Why did Constantine move the capital from Rome to Constantinople in 324?
• large Roman population in the Eastern Mediterranean w/Persia as its most dangerous enemy
• troops could be moved more quickly from there to Syria rather than from Milan
• frequent problems in the eastern provinces which required a response
What did Arius believe?
• Jesus was a secondary divinity, not of the same nature or essence as the Father; merely similar to God
• J did not exist before time, God the Father was the ruler and J subordinate
Reign of ‘Julian the Apostate’
AD 360-3
• tried to reinstate Greco-Roman paganism
• Gregory of Nyssa
• Basil the Great
• Gregory the Wonderworker
• Macrina the Younger
• Gregory of Nazianzen ‘The Theologian’
Which one is not a sibling?
Which one was a student of Origen?
Gregory the Wonderworker
(c. 210-260) was a student of Origen
Gregory the Theologian (d. 390) was a friend of Basil (d. 379) and Gregory of Nyssa
(c. 331-95)
• pioneers in early monasticism in Asia Minor, studied Origen and wrote against neo-Arianism
What was the Roman policy of tolerance towards Christians, drafted by Constantine and Licinius called, and what year?
Edict of Milan, AD 313
Strong, influential and aristocratic bishop of Milan who influenced emperor Gratian to adopt a pro-Nicene position by the end of 378 AD
Ambrose, baptized and consecrated bishop on December 8, 374 AD
• very successful in spreading Nicene Christianity in Milan
• supported by Augustine of Hippo as well as the strong, elite, pro-Nicene Christian community of Milan; it included a number of people deeply imbedded in the imperial bureaucracy and court (Cambridge, ch. 8)
Emperor, his mother, and year of the incident at the Episcopal Basilica of Milan; and reason for the showdown
Valentinian II, his mother Justina (anti-Nicene), during the Holy Week of 386 AD, for the celebration of Easter by the anti-Nicenes
• reason: in defense of Nicene orthodoxy and episcopal authority…Ambrose
Year of Ambrose of Milan’s death
397 AD
Constantine’s reign
AD 306-37
Year of Constantine’s victory at the battle of the Milvian Bridge? Who did he defeat?
AD 312
• defeated Maxentius (son of Maximian, former emperor of the West)
What is Invictus in English?
“Unconquered”
What happened to Maxentius and his army?
They were driven into the river Tiber and drowned with their horses and armor. Eusebius compares it with the chariots of Pharaoh, in his Ecclesiastical History.
In what year did Constantine become sole emperor?
AD 324
instinctu divinitatis
‘by divine inspiration’
Written on the Arch of Constantine of 315 in Rome, erected in memory of his victory over Maxentius in Rome in 312
What ethnicity and religion were the Vandals and when did they invade Carthage?
Germanic Arians, in 439 AD
Manichaeism
Gnostic-type religion founded by Mani (d. 276) in Persia in 3rd century
• made extensive use of the Gospels and Paul’s letters due to his Judaeo-Christian upbringing
• taught a dualism of good (spirit) and evil (body), and an elaborate cosmogonic myth
• polytheistic but saw themselves as Christians
• Jesus not divine, and did not die on the cross, only feigned death
• combatted extensively by Augustine of Hippo
The only Pope to combat Manichaeism
Leo the Great (440-61)
The first list containing the 27 books of the NT
Athanasius of Alexandria in his Paschal letter of 367 AD
Jerome of Stridon
AD 347-419
• studied Cicero (rhetoric) in his secular education
• created the latin Vulgate in 405 AD, OT translated directly from the Hebrew texts along with his earlier revision of the Gospels
Ambrose of Milan
c. 339-97 AD
• bishop c. 374-97
Augustine of Hippo
AD 364-430
• taught rhetoric in Rome from 383; later took a professorship of rhetoric in Milan and met Bishop Ambrose, under whom he was baptized in 386; ordained priest in 391 and became bishop of Hippo in 396
How does rhetoric provide EV against Bauer’s thesis?
• even the Gnostics characterize themselves as being in the minority;
• the bulk of Celsus’ attacks on C are directed at orthodox C. He distinguishes orthodox C from heretical C and describes the split as a later development. To Celsus, orthodoxy was the majority
Who was Marshall Applewhite?
Leader of the UFO religious group ‘Heaven’s Gate’; they believed they would be transported to an alien space ship, upon death, that was following the Hale-Bopp comet in 1997. 39 of them committed mass suicide in 1997; they claimed to be following J and fulfilling the prophecies of Revelation
Gregory of Nazianzus
AD330-90
• studied rhetoric and philosophy in Athens, with Julian and Basil
John Chrysostom
c. 349-407 AD
• bishop of Constantinople 398-404 (pro-Nicene)
Theodoret of Cyrrhus
c. 383-460 AD, ‘the last apologist’
• educated at a monastic school in Antioch under John Chrysostom and Theodore of Mopsuestia
• bishop of Cyrrhus, Syria
When and where was the ‘Robber’ Synod?
