The Church in the Ancient World (30-476)

Church was born out of the Fathers plan foreshadowed by the call of Abraham
Began to take shape when Jesus chose the 12 apostles
Almost immediately after Christs death and resurrection, a small group of people who had
experienced Christ in a personal way and whose lives were transformed by Him started to
gather together and decided to live a life patterned after Christ the first Christian community,
the Church in its first model
Paul (Saul of Tarsus)- known as the Apostle to the Gentiles; assigned the task of preaching the
Gentiles; was a Christian persecutor who was converted after his vision of Jesus while he was on
his way to Damascus. Paul believed that the revelation of Jesus to him meant the end of all
barriers between Jewish and Gentile Christians. Pauls strong belief therefore led to the Council
of Jerusalem;
Council of Jerusalem (49 AD)- the first apostolic council in Jerusalem; resolved the conflict: To
become a Christian does not require circumcision and keeping of the law.
The mission to the Gentiles was initiated at Antioch (where Roman centurion Cornelius and
some of his friends were baptized by Peter)
The Roman Persecution of the Church (30-313)
Christianity- became an object of hatred to Romans because it rejected the so-called Divine
status of the emperor and reserved its worship for the Trinity
James- brother of John, first apostle to be martyred during persecution headed by Herod
Agrippa (42-44 AD)
Christians- considered anti-social because they refused to participate in many social events,
which for the, involved worship of Roman gods; blamed for all of the misfortunes of the empire
Emperor Nero- initiated the first general persecution of the Christians; responsible for the fire
that destroyed a good part of Rome (64 AD) and blamed the Christians for his crime; Peter and
Paul were persecuted under Neros time
67 AD: Jews raised arms against Rome; Roman army led by Titus surrounded the city and after a
siege the temple was ruthlessly plundered by Roman soldiers and set fire in 70 AD

The Conversion of the Emperor Constantine
Edict of Milan- issued by Emperor Constantine in 313 AD which effectively ended Roman
persecution of the Church by granting freedom of religion to Christians within the boundaries of
the Roman Empire
Constantine- succeeded Diocletian; became a convert in 313 and was baptized in 337 before he
died; had a vision in battle that led him to believe that he would be victorious under the sign of
the Cross
Empire and Church entered a coalition built upon a common interest in order to ensure their
chances of survival
the position, privileges and power granted to the clergy widened the gap between the clergy
and the laity thus the pyramid of pope, bishops, priests, religious and laity was eventually born
the bishop of Rome assumed more and more control over the West, which explains the devt of
the papacy. Rome was free to become the center of Catholic world
In time, conversion to Christianity had little to do with Jesus and much to do with ones local
king.
As people continued to long for pure faith, many entered monasteries for a life of prayer and
community.
St. Anthony of Egypt- often credited as the founder of monasticism in the Church; 285 AD, he
withdrew into the desert to become a hermit
Christendom
During 7
th
and 8
th
centuries, monastic life became the Churchs model. However, the spirituality
the monks imparted was monastic and not attuned to life in the world. It did not focus on the
community dimension of the church. Thus, another type of monasticism was needed. This was
provided by St. Benedict.
St. Benedict- founded the monastery of Monte Cassino around 529 AD; most important figure
in the monastic movement; Benedictines lived by the motto: ora et labora (prayer and work);
Father of Western Monasticism
Monastic Reform
In Europes darkest hour, the Monastery of Cluny was founded in the province of Burgundy
in France in year 909, which had its goal the revival of the monasteric spirit of St. Benedict of
Nursia(Benedictine monasticism quiet prayer and dignified performance of liturgy)
2
nd
movement of monastic reform followed with Bernard of Clairevaux (who became the
counselor of pope and kings)
Franciscan and Dominican orders greatly inspired the renewal movement by advocating
simplicity of life and rejection of abuses in the Church

