should have authority over other men, only beasts (irrational creature)

righteous men = kings of cattle not kings of men, because kings were never supposed to exist

sin is part of the fall, slavery is seen as a just punishment for sin, slavery is used historically after the fall as a just punishment from God of one’s sins

Letter to Anastasius I

Author: Pope Gelasius I

The ecclesiastical history of the english people

Author: Bede

Pope of Rome sends monks out to England to start converting them

the monks wanna go back home, cause omg these barbarians might kill us

this Augustine = head monk

augustine: please call this off

Pope: nah, charge onwards

“great labor is followed by the greater glory of an eternal reward”

think not about your fate of this world, but your fate in the next one (lay up your treausres in Heaven)

King Ethelbert’s wife bertha is christian, and since the monks are peaceful he allows the monks to stay and continue to preach

Ethelbert: I can’t just give up my whole nations religion/traditions, but feel free to share your message as much as you’d desire

Monks led that Christian lifestyle simple, blamesless, pure, devote, etc

After watching this faith lived out, many people converted to the faith, as well as eventually King Ethelbert

Basically this is Acts II

Life of Charlemagne

Author: Einhard

In wars, his prime objective was. toforce the saxons to convert to christianity instead of worshipping their devils and whatnot

charlemagne thought that wars was way. ofliving out the Great Comission (this is NOT how jesus intended christianity to be spread)