Prayer to Our Guardian Angel Angel of God, My Guardian Dear to whom God's love commits me here. Ever this day be at my side to light and guard and rule.

Prayer to Our Guardian Angel

Angel of God, My Guardian Dear to whom God's love commits me here.

Ever this day be at my side to light and guard and rule and guide.

Amen.

Announcements

• Class t-shirts • Exam IV: Tuesday Oct 5th • Review Worksheet –tomorrow (on

the web if you want it tonight) • HW: Read Parts II and III

Chapter 4Church Fathers and Heresies

Athanasian Creed Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is

necessary that he hold the Catholic Faith. Which Faith except every one do keep whole and

undefiled; without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the Catholic Faith is this: That we

worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons; nor dividing the

Essence. For there is one Person of the Father; another of the Son; and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of

the Holy Ghost, is all one; the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is; such is the

Son; and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father uncreated; the Son uncreated; and the Holy Ghost

uncreated…

Athanasian Creed

• Profession of Faith • Author unknown• Three Divine Persons of

the Blessed Trinity • Incarnation of God the

Son• Emphasizes the equality

within the Trinity• Response to

heretics/attacks

PART I

Early Heresies

Heresy

• “A species of unbelief, belonging to those who profess the Christian faith, but corrupt its dogmas”. (St. Thomas Aquinas)

Heresies…

• Deny or alter some part or parts of the Deposit of Faith

Material Heresy

• Results from a mistake

• Misjudgment, ignorance of the truth, etc.

• Needs immediate correction

Formal Heresy

• Willingly choosing to keep doctrines that are contradictorily to those of the Church

• Keeping doctrines that have been condemned as being false

Material Heresy Examples

• Jesus was a sinner• Mary was not a Virgin • God created Christ

Formal Heresy Examples

• Rejection of the Eucharist • Teaching that Jesus didn’t

overcome death by way of the Resurrection

• Rejecting the Church’s teaching on Sunday Obligation

Gnosticism

• Secret knowledge• Demiurge (creator

god) • Rejected MOST of

the NT• “The Kingdom of

God is within you.” (Gospel of Thomas)

Gnosticism: View of Jesus

• Jesus was merely a “messenger”

• Jesus entrusted one disciple with secret teachings

• Denied or limited the real humanity of Christ

• Jesus not born: “appeared”

Gnosticism’s Ethics

• Rejected ethical teachings of the Church

• Body = nature of evil: 1. self mutilation of the body

2. No possible way good soul can be damaged by actions of the body

Gnosticism: the Appeal??

• Promised “salvation”: escape of the soul from the material world

Ridiculed by Church Fathers

• “My God made heaven and earth, and you cannot point to a measly vegetable yours has produced over all these centuries!”

Tertullian

Gnosticism: The Final Overview

• What: Gnosticism

• Who: ? (unknown)

• Where: Judea/ Roman Empire

• When: Birth of Christianity – Present day

• Central Belief: Salvation may be achieved through knowledge

• View of Christ: Christ was NOT human

Marcionism (144-400s)

• Founded by Marcion • Demiurge (god of the

OT/Jealous god) • Jesus sent to destroy the

OT god/Demiurge

Marcion: Founder of Marcionism

• Father was a Bishop • Was a wealthy shipbuilder• Survived Empire’s “put down”

of Jewish uprising• Excommunicated as a heretic

Marcionism

• Jesus did not have a true human body/was not from God

• Rejected the OT• Christian life must

be freed from material reality

Marcionism Differed from Gnosticism

• Did not claim possession of secret knowledge

• No unique scripture • No divine beings

(pleroma)

Church’s Rejection of Marcionism

• Rejected Monotheism

• Rejected creation was good

• Rejected the true humanity of Jesus (death on Cross was payment to the creator god)

Marcionism: the Final Overview

• What: Marcionism

• Who: Marcion

• When : 144-400s AD

• Where: Rome

• Central Belief: God of Jesus Christ sent to destroy the Demiurge

• View of Christ: Jesus was NOT truly human

Manichaeism (250s –1000s)

• Elaborate brand of Gnosticism

• Founded by Mani

• Goal was to share a secret knowledge that led to liberation

Mani

• Persian • Condemned to death • Viewed self as a

spiritual leader (Buddha, Jesus)

• Provided path to true freedom

Manichaeists Believed …

• Satan had stolen light particles from the brains of men/women

• Goal was to liberate humanity from Satan

• In living an ascetic life

• Jesus was/is NOT Divine

Manichaeism: The Final Overview

• What: Manichaeism

• Who: Mani

• When: 250s-1000s

• Where: Persia/India (Roman Empire)

• Central Belief: Man can be liberated from Satan through a secret knowledge

• View of Christ: Jesus was NOT Divine (only a human spiritual leader)

Montanism (156-200)• Were they an early women’s rights group? • A form of monasticism? • A strange group waiting for the end of the

world? • … a little bit of all of these.

