Development of Christianity

Gnostic Gospels and Holidays, too!

THE GNOSTIC GOSPELSPart 1

The Gnostic Gospels• Gnostic = of or relating to

knowledge• Not discovered at a single

time, but rather as a series of finds

• The Nag Hammadi Library - discovered accidentally by two farmers in December 1945 • Named for the area in

Egypt where it had been hidden for centuries

Why hidden?• Irenaeus, one of the first great Christian theologians

• Emphasized the traditional elements in the Church• The authority of bishops (he was one), Scripture, and tradition

• Vocally against Gnosticism• A serious threat to the Church

• Reliance on oral tradition and the varied emphases on the values of Christianity

• The only way for Christians to retain unity was to humbly accept one doctrinal authority

• Gnostics said that they possessed a secret oral tradition from Jesus himself• Irenaeus maintained that the bishops provided the only safe

guide to the interpretation of Scripture

Nag Hammadi Library• Over 40 Codices classified by 6 Categories

1. Writings of creative and redemptive mythology• “On the Origins of the World,” “The Apocalypse of Adam”

2. Observations and commentaries on diverse Gnostic themes• “The Gospel of Truth,” “The Testimony of Truth”

3. Liturgical and initiatory texts• “The Prayer of Thanksgiving,” “The Prayer of the Apostle Paul”

4. Writings dealing primarily with the feminine • “The Thunder, Perfect Mind,” “The Sophia of Jesus Christ”

5. Writings pertaining to the lives and experiences of some of the apostles

• “The Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles,” The Apocalypse of Peter”6. Scriptures which contain sayings of Jesus as well as descriptions of

incidents in His life: • “The Gospel of Philip,” “The Gospel of Thomas”

Gospel of Judas• Leaders like Tertullian

were accusing people who avoided martyrdom by fleeing of being faithless cowards

• “Judas” seems to be angry at church leaders for encouraging Christians to accept martyrdom as God’s will

• Judas’ tone is angry – he portrays Jesus mocking his disciples

Gospel of Thomas• Where Matt, Mark, and

Luke say that Jesus warned about the coming of the “end of time,” John and Thomas say that Jesus directed his disciples instead toward the beginning of time (the creation account) and identify Jesus as the divine light that came into being in the beginning

The Gospel of Mary Magdala• Presents a radical

interpretation of Jesus' teachings as a path to inner spiritual knowledge

• It exposes the erroneous view that Mary of Magdala was a prostitute for what it is - a piece of theological fiction

• It presents an argument for the legitimacy of women's leadership• It asks us to rethink the basis

for church authority

IMPORTANT HISTORICAL FIGURESPart 2

Christianity Spreads – 46-62 AD

• Paul's (Saul) missionary journeys spread Christianity significantly

• His speech to the Greeks on Mars Hill (Aereopagus)

Christianity in Rome

• To the Romans, Christians were a strange and subversive group, meeting in catacombs, sewers and dark alleys, done only for their own safety, but perpetuating the idea that the religion was odd, shameful and secretive.

Christians as Scapegoats• 64 AD

– A fire ravaged Rome, and the subsequent building of Emperor Nero's golden palace on the destroyed property, was wildly unpopular in Rome.

– Many thought Nero started the fire

– Nero blamed Christians, playing on people's fears that their intention was the complete destruction of the Roman world as they waited for the judgment day.

First Pope – St. Peter• Jesus gave a new name to

Simon, saying, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” – In these words Catholic Church

recognizes the creation of the papacy (recognition of a Pope).

• Peter was active as the head of the Church in different locations. The last was Rome.

• Peter was martyred (at the time of Nero’s fire) on June 29, year 67, head downward on his own request, as he considered it unworthy of him to die as Christ did– Peter was buried on Vatican hill,

where St. Peter's now stands.

Christians Organize Themselves• 150-450 AD• The People

– Congregations formed – Jewish and other converts– Evangelical – Involved in the world– Deacon – Local leader, teacher– Bishop – Elected by city, selected priests

• Leaders – Originally 4 Tetrarchs (joint rulers)– Antioch (Syria) – Alexandria (Egypt)– Jerusalem – Rome

• After Constantine conquered Byzantium and created Constantinople, this and Rome were the East and West Centers

The Wandering Christian

• Wandering holy men = monks and hermits– Models of martyrdom who battled against wealth,

sexuality, appetite, and temptations. – Lives of self-denial brought them closer to

perfection.

• Martyrs’ graves became holy sites, and relics (bones, teeth, clothes, etc.) were housed under altars.