Pope Gregory VIIs Reformation of Church Makes Pope Supreme in Christendom
Pope Gregory (Hildebrand) year 1073 reformed the Church by strengthening the structure of
institutional church and the power of the Pope; issued a document called Dictatus Papae
(Dictates of the Pope) where he claimed that papal power, both spiritual and temporal, was
absolute, and that the Pope was, in all spheres, the supreme head if Christendom
Reforms of Pope Gregory VII also gave rise to the dominance of the code of canon law. Under
the canon law, rules of Church were strictly codified
He also intended to reform Churchs abuses by issuing a decree prohibiting LAY INVESTITURE
the practice by which a layman would endow a member of the clergy with political office and
power under penalty of excommunication.
He also intended to eliminate simony the practice of buying and selling church offices and on
enforcing clerical celibacy
Innocent III and Boniface VII under them, the papacy reached the height of its prestige and
power; exercised political power throughout Christendom
From time of Gregory VII throughout 13
th
Century- popes grew more in power and became more
and more the papal church. Under this imposing papal monarch, Church enjoyed its golden age
Martin Luthers Reformation
Took place in Germany in 1517 by posting his famous Ninety-Five Theses
Martin Luther- former serious monk of Order of St. Augustine; after a long spiritual pilgrimage,
he came to a conviction that salvation is by grace, through faith. This led him to protest against
sale of indulgence and other church abuses
Tetzel- Dominican monk that stated on his sermons that the indulgence was gained immediately
on deposit of the money in the collection box and that at that very moment the soul sprang out
of the purgatory fires
Luthers original intent was to reform the Church, not to divide or replace it, but ended up doing
so in the end
Summing up the causes of the Reformation: corruption of the Renaissance papacy was marked
by nepotism, simony, military expeditions, financial manipulation, intrigue, and even murder
Counter- Reformation
Counter-reformation - was the Catholic Church response to Luthers reformation; initiated by
Pope Paul III by summoning the Council of Trent in 1545
At the Council of Trent the Catholic Church defined itself by the empathic rejection of the major
theses of Reformation theology. The Council answered Luthers questioning the divine origin
and the scriptural justification for papal primacy by making the model of the Church as a
hierarchical society but the peak of such developed was reached at Vatican I Council (1869-
1870)
Catholic teachings that the Council reaffirmed: 1. Salvation comes from grace but requires good
work as well 2. Bible is not the sole source of authority for tradition of the Church (ongoing
interpretation of the faith of the Scriptures) is also a source of authority 3. Pope is the Supreme
head of the Church d. there are 7 sacraments chosen by Christ and the Church 4. Christ id truly
present in the bread and wine of the Eucharist 5. Saints act as intermediaries for us 6. Mary is
the Mother of God and the Church
Summary: Council of Trent became a clear statement of Catholic doctrine in a form which
maximized its distinction from Protestant teaching; it insists more strongly on the hierarchical
authority of the Church thus making the pope the Churchs universal bishop, the Sovereign
Pontiff; Council made the Church into a Papal Church
Catholic Revival
Downfall of Napoleon led to the full-scale revival of the Catholic Church
Pope Pius IX- greatly contributed to the revival of the Catholic Church and had the longest
papacy in the world: 1846-1878; his power reached its climax when he called all the bishops of
Rome for the Vatican Council I that defined papal primacy and papal infalliability

Second Vatican Council: Church in 20
th
Century
Second Vatican Council- an ecumenical council initiated by Pope John XXIII(Angelo Roncalli)
when he realized that the Church was outdated and incapable of dealing with challenges and
opportunities of the modern world; it sought renewal and reform in the Church and the
establishment of better relationships with other religious denominations, both Christian and
non-Christian.
Two major purposes: 1. Promote unity of all Christians 2. Study how the Church could adapt
itself to the rapidly changing world
for the first time in history, the Church in Council stated The Magisterium (teaching authority)
in not above the word of God but serves it because it draws from this one source of faith all
that it presents for belief as revealed by God
with Vatican II, the Church is the Whole People of God, no longer to be exclusively nor even
primarily with the hierarchy.
Cardinal Montini- succeeded John XXIII and took the name Paul VI; sincerely committed to
continuing the council
Pope John Paul I- successor of Paul VI; papacy lasted for only 33 days as he succumbed to a
heart attack
Pope John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla)- succeeded John Paul I in the same year; first Polish Pontiff
Pope Benedict XVI (Cardinal Ratzinger)- succeeded John Paul II