CHS 505/506: Wisdom from Church History€¦ · Web viewMarc Cortez Western Seminary Portland, OR The Christian Empire (314-476) OVERVIEW Major Periods Nicene Era (314-381) Post-Nicene

CHS 505/506: Wisdom from Church HistoryMarc Cortez

Western SeminaryPortland, OR

THE CHRISTIAN EMPIRE (314-476)OVERVIEW

I. Major Periods

A. Nicene Era (314-381)

B. Post-Nicene Era (381-476)

II. Political Developments

A. The Rise of Constantine

B. Constantine’s Heirs

C. The Barbarian Invasions

III. Significance of the Era

A. During this era, the Christian church transitions from a _______________ minority to an

_______________ plurality and finally to an _______________ majority.

1. After the end of state sponsored persecution, the church becomes an accepted and even officially supported institution.

2. In the second half of the period, the Christian church becomes the official religion of the Roman Empire.

B. As a result of this first development, this is also the era in which the Church first finds itself

confronted with the proper relationship between the _____________ and the _____________.

1. The church must address the extent to which it is proper to wield ________________ in support of church affairs.

2. The advent of state sponsorship generates the problem of secular rulers ___________ in church affairs.

3. A growing _______________ on the state for support of the church creates significant challenges when the empire begins its precipitous decline.

C. _______________ Christianity becomes a significant challenge.

CHS 505/506: Christian Empire 5/23/2023 Page 1

D. This era constitutes one of the two greatest periods of ______________________________ in church history.

1. The debates of this era focused on the nature of the _______________ and the

_______________.

2. Four of the seven ________________________________ accepted by nearly all orthodox Christians take place during this era.

3. _______________ threats predominated over _______________ ones.

E. This era also provides much of the seed-ground of later concepts and practices

1. Many important theological issues begin to take form during this period:

a) _______________

b) _______________

c) _______________ regeneration

d) _______________ of the bishop of Rome

e) The expanding _______________ system

2. _______________ is born during this period.

3. A number of significant church practices also find their roots here:

a) Specialized worship ministers come to be known as _______________

b) Greater use of _________________ for worship.

c) Worship becomes more _______________ and _______________

d) Many will view these developments as illegitimate accommodations to

_______________.


THE NICENE ERA (314-381)I. Key Developments of the Nicene Era

A. Constantine’s _______________ and the End of _______________.

1. Constantine’s Relationship to Christianity

a) Queen Helena, his mother, seems to have been a Christian and may have been an early influence on Constantine’s religious development.

b) Although the persecutions initiated by Diocletian remained pervasive throughout the eastern half of the empire, Constantine’s father (and Constantine) was tolerant of Christians and the persecutions were never fully implemented in the west.

2. Milvian Bridge (AD 312)

a) After his father’s death, Constantine moved to take control of the empire.

b) On the eve of a decisive battle, he had a vision of a symbol with the inscription “in this you shall conquer.”

c) After winning the battle, he concluded that the Christian God is a powerful force to be reckoned with.

3. The Edict of Milan (313)

a) Constantine, emperor of the West, and Licinius, emperor of the East, agree to end the official persecution of the Christian church.

b) The Significance of the Edict

(1) Marked the beginning of the end of state _______________.

(2) Initiated the transition to the _______________.

(3) Pointed to the end of _______________ as the dominant religion in the west.

4. The Legitimacy of Constantine’s Conversion

a) Without question, Constantine continued many of his _______________ ways.

b) In addition, Constantine’s _______________ after his ‘conversion’ was questionable at best.

c) In keeping with a common practice of the day, Constantine was not baptized until his deathbed.


d) Nonetheless, his faith seems _______________, if _______________.

(1) Sincere support for Christian church.

(a) He almost single-handedly ended the persecution of Christians.

(b) He appointed many Christians to prominent civil positions

(c) He exempted the clergy from military service.

(d) He allowed Christian churches to hold property without taxation.

(2) Confused belief

(a) He believed in the reality and power of the Christian God.

(b) He probably believed that Christianity was compatible with paganism.

(c) He certainly had a limited understanding of Christian theology.

e) His conversion was not simply political pragmatism

(1) He was interested in _______________ the empire around Christianity.

(2) He did not “_______________” Christianity for pragmatic reasons:

5. The Significance of Constantine’s Conversion


B. The _______________ Debates.

1. The Arian Controversy

a) Background

b) Arius (ca. 250-336)

(1) A presbyter in Alexandria.