Ephesus, 449 AD
What is the Tanakh?
The Hebrew Bible
What is the Torah?
the legal portion of the Hebrew Bible
What three main issues were addressed at the first Council of Nicaea (325 AD)?
1) the date of Easter
2) dispute of Arianism
3) episcopal succession: Meletius of Lycopolis vs. Alexander of Alexandria for the bishopric of Alexandria
What does ‘homoousios’ mean?
same ‘being’, ‘substance’, ‘entity’ or ‘essence’
• When applied to the Father and the Son, it means they are one.
What does ‘hypostasis’ mean?
‘being’
• When applied to the Trinity, the three hypostases are self-identical beings who coexist as a triad but without compromising the unity of God. This was the belief throughout Egypt and the eastern empire prior to Nicaea (Cambridge 1, p. 554)
When did Emperor Valerian rule?
A. D. 253-60
The word for those who underwent imprisonment and torture for Christ
confessore
Persecution of Emperor Septimus Severus
reign 193-211 AD
• AD 202-6 Severus made it illegal to convert to Christianity or Judaism; Origin’s father, Leonides, was martyred in Alexandria
• also, the converts Perpetua (female) and Felicitas and their companions were executed in Carthage in 203 AD; Perpetua was screaming about eternal punishment of the procurator while she was paraded around the amphitheater
When did Christianity begin to take hold in the upper classes of Rome?
in the first half of the third century
The earliest identifiable Christian meeting house known to historians
Dura Europos in eastern Syria
• dates to early-mid third century
• contained a baptismal basin too shallow for immersion
How did the Decian persecution differ from the persecution under Valerian?
• Decius required the empire to perform sacrifices to appease the gods in the midst of imperial turmoil; Christians were not specifically targeted and Decius made no attempt to confiscate church property.
• Valerian specifically targeted the church and confiscated its property because he believed Christians were a threat to the stability of the empire in the face of Persian invaders; he tried to destroy it socially and financially
Which Roman emperor quickly ended the persecution of Decius and Valerian?
Gallienus (AD 260-8), son of Valerian
• Valerian died in battle with the Persians in 260
Date of the Great Persecution and the emperors
February 23, 303 AD
• decree by Diocletian to forfeit Scriptures, destroy churches, lose social status, and imprisonment of clergy
• spring of 304 AD, fourth edict, by Galerius: general sacrifice,
Word for those who had surrendered Scriptures under Diocletian’s persecution
traditor
Schaff’s Eighth Period of church history
The age of polemic orthodoxy and exclusive confessionalism, with reactionary and progressive movements.
—From the Treaty of Westphalia to the French Revolution.
AD 1648-1790—
Schaff’s Fifth period of church history
The Church under the papal hierarchy, and the scholastic theology.
—From Gregory VII to Boniface VIII.
AD 1049-1294—
Schaff’s First Period of Church history
The life of Christ, and the Apostolic church
—From the Incarnation to the death of John.
AD 1-100—
Schaff’s Sixth Period of Church history
The decay of medieval Catholicism, and the preparatory movements for the Reformation.
—From Boniface VIII to Luther.
AD 1294-1517—
Schaff’s Ninth Period of Church history
The spread of infidelity, and the revival of Christianity in Europe and America, with missionary efforts encircling the globe.
—From the French Revolution to 1880.
AD 1790-1880—
Schaff’s Seventh Period of Church history
The evangelical Reformation, and the Roman Catholic Reaction.
—From Luther to the Treaty of Westphalia.
AD 1517-1648—
Schaff’s Second Period of Church history
Christianity under persecution in the Roman Empire.
—From the death of John to Constantine, the first Christian Emperor. AD 100-311—
Schaff’s Fourth Period of church history
Christianity planted among the Teutonic, Celtic, and Slavonic nations.
—From Gregory I to Hildebrand, or Gregory VII. AD 590-1049—
Schaff’s Third Period of church history
Christianity in union with the Greco-Roman empire, and amidst the storms of the great migration of nations.
—From Constantine to Pope Gregory I. AD 311-590—
Who was Philo?
c. BC 20-AD 40
• Egyptian Alexandrian (Greek Jew) who tried to harmonize the religion of Moses with Plato, using the OT; he devised a doctrine of the Logos very similar to the Apostle John’s doctrine.
