Christianity

1. Christianity a history

3. Israel

7. What we know about the historical Jesus, for sure • Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. • Jesus was a Galilean who preached and healed. • Jesus called disciples and spoke of there being twelve. • Jesus confined his activity to Israel. • Jesus engaged in a controversy about/around the Temple. • Jesus was crucified—the punishment of a traitor—outside Jerusalem by the Roman authorities. His closest followers believed he was resurrected and came to them—and they make it adamantly clear this was not a ghost. How long he stayed or whom, if anyone, he actually saw is debatable. • After his death Jesus' followers continued as an identifiable movement. • At least some Jews persecuted at least parts of the new movement (Gal. I.13,22; Phil. 3.6), and it appears that this persecution endured at least to a time past the end of Paul's career (circa 67 CE) (II Cor. II.24; Gal. 5.11; 6.12; cf. Matt. 23.34; 10.17).

9. Josephus on JesusThe only “historical” “primary” source we have on Jesus • Josephus mentions Jesus three times, twice directly and once indirectly in his Antiquities of the Jews circa 94 CE • Between 4-24 years after the Gospel of Mark, and possibly John • Indirect: He mentions the work, imprisonment, and death of John the Baptist, who unquestionably ministered to and baptized Jesus • Direct: One time he talks about the stoning of James the Greater, calling him James, the brother of Jesus—this is what the gospels also called him • Direct: talking about his life and ministry: “About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who performed surprising deeds and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Christ. And when, upon the accusation of the principal men among us, Pilate had condemned him to a cross, those who had first come to love him did not cease. He appeared to them spending a third day restored to life, for the prophets of God had foretold these things and a thousand other marvels about him. And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared” —Book 18, chapter 3.

10. Known as the Hinton St. Mary mosaic, this was discovered in the 1960s and excavated. Based on the rest of the panel it is quite clear this is Jesus of Nazareth. Dated to roughly 4th century CE, this is considered one of the oldest surviving “portraits” of Jesus—the fact is was found in Great Britain, suggests Christianity was known outside of Rome by then.

11. If a portrait of Jesus, from his life/death actually exists, it exists on the Shroud of Turin. At an 1898 viewing an Italian man snapped a picture of the shroud only to find the negative showed the face better than the actual picture. Using that negative and facial reconstruction technology, criminologists have come up with the lower picture as a possible “portrait” of Jesus

12. Paul of Tarsus & the founding of Christianity • Second half of NT is about the teachings of the second founder of Christianity: Paul of Tarsus • He was a Pharisee named Saul who persecuted Christians until God/Jesus blinded him with light and called him to become a Christian while he was on his way to Damascus = renamed Paul • When this transformation happened it really bothered the original apostles—they thought Saul was still trying to get them. They basically refused to work with him and he became the minister to the Gentiles • Series of 13 letters at least 7 of which are authentic make up most of the rest of the NT • It’s clear those seven are from the same author, based on secondary and external evidence and primary source claims there is no reason to think it wasn’t Paul • Paul has 4 major missions in Eastern Mediterranean • During the course of these missions, Paul has to choose between attracting new followers and making all Christians stick to the laws of Judaism  almost always chooses the former. This annoys Peter and the others and they disagree and debate, but based on history, Paul won. • Some evidence Paul planned to change this later, but in the end tradition solidified itself with his original move • Has a strong eschatological basis, much like Jesus • Salvation becomes a group achievement and responsibility  influences how Europeans thought about salvation for years • Paul’s mission is the most instrumental in codifying how Christianity is practiced • Martyred (beheaded in Rome circa 67 CE) • Lots of this falls way more into the history category than much of the rest of the Old Testament—since Paul was a Roman citizen we have concrete records of his happenings.

13. Paul of Tarsus

16. Edict of Milan • Christianity makes its way into mainstream Rome via missions of Paul of Tarsus and famous apologists/martyrs • cf. Martyrdom of Polycarp from Socratic Seminar I readings • Famously persecuted for first 300 years • Scapegoated by the Romans in the same way Judaism would be for next 1,700 years by European Christians • Most famous is Nero for Fire of Rome (cf. Revelation) • Christian persecution comes a peaks under Diocletian in early 300s CE • Ironically his division of the empire into sections is where the Christian idea of diocese comes from • Successor Constantine allows for religious tolerance in Edict of Milan • Story: Constantine is fighting a battle and losing until he has a vision that if he fights under the sign of the cross, he’ll win. He does. Note similarities to Paul. • Constantine himself does not convert to Christianity until his death bed • Issues the Edict of Milan in 313 CE. This simply says, “don’t kill Christians”. This does NOT make the empire Christian and does not fully end persecution • (Constantine’s short-lived successor goes back to persecutions) • By late 300s Christianity is institutionalized in empire.

