1 / 27

Constantine and the rise of Christianity

Constantine and the rise of Christianity. Week Six. p ara = alongside. parallel. paralegal. parenthesis. j ect /jet = throw. projectile. eject. jettison. Constantine and the rise of Christianity. Week Six. I. A bride’s t rousseau.

talor
Download Presentation

Constantine and the rise of Christianity

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Constantine and the rise of Christianity Week Six

  2. para = alongside parallel paralegal parenthesis

  3. ject/jet = throw projectile eject jettison

  4. Constantine and the rise of Christianity Week Six

  5. I. A bride’s trousseau The trousseau from the marriage of Secundus and Projecta combines pagan and Christian symbolism.

  6. I. A bride’s trousseau • Constantine integrated Christianity with a pagan empire

  7. Jerusalem Temple

  8. II. The Jesus Movement A. Judaism • Toleration by Romans: No accommodation toward polytheistic cults, but Romans tried not to antagonize them • Pharisees: Stringent Jewish sect that resisted Roman culture, but did not advocate revolt • Zealots: Armed rebellion; Rome responds with severe repression

  9. Masada

  10. II. The Jesus Movement B. Jewish Origins of Christianity 1. Jesus of Nazareth • Message: a kingdom of peace and love • Crucifixion: Jesus, savior of the world, dies a scandalous death • New theology • New practices: ritual meals, feet-washing, baptism

  11. II. The Jesus Movement 2. Spreading the Faith • Paul of Tarsus: planted churches in Asia Minor, Greece, and Italy • Persecution • Attractive Christianity

  12. Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity • Question: How did a tiny and obscure messianic movement dislodge classical paganism and become the dominant faith of Western civilization? • Thesis: The central doctrines of Christianity prompted and sustained attractive, liberating, and effective social relations and organizations.

  13. Questions for discussion, part I • Chapter One • Describe the network theory of conversion. • Chapters Four and Seven • What made Christian faith so attractive? Push and pull.

  14. biblio/libri = book bibliography Bible library

  15. corp/carn = body corpse corporal corpulent

  16. Questions for discussion, part II • Chapter Five: Stark argues that Christianity was especially attractive to women. How so? • Chapter Eight: Stark argues that martyrs were not clinically crazy or masochistic. Why not? • Chapter Ten: In the end, what is the revolutionary message of the early Christians to the Roman world?

  17. III. Constantine—Christianity with an Advantage A. Empire on the Defensive • Over-extension of imperial boundaries • Archaic economic system • Barbarian menace The Empire under Diocletian

  18. B. Triumph of Christianity • Rise of Constantine • Conversion of Constantine • Official religion of Rome • Suppression of pagan cults • Growth of Christianity

  19. Constantine I

  20. Constantine II

  21. IV. Imperialism—Christianity of Violence A. Theological debates 1. Nature of Christ • Monarchians • Gnostics • Arians • Origen and the Council of Nicea 2. Nature of Salvation • Donatists • Pelagians • Augustine of Hippo

  22. IV. Imperialism—Christianity of Violence B. Coercion • Emperor Theodosius • Case of Gaza • The Big Question

  23. The Spread of Christianity

  24. Critiques of the Constantinian Shift • Tertullian: “It is no part of religion to compel religion” • Lactantius: “There is no occasion for violence and injury, for religion cannot be compelled by force . . . We teach, we prove, we show.” • Augustine: “Christ-followers” had turned into “depraved persons who in mobs fill the churches in a bodily sense only.” • Jesus: In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus lauds those who are gentle, poor in spirit, peacemakers, and persecuted.

  25. Epilogue #1 • Stanley Hauerwas, Shane Claiborne, Greg Boyd, and American civil religion

  26. Boyd on Constantine

  27. Epilogue #2 • The Trousseau

More Related