• never came in contact with Jesus or the apostles
Who was Caesar Augustus?
BC 63-14 AD, also called Octavian
• first Roman Emperor, following the republic
• Christ was born during his reign
Who invented the “Christian Era” of history?
Roman abbot Dionysius Exiguus, in the sixth century; came into general use during Charlemagne
• Nativity December 25, 754 Anno Urbis (founding of the city of Rome)
• nearly all chronologers agree that this is wrong by 4 years
Schaff’s answer to the Swoon Theory of the crucifixion
“A brief sickly existence of Jesus in need of medical care, and terminating in his natural death and final burial, without even the glory of martyrdom…would have only deepened their gloom and driven them to utter despair.”
Who was the first to propose the Hallucination hypothesis of the crucifixion?
Celsus
(Schaff, History, 179)
Schaff’s response to the Hallucination hypothesis of the crucifixion
1) If he did not rise, then his body must either have been removed or remained in the tomb;
2) why did the visions of the disciples suddenly stop after forty days, with the exception of Paul who said it was “the last” appearance? Stephen saw Christ in heaven, not on earth;
3) we are expected to believe that all the people in the Gospels had the same vision at different times and places
Reign of Nero
AD 54-68
Who was Seneca?
c. 4 BC-65AD
• stoic philosopher and Roman statesman
• tutor of Nero
• did not know Apostle Paul
Who gives us the account of the Neronian persecution in AD 64?
Tacitus
Who was Paul’s teacher?
Gamaliel, Jewish rabbi
Who conquered Jerusalem and what year?
Pompey, BC 63
Who was Hillel and when did he die?
died c. 10 AD
• grandfather of Gamaliel
• a Pharisee
What is the Talmud and it’s two parts?
the accumulated oral traditions and Jewish law of the Pharisees; central text of Rabbinic Judaism
• composed of the Mishna and the Gemara
What year did the Punic wars end?
How many were there?
Name of the general against Rome?
Name of the empire?
• B. C. 146
• three
• Hannibal
• Carthage
Bar-Cochba revolt
A. D. 132-135
• Bar-Cochba was a false Messiah based on Numbers 24:17 (star of Jacob)
• Christians murdered who would not follow; half-million Jews killed; Jerusalem and Palestine laid waste
Emperor Claudius
A. D. 42-54
• with his edict in 53, banished Jews from Rome
Tiberius Caesar
A. D. 14-37
• Emperor during the life of Christ
Five emperors in rapid succession between Nero and Domitian
Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian and Titus
• no persecution under these emperors
Emperor between Domitian and Trajan
Nerva, A. D. 96-98
• did not persecute Christians; recalled the banished Christians
Who were Blandina and Ponticus?
victims of the Gallic persecution
• Blandina was a slave girl, tortured and thrown to beasts
• Ponticus a 15 year old boy, martyred for Christ
Who was Potamiaena?
beautiful virgin tortured and then boiled in pitch with her mother under Septimus Severus
Who were the six emperors between Septimus Severus and Decius who mostly left the Church undisturbed?
Caracalla, Heliogabalus,
Alexander Severus,
Maximinus the Thracian, Gordianus, Philip the Arabian
Emperor between Decius and Valerian
Gallus (A. D. 251-53), continued the Decian persecutions
Why did Cyprian flee the first persecution?
“Our Lord commanded us in times of persecution to fly…For since the martyr’s crown comes by the grace of God, and cannot be gained before the appointed hour, he who retires for a time and remains true to Christ does not deny his faith but only abides his time.” (Schaff, Vol. 2, 61)
Reign of Diocletian
A. D. 284-305
the four emperors of the tetrarchy
Diocletian, Galerius, Constantius Chlorus, Maximian
What was Neo-Platonism?
Syncretistic philosophy-religion which harmonized Platonic and Aristotelian philosophy with Oriental religion;
• mystical;
• pantheistic eclecticism
• supplanted the popular religion among the educated classes until the end of the fifth century when it died out
proper founder of Neo-Platonism and his pupils
founder Ammonius Saccas of Alexandria, d. 243 A. D.
• his pupil Plotinus, an Egyptian (204-269)
• Porphyry of Tyre, pupil of Plotinus, d. 304
• Jamblichus of Chalcis, Syria, d. 333
• Proclus of Constantinople, d. 485
When did Arias live?
A. D. 256-336
Chief genius of the Elvira Synod (306) and chief representative of the West at Nicea (325)
Hosius, bishop of Cordova, Spain
• d. 358
• strong defender of Nicene faith
Who called the first Council of Arles?