(2) Key teaching: (a) Jesus was more than _______________, but less than fully

_______________.

(b) He was a created being (from before time) who was

_______________ God, but did not share the same

_______________ as God.

(3) Popular at the common level.

c) The Response

(1) Some _______________ Arius’ approach as the best Christology (Eusebius of Nicomedia)

(2) Many emphasized church _______________ in the face of

theological _______________ (Eusebius of Caesarea).

(3) A few felt that Arianism cut the heart out of the _______________

and _______________ it wholeheartedly (Alexander, Athanasius)

2. The Council of Nicea

a) Widespread protests and riots induced Constantine to convene an empire-wide (“ecumenical”) council in Nicea.

“Theological arguments were everywhere. One eyewitness put it like this: ‘All the affairs of the city are full of this stuff! The alleys, the markets, the wide avenues, and the neighborhood streets! The clothing merchants, the bankers, and those who sell us food! If you ask someone for a penny, he philosophizes to you about the Begotten and the Unbegotten. If you should inquire about the estimated price for a loaf of bread, he answers, ‘The Father is greater, and the Son is subordinate’. And if you ask, ‘Is the bath suitable?’ the attendant declares that the Son is derived out of non-being’.” ~Gregory of Nyssa


b) Approximately three hundred (250-318) bishops attended (out of approximately 1800 bishops in the empire).

“Let’s not overlook what a dramatic turn of events this council represents. Many of the bishops had been maimed in the Great Persecution. One of them could not use his hands because red-hot irons had destroyed the nerves. Others had their eyes dug out or their arms cut off….And now here they were—dining at a lavish banquet with the emperor himself!” (Litfin, Getting to Know the Church Fathers, p. 177).

(1) Could have been as many as 1500 leaders in attendance altogether.

(2) Most of the bishops were Greek-speaking:

c) Key Attendees:

(1) Eusebius of Nicomedia(2) Eusebius of Caesarea(3) Nicholas of Myra (i.e., St. Nick)(4) Hosius of Cordoba(5) Pope Silvester I’s representatives(6) Arius(7) Athanasius

d) The council lasted around two months.

e) The council lasted around two months and, in the end, Arianism was soundly condemned:

(1) There was some debate at first, but once Arius’ views were clearly expressed, it was overwhelmingly condemned.

(2) The attendees were particularly concerned about the impact of Arius’ ideas on…

(a) _______________

(b) _______________

(c) _______________

f) The Nicene Creed

(1) They decided upon the words, “true God from true God, begotten not made, of one substance (homoousios, “of same substance”

(2) Some argued for homoiousios (“of like substance”) but this was rejected for the same reasons as the Arian heteroousios (“of different substance”) with the Father.

(3) Thus, persons of the Trinity may only be distinguished in tasks or relationship, not essential nature or substance.


g) All but two bishops signed this statement; the two dissenters were exiled along with Arius.

h) The use of an ecumenical council to resolve a theological dispute helped establish…

(1) The practice of convening _______________ to settle matters of

disputed _______________ or _______________

(2) _______________ and _______________ participating together in

resolving ecclesiastical disputes

3. Council of Constantinople

a) Continued Controversy

(1) Though Constantine favored the orthodox conclusions of Nicea, many of his subsequent decisions favored the Arians in an attempt to make everyone happy.

(2) Many Christian leaders, led by Eusebius of Nicomedia, continued to espouse Arianism despite Nicea.

(3) The fortunes of Arianism rose and fall depending on favor with the

_______________.

(a) After Constantine, it became possible to invoke the

______________________ to resolve theological debates.

(b) Rather than resolve such disputes, as before, through prolonged _______________ and _______________, many began to focus on convincing the emperors to _______________ their view.

(c) The result was a series of banishments (Athanasius no less than five times) and reversals.

b) Another council had to be convened in Constantinople in 381 by Emperor Theodosius.

(1) This council _______________ the Nicene formulation and

______________ it to produce what is now called the Nicene Creed.

(2) This reformulated creed placed greater emphasis on the full deity of

the _______________.


(3) Though produced under an emperor sympathetic to the anti-Arian position, it was attended by a significant number of Arian and semi-Arian theologians.

(4) Thus, although the _______________ debate was, at times,

dominated by _______________ considerations, the final conclusion

was fundamentally _______________.

“… on closer scrutiny what is surprising is not that theological debate became entangled in political intrigues, but rather that in the midst of such unfavorable circumstances the church still found the strength and the wisdom to reject those views that threatened the core of the Christian message” (Gonzalez, p. 158-9).

