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115 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Montanism
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- Believed Montanus was the Holy Spirit and prophesied differently than anyone else.
- Anyone who followed Montanus would also receive inspiration. - Kingdom of God will come in Phrygia. - Pre-millenialism -- God is coming soon! - Concerned with ethics --> Those who will rule must have clean lives - New attention to discipline = new outpouring of the Holy Spirit - The Holy Spirit did not stop talking; people stopped listening - Believed you should be able to identify a Christian by their lifestyle. |
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Against Heresies
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- Irenaeus
- Directed against Gnostics - World created by 1 God and Jesus will save ALL - Emphasized the resurrection of the body - Recapitulation Theory of Atonement |
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State of the Roman Empire
(Under Augustus) |
- Empire was unified, but not organized
- Emperor supported anything that maintained good order - Jews and Christians would not worship the other gods - Augustus granted Jews privileged monotheism -- Christians did not receive the same privilege |
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Galerius
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- Predisposed against Christians and had all expelled from legions and other areas of power
- Accused Christians of setting fires - All Christians in the imperial court must offer a sacrifice to the gods - Must cruel persecutions |
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Vincent of Lerins
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- Laid down a consensus of interpreting Scripture
- ALWAYS, EVERYWHERE, BY ALL - If these three criteria are not met, it is not orthodox |
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Cyprian
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- Bishop who was AWOL during persecutions
- Wrote On the Lapsed and On the Unity of the Church - His followers believed his loyalties changed since he fled persecution - Demanded that Novatians who wanted to return to the Catholic Church need to be re-baptized |
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3-Tiered Structure
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- Development of the monarchical episcopate
- Bishops in the major cities: ROME, Byzantium, Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria - Created to develop unity - Separated Bishops and Presbyters |
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On the Lapsed
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- Cyprian
- Treaty --> there is no forgiveness for apostasy - Deflected negative attention from himself by pointing the finger at the apostates - Later amended to allow forgiveness at a bishop's discretion -- leads to opposition and 2 bishops in Carthage |
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Septimius Severus
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- Ended civil wars in the empire
- Promoted syncretism --> Unconquered Sun - Outlawed (death) all conversions to Christianity and Judaism - Local persecutions - Martyred Perpetua and Felicitas |
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Aristedes
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- Apologist
- Pagan gods were created to give full reign of human vice - Argued -- How can a god who needs their statue protected from being stolen offer protection to its followers? |
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Marcionite Gnosticism
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- Creator God (OT) vs. Redeemer God (NT)
- Single-minded dedication to the Gospel - OT has been abolished - Forget the lineage of the ancestors and follow Christ - The True God remained hidden until Jesus - Christ appeared in flesh, but it was only an appearance. He appeared as a full-grown man - Used Paul's letters and Luke (after being cleaned up) |
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Diocletian
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- Major outbreaks of persecution after 303
- Reorganized the empire into 2 halves with an Augustus and a Caesar for each (tetrarchy) - Mutiny in the army, so he has augers read livers. Christians present crossed themselves and the livers were silent --> led to extreme persecution - Much of the persecutions occurred in the West |
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Origen
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- Born to Alexandria, Christian parents
- Early instruction in Scripture and philosophy - Concerned for the deeper meaning of things and how to interpret Scripture - Banished under Severus - Reconstitutes the Didascalia - Ordained in Palestine which angers Demetrius because Origen was a eunuch - Imprisoned, tortured, and killed during Decian persecution |
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Peri Archon
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- First complete outline of Christianity
- Defended apostolic teaching (against Gnostics) - Son is coeternal with the Father who always existed - Clearest place of philosophy and Christianity - 2 Creation stories: Circling and Singing/Jesus incarnate |
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Constantine's Impact
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- Cessation of persecution of Christians
- Development of an "official theology" - Less congregational role in worship --> heavy reliance on the hierarchy - Holiness of relics - Elaborate and ornate churches (Basilicas) |
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Tertullian's Apology
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- Christianity is the divine foolishness
- Better to say God is not love - Philosophy and Christianity should not mix (What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?) - Divine seed in all of us (Spermaticos Logos) that is preserved in the Church (Scripture and Creeds) - Lays out liturgical practices - Original Sin --> Our nature is sinful - Saved through grace, but still need words (The more we punish ourselves, the less God will.) |
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Decius
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- Heavy persecution of Christians