Constantine in A. D. 314 as an appeal of the Donatists
• Donatus was excommunicated
• clergy traditores during Diocletian were deposed
• precursor to Nicea
Council of Ancyra (capital of Galatia, Asia Minor)
A. D. 314
• priests who had sacrificed but repented were prohibited from preaching and all sacerdotal functions, but retained their clerical position
Novatus of Carthage
Led a schism in the church of Carthage against Cyprian in
A. D. 250 due to Cyprian’s hasty election as bishop by the voice of the congregation in 248, after his baptism
• Novatus ordained Felicissimus illegally to the position of presbyter and later their own bishop
• opposed Cyprian in his severity against the lapsi
• the schism strengthened Cyprian’s authority and led him in his doc. of church unity to absolute exclusiveness
Novatian of Rome
Roman presbyter who opposed Cornelius who was elected bishop of Rome in A. D. 251, due to his leniency toward the lapsi
• Cornelius excommunicated him after Novatian was elected bishop by his party against his will (schism)
• Novatian was even more severe than Cyprian toward the lapsi, similar to the Donatists
What kind of man was Novatus?
According to Schaff, “an unprincipled ecclesiastical demagogue, of restless, insubordinate spirit and notorious character” (History, vol. 2, 194)
What kind of man was Novatian?
“an earnest, learned, but gloomy man, who had come to faith through severe demoniacal disease and inward struggles”
Who ushered in the era of church architecture, and what was the first style?
Constantine; the basilica was the first style (Schaff, vol. 2, 200)
Epictetus
Stoic slave, born early first century (unknown death) in Hierapolis, Phrygia
• “No one is a slave who’s will is free”
Musonius Rufus
Distinguished teacher of the Stoic philosophy under Nero and Vespasian
• Epictetus heard his lectures
Stoic theory of the end of the world
All individual souls would be resolved into the primary substance of the Divine Being
To what did Marcus Aurelius attribute the Christians’ readiness for martyrdom?
“sheer obstinacy” and a desire for “theatrical display”
(Meditations, XI. 3)
Plutarch
A. D. 50-125
• platonist, believed in a dualism of God and matter; opposed to Stoic pantheism and Epicurean naturalism
• wrote “Parallel Lives” and “Morals”
The martyrdom of Joseph Smith
June 27, 1844; killed by the mob at Carthage, Illinois
When was the battle of Actium?
B. C. 31
• Mark Antony vs. Octavian
When was Gaius Julius Caesar assassinated?
B. C. 44, by senators fearing he was trying to become a new Roman king
Date of the first Illyrian War
B. C. 229, Romans successively conquered the eastern part of the Mediterranean world
What were the Patripassians (as called by Tertullian)?
Unitarians (Monarchians or Antitrinitarians), attributed the divinity of Christ to God the Father, in essence denying the Trinity
• disappeared after the death of Pope
Callistus I (Pope A. D. 218-224)
Pontifex Maximus
chief high-priest of the heathen hierarchy in Ancient Rome
• Constantine retained the title
• Gratian (A. D. 375) was the first to renounce it
Theodosius the Great
A. D. 392-95
• pro-Nicene orthodoxy
• rigid laws against all heretics and schismatics
• continued Gratian’s policy of confiscation of temples
• entirely withdrew public funds for idolatry
Rights and Privileges of the Church under Constantine—Secular Advantages
1) clergy exempt from most public burdens (military duty, low manual labor, taxes for church real estate)
2) monetary enrichment and endowment (legacies, real estate, confiscated temples)
3) monetary support of clergy from church and imperial funds
4) legal validity of episcopal jurisdiction (submission to bishops in legal suits)
5) right of episcopal intercession (for criminals)
6) right of asylum in churches
7) civil sanction of the observance of Sunday and other church festivals
The Justinian Code
Revised collection of Roman law compiled between A. D. 527-34
• became the universal law of the Roman Empire and the basis of law in the greater part of Christian Europe to this day
What period did English and American ‘Common Law’ come from?
Anglo-Saxon times
Child exposure by the father continued long after Constantine
In 529 Justinian gave all exposed children their freedom without exception; however the practice was not eradicated with him.
Slavery in the Justinian Code
Slavery in the Justinian Code is recognized as completely legitimate; in the same period, slaveholders were found among the bishops and higher clergy in the empire and the papal household in Rome
Pre-Nicene and post-Nicene punishment of heresy and schism by the Church
Pre-Nicene: excommunication from the rights of the Church
Post-Nicene: treated as crimes against the Christian state—deposition, banishment, confiscation, and after Theodosius, death
Why were there no bloody persecutions of idolatry under Christian emperors?
