Early Christianity - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Early Christianity

The First 1,000 YearsWeek 3: Evolution and MigrationSlide2

Overview

Week 1: Introduction And OverviewOctober 17

Week 2: Christianity In The Roman Empire

October 24

No Seminar October 31

Week 3: Evolution And Migration

November 7

Week 4: Shining A Light On The “Dark” Ages

November 14

Week 5: West Vs. East

November 21 Slide3

Recap

The major question for Christianity under the Roman Empire was “What do we believe?”

While persecution under the Roman Empire was a genuine threat, only about 1/3 of the time were actual periods of persecution under Roman authority.

The persecution was largely centered on Christian’s inability to acknowledge the divinity of the Emperor. So if anything, they were persecuted more for stubbornness than genuine disloyalty to Rome.

Greater threat was internal, as multiple contemporary mystery religions and movements began to erode the core message of Christianity.

Heresy, particularly in the form of Gnosticism, worked like an infection.Slide4

Recap

The major question for Christianity under the Roman Empire was “What do we believe?”

Roman persecution and Gnostic Heresies threatened to pull Christianity away from being a monotheistic faith.

Remember: at this point in history, the Creeds and statements of faith did not yet exist.

The Nicene Creed was developed at the council of

Nicea

around 325 CE at the request of Emperor Constantine in response to these various internal crises.Slide5

Today’s Question

What do we do with power?Slide6
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Waitaminnit…

How did we get from Christianity being persecuted by the Roman Empire to having a

Roman Emperor

call a meeting of bishops to resolve a doctrinal issue??

Things change, and sometimes quickly.

While persecution did happen within the Roman Empire, it was not consistently applied, and it wasn’t necessarily directed specifically at Christians.

As early as 260 CE, there was an edict of toleration under

Gallienus

which allowed Christians to live in peace and even build (small) places of worship and keep cemeteries.

Prior to this, churches would meet in private homes. The oldest of this type of space found was a house church in Dura-

Europos

(in modern-day eastern Syria) -232-256 CE.Slide8

Dura-

Europos

, Syria

House Church

c. 232-256 CESlide9

The Great Persecution

The period between 260 and 300 is sometimes call “the Little Peace” as it was a period in which Christian communities flourish without fear of persecution, and Christians were an active part of Roman society.

Things began to change with the rise of Diocletian as Emperor.

Prior to the rise of Diocletian, the Empire nearly collapsed during the 3

rd

Century from civil wars, infighting, and multiple claimants to the throne.

Diocletian’s ascension came in 284 CE. Soldier to Emperor.

Believed that the Empire was too large to govern effectively from a single place, so reformed it to have a co-Emperor (

Maximian

) in 286, and then two sub-Emperors (Galerius and

Constantius

) in 293.

Emperors held the title of “Augustus” – Sub-Emperors were “Caesar”. Slide10

Roman Empire under Diocletian’s Tetrarchy c. 293Slide11

The Great Persecution

Diocletian’s r

eforms were to re-establish the dominance of Rome,

to restore it to its past glory.

Many temples were rebuilt between 276 and 295, focusing on the Roman pantheon and the Imperial cult. Jupiter, Hercules, Mercury, Apollo,

Did not insist on exclusive worship, as that was a break from standard Roman practice.

By the time of Diocletian, there were an estimated six million Christians in the Roman Empire.

Approximately 10% of the Empire’s population. 1000% growth in 200 years.

3.5% growth, vs. 0.06% general population growth. Slide12

The Great Persecution

Diocletian’s reforms were to re-establish the dominance of Rome,

to restore it to its past glory.

While the first edicts of persecution did not come until 303, nearly 20 years into Diocletian’s rule, he had spent time purging the army of both Manicheans and Christians.

Initially Diocletian targeted Manicheans, a gnostic-style religion that was widespread in the Eastern Empire.

Christians soon followed, but it was largely championed by Galerius, Diocletian’s Caesar.