- Return to Pagan religion to restore prosperity - Required emperor worship and for everyone to carry a libellus (certificate of sacrifices) - Systematic persecution -- He did not want to silence Christianity; he wanted to eliminate it. |
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Novatian (as Bishop)
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- Rivaled Cornelius
- Rigorous requirements to join the church (Must be rebaptized in Novatian waters) - Primitive concept of the Church - Persecuted by the Orthodox Church |
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Similarities between mystery cults
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- Fertility cults
- Male and female deities - Participate in the dying and rising of the deities - Telos --> gnosis - Asceticism - Egalitarian |
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Novatian (as Presbyter)
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- Presbyter in Rome and later a rival to Bishop Cornelius
- Distressed over lax moral standards because he wanted to be able to identify Christians from appearances - Return to primitive church --> No forgiveness for post-Baptismal sin (Should lead to a purer life) - Shut the lapsed out forever! |
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Aristotelianism
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- Material world is what's real
- There is no transcendental world/realm - Body and Soul make up the same entity --> Soul is not immortal - They cannot exist apart from each other - Soul is always in movement between bodies - Unmoved Mover puts all this in motion |
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Ignatius of Antioch
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- Bishop who was condemned to death
- There were divisions in Antioch and he opposed those he thought to be heretical - No clue who turned him over - Dictated 7 letters while in transit to the Capital - Ordered Roman Christians not to save him, but to pray for strength to withstand the torture |
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Tertullian
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- Childhood in Carthage --> Pagan
- Studied law and practiced in Rome - Became a Presbyter in Carthage - Wrote an Apology and Regula Fide - Beginnings of how we understand the Trinity - One substance, one essence, one power - Son subordinate to the Father. Holy Spirit subordinate to the Son (This later changes to there not being a Father without the Son). - Differentiates Christianity from tritheism - Becomes a Montanist |
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Eusebius of Caesarea
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- Wrote his Church History --> Best source of ancient Christian history
- Saw Constantine and Licinius as measures of divine design - Elected Bishop during the Arian Controversy - Peace and unity are of prime importance - Faith and Empire are compatible |
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Licinius
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- Augustus of the Empire (East)
- Civil war with Constantine and lost his power - Was not Christian, but feared the Christian God - He viewed Christians praying for Constantine as treason and began persecution |
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Justin Martyr and Early Creeds
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Combined Matthew, Mark, and Luke into 1 Gospel
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Marcion and Early Creeds
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- Published the first Canon
- "The Lord and the Apostles" - Gospel of Luke and Paul's letters (purified) - Rejected OT Canon - Acts appeared later - Gospels answered other questions and appease curiosity |
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Christian identity
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- Christian life looks different for each person
- Show continuity from the apostles and their identity with Israel - Centralized authoritative books - Still needed to find a way to deal with differing voices within the Church |
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Philosophy and Christianity
(Clement) |
- Interpreted Christianity through Philosophy
- Fuller knowledge of Christianity is found through philosophy - Philosophy has been created by God and is therefore good - The one who actively seeks knowledge will have a higher understanding - We push for more knowledge - Logos always existed and became incarnate in Jesus - Christianity is the perfection and fulfillment of Greek philosophy and OT Law |
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Clement of Alexandria
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- Pantenus' student
- Pagan background - Agreed with Platonism - Converted to Christianity and did not give up on philosophy - Attended the Didascalia and eventually became head master - Synthesis of Christianity and philosophy - Express the divinity of Jesus as Divine Logos (Not Docetic) |
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Justin Martyr
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-Dialog with Trypho
- Studied philosophy and emphasized combining philosophy with Christianity (Stoicism and Platonism) - There is a transcendent reality - Apology to Rome: Only punish Christians for crimes - Christianity is the truest philosophy - Divine logos is everywhere - Son is subordinate to the Father - Christianity = Rational |
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Clement's Works
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Protreptikos (Exhortations): Convert Pagans with evangelism
Paidagogos (Tutor): Instruction manual in Christian Ethics Stromateis (Random thoughts): Random notes about Christianity |
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Marcion
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- Raised Christian --> Father was a bishop
- Anti-Jewish and anti-material - Rivaled the Orthodox Church for years |
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Pantenus
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- First instructor at the Didascalia
- Clement studied under him |
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Philo of Alexandria
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- Contemporary of Jesus
- Show the best of Pagan philosophy agreed with Hebrew scriptures (The Greeks drew from the Hebrews) - Scripture is to be understood allegorically |
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Domitian