4. Discussion:

C. The Development of the _______________

1. Background

a) Early _______________ had raised the question of the canon.

b) Early responses appealed to _______________ guided by ______________.

c) Many recognized that more needed to be said.

2. Several myths commonly surround the development of the canon:

a) The canon was decreed by _______________.

b) The canon was decreed at the council of _______________

c) The “official” church excluded books widely considered to be ___________________________.


3. The Process

a) By the end of the 2nd century (cf. The Muratorian Canon)…

(1) certain books were widely _______________ (esp. the four Gospels, Acts, and the letters of Paul).

(2) others were regarded as _______________:

(a) Biblical books included Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 2 & 3 John, Jude, and Revelation.

(b) Extra-biblical books included the Acts of Paul, Shepherd of Hermas, Revelation of Peter, Epistle of Barnabas, Teachings of the Apostles, and the Wisdom of Solomon.

(3) some were clearly _______________: Gospel of Peter, Gospel of Thomas, Acts of Andrew, Acts of John

(4) some were widely accepted as _______________, but

_______________: mostly the Apocrypha (cf. Athanasius’ list).

b) In the 3rd and 4th century various collections circulated, often divided into

“_______________” and “_______________” categories.

c) Finally, a number of councils gathered to resolve the question:

(1) Synod of Laodicea (ca. 363) decreed that only canonical books should be used, but provides no list.

(2) Synod of Hippo (393) affirms the current canon including the Apocrypha.

(3) Third Council of Carthage (397) affirms Hippo’s list and is purportedly endorsed by Pope Damasus I.

(4) Some dispute continues until another reaffirmation at the Sixth Council of Carthage (419)

4. The Criteria

a) _______________:

b) _______________:

c) _______________:

d) _______________:


D. The Rise of _______________

1. Beginning in the deserts of Egypt and Syria, monasticism spread rapidly all over the Christian world through the influence of such figures as Antony, Athanasius, Jerome, Basil, Chrysostom, Augustine, and John Cassian.

2. In the early church, there were two main types of monasticism:

a) Anchoritic (individual) Monasticism

(1) This form of monasticism began as an Egyptian phenomenon and is usually associated with St. Antony.

(2) It emphasized rigorous asceticism and isolation.

(3) The desert provided an ideal means for escaping the ambiguities of society.

(4) It occasionally tended towards extreme practices like St. Simeon Stylites, who lived on the top of a column for 37 years.

b) Cenobitic (communal) Monasticism

(1) This form of monasticism placed greater emphasis on community and work, and is typically associated with St. Pachomius.

(2) As a communal form of monasticism, it tended toward more hierarchical forms of organization.

(3) Though not as isolated as anchoritic monasticism, cenobitic monasticism still tended to be separate from other ecclesiastical institutions.

c) Although both forms of monasticism were common in the east, cenobitic monasticism became (and remains) the predominant form of monasticism in the west.

3. Discussion:


E. The Rise of the “__________________________________”.

1. Under the Emperor Theodosius (378-395) Christianity became the _______________ of the Roman Empire (380)

a) Constantine laid the groundwork in making Christianity a widely accepted and officially supported religion.

b) Theodosius concluded the process by declaring Christianity to be the official state religion.

c) This resulted in an even greater influx of nominal Christians into the church.

2. Christians responded to this development in various ways:

a) Some responded by _______________ the State-sponsored church and the

development of “____________________________”

b) Others _______________ the State-sponsored church and withdrew into the

_______________ or into _______________.

c) Most recognized both _______________ and _______________ in the new situation and responded accordingly.

3. Regardless, it is clear that this close relationship between the Church and the State

become the ____________________________for Western society.

“What is of paramount importance for the story of Christianity is… the impact of [Constantine’s] conversion….That impact was such that it has even been suggested that until the twentieth century the church has lived in its “Constantinian era,” and that we are now going through a crisis connected with the end of that long era” (Gonzalez, p. 113).

4. Discussion:

F. Developments in Missions:

1. Frumentius takes gospel to Ethiopia (328) resulting in Christianity becoming an official religion (333).

2. The Coptic Church is established in Ethiopia (350).3. Ulfilas begins work with the Goths (in present-day Romania). 4. The Vandals are converted to Christianity (364).5. Ulfilas translates the Bible into Visigothic (370), the first Bible translation done for

missionary purposes.