Neo-Platonism gradually died out by the end of the sixth century; also, it had no moral energy for martyrdom
Reign and religious views of Constantius
• reigned A. D. 353-361
• a fanatical Arian, persecuted idolatry and Nicene orthodoxy
Julian’s policy toward the exercise of religion
Although a heathen, he proclaimed religious liberty
• after his death, Arianism prevailed in the East
The first emperor to be baptized in the Nicene faith
Theodosius
• proclaimed exclusive authority of Nicene creed and made pagan idolatry a capital offense
When and where did Christian monasticism originate?
Early fourth century, Egypt
Who was the first known Christian hermit (as opposed to the earlier ascetics)?
Paul of Thebes
c. A. D. 250-340
• from Egypt
• knew St. Anthony
Who was the proper founder of the hermit life?
St. Anthony of Egypt
c. 251-356
• biographer and friend, Athanasius of Alexandria
Who was St. Symeon the Stylite?
An anchoret who lived on a high pillar for thirty-six years until his death in 459
• He could never lie or sit but only stand on the pillar, or lean on a post or bannister; his food was carried up to him by his disciples
In what year was Athanasius nominated to the episcopal succession of Alexandria?
A. D. 328 by the dying bishop Alexander and the voice of the people
What was the life-work of Athanasius?
To vindicate the deity of Christ, especially as related to the Trinity, against the Arians
True or false, Athanasius was the one who transported monasticism to the west?
True
Who was scourged by Christ in a dream and renounced the pagan classics?
Jerome of Stridon
From what region was St. Jerome?
Dalmatia, not far from Aquileia
Who was Benedict of Nursia?
c. 480-543
• Father of the Benedictine order of monks
• established the famous cloister of Monte Cassino in Italy c. 529, the patriarch of the Western monks
When did the catechetical school of Alexandria die out?
The end of the fourth century
• The blind Didymus (340-395) was the last administrator
Explain how “the clerical office was the great repository of intellectual and moral force for the world” after Constantine.
It was materially facilitated by the union of church and state:
• came into possession of imperial funds, schools, classic literature;
• It had the responsibility of educating the rising generation
Hindrances to a regular and general system of clerical education in the post-Constantine era
• steady decay of classical literature
• gradual decline of philosophical and artistic production
• monastic prejudice against secular learning and culture
• lack of ministers in a fast expanded field of the church
• uneasy state of the empire and barbarian invasions
Opportunities for literary and theological preparation for the clerical office in the Nicene era
1) four to five theological schools in the East (such as in Alexandria)
2) monasteries (from which many bishops and priests came)
3) small diocesan seminaries in the West (bishops would train their own clergy)
4) heathen schools (such as in Athens and Rome)
Where is Illyria?
Modern day Sophia, Bulgaria
Advantages of the Roman patriarch
• it’s authority rested on the tradition of of an unbroken succession leading back to Peter (divine origin)
• far longer and grander imperial tradition (Roman Empire)
• it’s remote location from the imperial court of Constantinople favored the development of hierarchy
• staunchly orthodox throughout the trinitarian and christological controversies; Roman bishops were consulted on almost all important questions of doctrine and discipline, and gave protection through the period of barbarian invasions
Circumstances favoring Pope
Leo I in making the papacy:
• the East mired in dogmatic controversies;
• Africa invaded by barbarians;
• the West weak with a weak emperor;
• no powerful and pure bishops such as Athanasius, Augustine or Jerome;
• overthrow of the West at hand;
• the dawning of a new age in which the papacy would provide schooling
• the last and most numerous general council convened, and the settling of the question of Christ’s natures
Who brought Illyria under Roman papal authority?
Pope Damasus
(r. 367-384)
When did Attila the Hun destroy Aquileia?
A. D. 452
Who saved Rome from Attila the Hun?
Pope Leo I, he entered the enemy camp to bring gifts and pleaded for mercy
When did the Vandals pillage Rome?
A. D. 455, Pope Leo I secured a promise from King Genseric that he would not murder and burn the city, only pillage
The last Roman emperor and the pope during the fall of Rome in 476 A. D.
Romulus Augustulus;
and Pope Simplicius (468-483)
What were the forerunners of representative government and parliamentary legislation?
The church councils
Who called the Council of Constantinople in
A. D. 381?
Theodosius I; did not attend
• enlarged the Nicene Creed by an article on the divinity of the Holy Spirit
Who called the Council of Ephesus in A. D. 431?
Theodosius II
• condemned Nestorius regarding the two natures of Christ
Who called the Council of Chalcedon in A. D. 451?