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- Revitalized emperor worship and sent those who refused to the lions
- All were required to swear to the emperor - Refusal was seen as treason and atheism - Admitting you were a Christian is enough to be killed |
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Irenaeus
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- Childhood in Smyrna under Polycarp
- Survived persecution and was made Bishop - Apology against Heresies (RECAPITULATION THEORY OF THE ATONEMENT) - Regula Fide |
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Valentinian Gnosticism
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- In some, there is a spiritual element. In some there is a soul element.
- Rooted in the human attempt to explain evil -- How/Why does it exist? - No flaw in God's nature because God did not create the world (Evil) - The world is created by a Demiurge - God does not change, does not create evil, and is not involved - Circling and Singing! |
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Felicitas
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- Martyred and consecrated widow with 7 sons
- All were ordered to death in different parts of the city to appease different gods |
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Anathema
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- Accused of teaching the immortality of the soul
- Everyone, including the devil, will be saved - Origen combined Christianity and philosophy to the point where Christian witness was lost |
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Constantine
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- Gradually gained power over the entire empire
- Reversed Diocletian persecutions - Found great favor with Christians - EDICT OF MILAN |
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Donatism
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- Similar to Novatians
- Sacraments depend on the piety of the administrator - If the administrator has not led a pure life, the sacraments cease to be sacraments - Opposed Stephen - Church of St. Peter vs. Church of Judas - Alive and well today |
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Polycarp
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- Friend of Ignatius
- Hid for days when he was being persecuted and eventually decided that his arrest was the will of God - Burned in martyrdom |
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On the Unity of the Church
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- Cyprian
- Unity is the principle attribute of the church - If there is division, there is no church - Bishop is the core of unity - To forsake the bishop is to forsake the church and therefore forsaking your salvation - "Outside the Church, there is no salvation." |
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How to address the accusations against Christians
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- Works of the Apologists
- Spell out the faith in the Creeds and Canons |
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What are apologists?
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- Literal defenders of Christianity
- Court-like settings - Were not successful at first - Showed a clear exposition of faith by attacking claims against the church - Spelled out theology by addressing each aspect of the Creeds and elaborating |
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St. Mark
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- Credited with the Gospel of Mark
- Brought Christianity to Alexandria - His shoe broke and the shoemaker became his first convert - Attempted to burn him, but he would not catch on fire |
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Gnosticism
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- Dualistic transcendent religion of salvation
- Chasm between material and spiritual worlds - Mixes apostolic doctrine and pagan philosophy - God's nature is alien to the universe --> Does not create or govern the universe - A fall within the Spiritual realm led to Creation - Demiurge created the world - Some humanity have a spiritual element and will be among the elect - Individuals are brought to Earth to teach these how to attain salvation |
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Stoicism
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- Logic, metaphysics, and ethics
- There is a divine spark within us - Live in accordance with nature and conquer yourself - Spermaticos logos - Follow natural law - Emphasized ethics -- live and live well - Highest law is to follow your futy - Passion and lust are enemies because they skew our views |
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Transcendental World/Realm
(Platonism) |
- Ontological from the Realm of Being
- Things down here are reflections of the Forms - Allegory of the Cave |
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Bishop Stephen
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- Opposed Cyprian
- Baptism in the name of the Triune God is a sacrament no matter who does it - Welcomed all who had been baptized in the Trinity - Returns to Episcopal primacy --> Roman Bishop has the ultimate authority |
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Perpetua
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- One of 5 catechumens sentenced to martyrdom
- Responsible for saying much of the text in the Martyrdom - She is a Christian and nothing can change that - Sent to the lions and asked to retie her hair before being martyred |
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Nero
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- Tolerant to all that did not encourage sedition
- Rule was done by provinces, not the emperor - Burned Rome in 64 AD - Blamed the Christians --> Arson, hatred of the human race - Christians were punished because they worshipped other gods - Christians' deaths were made a spectacle |
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Immortal Soul
(Platonism) |
- "Recollection"
- The soul will continue to live after the body dies - Soul belongs to the Realm of Being, not that of the Becoming - The soul knows forms from its previous existence which effects our knowledge of forms and Forms - Not affected by the body's decay - Immortal |
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Platonism
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- How do we know what we know?