II. Key Figures of the Nicene Era

A. St. Antony (251-356)

1. Born to a wealthy family in Egypt, he went threw a radical conversion and became a hermit in the desert.

2. The Life of Antony was written by Athanasius and popularized monasticism as the epitome of discipleship.

B. Athanasius (293-373)

1. Athanasius was presbyter and eventually bishop of Alexandria.

2. He was the primary opponent of Arianism, was exiled numerous times for his stance, and eventually died shortly before the reaffirmation of his theology at the Council of Constantinople.

3. According to C. S. Lewis, Athanasius’s enduring value comes from his willingness to “[stand] for the Trinitarian doctrine, ‘whole and undefiled’, when it looked as if all the civilized world was slipping back from Christianity into the religion of Arius—into one of those ‘sensible’ synthetic religions which are so strongly recommended to-day and which, then as now, included among their devotees many highly cultivated clergymen. It is his glory that he did not move with the times; it is his reward that he now remains when those times, as all times do, have moved away” (Introduction to On the Incarnation, 3).

4. Key Works:

a) On the Incarnation: In this tremendously influential work Athanasius becomes the first theologian to really think through the implications of denying either the full deity or the full humanity of Jesus.

b) The Life of Antony: An important work in the popularization and spread of the monastic ideal.

c) The Athanasian Creed: Although this creed is traditionally attributed to Athanasius, it probably originated in Gaul around 500.

5. Disccusion:

C. The Cappadocians

1. The Cappadocians were key figures in arguing for the full personhood and deity of both the Son and the Spirit between Nicea and Constantinople.

2. St. Macrina (ca. 330-379)

a) Sister to Basil and Gregory of Nyssa.

b) She established a monastic community and fostered the spiritual development of her brothers.


3. Basil of Caesarea, aka. St. Basil the Great (ca. 330-379)

a) He succeeded Eusebius as bishop in Caesarea (370) and was a leading figure in the fight against Arianism after Nicea.

b) He was also a key figure in the development of cenobitic monasticism.

c) Key Writings:

(1) De Spiritu Sancto: an important work in developing the argument for the full deity of the Holy Spirit.

(2) Refutation of the Apology of the Impious Eunomius: this was one of the primary anti-Arian writings of the time.

4. Gregory of Nazianzus (St. Gregory the Theologian or Gregory Nazienzen; 329-389)

a) A close friend of Basil, Basil appointed him bishop of Sasima (against his wishes) and he was eventually elected to be the bishop of Constantinople (378).

b) He was a highly prolific author with a wide variety of poetry, prose epistles, and oratories.

5. Gregory of Nyssa (ca. 335-394)

a) The brother of Basil, he begrudgingly became bishop in Nyssa (372).

b) He was the first theologian really to emphasize and develop the idea that God is infinite and, therefore, ultimately unknowable.

c) He also clarified the doctrine of divinization or theosis as the process of continual perfection whereby the human person eternally becomes more like God.

D. Ambrose (ca. 340-397)

1. Ambrose was a very popular political leader in Milan, a city second only to Rome in Italy.

2. When the bishop of Milan (an Arian) died, Ambrose was drafted by the people to become their next bishop (374).

3. Ambrose and the Arians

a) Ambrose effectively resisted popular Arianism and its strong political supporters through his theology, political experience/connections, and oratorical excellence.

b) He even confronted the Princess Justina when she tried to claim Ambrose’s cathedral for use by Arian worshipers.


4. Ambrose and the State

a) Ambrose developed a heightened sense of the Church as existing independently from the State and able even to judge the State when necessary.

b) In one famous episode, Ambrose excommunicated the Emperor Theodosius for overreacting to a disturbance in Thessalonica and causing a great loss of life; Theodosius later appeared before Ambrose, seeking his forgiveness and restoration.

THE POST-NICENE ERA (381-476)I. Key Developments of the Post-Nicene Era

A. The _______________ Debates.

1. The Antiochene and Alexandrian Christologies

a) In the early church, there were two basic approaches to understanding the incarnation:

(1) In the Alexandrian church, they tended to emphasize the unity of the one person.

(2) In the Antiochene church, they tended to emphasize the distinctness of the two natures.

b) Pushed somewhat, each of these approaches could lead in unfortunate directions.

(1) The Alexandrian approach could end up overemphasizing the divinity of the person such that the true humanity was obscured.

(2) The Antiochene approach would end up overemphasizing the reality of the two natures such that we really end up with two distinct persons loosely connected in some way.

(3) Each of these tendencies plays out in the ensuing controversies.

2. The Nestorian Controversy

a) Apollinaris (died 390).

(1) Apollinaris was bishop of Laodicea, a close associate of Athanasius, and a strong critic of Arianism.