17. Codifying Christianity: 1st Council of NicaeaWorship and Sacraments (pp. 905-910) • After Constantine issues the Edict of Milan, Christians are able to come out in the open and officially codify their religion • Done at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 CE called by Constantine • At the time there are tons of different sects, with different ideas about both Jesus and his teachings and Paul and his teachings • Here key things like Jesus being divine, the trinity, transubstantiation, gospels in the Bible, the date of Easter, sacraments, separation from Jewish laws and calendar, the Pope, Filioque, the role of the clergy/intermediary, the Catholic Church (and all others being heretical), etc., are all official decided and codified • All this also leads to the method of celebrating Mass and the codification of rituals around the Church services and the Christian calendar • This includes the Eucharist and other sacraments and the movement of the Sabbath to Sunday, the day Christians are supposed to set aside for rest and celebration of their renewed covenant with God. • In the end, the council codifies most major beliefs associated with Christianity today and one’s role within the Christian community; as well as the official Christian Canon and the Seven Sacraments. • Explain your knowledge and understanding of each of the sacraments. • Compare and contrast the key beliefs in the Creeds of the first four Ecumenical Councils. • Outline a list of the requirement for being a Christian based on these councils; compare it with you understanding of the modern requirements.

18. Seven Catholic Sacraments(Protestants have four) • Baptism* • Eucharist* • Confirmation* • Anointing of the sick • Reconciliation • Marriage* • Holy orders *Sacrament also found in most Protestantism Initiation Healing Relation

20. How do we get there?Repentance (pp. 922-928) • One of the key—maybe the most key to it being spread—aspects of Christianity is that if you make a mistake and sincerely ask for forgiveness, the loving God will forgive you. • Christians believe this is why Jesus “died for us.” • Originally this had to be done via an intermediary  God didn’t have time to take everyone’s calls, so you went to church and/or a priest and they’d talk to God for you, but you could NOT talk to God yourself, ever. One of a few key Reformation sticking points. • Analyze Augustine’s thoughts on the relationship between God, man, and sin. Discuss how he believes Jesus saved mankind. • Examine and evaluate Augustine's ideas of flesh, body and mind and their relationship to Christianity. • Compare and contrast the Earthly City and the Heavenly City.

21. The Lord’s Prayer (Our Father) “Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For thine is the kingdom, the power, the glory for ever and ever. Amen.]”

22. Hail Mary “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”

23. Apostle’s Creed “I believe in God the Father Almighty maker of heaven and Earth. I believe in Jesus Christ his only son, our Lord, who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried. On the third day he rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Amen.”

24. Nicaean Creed I believe in one God,the Father almighty,maker of heaven and earth,of all things visible and invisible.I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,the Only Begotten Son of God,born of the Father before all ages.God from God, Light from Light,true God from true God,begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;through him all things were made.For us men and for our salvationhe came down from heaven,and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,and became man.For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,he suffered death and was buried,and rose again on the third dayin accordance with the Scriptures.He ascended into heavenand is seated at the right hand of the Father.He will come again in gloryto judge the living and the deadand his kingdom will have no end.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,who proceeds from the Father and the Son,who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,who has spoken through the prophets.I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sinsand I look forward to the resurrection of the deadand the life of the world to come. Amen.

25. Conversion of Europe • Roman Empire divided into half to make it manageable Western half capital in Rome, Eastern half in Constantinople • East is more desirable as far a natural resources go • Western Empire falls in 476 CE; East will last until 1453 CE under the name Byzantine Empire • End of Western Roman Empire only Italy and Eastern Mediterranean are Christian • Eastern Mediterranean is part of Eastern Roman Empire • Eastern Christianity and Western Christianity get into a fight over supremacy between the Pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople  leads to Great Schism • Western Christianity (Catholicism) takes stronger root in most of Europe • Slowly converts Europe to Christianity beginning with Clovis and the Franks in 496 CE and ending with Vytautas and Lithuanians in 1385/7 CE

27. The Great Schism • Most important member of the Patristic Era is Augustine of Hippo • Probably the most important early church father after Peter and Paul • Postulates ideas of Original Sin, Predestination, War and Religion, Salvation through Jesus, etc. • Augustine was North African, other father Origen & Polycarp were Egyptian and Turkish • Leads to two cities having competing claims as home of Christendom—Constantinople & Rome • With Rome splitting and a power vacuum occurring, leaders from the East and West bicker about five key things: • 1.) the most holy city (see above), 2.) the date of Easter, 3.) Rebaptism of apostates 4.) design of church buildings and idols of saints 5.) Filioque • What this is really about is who has the power in the church and how much of it (authority) do they have • When Rome split permanently and the Western Empire falls in 476 CE, two churches naturally begin to go separate ways • This leads to two cultures and traditions, both claiming to be right • Leader of the western church, the Pope and leader of the eastern church, Patriarch of Constantinople both claim supremacy from Peter and the authoritative word of God (and doctrine setter) • Try to resolve issues in 800s, no one will give up power • Both branches excommunicate each other in 1054 • By 1096, they're tacitly working together again against the common enemy: Islam and its spread by the sword