Emperor Marcian
• fixed the doctrine of Christ’s nature
• 28th canon resisted by Leo I
Why is the Third Council of Constantinople A. D. 680 significant in disproving papal infallibility?
Pope Honorius (638) was condemned as a heretic (monothelitism) by the ecumenical council
Ambrose and Theodosius I in Milan, c. 390 A. D.
Ambrose refused Theodosius the communion because in a rage he caused 7K people in Thessalonica to be indiscriminately hewn down by his soldiers due to a riot
What event put an end to the Donatist controversy?
Arian Vandal conquest of Africa in A. D. 430
How many western (Latin) delegates were at the first Council of Nicaea?
7; Hosius the most important
What happened to Arius and two other bishops from Egypt at the Council of Nicaea?
They were banished to Illyria, and Arius’ books were burned.
Appolinaris
A. D. 362-381
• bishop of Laodicea in Syria
• semi-docetic view of Christ’s humanity
• highly esteemed by Athanasius for piety, classical culture and scholarly vindication of Christianity against Porphyry and Julian
Who were the chief players at the Council of Ephesus in
A. D. 431?
• Theodosius II (represented by the captain of his body-guard, Candidian)
• Nestorius, bishop of Constantinople
• Cyril, bishop of Alexandria
Who was the teacher of Nestorius?
Theodore of Mopsuestia, father of that error
Who were the main players in the ‘Robber Synod’ in Ephesus?
A. D. 449
• Dioscurus, bishop of Alexandria (after Cyril died in 444)
• Eutyches, head of a cloister in Constantinople
• Flavian, bishop of Constantinople
• Pope Leo I (represented by delegates)
• Eusebius, bishop of Dorylaeum in Phrygia
Reign of Theodosius II
A. D. 408-450, eastern emperor
What was the Epistola Dogmatica?
A letter written by Pope Leo I to Flavian of Constantinople regarding the two natures of Christ; it confirmed, in a masterly analysis, the orthodox decision of the local synod convened 448 by Flavian just before the Robber Synod. It was essentially a response to the Eutychian heresy regarding Christ’s human and divine natures.
Reign of Justinian I
A. D. 527-565
What does the name Morgan mean?
From Greek, meaning ‘Of the sea’
Who was the “father of orthodoxy”?
Athanasius the Great
How many times was Athanasius deposed and banished by the Arians?
Five times, once by emperor Julian and once by Valens (an Arian); recalled by Jovian in between the two emperors
What hospital did Basil establish in the vicinity of Caesarea?
Basilias, a hospital for lepers who were often entirely abandoned in those regions
• Basil was poor and also always sickly
Several church divines who were ordained presbyter or bishop against their wills in the fourth century
The three Cappadocians, Augustine, Athanasius, and Ambrose
What was the name of the church to which Gregory of Nazianzen was summoned by the orthodox church in Constantinople in 379, to be the pastor?
‘Anastasia’; he brought the small church back to Nicene orthodoxy from Arianism.
Although the blind Didymus was firmly orthodox regarding the Trinity and a firm opponent of Arianism, why was he condemned by several general councils?
As a follower of Origen, he believed in the pre-existence of souls and the final restoration of all things.
Who was the only Christian convert from Judaism among the ancient fathers other than Paul?
Epiphanius (d. 403)
Epiphanius became bishop of which city in 367?
Salamis, capital of the island of Cyprus; zealously opposed heresy
Who has been called the “Athanasius of the West” and why?
Hilary bishop of Poitiers (Southwestern Gaul) due to his firm defense of Christianity against the Arians
Year of Hilary of Poitiers’ death
A. D. 368
Which emperor banished Hilary of Poitiers?
Constantius (r. 350-61)
What were several examples where Ambrose asserted the absolute independence of the church from the state?
• never meddled in secular matters nor asked favors of the state
• Easter Holy Week confrontation
• denied Maximus fellowship in the church for the murder of Gratian unless he did penance
• refused communion to Theodosius for the murders in Thessalonica unless he repented
During which emperor was paganism first officially designated a peasant-religion, like Christianity two hundred years before?
Valentinian I (d. 375); the religion had died out in the cities and existed only in rural villages
What was the Latin Vulgate?
Jerome’s translation of the entire Bible, both Old and New Testament, and his most important service to the church; it was used in Western Europe for ten centuries as the purest text of the Bible than what was used in the Byzantine church.
What was the name of Augustine’s mother?
Monica, a pious Christian woman who was very influential in his finding faith; his father was a heathen
Several significant developments that preceded and helped form the basis for Walter Bauer’s theory:
• the Enlightenment weakened the supernatural origins of the C story
• Aldolf von Harnack wrote a pioneering study on heresy and Gnosticism
• F. C. Baur of the Tubingen School postulated a doctrinal conflict between Paul and Peter that eventually transformed into orthodoxy
Where was Edessa?