(2) While defending the full deity of Christ and the unity of his personhood, he denied the existence of a rational human soul in Christ’s human nature; this was replaced by the logos.

(3) Rejected by orthodox Christians for implying an overly spiritualized, and ultimately doctetic, view of Christ’s humanity and undermining soteriology.


b) Nestorius (ca. 386-451)

(1) Nestorius, the Bishop of Consantinople, strongly endorsed the Antiochene emphasis on the distinct natures.

(2) Concerned about assigning human attributes to the divine nature, he went so far as to refute the title Theotokos (God-bearer) to Mary—affirming instead that she was Christotokos (Christ-bearer).

(3) As a result, he was criticized for affirming a notion of the incarnation that was dangerously close to adoptionism.

c) Eutyches (ca. 380-456)

(1) Eutyches was a presbyter in Constantinople (ca. 380-456).

(2) Arguing against Nestorius, he affirmed that Jesus was “a fusion of divine and human elements.”

(3) He may not have meant anything unorthodox, but his careless formulation led to his condemnation at a council in Constantinople (448), though he was later reinstated at the infamous “Robber Council” (449).

d) Cyril of Alexandria (378-444)

(1) Cyril, the bishop of Alexandria, opposed Nestorius because he thought Nestorius’ ideas divided Jesus into two persons.

(2) He vehemently asserted that Jesus must be viewed as one person; to the extent that he seemed to minimize the duality of natures (though still maintaining the full humanity of Christ).

3. The Council of Ephesus (431)

a) This was a highly contentious council convened by Cyril, which anathematized the Nestorians before they even arrived.

b) It ultimately condemned Nestorius and any “two persons” approach to the incarnation.

c) This position was ultimately rejected by large segments of the church in Syria and Persia, leading to the first Christological schism.

4. The Council of Chalcedon (451)

a) The debate continued and grew in intensity, requiring another council to be convened.

b) Chalcedon drew between 400-500 bishops of from primarily Greek regions.


c) Though not in attendance, a letter sent by Pope Leo, “Leos’ Tome, was highly influential and led to its statement that Christ is “acknowledged in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation . . . the characteristic property of each nature being preserved, and coming together to form one person.”

d) This statement marks a significant point at which four crucial issues concerning the person of Christ are clarified:

(1) against Arius: the full deity of Christ

(2) against Apollinarius: the full humanity of Christ

(3) against Nestorius: the unity of the person of Christ.

(4) against Eutyches: the two natures of Christ.

e) The Significance of Chalcedon

(1) Chalcedon was the first council at which a pope played a major role.

(2) Comes in the middle—not at the end—of the Christological debates:

(a) Chalcedon was rejected by the “monophysite” churches in Egypt (the Coptic church), Syria, and Armenia, which ultimately sever their ties to the Byzantine and Roman churches.

(b) The Nestorian churches also rejected Chalcedon and continued their separate existence.

(3) Nonetheless, Chalcedon is regarding by the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant as one of the most fundamental statements of Christian theology arising from the early church.

5. Discussion:


B. The _______________ Controversy

1. Pelagius (ca. 354-420/440)

a) Pelagius was a British monk who lived for a long time in Rome and then Palestine.

b) Key Teachings:

(1) Original sin:

(2) Freedom of the will:

(3) Atonement:

(4) Justification:

c) He was vehemently opposed by, among others, both Augustine and Jerome.

d) Though cleared of heresy by a synod in Jerusalem (415), he was ultimately condemned by councils in Carthage (418) and Ephesus (431).

2. Semi-Pelagianism

a) Though rejecting Pelagius’ emphasis on the complete freedom of the will, some theologians rejected Augustine’s exclusively monergistic soteriology in favor of the idea that human’s must take the first step in salvation.

b) Ultimately rejected at the Synod of Orange (529), which affirmed Augustine’s views on total depravity and the primacy of grace in salvation even while rejecting his views on double predestination and exclusive monergism.

C. The Growing _______________ between East and West

1. Significant linguistic and cultural differences led to a growing distance between the eastern and western segments of the church.


2. The fact that these two regions of the church tended to emphasize different aspects of theology also helped contributed to this development.

3. In ecclesial matters, the claim of the bishop in Rome to supremacy over the other bishops, a claim always rejected by the bishops in other key cities (especially Constantinople), contributed as well.