The “Great” Persecution lasted from 303-311, but was unevenly applied throughout the Empire.

Galerius was the most enthusiastic about it, followed by Diocletian, and less so with

Maximius

and

Constantius

. Slide13

The Great Persecution

Edict of Persecution:

Destroying

of churches and burning of the Holy Scriptures;

Confiscation of church property;Banning

Christians from undertaking collective legal action;

Loss

of privileges for Christians of high rank who refused to recant;

The

arrest of some state officials

.

3 more

edicts followed.Slide14

The Great Persecution

The Persecution ultimately failed.

Constantius

only enforced the first persecution in his region. He was elevated from Caesar to Augustus in the western provinces in 305 but died suddenly in 306.

His son Constantine had trained in the east, but was recalled to the west after his father’s elevation. Following his father’s death he was acclaimed as Augustus.

There was some dispute over who would be Augustus.

Competor

: Severus.

Constantine ended persecution in the west in 306.

Diocletian stepped down as Augustus in 305, elevating Galerius to Augustus of the east.

Despite his enthusiasm for the persecution ultimately Galerius issued an edict of toleration in 311, formally ending the Great Persecution.

In 313 Constantine and

Licinius

issued the Edict of Milan taking toleration a step further and legalizing Christianity within the Roman Empire. Slide15

A Legal Religion

After securing his rule over the entire Roman Empire,

Constantine took the Edict of Milan further.

Noting differences amongst what Christians professed and understood about their faith, he felt that the leaders needed to resolve differences so that Christianity could claim to be cohesive across the Empire.

The Council of

Nicea

developed the Nicene Creed, emphasizing a Trinitarian understanding of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

A widespread competing view was known as Arianism, which placed Jesus as divine, but not on the same level as God.

Arians were effectively shut out of

Nicea

, but Arianism persisted until the 7

th

Century.*Slide16

Evolving into Power

In 313 Constantine and Licinius

issued the Edict of Milan taking toleration a step further and legalizing Christianity within the Roman Empire.

Over the next 70 years Christianity would continue to grow in influence, with Nicene Trinitarian Christianity becoming the official religion of the Roman Empire under Theodosius I on February 27, 380.

The new question began to arise: What do we do with power?Slide17

The Role of Women in the Early Church

Until the Edict of Milan in 313 and the Edict of Thessalonica in 380, it is known that women played a significant role in the Early Church.

Paul refers to several women throughout his letters, including Phoebe in Romans, whom he specifically calls a “

Diakonia

” or minister.

Paul refers to

Junia

as an Apostle. Priscilla worked with Paul.

As Christianity became more widespread in the Empire, certain Greco-Roman patriarchal norms became further.

Paul’s own writings were softened, and 2

nd

Century Christian writings integrated Greek “household codes” into them. Slide18

The Role of Women in the Early Church

Numerous women were Martyred, and as the practice developed, were regarded as “Saints.”

Along with the “Desert Fathers” there were also women who sought a solitary monastic life, known as the Desert Mothers.

The

Donatist

heresy had two women as prominent leaders, but the heresy was not because the leaders were women, but rather that their “New Prophecy” claimed authority over Scripture.

Still, as early as the late 2

nd

Century, restricting certain sacramental offices to men began taking hold. Slide19

Responding to Power

For much of its early life, Christians lived as a hidden minority within the Roman Empire and beyond.

In its earliest days, prior to the

Neronian

persecution, Roman authority was perceived with some degree of respect.

By the end of the First Century, Roman power was viewed as suspect.

Exemplified in Revelation and other similar works.

Christians developed a way of being expecting to

not

be in power, to operate on the margins of society.Slide20

Responding to Power

For much of its early life, Christians lived as a hidden minority within the Roman Empire and beyond.

In its earliest days, prior to the

Neronian

persecution, Roman authority was perceived with some degree of respect.

By the end of the First Century, Roman power was viewed as suspect.

Exemplified in Revelation and other similar works.

