Greetings everyone...here are the notes for the class where we begin to explore how Christianity changed and took shape when it was supported by the state. I am looking forward to the interesting discussions that this will, no doubt, create. How are the faithful to respond when they believe their religious institution has been corrupted?
CALLED OUT:
“OFFICIAL” FAITH & THE RISE OF MONASTIC ORDERS
I. Official Faith
B. Julian and Christianity
C. Faltering of Arianism
i. ANOMOIANS
ii. SEMI-ARIANS/HOMOIOUSIANS
iii. HOMOIANS
II. The Cappodocians
A. Macrina
B. Basil “The Great”
C. Gregory Nyssa
D. Gregory of Nazianzus
III.Theodosius I & the Nicene Creed (finally!)
IV. Imperium in imperio
A. War
B. Wealth
C. Women
D. Words
V. Monastic Response
A. The Beginnings
B. Monasteries Develop
i.Basil of Caesarea
ii. Martin of Tours
iii. Jerome
iv. John Chrysostom
VI. The 4,5,6’s
4 terms
Monasticism: From the Greek “monos” meaning alone, it is a religious way of life characterized by the practice of renouncing worldly pursuits to fully devote one's self to spiritual work. The origin of the word is from Ancient Greek, and the idea originally related to Christian monks.
Semi-Arians: a name frequently given to the Trinitarian position of the conservative majority of the Eastern Christian Church in the 4th century, to distinguish it from strict Arianism
“Spiritual Sisters”: name given to the women who were living in the homes of supposedly celibate priests.
Imperium in Imperio: Latin for “an order within an order” it could also mean something along the lines of what the state empowers an individual or group to do in order to best serve the state.
5 (more) terms
Council of Constantinople: Called by Theodosius in 381 to affirm the Creed of Nicaea and deal with the Arian Controversy. Considered by most as the 2nd ecumenical council, it was also the first one held in Constantinople (at the church of the Hagia Irene).
Eremetical: solitary monks
Laura: when monks lived in solitude but close enough to encourage fellowship
Cenobitic: when monks lived together in a community, governed by a leader.
Consubstantial: Used to define the term homoousios as it pertained to Jesus’ relationship in the Trinity. The idea was coined by Tertullian & found official sanction in the Nicene Creed.
6 names
Julian “the Apostate” (A.D. 331/332-363): Became Caesar in 355 and renounced Christianity & sought to restore paganism to its former pre-Constantine glory.
Theodosius I (A.D. 347-395): He made Nicene Christianity the official religion of the empire; he was also the last emperor to rule over both halves of the Empire.
Pachomius (ca. A.D. 292-348): Long considered the founder of Christian cenobitic monasticism. His name means “the falcon”
Basil of Caesarea (A.D. 330-379): established guidelines for monastic life that focused on community life, liturgical prayer, and manual labour. Together with Pachomius (A.D. 292-348): he is remembered as a father of communal monasticism in Eastern Christianity.
Jerome (A.D. 347-420): Well known for his work translating the Bible into Latin that came to be known as the “Vulgate”
John Chrysostom (A.D. 349-407): Influential church leader who received the name Chrysostom (which means “golden-mouthed”) due to his reputed eloquence and power as an orator. He also wrote against abuses of power by both the church and the state.
“The essential feature of heresy is that it is not unbelief…in the strict sense of the term, but a form of the faith that is held ultimately to be subversive or destructive, and thus indirectly leads to such unbelief. Unbelief is the outcome, not the form of heresy.”
Alister McGrath Heresy: A History of Defending the Truth, 33.
“No one else but the Saviour himself, who in the beginning made everything out of nothing, could bring the corrupted to incorruption; no one else but the Image of the Father could recreate [people] in God’s image; no one else but our Lord Jesus Christ, who is Life itself, could make the mortal immortal; no one else but the Word, who orders everything and is alone the true and only-begotten Son of the Father, could teach [people] about the Father and destroy idolatry…Two miracles happened at once: the death of all [people] was accomplished in the Lord’s body, and death and corruption were destroyed because of the Word who was united with it. By death immortality has reached all and by the Word becoming man the universal providence and its creater the leader, the very Word of God, has been made known.” Athanasius, The Incarnation of the Word, 4:20, 54.
Writings of Athanasius on Arianism found here
© James Robertson 2010
No comments:
Post a Comment