Transcript No Slide Title

Building the City of God:
PART 1
Lecture starts Wed Oct 2
Chapter 3 (300-500 AD)
Be aware of dates, people and
events
NEXT DAY 1 TEST #2 Fri Oct 11
BEFORE WE BEGIN…
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During this time period of the
Church there were many that
were drawn to the monastic
life…
Why do you think this
movement occurred?
What do you think was the
appeal?
What about for today?
Key Concepts (read only)
 Councils
(reasons & results)
 Monasticism (Jerome, Basil)
 Important Early Leaders:
Ambrose & Augustine
 Western Empire Falls
 Key Leader: Leo the Great
I. Early Church Councils
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Ecumenical Council
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Worldwide meeting of the bishops
E.C. became opportunity for the
Church to clarify its teaching
A. 325 A.D. Council of Nicaea (pg. 72)
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Nicaea – Northwest Asia Minor
Called by Constantine
First major meeting of the Church
since the Council of Jerusalem
Reason:
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Discussion of Arianism
 Denied Jesus’ divinity
 Super creature / not God
Nicaea (cont)
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Results:
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Definition of the Father & Son as
“homoousious” of the same
substance
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Coeternal, consubstantial, coequal
Condemned Arius and Arianism
First draft of Nicene Creed
B. 381 A.D. Council of
Constantinople (pg. 73)
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Constantinople – modern day Istanbul
Called by Emperor Theodosius I
Reason:
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Discussion of Apollinarianism
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Macedonianism
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Holy Spirit as a creature
Son created Holy Spirit who was in turn
subordinate to Father & Son
Results:
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Confirmed results of Nicaea
Affirmed the deity of the Holy Spirit
Final draft of the Nicene Creed
C. 431 A.D. Council of Ephesus (pg. 73-4)
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Ephesus – south west Asia Minor
Called by Theodosius II
Reason:
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Discussion of Nestorianism
 Role of Mary as Mother of God
Results:
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Condemned heresy
Mary as the Mother of Jesus and of God- “God-bearer”
Affirmed two natures in Christ
D. 451 A. D. Council of Chalcedon (pg. 74)
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Chalcedon – north of Constantinople
Called by Emperor Marcian; ratified by
Pope Leo the Great
Reason:
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Results:
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Discussion of Monophysitism
 One nature in Christ (divine)
Condemned heresy
Declared Christ’s two natures unmixed,
unchanged, undivided, inseparable
Key theologian:
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St. Leo the Great, Doctor of the Church
E. Results of the Early Councils
1. Church was able to shape and clarify
much of its theology
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Led to more consistency of belief within
the entire Church
2. Specific statements regarding the
essence of the Trinity, Jesus (2
natures), and Mary
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Clear statements of belief held by the
Church today
3. Demonstrated presence & guidance
of the Holy Spirit
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Guiding the Church, then and now, to
minister to all its people
II. Monasticism (pg. 80)
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(Quest for holiness begun in North
Africa)
Movement of people away from
the world to pursue holiness
“alone” “single”
A. St. Anthony of Egypt (251356) (pg. 80-81)
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“founder” of monasticism
Heard words of Gospel, “Go, sell
all that you have give to poor”
Gave away family’s possessions
Lived alone as hermit
Focus on scripture
Persuaded to start community but
preferred solitary life
B. St. Jerome (331-420)
(pg 82, 85-6)
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Translating the Bible by Pope
Damascus (from Greek &
Hebrew to Latin)
Vulgate:
 Derived from the same Latin
root as “vulgar” which
originally meant “of the
common people”
Taught Bible to women
C. St. Basil (329-379) (pg. 81)
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Father of Eastern Monasticism
 wrote a rule on how to live a life of
prayer and quiet w/ other people
Encouraged his followers to pray in
silence, serve the poor and sick, and
study
D. + and – of Monasticism (pg. 83)
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POSITIVE
Self sufficient
Respect for
liturgy and
value of prayer
Stability
Christianized
Europe
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NEGATIVE
Extreme
Double
standard
III. Early Influential Leaders
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A. St. John Chrysotom (344407) (pg. 84)
1. Antioch
2. “Golden Mouth” (preacher)
3. Ordained Bishop of
Constantinople (398)
4. Preacher of moral laxity
B. St. Ambrose (339-397) (pg. 85)
 Used fam. connections to become
lawyer & governor
 In 374, the bishop of Milan died leaving
a vacancy …
 People shouted for Ambrose who was
not even a baptized Christian
 Applied skills as civil servant to servant
of Church (trained clergy, poor, Bible…)
 Ambrosian Chant
St. Ambrose and Theodosius
C. Augustine (354-430)
(pg. 86-88)
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Background info…
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With mother
Monica
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Born in North Africa or Roman Africa
Father = Roman Official
Mother Monica (pg. 67-8)= Christian
Augustine had a mistress and a son
Searched for life meaning
Manichaean
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One God created good; another
created evil
No one was responsible for his/her
sins
Augustine (cont)
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Influenced by… Monica, Ambrose,
and Plato
So wrote The Confessions,
Augustine's Autobiography
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At 33, he is baptized by Ambrose
Returned to North Africa and founded
a monastery, made a priest, 4 years
later made a bishop.
Became Bishop of Hippo (354-430
A.D.)
1. Augustine vs. Donatism
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Donatist
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Donatus, Bishop of Carthage in North
Africa
Any apostate could never be forgiven
Disloyal bishops could not perform real
sacraments
A. disagreed because…
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It did not allow for the God's grace to
work
Sacrament’s validity comes from God
working through weak and sinful people.
2. Augustine vs. Pelagianism
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Pelagianism (pg. 75)
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(named after monk Pelagius)
Issue: Grace or God's power vs. work/human
efforts for salvation
Pelagius said that people could be saved
without God's grace
Why? Because Pelagius reacted against moral
laxity that was rampant in the empire.
A. disagreed…said we are separated
from God due to Original Sin as told in
the story of Adam & Eve. We have GRACE
(& sacrifice of JC) to bring us back!
3. Augustine and the Fall of Rome
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(410 AD), Rome falls to the
Barbarian Goths (pg. 76)
Again Christians were blamed
because their God did not save
the city.
Augustine responds with his
greatest work, The City of God:
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History = ongoing struggle
between two realms
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City of God and City of Man
IV. Western Roman
Empire Falls (pg. 76)
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Major Causes
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Bishop of Rome as Emperor of the West
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Relocation of the capital to Constantinople
 Rome left as an imperial afterthought
Weak Roman forces left to defend a large
territory
Allowed the bishop of Rome (Pope) to assume
more power and authority
St. Damascus (366-384)
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“Apostolic See” to connect his authority to that
of the Apostles, specifically St. Peter
Rome was destined to be the center of the
Church
Jerome
Paved the way for Leo the Great to take over
V. Leo the Great,
Pope 440-461 (pg. 77-78)
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The Rising Influence of the Papacy
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Office of Pope became important due to
Rome's fall (410) to the Visigoths
Attila the Hun
 He provided leadership,
 Put the papacy in the spotlight
 Began to use title "Pontifex Maximus"
(Highest bridge maker)…remember
Constantine used title
Had to deal w many heresies
Title from Gk "pappas" = father
 Leo changed that due to his position as
spiritual father and state official.