Church History Midterm

How long does Christianity date back to?

dates back to as far as 1900 BCE (earliest days of the Hebrew Patriarchs)

What does the Torah/Hebrew Scriptures share?

Come to tell the stories of the Israelites who understood themselves as “Gods People” 

Yahweh

Is the true Good seen in Hebrew those who follow will have protection

“Immanuel”

Means that God is with us, while also meaning "anointed one” 

New Testament

Provides important insight into the formation of the church and its development of early christian theology 

Patristic writings

 captured/tackled important questions that scripture does not 

Docetist

Believe that Christ as God “could have not possessed a real body” 

• Believe that his crucifixion was an illusion 

Bishops

Should function as Christ on Earth 

What is Peter seen as?

is seen as a leader (chief)

Institution

Is a tool for community 

Church

Is an institution built by those who claim Jesus as the Christ and established which teaching about him should be accepted and valid 

Gospels

Good news, life and ministry of Jesus

What are the four gospel writers?

• Matthew, Mark, Luke, John 

Canon

Is a law, measure 

What did the Roman Empire do to prove their loyalty to the state?

• The Roman Empire would pardon Christians “who would prove their loyalty to the emperor by worshipping Roman Gods” 

Ignatius

Was the Bishop of Antioch 

Disciples

 Refers to a student

Apocalypse

God is going to intervene

Son of Man

refers variously to all of humanity 

Son of God

Refers at various times to men, angels and all humankind 

Logos

Implying variously God’s will, reason and power 

Epistles

Letters, topics about message, great insights into the christian culture 

Patriarchetes: 

• Rome 

• Constantinople 

• Alexandria 

• Two more 

Pagnatius

One to fight 

Dositisism

Belief that God cannot have a body and that it would restrain God 

• Ignatius said he did have a body however 

Passion

 To feel how humans feel 

• Jesus did have a passion because he did have flesh and really did suffer 

• God is not limited by senses and emotion 
  

Christendom

 Is the Christian community 

Martyrs

To testify or bare witness of testify 

• Martyrs become heros: In their works of helping others 

Basil the Great

Served as the bishop of Caerea 

• Questioned the holy spirits relationship “to the Father and Son” (trinity) 

• Believed that the Trinity "consists of God in three hypostates” 

Eucebius

Was the bishop of Caesarea in 315, wrote life of Constantine 

Apologetics

 Making a defense of the faith 

Orthodox

Means right belief 

Heresy

A division, a false teaching 

Incarnation

Means flesh 

Motivations to Christendom:

1. Political stability

2. Desire for Church Harmony 

3. Quest to safeguard Doctrine 

Blasphemy

 To slander God   

The council of Nicea: 

• Was in response to the conflict in Alexandra Egypt 

St. Athanasius: 

• Was a contemporary of Eusebius (was younger) 

• Pinpointed the accounts of saints lives 

• As a teenager, he was seen baptizing (as play) and then later was trained 

Monasticism

Is the life of a monk or a nun 

Ecumenical

Means world wide 

The solution to  the pitfalls of Trinitarian Doctrine: 

• One deity (three hypostates) 

Theotokos

Means God bearer, common name for Mary, but not proper. This being as it elevates Mary to a higher level than she should be 

Augustine and the introspective Conscience: 

• Book 13 is Bible commentary 

• Relating commentary to Genesis 

Compunction

Uneasiness over a sense of guilt 

Remorse

Deep torturing sense of guilt 

Guilt

A painful feeling of doing something wrong 

Patristics

The Churches fathers

Who was Saint Cyril?

Was the patriarch of Alexandria

Master theologian in letter writing

Nestourous

Was the bishop of Constantinople

What did Nestourous believe?

Believed that you cannot call Mary the Theotokos

Physis

Talking about Christ, trying to understand christ as divine

Dioscourus

Succeeded Cyril

Council of Chalecedon

Was a council that took place that still effects Christian Churches to this day

Nestorius

Was called a heretic, was trained in Antioch

What did Cyril believe in regards to the divine?

That Jesus was divine in the womb

Pope Leo

Wrote the Tome

What did Cyril enforce in Alexandria?

To preserve unity of human privilege

What did Nestouris enforce on Antioch?

Preserve distinction between human and divine

Tome of Leo

Expresses two natures of Christology

Apothosis

Negative Theology