Montanus

• Founder of Montanism• Began movement by

preaching • Originally a pagan priest • Excommunicated by the

Church (Turkey)• Had two female prophets

with him• Believed that the “end”

was at hand

Montanism

• Age of the Father • Age of the Son • Age of the Holy

Spirit (final age)

Montanism

• New Heavenly movement would begin in Pepuza

• Canon of Scripture should NOT be closed

• “Charismatic” • Believed Church was

too soft on sinners

Montanism: The Final Overview

• What: Montanism

• Who: Montanus

• Where: Turkey/Rome/ Pepuza

• When: 156-200s

• Central Belief: A New heavenly kingdom would be revealed by the power of the Holy Spirit in Pepuza (the end was near)

• View of Jesus Christ: Jesus was Divine and human

Docetism (30s-100s)

• Branch of Gnosticism • “to appear” • Jesus’ humanity was merely an appearance

Docetism• Jesus was did not suffer the pain of the

Crucifixion and death• Preached that someone else switched

places with Christ before the Crucifixion• Christ escaped from it.

Docetism: The final overview

• What: Docetism

• Who: ? (unknown)

• When: 305 -1000s

• Where: Roman Empire

• Central Belief: Christ did NOT suffer the Crucifixion; Gnostic

• View of Jesus Christ: Christ was not fully human

PART II

The Ecumenical Councils

Ecumenical Councils

• There has been 21 ecumenical councils

• All the Bishops of the world (under the Pope) meet to discuss issues facing the Church.

Types of Councils

• Synod• Diocesan • Provincial • Plenary

Synod• Meeting between the Bishops

and the Pope (their leader)

Diocesan Council

• Meeting of the Bishops, laymen/laywomen, and representatives of the Clergy meet and discuss matters of the diocese.

Provincial Council • Meeting of the Archbishop with his suffragan bishops

Plenary Council

• Meeting of all Bishops within a single nation

PART III

Church Fathers

Characteristics of the Church Fathers

• Orthodoxy in doctrine• Holiness• Notoriety• Antiquity• Two Groups: Latin/ Greek

Patristics • The writings of the Church Fathers

Doctor of the Church

• Title only given by the Pope to those whose development of theology is extraordinary

St. Ambrose of Milan

• Governor of Milan • Anointed Bishop (was

only a Catechumen) • Defended the

independence of the Church from the State

• Did not get along with Emperor(s) because of high moral standards

St. Jerome

• Translated the Hebrew Bible into Latin (Vulgate)

Latin Vulgate

• Most accurate translation of the Bible

• Translation of Scripture into Latin • Uniformed Scripture for the West

St. John Chrysostomthe Golden Mouthed

• Patriarch of Constantinople

• Combined the Biblical Meaning with practical application/ captured the deep spiritual meaning

• On the Priesthood: the morality of the priests.

St. John Chrysostomthe Golden Mouthed

• Called for a moral reform among the Emperors and Bishops.

• He was twice banished by the Empress, but quickly returned from exile.

• In 407, he was forced into a Death March.

PART IV

Heresies of the Fourth and Fifth Centuries

The “Golden Age”

• Lack of persecution • Christians experienced a

renewed freedom

Alexandrian School

• Gave special status to the Divinity of Christ

Antiochene

• Jesus’ followers were first called Christian.

• Focused more on literal and historical meanings of Scriptures.

Arianism

• Result of the manner that Christians had come to think about the Nature of Christ

Arianism

• Direct result of the Christians turning to Philosophy to explain their Faith

Pagan Philosophers …

• One Supreme Being

• Supreme Being created pagan Gods

• Could not conceive of how One God = One God

Christians

• Taught pagans that the god the pagans worshipped is the same God that they worshiped

Arianism • Jesus is neither God nor equal to the Father

Arianism

• Reduced the status of Jesus to being a creature of the Father

• Jesus, however, was above every other creature in dignity and perfection.

Arianism

• Denied the Church’s teaching that the logos was coeternal with God.

