Overview of Church History: Kingdom, New Church, Reformation, Monasticism

1. Recap on the Kingdom • What is it like? What actions does it involve? Who is a part of it? When it is/does it happen? What characterises it? Anything unusual for us? How do we know that we are Kingdom builders?

2. Church in history How does the Church respond to changing cultures? The Church in the world

3. 4 main contexts • The early Church – 100ad - Constantine • The Orthodox Schism – 11th C • The Reformation – 16th C • Modernity – late 18th C – late 20th C

4. The New Church: Clement • Clement of Rome AD 96? A pope-like role? • Shows an extensive knowledge of the NT writings except John • But also Stoic influence perceptible • Mentions deacons; presbyters; bishops • Ministry received from Jesus Christ • Clear apostolic succession • Unambiguous Trinitarian speech

5. The New Church: Ignatius of Antioch • Bishop, martyred at Rome 98-117 AD • Wrote 7 letters on his way to Rome • No sense of apostolic succession • Authority and sacraments upheld • A sense of orthodoxy • First mention of ‘catholic’ church

6. The New Church: Didache • Date: ?135-165? • But possibly earlier than NT writings? • Eucharistic prayers closely follow Jewish form of grace 9/10 • Breaking bread/Messianic banquet • No mention of Cross/Last Supper • Maybe 2 traditions at the beginning? • -became later Eucharist and Agape?

7. Didache - ministry • Apostles (not just the 12) • Prophets • Teachers • Bishops and deacons • Very strong eschatological emphasis

8. The new communities http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/maps/christ.html

9. Monasticism • The Desert Fathers - Anthony 251-356 • Basil of Caesarea - 330-379 monastic community in Jerusalem • Rule of St Benedict Monte Cassino - 540 • Cluny - 910 Citeaux - 1098 Clairvaux - 1115

10. Constantine 313......380ad • The accepted religion • The trappings of state • Church now modelled on secular authority • ‘ordo’ – church now part of a socio-political world • Constantine’s search for unity – an imperial religion - theological impact

11. Separated non-Orthodox Oriental Churches - 5th century • Assyrian • Armenian • Coptic • Ethiopian • Syrian • Syrian church of India • Rejected teachings of Ephesus 431 or Chalcedon 451

12. Dark Ages • Carolingian renaissance: Alcuin of York – first Catechism • The period of the Holy Roman Empire in which the subsidence and reordering of culture and education, and the creation of hierarchical organisational patterns, dominate the Church.

15. The Great Schism – 11thC • Between Rome and Constantinople • Split existed at Chalcedon 451 • Continued in theology • Iconoclasm (8th C) caused a deeper rift • Western Church no longer spoke Greek • Eastern Church did not aid Pope in 753 • 858: row between Emperor, Pope and Patriarch • .....it all fell apart

16. 1054 ish • Politics + Religion = mess • Michael Cerularius (d 1058) Patriarch of Constantinople – rift with Papacy • Row over Latin v Greek in liturgy • AND FINALLY - • 1965 Pope John 23rd and Patriarch Athenagoras mutually lifted anathemas!

17. The Orthodox Churches • Russia • Greece • The Middle East • Central Europe • Eastern Europe • North America

18. The Reformation: 1519 – 1560s • Luther’s 99 propositions 1517 • Luther; Calvin; Zwingli; Knox • [Renaissance - Printing] • Counter Reformation: 1534-64 • The Council of Trent

19. Causes of the Reformation: non-religious • Renaissance • Dawn of nation state • Economic development / some prosperity • Focus on individual • Return to classical world • Decline of ‘Christendom’ • Printing in general • Rise of educated middle classes / occupational groups

20. Causes of the Reformation: religious • Dearth of clergy – plague • Non-residence of clergy • Clergy - comparative illiteracy • Indulgences misapplied • Fundraising for the Vatican • General ignorance of faith • Interpretation of Scripture - individual v ecclesial

21. The Council of Trent • Reactive/defensive and boundary marking • Priestly formation crucial - seminaries • Importance of sacraments and uniformity of presentation • Church hierarchy: laity subordinate • Transmission: the Catechism • Scripture and Tradition • Index of forbidden books

22. Trent – not representative • 40 bishops attended mostly Italian • Formation of Jesuits: the Society of Jesus • Retention of Latin for liturgy • Access to scripture restricted

23. Post Tridentine character • Inward looking and defensive • ‘the institutional’ church - Dulles • Juridical and triumphalist • Its own spirituality • Jesuits • Education of the laity • By religious orders • By role learning of the catechism

24. Europe in 1600s - Christianity • http://go.hrw.com/hrw.nd/gohrw_rls1/pKeywordResults?ST9%20Eur%20Religions%201600

25. The Catholic Church • Churches in communion with the Bishop of Rome with different liturgical rites – • Armenian; Byzantine; Coptic; Ethiopian; East Syrian (Chaldean); West Syrian; Maronite. • We are the Roman Catholic Church or the Latin rite within the worldwide communion of Catholic churches

26. Modernity - late 18th C – late 20th C • The ultramontane and Papal Infallibility (First Vatican Council: 1870s) • For all Christians throughout the 20th century a diminution of members (nuanced). • Struggle with advancing science and technology.

27. Modernity cont. • Struggle with democracy (and facism and communism) • Struggle with gender issues • Struggle with changes in social mores / wealth / education

28. ‘Modernism’ – looking backwards • A response to ‘modernity’ • A rejection of the new; of change; of uncertainty; of ideas; of thinking / scholarship • A clinging to uniformity; to tradition; to a non-academic character; • A denial?

29. Church and Culture: some issues • Slavery: accepted in the Early Church • Capital punishment accepted until 1990s • Male priesthood now questioned • Homosexuality queried • Contraception also • What can history teach us?

30. Spirituality • Is our present day Church ‘spirit-filled’?