Christians developed a way of being expecting to

not

be in power, to operate on the margins of society.

Even though persecution was not an active threat most of the time, it still existed as a potential concern. Slide21

Responding to Power

By the mid 3

rd

Century, Christians began to experience a greater range of personal freedom and would participate more actively in Roman society.

The edict of toleration of 260 CE meant that Christians could be open about their faith and still hold public offices.

There were those who felt that such cultural assimilation was dangerous, and sought to distance themselves from society.

Individuals would travel into the deserts of Egypt, and Syria, and live a solitary ascetic life of prayer and contemplation.

These people became known as the Desert Fathers and Desert Mothers, and would be the first monks and nuns within Christianity.

Monastic orders would develop out of this first movement into the desert.Slide22

Responding to Power

After the Edict of Milan in 313 CE, Christianity continued to grow within both the western and eastern portions of the Roman Empire.

Monastic movements continued to grow and flourish, but Christians were increasingly in positions of political power.

Christians were now free to worship, and now dedicated worship spaces began to be built by churches across the Empire.

Out of the experience of persecutions by the state in earlier years, some Christians saw the state religion(s) themselves as a threat. They labelled them as “Pagan.”

Once Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire in 380, some began to persecute “pagan” religions.*Slide23

Responding to Power

In 380 CE, Theodosius I issued an edict in Thessalonica stating that Nicene Christianity would be the official religion of the Roman Empire.

Theodosius I would also divide the Roman Empire into East and West one final time, which would have a lasting impact on the surviving Empires and the church itself.Slide24
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A Time of Migration

Against the backdrop of the late Roman Empire, it was also a time of migration amongst nomadic Germanic tribes that lived north of the Empire.

There were numerous tribal groups, collectively known as Goths.

Moved southward from what may have been their own homelands north of the Baltic sea.

While Greek and Roman culture encountered these tribes earlier, calling them either Scythians or Barbarians,

by the 3

rd

Century their movements began put them in conflict with the Roman Empire both east and west.

In the 4

th

Century, much of their own movements was because of the movements further east by the Huns.

Simplified: Huns pushed Goths into the Western Roman Empire.Slide26

A Time of Migration

In 410, Alaric I, leader of the Visigoths sacked Rome marking the beginning of th

e end of the Western Empire.

Alaric had been part of the

Goth

tribes that had sought refuge from the Huns in the Roman Empire, he served in the armies of Theodosius I.

When denied promotion, he rallied the Visigoths in opposition to the Roman Leadership.

In many respects, the so-called “Barbarian Invasions” was more of an uprising amongst people who had settled into Roman-ruled territories and yet sought self-determination.

Either way, Alaric’s third successful siege on Rome represented a collapse of Roman Rule in the west.

While Rome would limp along until expiring in the late 5

th

Century, the damage was done at the hands of the Visigoths.Slide27

A Time of Migration

It should be noted that the Visigoths were at least nominally Christian, as they had been a part of the Empire under Theodosius.

Many, including Alaric, practiced Arian Christianity, along with tribal rituals and practice.

Churches were often spared in the midst of

Christianity’s spread in this period was the result of:

Personal contact – small scale voluntary conversion.

Relative immunity

granted to churches during periods of invasion.

Gothic tribes were a mix of Arian Christianity, Roman Catholic Nicene Christianity, and a form of Christianized Germanic Paganism.

Process was

gradual. Slide28

A Time of Migration

The Fall of the Western Roman Empire left many communities under the control of local warlords.

While it would take centuries, this decentralization would evolve into the system of Feudalism.

The church in the west, by contrast, was able to retain much of the infrastructure that it had inherited from the Roman Empire.

While Rome may have fallen, the Roman Church maintained a social structure that would allow it to not only survive, but begin to occupy a political vacuum that the Eastern Church would not.Slide29

Next Week

Shining a Light on the “Dark” Ages

c.500-800

Identity

Questions

:

Responding to Power – Eastern Edition