History of the Church #7

The Catacombs1. Most of the Catacombs were created in 2nd Century and initially were merely burial places.

Christians shunned the practice of cremation and preferred to bury their dead because of their belief in the resurrection of the body.

2. A Catacomb is an underground series of tunnels, chambers, and tombs. The most famous are found outside of Rome, but others exist in other parts of Italy, France, and North Africa.

3. There are over sixty Catacombs outside of Rome, which account for hundreds of miles of tunnels. These held about two million graves.

4. The Catacombs of St. Callixtus are the most impressive; they are four stories deep, about twelve miles long, and hold the tombs of sixteen Popes and dozens of Martyrs.

5. The Catacombs were very rarely used as “hiding places” in times of persecution. They were burial places and places of worship mostly.

Important Writings of the Early Christian Period

1. The “Apostolic Fathers” were Fathers of the Church who personally knew at least one of the Apostles.

They are: St. Clement of Rome, St. Ignatius of Antioch, Herman, St. Polycarp of Smyrna, and St. Papias.

2. The “Apologists” were a group of Church Fathers of the second and third centuries who defended and explained the Christian Faith to non-believers.

They are: St. Aristides, St. Justin Martyr, Tatian, Athenagoras, St. Theophilus, Minucius Felix, and Tertullian.

3. Writings of the Apologists helped to spread Christianity to the educated classes of society.

4. The Didache is a short exposition concerning Christian morals, customs, and doctrine. It was most likely written in the first century. It was quoted by the Church Fathers Eusebius, St. Clement of Alexandria, and St. Athanasius.

Final Comments on the Roman Persecutions

1. The Roman Emperor Diocletian began his reign in 284 AD. Like his predecessors (Valerian and Decius) Diocletian wanted to unify the empire.

He crushed the Persian Empire and ended the Empire’s crisis of the third century.

2. On February 23, 303 AD, Diocletian issued an Edict at Nicomedia.

This edict outlawed Christianity and it began the “Great Persecution” of the Church, which lasted for ten years, until the Edict of Milan of Constantine in 313 AD.

3. During the “Great Persecution”, Christians all over the Roman Empire were imprisoned, tortured, forced to offer sacrifices to pagan gods, and martyred for their faith.

4. Diocletian abdicated the throne on May 1, 305 AD. Constantine succeeded his father, Constantius, in 307 AD.

5. Constantine defeated Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge just outside Rome. Before the battle, Constantine saw a vision in the sky.

6. In the sky, he saw the Cross of Christ and the words “in hoc signo vinces” (“in this sign, you will conquer”).

He had all his soldiers mark their shields with the sign of the cross. And they won the battle (the Battle of Saxa Rubra) although greatly outnumbered.

7. Constantine believed that the Christian God had favored him in battle and he wanted to stay in God’s good graces.

So, Constantine returned to the Church all of its property and began to aid in the construction of Churches.

8. In 313 AD, Constantine [and Licinius] issued the Edict of Milan, which restored to the Church all of its property and granted to Christians the freedom to practice their religion.

9. The Edict of Milan ends a period of some 250 years of persecution of the Church (from Nero’s decree in 64 AD until the Edict in 313 AD).

10. Constantine was instructed in the Faith and was received into the Church, receiving the Sacrament of Baptism on his deathbed.