Importance of Constantine

• St. Helena– Constantine’s mother

• May not have always been Christian– If not, she converted

• Credited with finding the cross on which Jesus was crucified during her lengthy pilgrimage to Palestine from 327-328 AD

• Other Contributions:– 327 AD – Constantinople

becomes the capital to replace pagan Rome.

– Funds building of churches

– Makes Sunday a public holiday

– Exempts clergy from taxes

313 AD – Edict of Milan

• Legalized Christianity– Probably for political

gain

• Jerusalem– Created the Church of

the Holy Sepulchre on what was supposedly the site of the crucifixion

325 AD – The First Council of Nicea

• 300 bishops called by Constantine• Addresses the role of the Father, Son, Holy

Ghost– To contradict Arius of Alexandria's teaching that

Christ was subordinate to God

Nicene Creed

• The Nicene Creed is the most widely accepted and used statement of the Christian Faith.– Said every Sunday as part of the Liturgy.

• Common Ground to East Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Calvinists, and many other Christian groups.

337 AD

• Constantine was baptized while on his deathbed

• The sins he committed?– Unexplained execution

of his eldest son and his second wife in 326.

Emperor Theodosius

• 380 AD – makes Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire

• 382 AD – Stripped pagan temples of statues and made pagan Roman state worship treason

• Developed church courts

Emperor Justinian

• 527- 565 AD– Justinian ruled from Ravenna and Constantinople

• Building program included the Hagia Sophia

Charles the Great/Charlemagne• 742? – 814AD - crowned

emperor of the Roman Empire in Saint Peter's basilica on Dec. 25, 800, by Pope Leo II.

• First in the west since 6th century, seen as rebellion in the eyes of Byzantine court but revived Roman empire in the west

• Implemented literacy and education to reform existing texts and halt their terrible corruption.

• Gregorian Chant made mandatory in 810

Eastern/Western Split

• The Great Schism - 1054– Creation of Orthodoxy

• Pope Leo IX sent emissaries to excommunicate the eastern patriarch for refusing to accept changes in the language of the Nicene Creed

West vs. East

Roman Catholicism• Western Focus – Roman Pope• Church order: Pope, Cardinal,

Arch-Bishop, Bishop, Priest, Deacon, Monk, Nun

• Church law and legal interpretation of Christian doctrines

• Personal discipline and purification

• Emphasis on correct action in ritual

• Trinity dwells in every Christian soul

• Prayer and penance can dispose the soul to receive infusions of grace, but not wholly in this life

Eastern Orthodoxy• Eastern Focus• Mystical goal of Christian life:

– Know god– Unity with the divine– Unity with Christ

• Prayer and penance on earth experience ecstatically the glories of God's indwelling

• Eventually, they divided into national branches: Greek, Russian, Serbian, Armenian, Syrian, etc.

• Stayed unified in traditions and are not competitive

• No Pope – leadership rests on the conscience of the church

The Crusades• 1095-1291 – first seven crusades• Main goal: To restore access for Christians to the holy

places in and around Jerusalem (under Muslim control)• Pope Urban II (1088-1099) assisted Emperor Alexus of

Constantinople in launching the first crusade against the Muslims

• "Deus vult" (God wills it) – The battle cry of the Crusaders.

• Red cross – The official sign of the pilgrims.

• Crusades were failures – they made no permanent conquests of the holy land and merely fostered harsh intolerance between Muslims and Christians.

• The papacy gained the most from the Crusades – its authority and that of the European kings was increased.

The Inquisition

• 1231 – Gregory IX instituted the Inquisition (holy office) to fight Heretics

• 1256 – Papal Bull permitted Inquisitors (Dominicans and Franciscans) to use torture

Martin Luther• Catholic monk turned Father of

Protestantism– Oct 31, 1517 – All Saints Day Eve

• Luther posted The Ninety-Five Theses on church door at Wittenburg

– Excommunicated in 1520– Translated the Bible into the

“language of the people”– Every person in charge of his/her

relationship with God without the mediation of a Priest

– Questioned meanings of rituals– Good deeds don’t get you into

heaven– Eucharist is consubstantiation, not

transubstantiation– Various interpretations of the Bible

John Calvin - Calvinism• 1536 - Calvin published The

Institutes of Christian Religion• Belief in absolute sovereignty

and omnipotence of God and total weakness of humanity

• No free will in humans because that detracts from the sovereignty of God

• Men and woman can't work toward salvation because God, in his infinite wisdom, predestined who would be saved and damned.

