Church History

Part I:Pentecost to the Western Schism

The Jesus Movement•The “Twelve”•His “Bothers”• Notable Women: Mary, his Mother, Mary Magdalene, Prisca, Dorcas, others•Community of “Disciples”

The Church Begins: Pentecost The “Birthday” of the Church

• Believers in Hiding • Gathered for Fellowship• Praying about what to do• Holy Spirit – Tongues of Fire• Went Public in a Big Way• Spoke in many tongues!• Peter converted 3000 in one day in the streets

What was the early Church like?

House Churches

• No Formal Priesthood – Home Owners• Simple, warm, hospitable: welcome table• Mostly Jews who also went to synagogue• Shared Jesus stories; and broke bread” • Growth quick – spread to many homes•Eventually necessitated going public

Early Christian Beliefs• Jesus’ Second Coming was Imminent!• Jesus was the Messiah – the end time had come• The coming of the Kingdom or Reign of God

proclaimed every possible chance• Must be Jewish to be Christian• Tolerated by some Jews, rejected by others• Shared all goods in common• Community of Believers was important but didn’t

really connect with outsiders until. . .

Apostolic Era 30 – 100 A.D.Peter, First Leader, Pope

Paul of Tarsus. Missionary to Gentiles

James, the “Brother” of Jesus; Leader of Church in Jerusalem

Missionary Movement to Cyprus, Asia Minor (Turkey) in Acts of Apostles or

“Up With Gentiles!”

Paul of Tarsus

Barnabas

John Mark

Organization Happened. . .

• Sacraments• Hierarchy – ordination of priests, bishops• dogma developed• Ritual developed• Heresies! Gnosticism, Montanism,

Novatianism, Donatism, Arianism, etc.

Persecutions – First 3 Centuries

Emperor Nero and othersBrutally hostile to Christianity; Many tortured and killed

The Coliseum in Rome (not the one in LA)

Christianity Declared Legal!

Emperor Constantine and Edict of Milan

St. Augustine of Hippo – 354-430 AD

•Church as the Body of Christ• Presence of the Holy Spirit• Bishop of Rome – Pope• Church & Kingdom of God• Had a huge impact on the Church – remains a giant!

400 – 1000 - Growth! Basilicas, Monasteries, Universities, etc.

Church Growth – East and West

Rome Sacked in 410 AD by Barbarians! !

• Emperor Theodosius divided empire and thus weakened it

• Dark Ages Begun!• Christianity Steps Up to Save Western

Civilization and to Restore Order• Western church (located in Rome) totally

focused on re-building, practical matters, NOT on spiritual ones

Meanwhile, in the East. . .

• Spirituality was central• Focus on liturgy, theology, spirituality,

sacramental life and • Spirituality had time to refine and grow

Unfortunate Result

One Church with Two Hearts. . .slowly becoming two distinct communities who didn’t recognize each other

The Middle Ages: Charlemagne• 800 AD – Charlemagne is crowned

emperor• Wanted unification of the East

and West in the Empire• Went to war!• Did amazing things like development of

universities, architecture, art, etc. • Wanted separation of Church and State – his

reign thus weakened the Church’s political hold

Monks, Friars, and Other Holy People

• Church in both East and West had Holy People

Rise of Islam and Capture of the Holy Land

• Mohammed’s Mission is Successful• Moslems take over Holy Land• Western Church Enraged!• Something must be done!!

• Pope Urban II Declares a “Holy War” to unite the church and get back the sacred places

The Crusades 1096-1270 A.D.

• “Holy War” = “God wills it”• Rise of the Knights Templar• Many People joined the cause• Result: DISASTER!!!• Western Christians did not recognize Eastern

Christians and slaughtered all of them!• Eastern Church enraged!

The Great Schism of 1054• Crusaders sacked Constantinople much to the

outrage of the Eastern Church• Last straw for Patriarch Michael Cerularius!• Forbid Eastern Church to perform Latin Rite• Pope Leo IX threatened excommunication• They excommunicated each other!• First time:

CHURCH DIVIDED!!

The Inquisition (12th Century)• Heresies again! • Pope Innocent III – permitted searching out

people accused of heresy (there were many!)• Pope Gregory IX established a tribunal for it• Inquisitors: would hear cases and impose

punishments on those found guilty

The Black Death (Bubonic Plague)1347-1350

• Struck every country in Europe killing almost one half of the population

• 100,000 in Venice• 80,000 in Siena• 57,000 in Marseille• 80,000 in Paris• England, Spain, Switzerland, Rhine Valley,

Scandinavian Countries

Despair Everywhere!• Medieval Life was never the same!• Church was NOT the same either. . .• Many of the clergy died• Negative attitudes prevailed – where was

God?• Somberness of liturgy and theology • Need to find meaning and hope in it

Hope Prevailed in the Darkness• Many saints and mystics

St. John of the Cross

St. Thomas Aquinas St. Ignatius of Loyola

St. Teresa of Avila

Then. . .Western Schism or Will the Real Pope Please Stand Up? 1378-1417

• Papacy moved to Avignon, France in 1305 for political reasons (Pope Clement V)

• Remained there for 70 years! 7 legitimate popes resided there

• Lots of conflict and corruption

All Frenchmen! Clement V, John XXII, (Nicholas V), Benedict XII, Clement VI, Innocent VI, Urban V, Gregory XI

“The Great Western Schism”

• Pope Gregory XI moved it back to Rome in 1378 and then died; Pope Urban VI elected

• French hated him so they elected another pope: Clement VIII – who moved back to Avignon

Meanwhile. . . Will the real pope please stand up????

• Clement declared an antipope; successor was Benedict, successor was another Clement. . .

• BENEDICT in Rome? OR GREGORY in France? • Both out!• Counsel of Pisa – election of Alexander V• Then John XXIII (declared an antipope)• Then finally Martin V - back in Rome

Effects of Crusades, Inquisition, Bubonic Plague, Great Western Schism

• WEAKENING OF THE PAPACY

• WEAKENING OF THE AUTHORITY OF THE CHURCH

• UNREST. . .DOUBT. . .FEAR!

• A SPLINTERED CHURCH. . . AND . . .

MUCH BIGGER SPLINTERING TO COME!

TO BE CONTINUED. . .

NEXT WEEK:THE RENAISSANCE, THE PROTESTANT

REFORMATION AND ON TO MODERN ERA