Introduction

to the
History of
the Church

Why do we need to
change?
Change in our individual lives, within our families, within our public institutions and
within the Church, is
unavoidable.
It has been, and continues to be, a part of life for all generations.
Today, not only are schools,
workplaces and technology changing dramatically, but as individuals we go through
many physical,
emotional and lifestyle changes as we grow older.
Learning to accept and deal with change effectively is
crucial to achieve and keep a sense of emotional well-being and a high quality of life.
Organisations, too, need to deal with change effectively.

The Church has gone through many

changes in its long history, and will
continue to grow and change
into the future. In this chapter you will learn
about an important time of change in the
Church.
You will be able to reflect on this change in
light of your own experience of change.

In the beginning..
Christians gathered together informally in family groups
to worship and celebrate the Eucharist.
Later in the 2nd century some Christians donated
houses which became house-churches for Christian
worship.
Christians had a close fellowship, they shared their
belongings with one another
Christians put their belief into practice.

Summary of Church
History
(double click visual to begin video)

Christians were
persecuted because:
Romans believed that Christians endangered
their cities and the whole Roman state by refusing to give the
gods their sacrifices.
Romans feared that the Christians were traitors, since they
did not worship the emperor and that they met in secret.
There were also a variety of rumors about strange
Christian behavior.
Being Christian you could face arrest,imprisonment, torture
and death. This was the age of the Martyrs.

Early Christian Communities: An Introduction

-

Answer the following questions in your book

You are to use your textbooks or research to find the answers of questions
you are unsure of

The Council of Jerusalem

50 CE
- In the early days of the Christian communities, it
predominantly consisted of Jewish people.
- At this council, it was stated that Gentiles (people who
are not Jews) do not have to observe the Mosaic Law
(the law of Moses) after they have become Christians
- It was stated that salvation and faith in Christ did not
necessarily mean observing Jewish customs

- After the Council of Jerusalem in 49 CE Christians

regarded themselves as separate from the Jewish
Religion.
- From this time until 300 CE the Church faced
increasing persecutions from the Roman
Government. This does not mean that the
persecution was continual throughout this time as
there were periods of peace.

The Great Persecution

203 AD
- Christians were taken out of
office, scriptures were
confiscated, Church buildings
were destroyed, leaders were
arrested and pagan sacrifices
were renowned

QUESTIONS
1.
2.
3.

Who do you believe were the main beneficiaries (people who benefited the most) from the
decisions made at the Council of Jerusalem?
Explain the impact this Council had on the Christian community
Explain why you think the Christians suffered such persecution throughout history?

The Edict of Milan 313 AD

- This brought about a permanent change to the
religious tolerance for Christians within the Roman
Empire
- It was the outcome of a political agreement between
Emperors Constantine and Licinis, which concluded in
Milan in February 313 AD
- This granted freedom for people to worship whatever
deity they pleased, and assured Christians were
granted legal rights (which included the right to
organise Churches)

With the Edict of Milan, Constantine:

Exempted Christian Clergy from taxes

Built churches.
Treasured the Christian faith
Saw religion as a way of unifying the people
Set up dioceses under bishops and the Church modelled
itself on Roman political divisions. Constantine, however,
began to interfere in Church matters.

Council of Nicea 325 AD

- Led by Emperor Constantine
- Nicea was located in Asia Minor, east of
Constantinople
- This council affirmed the deity and eternity of Jesus
Christ and defined the relationship between the
father and the son
- This is where The Nicene Creed was founded

Council of Chalcedon 451

AD
- It was at this council that Jesus was
recognised as both human and divine
- Both Council of Nicea and the Council of
Chalcedon focused on the critical issue of
Jesuss identity in relationship to God and in
relationship to humanity

QUESTIONS
1.
2.

Discuss your understanding of Jesus as fully human and fully divine.

Create a symbol which expresses your understanding of Jesus as fully human and fully
divine.

The Great Schism 1054

The Great Schism 1054

AD
-

This was also known as the East / Wst Schism (separation)

It divided the Western Church (Western Catholicism) and the Eastern Church (Eastern
Orthodoxy)
The major cause of the split was the power that should be given to the Pope

QUESTIONS
1.
2.

List all the advantages and disadvantages of The Great Schism

Explain what you believe was the most significant outcomes of The Great Schism

The Black Death, 1348

- This was also known as the Bubonic
Plague, which was carried by rats and other
rodents
- It took place during the middle ages
- Many Christians believed that the plague
was caused by Gods anger at the
sinfulness of humanity and took extreme
measure to appease (amend) this anger, ie
public penance, and inflicting pain and
punishment on themselves

- Towns were wiped out

- Many Priests died administering to the sick
- There was a shortage of priests
- New priests were poorly educated. The selection was
hasty and often ill-advised
- Hence the quality of priesthood declined

QUESTIONS
1. Identify three effects of the plague on the Catholic Church.
2. Explain how the plague affected the faith of many people.
You can use the site below to learn more information
(Website: http://europeanhistory.boisestate.edu/westciv/plague/08.shtml)

The Council of Trent

1545 - 1563

QUESTIONS
1.
2.
3.
4.

