The Ecumenical Catholic Age • 325 to 787 A. D. IT REPRESENTED 7 MAJOR

CHURCH COUNCILS THAT FORMULATED DOCTRINE.

• 1. Theology. Important controversies raged over the doctrines of God, Christ, human nature, and salvation, resulting in official formulations that define “orthodoxy.” To this day, the three main branches of traditional Christendom—Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism

The Ecumenical Catholic Age

• 2. Ecclesiology. The church offices and hierarchical structure of Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy developed in this age. In the West, the bishop of Rome successfully asserted supremacy as the pope.

• 3. Monasticism. The first Christian hermits had appeared in the Old Catholic Age, but in this age monasteries, the monastic way of life, and orders of monks and nuns became an integral part of Christendom.

The Ecumenical Catholic Age • 4. Blending of pagan and Christian elements.

With the wholesale “conversion” of pagans to Christianity under social, political, and legal pressure, as well as outright force, it was inevitable that pagan practices would infiltrate the church. Indeed, many superstitious, on biblical elements became standard during this time, establishing the pattern for medieval Catholicism.

The Ecumenical Catholic Age

• 5. Distinction between East and West. The eastern and western wings of Christendom had different languages (Greek and Latin, respectively), liturgies, and theological approaches. To some extent these differences were significant even in the Old Catholic Age, but with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the establishment of the papacy, which the East never accepted, they became more pronounced. While the official split between Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy did not occur until 1054, their separate courses were set during this age.

The Ecumenical Catholic Age

• The fourth century brought earthshaking changes to Christianity. The catalyst was Constantine I (the Great), the first Roman emperor to become a Christian.

• He won a war in the 312 A. D• He ruled the west his brother in law the east• He embraced Christian publicly in 325 A. D.• He was baptized on his death bed in 337 A. D.

The Ecumenical Catholic Age • 1. The Antiochene School Major Teachers:• Ephraem the Syrian (died 387) lived as a hermit in a

cavern near the city of Edessa. Ordained a deacon, he refused the position of bishop. He wrote commentaries, sermons, and hymns in Aramaic. John

• Chrysostom (345-407) was patriarch of Constantinople. Posterity gave him his surname meaning “golden-mouthed” because of his great oratorical ability. He is noteworthy for his expository, exegetical sermons and his advocacy of a conservative lifestyle of holiness in a worldly church age.

The Ecumenical Catholic Age • 2. The Alexandrian School• Athanasius (295?-373), bishop of Alexandria, was the leader of the

victorious party at the Council of Nicea and the foremost champion of orthodox trinitarianism. In the long struggles after Nicea over the doctrine of God, Athanasius received aid from three prominent theologians of Cappadocia: Basil of Caesarea (329-79), a bishop; Gregory of Nyssa (335-94), a bishop and the younger brother of Basil; and Gregory of Nazianzus (330-90), their friend, who served a short time as bishop of Constantinople. Using Greek philosophical concepts, these “Cappadocian Fathers” refined trinitarianism and made it broadly acceptable. Basil founded a monastery in 358, laying the foundation for such communities in the future.

The Ecumenical Catholic Age • 3. The Western School• Hilary (315-67), bishop of Poitiers, was a strong defender of

trinitarianism. • Ambrose (340-97), bishop of Milan and another important

advocate of trinitarianism, was the imperial president of upper Italy when he was elected bishop by popular demand. He did not want the position, and in fact he had not yet been baptized. Submitting to the will of the people, however, he was baptized and eight days later consecrated as bishop. In 390 he defied Emperor Theodosius by refusing to serve him communion after he brutally killed thousands in Thessalonica. This action established a precedent of religious leaders asserting moral authority over civil rulers.