- We cannot obtain knowledge through our senses, but can through other means - Everything is always changing - Knowledge must be certain and infallable - Must be real - The mind can perceive groups of objects --> Real - Look for the shared characteristic |
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Arianism
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- Anti-trinitarian
- Jesus is not one with the Father - Jesus is almost, but not fully divine |
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Outline of the 3-Tiered Structure
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- Single bishop --> Presbyter --> Deacon
- Bishops were the guardians of unity - Presbyters - Eucharist, teach, Office of the Keys - Deacons - Eucharist and charity - Ultimate authority lied in Rome |
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Council of Hippo
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- 27 Books (West)
- Accepted Hebrews and Revelation |
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Emperors' Policy with other religions
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- Augustus: Privileged monotheism for Jews
- Nero: Persecution; fire - Domitian: Severe persecution - Trajan: Don't ask, don't tell. |
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Apologists' Arguments
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- Atheism: By that logic, all philosophers were atheists
- Outlined statements of faith (Canon and Creed) to dispel rumors |
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Marcus Aurelius
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- Emperor who was against emperor worship
- Ordered that Christians be persecuted - Believed Christians were to blame for bringing the wrath of the gods on the Empire |
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Regula Fide
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- Short summary of the main events of redemption
- Writing against the gnostics - God created the Earth and bodily aspects of ascension - Christianity is not a secret, it's readily accessible - Orthodoxy remains historically contingent and is traced to apostles - Must been written by an apostle, have orthodox content, and be used by the majority to be considered Orthodox - Traditional interpretation of Scripture (norming norm) - Tradition is the normed norm - Having Scripture is not enough. Also need an Orthodox interpretation |
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Dialog with Trypho
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- Justin Martyr tells about his conversion to Christianity
- Old man on the beach - Christianity provides the answer to all philosophical questions and fulfills Platonism and the OT - Blames Jews not accepting Christ for the destrction of the Temple in 70 AD |
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Hexapla
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- Hebrew text, 4 Greek translations, and his commentary
- There is nothing in Scripture unworthy of God - 3-fold sense of Scripture 1) Body - Literal 2) Soul - Moral and ethical 3) Spirit - Allegory |
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Early Christian Worship
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- Gathered on first day of the week
- Not for repentance, but celebration - Communion is highest act of worship - 2 parts: Word and Sacrament - Only those who are baptized can attend - Non-baptized can attend first part - Communion at graves (Catacombs) on anniversaries of deaths - Mostly gathered in private homes - Sunday - Celebration; Wednesday and Friday - Penance - Baptism was 2nd most important and occurred on Easter Sunday |
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Unconquered Sun
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Picked by Septimius Severus as the god above all other gods in the empire
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Valentinius
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- Born in Egypt
- Broke from the Church because he couldn't become a priest - 2nd-3rd Centuries |
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Orthodox
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Conforming to what is generally true
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Why were Canons created?