Henry VIII

• Declared himself head of the church of England in 1538– Resulted in a separated

church: The Church of England

• Personal motives: wanted to be able to divorce his first wife!

HOLIDAYS/SYMBOLSPart 3

Christmas – Why December 25th?• Probably chosen to

oppose the feast of the Natalis Solis Invicti (nativity of the unconquerable sun)

• December 25th, the birthday of the Sun-god (Mithras) at the winter solstice

• Light (Christ) at the darkest time of the year - symbolic

First Christmas?

• Earliest mention of the observance on Dec. 25th is in the Philocalian Calendar, representing Roman practice of the year 336.

• 435 AD - the first "Christ mass" was officiated by Pope Sixtus III

Christmas Tree• The druids

– decorated their trees with symbols of prosperity -- a fruitful harvest, coins for wealth and various charms such as those for love or fertility.

• Scandinavian Pagans– first to bring their decorated trees indoors as this provided a warm

and welcoming environment for the native fairy folk• The Saxons

– first to place lights on the their trees in the form of candles.• Ancient Romans

– decorated their homes with greens at the Festival of Saturnalia, their New Year, and exchanged evergreen branches with friends as a sign of good luck.

Mistletoe and Holly

• Two hundred years before the birth of Christ, the Druids used mistletoe to celebrate the coming of winter. They believed the plant had special healing powers

• Scandinavians also thought of mistletoe as a plant of peace and harmony. They associated mistletoe with their goddess of love, Frigga.

Santa Claus• St. Nicholas was born in Turkey in the 4th

century. • He was very pious from an early age,

devoting his life to Christianity. He became widely known for his generosity for the poor.

• But the Romans held him in contempt. He was imprisoned and tortured.

• Constantine allowed Nicholas to go free and made him a delegate to the council of Nicea.

• He is especially noted for his love of children and for his generosity.

Candy Cane

• In the late 1800's a candy maker in Indiana wanted to express the meaning of Christmas

• The color white symbolizes the purity and sinless nature of Jesus.

• Next, he added three small stripes to symbolize the pain inflicted upon Jesus before His death on the cross.

• He added a bold stripe to represent the blood Jesus shed for mankind.

• When looked at with the crook on top, it looks like a shepherd's staff

• If you turn it upside down, it becomes the letter J

Preparation for Christian Holy Week

• Beginning with Lent, which precedes Easter by 40 days:– Represents 40 days in desert…

• Renunciation of temptation or dedication to something positive in remembrance of Jesus

• Also, taking on something to parallel what Christ took on

Fat Tuesday

• The day before Lent• In French, “Mardi Gras”

– Shrove Tuesday• In Latin America, called “Carnival” (carne =

flesh, so “farewell to the flesh”)• Celebration before renunciation• Paczki day (pronounced pun-shke)

Ash Wednesday• “Remember, man, thou art dust and to dust

thou shall return” (Genesis 3:19)• Relates to Jesus’ sacrifice on behalf of man’s

salvation• Priests mark the heads of the faithful with a

cross of ashes • Fasting (as Christ did)

Holy Week Begins…

Palm Sunday

• Celebrates the beginning of the week of the Passion (holy week)

• When Jesus entered Jerusalem and walked on palm leaves

Maundy Thursday

• Represents the last supper• From Latin “mandatum” meaning “new

commandment”– represents the commandment Jesus gave the

disciples regarding communion

• Washing of feet

Good FridayIronic title

Following the stations of the cross3 hours on the cross

• The Stations are usually a series of 14 pictures or sculptures depicting the following scenes:

1. Jesus is condemned to death 2. Jesus receives the cross 3. The first fall 4. Jesus meets His mother5. Simon carries the cross 6. Veronica wipes Jesus' face with her veil 7. The second fall 8. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem9. The third fall 10.Jesus is stripped of His garments 11.Crucifixion: Jesus is nailed to the cross 12.Jesus dies on the cross 13.Jesus' body removed from the cross (Pieta) 14.Jesus is laid in the tomb

Easter Sunday

• Celebrates Resurrection• Christian symbols: lamb (sacrifice)• Egg (tomb with rock from which Jesus emerged)

and coloring eggs = conversion to Christianity• Lily = purity, one of Mary’s flowers

        

               

Pagan origins of symbols

• Eggs, bunnies, pastel colors (symbols of reproduction, birth)

• Eastre – pagan goddess of the earth and spring, from an egg that dropped from the sky into the water

• Easter = rising sun in the east, celebration of spring and the vernal equinox