Constantine and Milan

• Battle at the Milvian Bridge

• Edict of Milan

• Chi-Rho– In hoc signo vinces (In this sign you will

conquer)

2 Schools of Thought

• Alexandrian School-focuses on Humanity of Christ. Logos/anthropos

• Antiochene School-focuses more on divinity of Christ. Logos/sarx

Council of Nicaea

• 325 AD

• Called by Constantine to resolve the disruption in the empire over the Arian controversy

• The Nicene Creed

Council of Constantinople

• Called in 381

• Still controversy over the Arian Heresy

• ~327 St. Athanasius (22 when he writes treatise on the Incarnation)– (often the young guide history!! Eg. The

ages of the men who wrote the Declaration of Independence)

Constantinople Cont’d

• Main participants:– Cappadocian Fathers– Macedonius– Apollonarius

Teachings of Constantinople

• Reiterated Nicea with new provisions• To refute Apollonarius:

– Christ has human soul and mind

• Mainly to refute Macedonians:– Attribute to HS titles

• Lord• Life-giver

– Supreme worship given to HS as to F and S

Aftermath

• St. Ambrose of Milan:– “Where Peter is, there is the Church.”

• St. Jerome:– “I follow no one as leader except Christ alone, and

therefore I want to remain in union in the Church with you, that is, with the chair (office) of Peter. I know that on this rock the Church is founded.”

• Also key to note, council is in Constantinople and it is coming to be more of a prominent diocese

Christological Debates

• Stem from Jesus’ question in the Gospel:Who do people say that I am?…Who do you

say that I am?

-this question is and always will be a cause for debate

Nestorianism

• Nestorius (d. 451)– Patriarch of Constantinople– Uncomforatble with ‘theotokos’– Leads to…

Council of Epehesus

• 431: Proclaims the Theotokos– We must understand that any Church

teaching about Mary always is Christocentric!

• We only learn about Mary to deepen our understanding of Christ!

More Councils

• Council of Chalcedon (451)– Dealt with the Natures of Christ– 150 bishops under Pope Leo the Great– Teaching: Christ has 2 Natures, HUMAN

and DIVINE• Theological term: hypostatic union

– “Peter has spoken through Leo”

• Constantinople II (553)– Reaffirms first 4 Councils

• Constantinople III (680-681)– Condemns Monothelitism and proclaims

that in Christ’s Person there are 2 wills: HUMAN and DIVINE

• Nicea II (787)– Condemns Iconoclasm, which banned the

construction of images• Importance: misunderstanding of Scripture…we

have an incarnational faith!

Summary

• 1st 7 Councils are recognized by both Catholics and Orthodox (and even some Protestant sects)

• We see how our understadning of revelation is a process that takes time and is very human (God deals with us in a human manner)

• Main theological clarifications are on the doctrines of the Trinity and Incarnation

Splitting from the Church

• Some Eastern Churches split over these theological controversies

• 431 over Council Ephesus

• 451 over “” Chalcedon

• 1054 we will discuss later

Fall of Rome

• Migration from East to West occurring for some time

• Barbarians a present threat to Europe

• Groups:

• Asiatic Huns

• Germanic Tribes

• Ostrogoths and Lombards- Italy

• Visigoths- Gaul and Spain

• Vandals-North Africa

Fall Cont’d.

• Causes for the Fall:– The relocation of the Empire moves

economy and military strength away from Rome

– Declining military strength– Invasion from the Barbarian Tribes– And…

The Spread of Christianity!

• With the prominence of Christianity, a shift occurs in the internal structure of the Roman Empire

• The city falls in 455 to the Visigoths

• The official fall of the Empire is dated 476 when Odoacer deposes last Roman Emperor

The Influence of the Papacy

• With no central governance, people look to the only stable authority, which is the Pope.– This is how the Pope comes to take on

more of a political role in history, not due to an abuse of power but an authentic necessity

People

• Pope Leo the Great (440-461)– Takes on title “Pontifex Maximus”– Great ability to explain theological truth– Courage: the confrontation with Attila the

Hun (451)

• Pope Gregory the Great (590-604)

The Conversion of France

• Reported that Mary, Martha and Lazarus go to modern-day France

• France is considered the first daughter of the Church

• The Conversion of Clovis– Frankish King– Baptized in 496 on Christmas

• Because of this, Catholicism gains a foothold among the Barbarians

Missionary Work

• Remember the Great Commission??– It is now being lived out!!

• The Gospel message is now being spread throughout the known world– (Europe…remember St. Paul going to

Macedonia?!)