D. Developments in Missions

1. Christianity becomes the official religion of the Roman Empire (381).

2. Jerome begins translating the Bible into Latin (382)

3. Ninian evangelizes the Picts in southern Scotland (397).

4. New Testament translated into Armenian (410).

5. An Arabian Bedouin tribe is converted (420).

6. The first bishops are ordained in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan (425).

7. Patrick goes to Ireland as a missionary (432).

II. Key Figures of the Post-Nicene Era

A. Chrysostom (349-407)

1. Though he spent some time as an extremely ascetic monk, most of his career was spent as a presbyter in Antioch before becoming bishop of Constantinople against his will (398).

2. Chrysostom and the Word

a) “Chrysostom” means “golden mouth” and indicated his renowned preaching abilities.

b) Along with Theodore of Mopsuestia, John was an able practitioner of the Antioch school’s more literal interpretation of Scripture.

3. Chrysostom and Society

a) He resisted what he saw as the excessive worldliness of the church and Christian society.

b) He preached boldly against sins among the clergy, the common people, and even the imperial family (Empress Eudoxia was not pleased).

c) Bishop Theophilus of Alexandria had a running feud with John, and convened a synod that banished him from the church after John welcomed four monks whom had been disciplined in Alexandria.


d) Upon his return, he infuriated Eudoxia by criticizing a statue of her and was again exiled.

e) Comparing his career with that of Ambrose points to a growing difference in Church/state relations in the east and the west.

4. Key Writings:

a) Homiletical/exegetical works on both OT and NT.

b) Against the Jews: This work was probably intended more to prevent Judaistic practices among Christians than to attack Jewish people themselves.

c) On the Priesthood: This was an important early work on the nature and function of the priesthood.

d) A revision of the Divine Liturgy that is still used by the Eastern Orthodox churches.

B. Jerome (ca. 347-420)

1. Regarded as the greatest Christian scholar of his time and an ascetic who lived primarily in Rome and Palestine.

2. Key Writings:

a) The Vulgate

(1) Though many in the Roman Empire understand common Greek some desired a Latin version.

(2) It took Jerome 23 years to complete the task, which he completed in Bethlehem.

(3) His translation became known as the “Vulgate” (from the Latin vulgus, “common”) since it used the Latin commonly used in Western churches.

b) Quite a number of significant commentaries and highly polemical theological treatises.

c) De viris illustribus (On Famous Men): This is an important source of biographical information for Church history.


C. Augustine (354-430)

1. After flirting with a variety of religions and philosophies (including Manichaeism and Neoplatonism), and struggling with sensuality, he became a believer in Christ under the influence of Ambrose (386)

2. He was ordained (391) and became bishop of Hippo (395).

3. Augustine’s theological distinctives:

a) Grace:

b) God:

c) Freedom:

d) Sin:

e) Predestination:

f) Bible:

g) Church and State:

4. Augustine as a Controversialist

a) The Donatist Controversy

b) The Pelagian Controversy


5. Key Works

a) Confessions: Unquestionably Augustine’s most famous and influential work, the Confessions was a landmark in autobiographical self-revelation and reflection.

b) On Christian Doctrine: This influential work laid out Augustine’s understanding of hermeneutics and preaching.

c) City of God: Here Augustine lays out a theological interpretation of history based on the distinction between the City of God (i.e., those whose primary love is God) and the City of Man (i.e., those whose primary love is anything other than God).

d) On the Trinity: An important work for understanding Augustine’s view of the Trinity and the way in which the triune God is imaged in the human person.

e) On the Freedom of the Will: This was an early work in which Augustine laid out his understanding of free will. It later caused him some problems with the Pelagians cited it in favor of their own theological perspective.

6. St. Patrick (ca. 373-493)

a) Patrick was born in Roman Britain, probably to Christian parents and taken to Ireland as a slave when he was 16

(1) Eventually escaping, he joined a monastery in France for a while before returning to Ireland in response to a dream.

(2) During his ministry, Patrick is reported to have planted nearly 300 churches and baptized approximately 120,000 converts despite opposition from hostile chieftains and pagan Druids.

(3) He allegedly used the shamrock to illustrate the Trinity.

b) Christianity in Ireland

(1) High emphasis on monasticism.

(2) Developed with a high degree of independence from Rome; akin to more eastern approaches in many ways.

(3) Becomes a vital source for missionary activity and a bastion of Christianity after the decline of Rome.


Documents

CHS 505/506: Wisdom from Church History€¦ · Web viewMarc Cortez Western Seminary Portland, OR The Christian Empire (314-476) OVERVIEW Major Periods Nicene Era (314-381) Post-Nicene