When did the Council of Trent take place?

What were some of the goals of the Council?
List and explain the impact this Council had on the formation of the Catholic Church
Develop a mind-map that explains the Council of Trent and its impact on the Catholic
Church

Catholic Reformation
- During the 16th century, the Catholic Church became
corrupt- people could achieve salvation by doing good
works, there was veneration if the saints and the sale of
indulgences to buy entry into Heaven
- People known as reformers wanted to make changes,
especially to an institution or practice, usually to improve it
- Reformers started when the Bible was translated into the
language of ordinary people and the invention of printing
enabled Bibles to be widely distributed

- Some bishops were completely absent from their

diocese, some clergy were dishonest and most lay
people were uneducated and powerless
- These things were among some of the things that
caused the reformation, which resulted in the movement
called Protestantism

Martin Luther
-

He decided to become a monk because one day when he was walking to

school there was a storm. He feared that he would be hit by lightening and
asked Saint Anne to protect him, and if she did he would become a monk.
He escaped the storm unscathed, and therefore kept his promise!

Sale of Indulgences: By making a monetary contribution to the Church, a

penitent would receive a partial indulgence not to commit further sins and
reduce the time spent in purgatory

Pope Leo X wanted to use this money to pay for the construction of St.
Peters Basillica in Rome

Martin Luther objected this idea

- 1517- He created 95 Theses a document attacking the

misuse of power by the Pope and the sale of indulgences
- 1518- Martin Luther refused to take back his attack. Pope
Leo X issued a statement outlining the Churchs document
on indulgences and condemning Luthers ideas
- 1519- Martin Luther wrote to the Pope stating that he
wasn't trying to question the authority of the Pope or the
Church
- 1520- Many of the German nobility supported Luther
- 1521- Luther was excommunicated from the Church
- 1522- Martin Luther started preaching throughout Central
Germany
- 1524- Martin Luther was banished by the Church and the
emperor, yet he had a lot of support at this time
- 1555- After Martin Luthers death, the Reformation swept
throughout northern and Eastern Europe

QUESTIONS
1.
2.
3.

Why did the Church become corrupt?

What does the term reformation mean?
What was the main problem that Luther had about the Church?

John Calvin and John Knox

- John Calvin drew on Martin Luthers ideas and
preached a stern and demanding gOD
- He was the leading French Protestant Reformer and
a significant figure in the next wave of Protestant
Reformation
- He was responsible for Calvinism, another Christian
denomination
- John Knox brought Calvins reformed Church to
Scotland where it became the Presbyterian Church

King Henry VIII

- In England, King Henry VIII also split from Rome. He
appointed a secret Protestant, Thomas Cranmer, as
Archbishop of Canterbury.
- In 1534 made himself head of the Church in England.
- One contributing reason was that the Pope refused to
annul Henrys marriage to Catherine of Aragon.
- Henry VIII was highly critical of Martin Luther but his
son, Edward VI, introduced Protestant doctrines and
Protestant forms of worship.
- Anglicanism is thus a blend of Protestant and Catholic
practices and beliefs.
- Today, many Anglicans do not think of themselves as
Protestants.

First Vatican Council

1869- 1870
- It was the teaching of the Council that the Pope, as true
successor of St. Peter, has supreme power over the
Church, and as successor of St. Peter, is infallible or
free from error when he teaches definitively
- This means that a doctrine concerning faith or morals is
to be that which is believed by the whole Church, not just
based on the Popes individual choice

QUESTIONS
1. Why do you think that the majority of the bishops at the
First Vatican Council thought that it was a good idea to
define the doctrine of papal infallibility?
2. What is it used for?
3. Do you think that the Pope would use this power to
teach infallibly often? Why or why not?

SECOND VATICAN
COUNCIL 1962-1965
Some of the reasons that the Second Vatican Concil was
called was due to a number of reasons including:
- The world was experiencing horror at the violation of
human freedom and dignity that had taken palce during
WWII
- There was an increase in prosperity and power among
Western Nations
- Developed nations were involved in a dangerous arms
race that was a threat to world peace

QUESTION
1.

Given the factors listed on the previous slides, what topics might the Council have discussed?

First write down your own list then compare your list with others. This will help you to see how
complex the agenda of the Council was.
Use the graph on the previous slide to answer the following questions:
1. Explain why you believe Bishops from Europe occupied the highest percentage of people
attending the Second Vatican Council
2. Why were there only 52 lay men and women?
3. How many observers from different countries attended?
4. Explain the significance of their presence at this Council
5.
a.
b.
c.

If a Third Vatican Council was to be held in 2015, outline

Who would attend
All the issues that would be discussed
The outcomes of the Council