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- Create unity and refute heresies
- Find the authoritative source for Scriptures - Find the norming norm |
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Paul's Work
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- Paul was not the first to bring the Gospel to some areas
- Greatest contributions were his Epistles written in conjunction with founding churches - Travelled as a missionary, but most who spread the Word were in the lower class - He would preach to the Gentiles after talking with the Jews - Israel has not been abandoned by God, but rather the Messianic age has dawned - Christianity is open to Gentiles |
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Charges against Christians
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- Arson
- The name - Atheism - not worshipping Roman gods = all misfortunes are their fault - Anarchy - would not worship the emperor - Haters of the human race - Forced to meet in secret = political mistrust - Cannibalistic orgies - Thyestean banquets - Incest - Not punished for following Jesus. They were punished for ONLY following Jesus |
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How are you initiated into a mystery cult?
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- Secret ceremonies after a learning period
- Focused on secret formulas and guarded objects - Lead to gnosis and a mystical unity with gods |
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Hippolytus
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- Bishop of the Church
- Old Roman Symbol |
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Ecclecticism
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- Picks and chooses from the other schools to create a unique school of thought
- Not being creative, they're being pragmatic and finding something that works - Ethical system: - Humans have free will and responsibility --> Will be held responsible - Act on the principle the Divine/Supreme Being will reward and punish |
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Augustus
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- Formed the lines of the empire
- Unified the army, treasury, and language - People viewed him as a Divine Messenger - Began emperor worship - Saw this as another way to unity the Empire |
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Athanasius' Easter Letter
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- 27 books (East)
- There are other books that are good to read that are not included in the Canon |
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Quadratus
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- Writes to emperor to prove validity of Christianity
- Pagan gods are lifeless statues - People have given the statues divinity. It is not inerrant - Not successful |
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Epicureanism
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- Big Bang --> the world was formed by chance
- Material is what matters - There is nothing past this world --> death is the end - Soul is not immortal - Goal: Mental bliss, free from what annoys - Strict aesthetics: Do what you need to do to come to the state of bliss |
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Didache
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- AKA: Teaching of the 12 Apostles
- Not written by the apostles - Manual outlining guidelines for Christian life and worship |
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Tri-Partite Structure
(Platonism) |
- Rational: Apprehends truth
- Spiritual: Nobler emotions - Appetitive: Carnal desires |
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Old Roman Symbol
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- Hippolytus
- Earliest and closest parallel to the Apostle's Creed - Question and answer format - Originally for converts and were local, not universally binding |
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Muratorian Canon
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- 200 AD
- 4 Gospels, Paul's letters, John, Jude, Revelation, Acts, Revelation of Peter, Wisdom of Solomon - Hebrews is missing |
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Recapitulation Theory of the Atonement
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- Christ is the new Adam. What he did wrong, Christ corrected
- Adam and Eve were created for immortality, hinging on obedience. Disobedience led to mortality - Recovery of Eden in all of us - Mary is the second Eve and the knot of disobedience is loosened because of her obedience --> why she is holy |
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Montanus
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- Pagan priest who converted in AD 155
- Began prophesying because he had been possessed by the Holy Spirit - His movement was the beginning of a new age - Believed the last age of history had dawned |
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Platonism and Christian similarities
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- Concept of Transcendence:
- Defines what is down here, not vice versa - Contains what is real - Telos of existence: - There is a greater purpose to existence - We desire to return to our natural state (it is not a climb) - Providence - Life is not random. There is a purpose. - The goal is to return to the Transcendental Realm |
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Organization of Early Christianity
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- 3-tiered structure: Bishops, Presbyters, Deacons
- Varied from place to place - Turned more to the Episcopate because of the influx of Gentiles - 2nd century - leadership is all male - Church would consecrate women to serve the church ("widows") |
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Origen's Works
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- Hexapla
- Contra Celsus - Peri Archon |
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Canon
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Ruler to determine what is right and true in our faith
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Origen's Apology
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Contra Celsus
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Union of Greek philosophy and Christianity
(Who?) |
Justin Martyr
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Separation of Greek philosophy and Christianity
(Who?) |
Tertullian
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Heresy
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Belief/opinion contrary to an orthodox belief
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Heterodoxy
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Not conforming to Orthodox views
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What did early Christian life look like?