28. Key: straight line = Catholic; downward slant = Eastern Orthodox; upward slant = Muslim

29. life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth missions of Jesus’ disciples & Paul of Tarsus Council of Nicaea & teachings of Patristic Era Eastern Orthodox Church(es) Catholic Church

30. Catholic: (far left) Notre Dame de Paris, 1325 (left) Veneration of Virgin Mary in the Ibiza Cathedral, Spain, 1235 (below left to right) Santa Clara mission, California, 1777; Chapel of Our Lady of Piety, Church of St. Roch, Lisbon – behind the altar are reliquaries of Jesuit saints – 1619; alter of Cathedral of Almeria, Spain, 1562; Westminster Abbey, London, 1090

31. Eastern Orthodox: (left) Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tallinn, 1900 (below) Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, St. Petersburg, 1907

32. Pope Francis I & Patriarch Bartholomew I

33. life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth missions of Jesus’ disciples & Paul Council of Nicaea & teachings of Patristic Era Eastern Orthodox Church(es) Mormon CatholicChurch Book of Mormon Lutheran Anglican/Episcopalian Calvinism Methodist Protestant Presbyterian Jehovah’s Witness, Seven Day Adventists, etc. Baptist Puritan/Pilgrims, Quakers, Amish, Mennonites, etc.

34. Saint hagiography research Directions: You will choose one popular saint during the Middle Ages. Go online, look at a list of saints—maybe even pick a patron saint of your interest (i.e. Gregory the Great for teachers) and research their life and the hagiography surrounding it. Use multiple good sources to really get an idea of their life story, canonization, and veneration. Take some key notes about their relationship to Christianity. Share out your ideas with the group and together you will write a thesis about the necessary miracles, veneration, and importance of saints to Catholicism. This is a 5 pt., individual process grade for your research and a 5 pt. group participation grade for your thesis.

35. Saint hagiography social media project Directions: You will choose one popular saint during the Middle Ages. Go online, look at a list of saints—maybe even pick a patron saint of your interest (i.e. Gregory the Great for teachers) and research their life and the hagiography surrounding it. Use multiple good sources to really get an idea of their life story, canonization, and veneration. Then you will create some type of (fake) social media stream for them on a sheet on paper. Leave pictures, posts, comments in line with the personality of the saint, their life, and their relationship within medieval Christianity. This is a 10 pt., individual process grade.

36. The Crusades • Crusade literally means “holy war” • Muslims conquests of 700s-1100s lead their armies to the foot of the Byzantine Empire • In a last ditch plea for help the Byzantine Emperor Alexis I writes to the Pope and asks for help • Says despite our differences (Great Schism) our common enemy is really the Muslims • Pope agrees but spins it to rest of Europe as a need to reconquer Jerusalem • Invokes First Crusade in 1096 • Promises salvation to all those who die fighting • Leads to series of wars over 200 years in Holy Land • Christians win first Crusade but lose all the other • Muslims are the far superior army • Third crusade leads to epic battle between Saladin and Richard I of England—beginning of serious Anti-Muslim propaganda • Biggest outcome of the Crusades in Europe is education, trade, astronomy, arts, learning, etc. that crusaders bring back • Beginning of rift between Christians and Muslims (and kinda Jews) • Also leads to fights against heretics and pagans in Europe—Reconquista, Albigensian Crusade, Northern Crusade

38. The Rider on the White Horse. After Jerusalem fell in 1077 to Turkish forces, who then denied Christian pilgrims access to the city, Western popes launched a series of Crusades to recover what Christians considered their Holy Land where Jesus had walked. The Crusaders’ military expeditions were considered holy missions, carrying the cross and the Bible.

