Christianity Post-Constantine

Jul 22, 2024

Lecture on Christianity Post-Constantine

Historical Context

  • Edict of Milan (313): Constantine ends persecution of Christians.
  • Christian leaders debate openly about beliefs.
  • Key Question: Who is Jesus?

Council of Nicaea (325)

  • Debate: Jesus as first creation vs. Jesus as divine.
  • Outcome: Jesus is declared divine (Nicene Orthodoxy).
  • Arian Heresy: Jesus as first creation, declared heresy.

Doctrine of Incarnation and Trinity

  • Incarnation: God becomes human in Jesus of Nazareth.
  • Trinity: Three persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), one essence.

Council of Constantinople (381)

  • Saint Athanasius: Key figure in defining the Trinity.
    • Terms: Homousia (same essence), Hypostasis (persons).
  • Clarification: Trinity as same essence, distinct persons.
  • Athanasius's Contributions: First to list all 27 books of the New Testament (367).

Early Christian Beliefs and Scriptures

  • Canon: Collection of holy books, measures up as inspired.
    • Old Testament: Hebrew Bible included in Christian Bible.
    • New Testament: 27 books (4 Gospels, Acts, Pauline Epistles, General Epistles, Revelation).
  • Athanasius's Festal Letter (367): Lists 27 books of the New Testament.

Ecumenical Councils

  • Nicaea (325): Father and Son of the same substance.
  • Constantinople (381): Doctrine of the Trinity formally stated.
  • Seven Ecumenical Councils: Only up to 787, after which Christianity split into East and West.

Influential Church Leaders

Saint Jerome

  • Translation of the Bible into Latin: Called the Vulgate, authoritative in Roman Catholic Church.

Saint Augustine

  • Key Influences: His teachings are highly authoritative.
  • Major Works: On human will, nature of evil, just war theory, original sin, predestination, and irresistible grace.
  • Views: Human will enslaved by sin, evil as absence of good, just war theory, original sin, necessity of grace.
  • Original Sin: Biological transmission, importance of infant baptism.

Gregory the Great

  • Papal Influence: Established doctrines of purgatory and penance.

Decline and Corruption in the Papacy

  • Nepotism: Family members in church positions.
  • Simony: Buying and selling church positions.
  • Morozian Papacy: High corruption, including underage and unqualified Popes.

Church Reformation Efforts

  • Henry III and Bruno of Toul: Reformation of papacy begins.
  • Cardinal Humbert and Michael Cerullarius (1054): First division between Western Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

The Crusades

  • Period: Late 11th to early 13th centuries.
  • Motivation: Recover holy cities from Muslim control.
  • Outcome: Violent conflicts, temporary success, eventual Muslim recapture.
  • Apocalyptic Sentiment: Book of Revelation popular due to crisis.

New Monastic Orders

  • Franciscan Order: Founded by Saint Francis, emphasized poverty and simplicity. Known for mendicancy (begging) and street preaching.
    • Views: Reluctance towards education; later generations emphasized humility with education.

Late Medieval Period and Two Theologians

Anselm of Canterbury

  • Platonic Thinking: Inward realm of ideas.
  • Ontological Argument: Proof for existence of God based on the idea of a greatest conceivable being.
  • Satisfaction Theory of Atonement: God offended by sin, needing satisfaction.

Thomas Aquinas

  • Aristotelian Thinking: Outward observation of the world.
  • Summa Theologica: Faith and reason are complementary.
  • Cosmological Proof: Five ways to prove God's existence based on the observable world (movement, existence, quality, intelligent design, contingency).
  • Council of Trent: Declares Aquinas's theology as official Roman Catholic doctrine.

Note: Focus on key events and figures for exams - Councils of Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381).