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Different for each person
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Who are the first persecutors of Christians? Why?
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- Jews
- They wanted the emperors to know they were not the same as Christianity (a heretical sect) so they could keep their privileged monotheistic status |
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Mulvian Bridge Battle
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- Constantine sees a vision of a Chi-Rho and hears a voice
- Believes it is the Christian God - Paints a Chi-Rho on the shields of his men - He is victorious --> Eastern part |
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Edict of Milan
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- Granted Christianity full religious freedom
- Did not make Christianity the national religion |
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Trajan
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- Lightened the persecution of Christians
- Wrote to Pliny with questions about punishing Christians - Don't ask, don't tell |
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Why create a 3-tiered structure?
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- Unity
- There should be one place that determines what is right - Every church agreed Rome held the authority - Created the Episcopate |
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Montanists' reaction to 3-Tiered Structure
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- Saw this as a shift toward order and not spontaneity
- 2 forms of discipleship: Martyrdom and obeying the bishop - All Christianity needed good order, but not this type |
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Didascalia
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- Catechetical school in Alexandria
- Used the model of the philosophical schools |
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What is real?
(Plato) |
- Transcendental Realm
- Realm of the Forms |
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What is real?
(Aristotle) |
- Material world
- The here and now - If you can touch it, it's real |
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Hellenism
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Combination of Greek characteristics and other conquered civilizations
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St. Catherine
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- Admonishes the emperor for his treatment of Christians
- Imprisoned and converts/baptizes scholars sent to refute her - They are beaten and imprisoned - Emperor's wife is converted and baptized - Ordered to be broken on the wheel --> it broke when she touched it - Beheaded |
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St. Maurice and Theban League
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- Maurice was in command of the League
- Would not offer sacrifices to Roman gods for the victory - Unit is decimated twice - Maurice promises them all a place in Heaven if they hold true - All are killed |
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Docetism
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- Christ only appeared on Earth
- He was not incarnate, but an apparition - Christ could not have taken a physical body because it is filled with excrements |
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Origen's Creation Stories
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Circling and Singing:
- Spiritual beings circling the godhead with free will - Turned away from God and fell (cooled and encased in a soul) - Souls cannot exist without a body, so all receive bodies - Bigger bodies = more sin Jesus incarnate: - No fall --> intentionally turned - After death, there is a purifying fire and then we're clothed with a lighter body --> then education - No one passes the last class until everyone is there, including the devil - Return to original form - Leaves the chance to fall again because we will still have free will |
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Allegory of the Cave
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- How Plato explains the Transcendental World
- We don't realize what we know isn't all there is - We are forced to see the truth and it is painful at first |
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Diatesseron
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- Tatian
- Combined Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John to make one Gospel |
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Skepticism
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- Doubts all other philosophical schools
- Inner breakdowns of all convictions - Cannot find an answer for the way of life in the world in the other schools - Refuse to lay judgement on the other schools |
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Characteristics of Alexandria
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- Trade city
- Melting pot - Lots of people from foreign countries - Mixture of Hellenists and Hebrews - Commitment to intellectual pursuits - Impressive library - Where East meets West - OT was first translated here |
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Pharisees
Sadducees Essenes |
Pharisees: Party of the populace; no gifts from Rome
Sadducees: Conservatives (politics and religion) Essenes: Ascetics who wrote Dead Sea Scrolls |
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St. Mary
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- Pagan prostitute in Alexandria
- Could not enter the church because of a mysterious force - Repents at a statue of Mary - Enters Chapel and prays for guidance - Spent 47 years in the desert and met with a monk every Maundy Thursday for communion |
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Apostolic Succession
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- There is an unbroken line of continuity from the Apostles to the current bishops
- They are representatives of Christ himself - To obey the Bishop is to obey Christ |