A city just north of modern Turkey and Syria
Four shortcomings expressed in the early reviews of Bauer’s thesis after 1934:
1) his conclusions were highly conjectural due to the limited evidence
2) neglected the NT evidence and substituted second century evidence to represent “earliest” Christianity
3) he grossly oversimplified the first century picture of orthodoxy and heresy
4) he neglected existing theological standards in the early church
Henry E. W. Turner’s argument against Bauer:
“fixed elements”:
1) certain “religious facts”
2) centrality of biblical revelation
3) early creed and a rule of faith
How did I. Howard Marshall (University of Aberdeen, Scotland) critique Bauer?
He used the NT itself to show that orthodoxy existed early
(1976 article).
How did James McCue refute Bauer?
He refuted the relation of orthodoxy and heresy among the Valentinians, not Bauer’s whole thesis (1979 article)
How did Thomas Robinson refute Bauer?
He took the Bauer thesis head on in a study using the same methods Bauer used (1989)
How did Arland J. Hultgren refute Bauer?
Like Jerry Flora, he traced orthodoxy historically from the first century to later centuries and found clear consistency (1994)
How did Andreas Kostenberger refute Bauer?
Using the NT he demonstrated that there was a transition from unity to diversity rather than from diversity to unity, as Bauer argued (2002 essay).
All the scholars who found, in their research against Bauer, diversity in early Christianity but found that it was not mutually contradictory:
H. E. W. Turner, Brice Marten, Arland J. Hultgren, Andreas Kostenberger
What is Oxyrhynchus?
A city in Egypt that has provided scholars with over forty percent of existing NT papyri, more than any other single location; the papyri from Oxyrhynchus cover at least 15 books of the NT and many of them date from the second and third centuries. This percentage could be higher since many extant papyri are of unknown origin (Kostenberger, 47)
Although Ehrman admits the shortcomings of the Bauer thesis, what standard does he implicitly use to prove the general reliability of the thesis?
Mere diversity is all that is required; if anyone sincerely believes in his anti-orthodox views, that is enough to doubt the reliability of early orthodoxy (Ehrman, Lost Christianities, quoted in Kostenberger, 162-163)
True or false: the Epistle of Barnabas was written by an unknown author from the second century?
True (Kostenberger, 163)
What is significant about the perception of early Christians and modern scholars regarding the canon?
They are in agreement as to which books were from the apostolic period and which were of a later date. The books in the current canon are the ones scholars agree were from the apostolic period, and the ones that were rejected by early Christians are the ones scholars agree were from a later period.
How many manuscripts does Tacitus have to back up all his writings?
3, and not all are complete; there are numerous later Italian manuscripts of Books 11-16, but these are based on one of the original three, a medieval manuscript.
Who wrote Jewish War and how many manuscripts back it up?
Josephus, first century Jewish historian; over 50 manuscripts, but the text is mainly dependent on about ten of them (Kostenberger, 207)
Who wrote The Institutes and how many manuscripts back it up?
Gaius, second century Roman jurist known for his accounts of Roman law under Marcus Aurelius; 3 manuscripts back it up
Who conquered Rome in
A. D. 476?
The Germans under Odoacer (Schaff, vol 4, 9)
When did the Anglo-Saxons begin to invade Britain?
A. D. 449, they conquered the Britons
Who converted the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity?
The Benedictine abbot and first archbishop of Canterbury, Augustin, who was sent by Gregory I in 596 to Britain
In what centuries was Christianity sporadically brought to the Galls, Britons and Germans?
The second or third centuries
When did missionary work begin in earnest to the savage races?
From the sixth to the tenth centuries
Characteristics of the missionaries of the Middle Ages:
They were nearly all monks, of limited education and narrow views; but they were zealous and hard working and had heroic self denial
Who conquered Britain and Gaul?
Julius Cesar
Which emperor fully subdued Britain?
Claudius (A. D. 41-54)
The oldest inhabitants of Britain, like the Irish, the Scots, and the Gauls, were…
…of Keltic origin, factious barbarians, which made their conquest easier
What kind of religion did the Kelts have and who were their priests?
They worshipped nature, especially the oak, and their priests were the druids
Where did the druids dwell and what was their religion?
They dwelt in huts or caverns in the forest; were in possession of all education and spiritual power, the secrets of nature, medicine, astrology and divination
What three principles of wisdom did the druids teach?
obedience to God’s laws, concern for the good of man, and fortitude under the accidents of life
(Schaff, vol 4, 22-23)
Where are the remains of druidical temples?
Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain, and at Stennis in the Orkney Islands
What prompted the Anglo-Saxons to enter Britain?
The Britons requested help from Hengist and Horsa, two German brother princes and reputed descendants of Wodan, the god of war, in repelling the wild Picts and Scots from the North in A. D. 449.
When did Canterbury become the “mother church of Anglo-Saxon Christendom”?
c. 600, Augustin built a church and monastery there
Who was the Anglo-Saxon king who was converted to Christianity by Augustin?
Ethelbert
The four principal English sees beginning in the seventh century, according to Schaff
Canterbury, London, Rochester, York
Two early names for Ireland
Hibernia and Scotia
In which century did St. Patrick die?
Fifth century
(b/t A. D. 450 and 493)
Reign of Clovis and name of his royal line
A. D. 481-511, Merovingians
Where was Clovis baptized after the battle of Tolbiac near Cologne?
Rheims on Christmas of
A. D. 496
When was the Battle of Tours?
A. D. 732, Charles Martel
Who was the Apostle to Germany?
The English St. Boniface (680-754)
True or false: Pope Gregory I acknowledged a universal episcopate and an authority of jurisdiction over the East?
False, he denounced the idea
Who irritated Gregory I by his use of the title “ecumenical”?
John IV, patriarch of Constantinople
Who was Maurice in Roman history?
Roman military commander ordered to execute Christians but declined and was martyred along with them
What happened in Rome on Christmas Day in
A. D. 800?
Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor of the Holy Roman Empire
From what century were the Pseudo-Isidorian Decretals?
Mid-ninth century during the tumult of Charlemagne’s successors
What was the Treaty of Verdun?
Concluded in A. D. 843, it divided up Europe into Italy (Lothair), Germany (Louis the German) and France (Charles the Bald)
What is filioque?
The double procession of the Holy Spirit from both the Father and Son
With which two men does Schaeffer date the beginning of modern science?
Copernicus
(Polish astronomer, heliocentrism 1475-1543) and Vesalius
(Italian 1514-1564)
What does IXOYE stand for?
Greek spelling for “fish” (icthus), and the first letters in the following anagram:
I= (J)esus
X= (C)hrist
O= (G)od
Y= (S)on
E= (S)avior
When did the icthus letters go out of use among early Christians?
Before the mid fourth century
What does the monogram of XP stand for?
X (chi) and P (rho) are the first two initials of Christ’s name in Greek. They were superimposed on each other to create a monogram
St. Maximus Confessor
A. D. 580-662
When did Epiphanius die?
A. D. 403
When did St. Simeon die?
A. D. 459
What did Paul of Samosata believe about the Trinity and Jesus?
He denied the existence of the Trinity and the deity of Jesus
Who crowned Charlemagne emperor in A. D. 800?
Pope Leo III
What did the Council of Ephesus do in A. D. 431?
Condemned Nestorius regarding the two natures of Christ
What religion was St. Augustine’s father?
He was a heathen
What was the term applied to paganism when it was replaced by Christianity as the common religion of the empire during Valentinian I?
A Peasant religion, like Christianity before it
When does Schaff date the martyrdom of James the Elder, the brother of John, “sons of Zebedee”?
A. D. 44
(CH, vol. 1, 200)
What date does Schaff give for Pentecost?
A. D. 30
(CH, vol. 1, 224)
Why does Schaff believe that Peter did not travel to Rome until after A. D. 63?
Because it is nowhere mentioned in the NT; and Paul’s silence in his letters is significant due to the fact that he wouldn’t build on another’s foundation
(CH, vol. 1, 260-252)
When does Schaff date the closing of Acts?
A. D. 63
What date does Schaff give to the letter of James?
A. D. 45-62, estimates vary
(CH, vol. 1, 270)
Which historian claims that James was thrown from a building before being stoned to death?
Hegesippus, a Jewish historian c. 170
(Schaff, vol. 1, 268)
Josephus says that James was martyred how?
Stoning (no mention of being thrown from a roof)
(Schaff, vol. 1, 267-268)
When was the Talmud composed?
Late 2nd century to early 3rd century A. D.
(Schaff, HAC, 174)
What book did Celsus write and when?
True Doctrine, c. 177
When did William of Ockham live?
1285-1349
When was the Roman commander Maurice martyred?
C. 286 A. D.
What place is named after the Roman martyr Maurice?
The town of St. Maurice, Switzerland
Where did the martyrdom of St. Maurice occur?
The Rhône Valley, Switzerland