Arians Instead Believed …

• That there “was when He was not”

• God created “The Word”

Arianism: The Final Overview• What: Arianism

• Who: Arius

• When: Fourth Century

• Where: Roman Empire/ Constantinople

• Central Belief: Jesus was not Divine, but anointed by God to the position of “Supreme ‘Human’ Being”

• View of Christ: Jesus was not Divine; was a Supreme “Human” Being

Constantine the Great 272 A.D. – 337 A.D.

• Conversion (Cross/battle) • Edict of Milan 313 A.D. • Empowered Christianity • Sincere? • First Christian Roman

Emperor • Saint in Orthodox Church

St. helena d. 330 A.D.

• Mother of Constantine

• Archaeologist • True Cross• Manager • Stairs (Scala Santa) • Favored wide

spread of Christianity

• Influenced son

The Council of Nicaea (325 AD)

• Convened by Constantine the Great

Primarily Addressed: • Arianism• Readmission of the

lapsed • Election of Bishops • Role of the office of the

Bishops

The Council of Nicaea (325 AD)

• Failed to combat Arianism through Scripture alone

• Developed a Creed to combat Arianism

Constantine/St. Athanasius • homoousios –of the

same substance –the Son was just as Divine as the Father.

The Council of Nicaea (325 AD)

• The development of the Creed did NOT end the controversy!

What Developed

• Homoousians : identical (Orthodox)

• Homoiousians : similar(Arian)

After the Death of Constantine

“The entire world woke from a deep slumber and discovered that it had

become Arian.” ~ St. Jerome

The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed

• Second Ecumenical Council of Constantinople (381).

Differences Between the NC and N Creed

• 2nd section = the Son. • 3rd section = the Holy

Spirit• last section = Church,

Baptism, forgiveness of sins, and the Resurrection.

• “from the substance of the Father” is absent in the later Creed.

Apollinarianism (360-381)

• Apollinaris refused to accept the Church’s Authority

Apollinarianism (360-381)

• Christ had a human body

• Denied that Christ had a human mind and will

• Christ did not live a COMPLETE human life as a man

• Word of God replaced rational soul

ApollinarianismThe final Overview

• What: Apollinarianism

• Who: Apollinaris

• When: 360-381

• Where: Syria (Eastern Roman Empire)

• Central Belief: Denied existence of human mind and will in Christ

• View of Christ: Christ did not live a complete human life

Nestorianism (351-451)

• Christ was the unity of a Divine person and a full human person.

• Mary = Christotokos “the bearer of Christ”

Nestorianism: the final Overview

• What: Nestorianism

• Who: Nestorius

• When: 351 – 451

• Where: Antiochene

• Central Belief: Christ human and divine, but not fully human/divine

• View of Christ: Ditto.

Monophysitism (400s-600s)

• Reaction to Nestorianism

• Christ = ONE nature (Divine)

Monophysitism: The Final Overview

• What: Monophysitism

• When: 400s – 600s

• Where: Alexandrian School

• Who: ? Unknown

• Central Belief: Christ did not have two natures – only Divine nature existed

• View of Christ: Human nature absorbed by the Divine nature

Monothelitism

• Response to Monophysitism

• Emperor Heraclius/Patriarch Sergius

• Pope Honorius: “one will”

Monothelitism: The Final Overview

• What: Monothelitism

• Who: Emperor Heraclius

• When: 600s

• Where: Constantinople/ Eastern Roman Empire

• Central Belief: Christ had only One will. But two natures

• View of Christ: Ditto.

Donastism (311-411)Sacramental Heresy

• Sacraments are invalid: 1. Priest/Bishop formally rejected the Faith2. Priest/Bishop in state of sin

Donastism

• Christ is the only true administrator of the Sacraments(Augustine)

Donastism: The Final Overview

• What: Donastism

• Who: ? (those who rejected the ordination of Bishop Caecillan )

• Where: Carthage (Roman Empire)

• When: (311-411)

• Central Belief: Sacraments are invalid if done by a lapsed priest or Bishop

• View of Christ: Jesus was human and Divine (Orthodox)

Pelagianism (late 300s-431):Dogmatic Heresy

• Man can be redeemed and sanctified without grace

• No Original Sin • Sacraments are

unnecessary

Pelagianism: The final Overview

• What: Pelagianism

• Who: Pelagius

• Where: Roman Empire

• When: 300s - 431

• Central Belief: Sacraments are unnecessary; Graces can be achieved by own human efforts

• View of Christ: Orthodox