39. Catholic Church in the Middle Agesfrom Summa Theologica(pp. 1014-1019) • By High Middle Ages (c. 800-1200) Catholic Church is the dominant force in Europe • Controls of the most the area around Rome & central Italy directly; control rest of Europe indirectly and has tons of land • Has own state, own army, own justice system, own taxes, etc. • Winds up involving itself in affairs of nearly every European State • most is the Holy Roman Empire begun by Charlemagne; least is England • At constant conflict with kings and political authorities • Story of most of history of Middle Ages is church and state conflict • By the end becomes very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very corrupt • Most notable is Avignon Schism which leads to three Popes at once • Problems with usury, simony, nepotism, sale of indulgences, lack of celibacy, lack of poverty, false promises, obsession with money and worldly pleasures, etc. • Series of really unreligious, bad Popes culminating in Leo X leaves church in shambles (at least in the eyes of the people) • Also the source of all the high art and music as well as the keepers of education and literacy • Explain Aquinas’ understanding of faith and its various relationships. Explain his understanding of the relationships between God and man. • Compare and contrast the role of the philosopher vs theologian. • To what extent is Aquinas rooting many of his argument in Old Testament (Jewish) texts?

40. Lincoln Cathedral, Lincoln, UK. One of the best preserved examples of medieval cathedral architecture, 1311

43. Topics from Intro part II (pp. 750-761)for discussion • Compare and contrast the church in the Patristic period and the early Renaissance. • Examine the impact the Protestant Reformation had on Christianity (I know this is a prompt for a book, not an in class discussion, but humor me here a little ). • Outline your understanding of the principle of cujusregio, ejusreligio. Deduce its perceived impact on European Christianity. • To what extent did western philosophers & scientists from the Enlightenment on, change Christianity? • To what extent was Christianity responsible for the horrors of early 20th century Europe? • Outline and examine Christianity in the 2nd half of the 20th century.

44. Vatican City, “Rome,” 1626 St. Peter’s Basilica

45. The Reformation begins • Begins as people become more educated and start to read the Bible more rather than just hearing it in church • Some of this is actually the church’s fault (university system, rise of drama) • With printing press Bible begins to be translated into vernacular (capital crime in most places) • Many people try to point out wrongs of church (Hus, Wycliffe, etc.) but are shot down for various reasons • Until a disillusioned, obsessive monk, Martin Luther is appointed professor at Wittenberg University • Luther comes to agree that salvation does not have to go through the church • This coupled with 1517 indulgence where Pope promises to forgive sins in exchange for money sets him off (he gets a sign from God aka a BM) • Pens 95 Theses and nails them to the door of the church on the night of Oct 31, 1517 • Printers translate and reproduce them which gives Luther popularity with the people • Luther then pens Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation which argues for the new powers the princes will have if they break with Rome • Finds a protector in Frederick the Wise, Elector of Saxony • Fred convinces HRE Charles V to at least hear Luther out before killing him

46. Statue of Jan Hus, Old Town Square, Prague

47. Luther Frederick the Wise Charles V of the HRE

48. Division of Western Christendomfrom The Freedom of a Christian (pp. 1093-1097) • Luther goes and makes his famous stand at the Diet of Worms • shockingly he is not found guilty • Eventually realizing he will not reform the Catholic Church Luther pens the Augsburg Confession creating Lutheranism • Other reformers create divisions on other lines • Ulrich Zwingli & John Calvin in Switzerland break with Luther over the meaning of the word “is”; codify predestination and Original Sin • Try to turn Zurich into a Christianopolis (i.e. city on a hill, utopia) • Henry VIII of England breaks with Rome over the power of the Pope vs. the king (and the fact the Pope won’t give him a divorce so he can get together with Anne Boleyn) • This also allows Thomas Cranmer and Thomas Cromwell to make serious reforms giving the state power over the church • Massive wars break out in several countries—most notably France—to determine Catholic vs. Protestant • Catholic church responds to the Reformation at a series of meetings called the Council of Trent • Here they admit no wrong, reemphasize their beliefs, and call everyone else heretics • There are now several hundred different Christian denominations • Compare and contrast the shift Luther is arguing from the role of the Christian in the Middle Ages to the Reformation • Evaluate Luther’s new understanding of the Christian relationship with God • To what extent do these ideas shift the balance of power and resulting Christian experience within the church?

49. life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth missions of Jesus’ disciples & Paul Council of Nicaea & teachings of Patristic Era Eastern Orthodox Church(es) Mormon CatholicChurch Book of Mormon Lutheran Anglican/Episcopalian Calvinism Methodist Protestant Presbyterian Jehovah’s Witness, Seven Day Adventists, etc. Baptist Puritan/Pilgrims, Quakers, Amish, Mennonites, etc.

50. Mainline Protestant: (far left top) small Icelandic church; (far left bottom) Hallgrímskirkja Lutheran church in Reykjavik, 1945; (left) interior of Church of St. Anne, Vilnius, 1500 – originally Catholic, now Presbyterian; (below center); exterior of St. Anne’s; (below far left) interior of Canterbury Cathedral, seat of Anglican Church, 1070 (below) United Methodist Chapel, Lake Junaluska, NC, early 20th century