Missionary Work

• St. Patrick (389-461)– The Apostle to Ireland– 16 y.o. kidnapped by Irish pirates and

enslaved in Ireland.– Released but returns to Ireland as a

Bishop and converts the Country

Excerpt from the Prayer of Patrick

Christ with me,Christ before me,Christ behind me,

Christ in me,Christ beneath me,Christ above me,

Christ on my right,Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down,Christ when I sit down,

Christ when I arise,Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,Christ in every ear that hears me.

Missionary Work

• St. Augustine of Canterbury– Responsible for evangelizing Anglo-Saxons in Britain– Pope Gregory to Augustine: “Destroy as few pagan temples

as possible; only destroy their idols, sprinkle them with holy water, build altars and put relics in the building, so that, if the temples have been well built, you are simply changing their purpose.”

Missionary Work

• St. Boniface (675-755)– British monk– Apostle to Germany– “The Oak of Thor”

• From this comes many pagan converts

– Good relationship with Frankish kings• Charles Martel, Pepin, Charlemagne

Monasticism

• With the end of the persecutions, people looking for new ways to give radical witness to the Gospel

• Emphasis on spiritual perfection, i.e. living the life of Christ– Communal sharing (poverty)– Celibacy (chastity)– Obedience

St. Anthony

• 251-356

• Father of Monasticism

• Motivated by Mt 19:21: If you would be perfect…

St. Athanasius

• Writes a book: The Life of Anthony– This influences monasticism in the West

Monasticism in Ireland

• Irish monks introduce the practice of frequent devotional confession– This practice catches on in the Church

Benedictines

• St. Benedict of Nursia (480-537)– Patron saint of Europe

• Motto: Ora et Labora– Two sources of sanctity

• Rule of St. Benedict– Excerpts

• Evangelical Counsels– These two pillars of the Benedictines become the framework

for Western Monasticism even for today

Church Fathers

• 4th and 5th Centuries called the “Age of the Fathers”

• Responsible for shaping much of Church teaching both through their intellect/wisdom as well as their holiness of life

St. John Chrysostom

• (344-407)

• “Golden Mouth” for his eloquent preaching

• Patriarch of Constantinople

• Exiled for speaking out against the Empress’ lifestyle

St. Ambrose

• 340-497• Acclaimed bishop by people after guarding the

cathedral after death of Arian Bishop• Receives all Sacraments in procession• Advocate for wealthy to share resources• Convinced Emperor Gratian to outlaw heresy from

Western Empire

St. Jerome

• 342-420

• Translates the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures into Latin…known as the “Vulgate” working out of a cave in Jerusalem

• “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ”

St. Augustine

• 354

• Greatest Church Father

• Is still considered an authority

• Extremely gifted, worldly intelligence

• Has a powerful conversion (pg. 87)

Islam

• Mohammed– 610, claims angel Gabriel appears to him– His story– 622 flees from Mecca to Medina

• Called Hegira

• Islam: ‘submission’

• Dies in 632

Islam

• Consequences:– Ancient sees fall

• Jerusalem, Antioch, and Alexandria

– Eastern Empire fending off Muslims constantly

– Muslim control of Mediterranean basin makes Europe culturally, socially and economically isolated

Consequences

• Muslims controlled Mediterranean basin– In West, axis shifts from Rome in the South

to the North with the Frankish kings (Carolingians) who are allies with papacy

The 5 Pillars

• Faith: There is but one God. Allah is his name, Mohammed is his prophet

• Prayer: 5 times a day, facing Mecca• Fasting: fast from sunrise to sunset during

Ramadan• Almsgiving: charitable giving to the poor,

travelers, those engaged in jihad• Pilgrimage: once in a lifetime, make a

pilgrimage to Mecca

The Holy Roman Empire

• Comes about because of presence of Islam

• Charles Martel sees no benefit allying with the papacy, but his son Pepin does– Can see himself as Christian ruler of the

Franks

Charlemagne

• Rules from 771-814• 774, after he defeats the Lombards, Pope gices him

title “Defender of the Papacy”• Crowned by Pope Leo III as HRE in 800• Creation of HRE isolates Byzantine Empire, shows a

break from the East.– Eventually a contributing cause to the split in 1054

• Genuine love of the Church– Est. monasteries, schools, places for cleric formation– Copying of manuscripts etc

HRE

• For the next 400 years, popes crowned emperors showing the Catholic Faith is the source of unity

• HRE models and resembles what we know today as Europe