Christendom

Church the End of the Megachurch? "Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart." - Acts 2:46 From the earliest times of Christendom, people have met in their homes to worship and share in Christian fellowship. A cultural shift from dwelling in towns and countrysides to cities and the establishment of organized religion led to the construction of churches, basilicas, and…

What does it mean to be a Christian? In the Bible, scripture is clear in its definition of a Christian, which simply means: " To Follow Christ!" (1 Peter 4:16) Therefore, if we are following Christ, what should our lives look like? in the 20th chapter of Matthew, the Lord spoke to His disciples in a parable known as the "Parable of the Vineyard." He talked about an owner who hired laborers for his vineyard and sent them out. Furthermore, at the end of the day when it was time to hand out the…

“The peace agreement at Westphalia singled a victory for Protestantism and the German princes while almost dooming Habsburg imperial ambition”(471). In the religious terms, the treaty ended the dream of reuniting Christendom. “Catholics and Protestants now realized that major faiths could not be destroyed”(471). The religion did not destroy Europe, but still so many people were killed because of the religion. “The Peace of Westphalia is particularly notable for confirming…

Constantine I is known as the first Roman Emperor to convert the Roman Empire to Christianity. He is also known to have stopped the long lived persecution of Christians and converted himself to Christianity. He was the first Roman Emperor to initiate Christianity as the key religion in Rome and provide a distinctively Christian culture that allowed the growth and prosperity of Rome to flourish. Constantine I is also known as Constantine the Great. He lived in the third century following his…

The Crusades was a very important time for Europe's medieval period. It caused very significant changes to Europe. The first Crusade was in 1096. One of the most obvious and leading factors that lead to the first Crusades was the role of religion, specifically Christianity. During the Crusades, the economic system in Europe was in the state of transition. Another factor that led to the Crusades would be the defeat of the Byzantine by the Seljuk Turks in 1071. The Crusades opened up a lot of…

Martin Luther and His Temporal vs. Spiritual Stance on Christianity “God has given us authority, not to ruin Christendom, but to build it up!” Luther references the Bible Passage of 2 Corinthians 10:8, in his Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation (“Martin Luther”, 102). Luther reassures Christians that the Church, as a people or body, is not merely a building with walls. He connotes it as more of a safe haven built around the Lord, God’s Son, whom died for their sins. A…

1. How should people interpret genocide when a document introduces a statement saying, “I heard with horror that a new phase of Armenian massacres…which aimed at exterminating, root and branch, the intelligent, industrious, and progressive Armenian nation, and at transferring its property to Turkish hands?” (Armenian Massacre Memoir document). People here and there encounter historical documents reviewing genocides and wars that happened during certain time periods. Nonetheless, individuals…

If at any moment you found yourself lost in the hefty narrative of Beowulf, treading alongside the many songs and flashbacks, in class on Thursday we discussed the introduction of our “thought” aircraft marshall, Wiglaf. Beginning shortly after line 2626, Wiglaf (a “new to this” young fighter and kinsmen of Beowulf’s) enters stage left with two handheld illuminated beacons to attract our attention and interest; to garner attention to his “wise and fluent words” on our hero. Filled with sorrow,…

Brunelleschi’s Pazzi Chapel at Santa Croce, begun in 1441 in Florence furthers the application of geometric ideals in a chapter house for clergymen. Although not exactly centrally planned due to the additional breadth from flanking barrel vaults, the ordered designs of the primary space and central dome demonstrate Brunelleschi’s ordered design. The chapel’s dome “rests above the center of a rectangular structure,” similar to Hagia Sophia. Its dome is unique from the Old Sacristy in its…

to have a horizontal structure and follow the three key characteristics of an imagined community; a key factor that led to a horizontal structure would be the growth and development of print capitalism. Print driven capitalism led to the end of Christendom…