Unit 5 reading

end before "The Great Schism"

Syrian Nestorian Church

-aka: church of the east, east syrian/assyrian church)

-most widespread Christian community in the Middle Ages

-Nestorians cut off of W in 400s —> made home in Persian empire

-Nestorian east became theological world of itself & self-governed, established itself overtime in Mesopotamian region of Persian empire

• monasteries, schools, hospitals, training

• missions followed trade routes to Far East

• beneficial to areas it settled in

-touched most of Asia

East Syrian Christianity

-scholarly, ascetical, sensible (less Hellenized) - but brought Greek thought to the E

-Nisibis was chief center of learning until conquered by Persia (363)

Ephraim Syris

Syrian saint who left Nisibis and went to Edessa (founded hospital)

Zeno

-Byzantine emperor

-expelled Nestorians from Edessa (back to Nisibis) bc refused to subscribe to formula of Chalcedon

Chinese Christianity

-Jesuit missionaries found stone recounting progress of Christianity (“Radiant Religion”) in 1625

-for several centuries a while ago, Church of the East extended all the way there

• tang emperor Tailing first received Nestorian missionary in 600s

Guan Yin

-chinese Buddhist god of compassion

-may have reflected Christian veneration of Virgin Mary (influenced by Assyrian Church)

-Christians were persecuted in Japan during period of Tokugawa shogunate (1603) —> may have chosen to venerate Mary in guise of Guan Yin (Kannon)

Muhammad

-according to Islam, was last and greatest of God’s prophets on earth

-experienced vision of Angel Jibril in 610 & called to become God’s messenger to the world (claimed to be same message of other prophets)

-born in Mecca (Arabian peninsula)

-strict monotheism

-by the time he did, almost all of Arabian peninsula committed to Islam

Islamic Empire

-believed in no division btwn religion and state

-remarkable expansion of caliphate in early years

-dynasties (cont to expand): Ummayad, Abbasid - golden age of Islamic culture

-inherited Near eastern christianity

-9-13 centuries: scientific superiority

House of Wisdom

-library and academy

-est by Syrian Christians after caliphate moved to Baghdad

-lots of translations

Hunayn ibn Ishaq

-Nestorian Christian

-great translator from Greek to Syriac and Arabic

-caliph’s chief physician

Carolingian empire (Franks)

-arose in Christian West

-founder: Charlemagne (Frankish king)

-at peak: embraced almost all of continental Western European Christendom

Charles Martal

-Charlemagne’s grandfather

-mayor of palace of E Frankish empire

-united Franks under one rule & fought off non-Christians, halting spread of Islamic rule in W Europe

Pepsin III

-father of Charlemagne

-further expanded Frankish power

Charlemagne

-permitted no rival to his rule

-protected his dominions and the Church

-conquests continued in E

-crowned emperor by Pope Leo III (800)

• legally symbolic

• imperial court at Aachen in W Germany

-officially recognized emperor of W by emperor Michael I Rhangabe (even tho there was Rome and papacy

• led to slight Carolingian Renaissance

-empire didn’t long survive him, but created new Christian order

Charlemagne’s campaigns against pagan Saxons of north

-most violent

-secured Saxons, many baptisms, executed rebels

-Capitulary for Saxony

• anti pagan decrees

Heliand (”Savior”) poem

-Frankish attempt to translate Christian scripture to help Saxons understand

-commisioned by Louis I (son of Charlemagne)

-retells the life of Christ (heroic portrayal)

military defeat of Charlemagne

-778

-entered into alliance with Muslims of Spain

-forces besieged & Warden of Breton March killed

Leo III

-Syrian emperor

-started issue of icons (717)

-730: officially banned

-son, Constantine V, very vicious

Leo V

-reinstated iconoclasm after Irene

Theodore the Studite

-defender of icons

-abbot of Stoudian Monastery of Constantinople

-flogged and exiled

Theodora

-under her son’s emperor name (Michael III), finally restored icons

9th century

-great for E & W Christendom

-also became clear that unity btwn halves of ancient Catholic order wouldn’t persist (many differences)

Filioque Controversy

-doctrinal dispute, largely causing division btwn E & W

-filioque (“from the Son”) was added to Nicene Creed at Synod of Toledo (Spain, 447)

-accepted by Franks & Charlemagne, opposed by Rome

-became ancillary during struggle btwn jurisdictional issues btwn Constantinople and Rome in 800s

jurisdictional issues btwn Constantinople and Rome in 800s

-Emperior Michael III removed Ignatius I from patriarch position, replaced with Photius

-pope Nicholas I deposed this, Photius did same thing back

-eventually, council in Constantinople vindicated Photius

-issues arose, Photius made issue with filoque clause

Pope Gregory III

-condemned iconoclasm

-Ravenna sacked by Lambards, turned to Pepin instead of heretical emperor

-new liaison btwn pope and Franks (not byzantine)

conversion of Slavs

-intensified disputes btwn Rome and Byzantine empire (Constantinople) abt who should wield authority over Italy & Balkans

-800s, successful

St Cyril & St Methodius

-brothers from Thessalonica (Byzantine)

-”Apostles to the Slavs”

-scholarly linguists, devised alphabet

-led to hostility from German archbishop

-popes went back and forth, ultimately supressing them from Moravia

Prince Vladimir the Great

-made Russia Christian in 988 (did a lot for the faith)

-pagan -—> Byzantine Christianity

-married Anna (sister of emperor Basil)

The Lives of Boris & Gleb

-sons of prince Vladimir

-murdered by older brother Svyatopolk

-died in Christ-like manner

Kievan age of Russian Christianity

-golden

-ended in 1200s: Mongols invaded