EDWARD'S LECTURE NOTES:
More notes at http://tanguay.info/learntracker
C O U R S E
Christianity: From Persecuted Faith to Global Religion (200-1650)
Bruce Gordon, Yale University
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C O U R S E L E C T U R E The Great Church (180-313) Notes taken on March 7, 2017 by Edward Tanguay |
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The Great Church (180-313)
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a body of Christians living mostly in cities but also in rural areas
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North Africa
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Asia Minor
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Armenia
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Mesopotamia
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remained a minority in a hostile world
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languages spoke
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Latin
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Greek
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Syriac (dialect of Middle Aramaic)
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Coptic (the latest stage of the Egyptian language, spoken in Egypt until the 17th century)
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forms of worship varied enormously
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some with bishops and presbyters
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both men and women were deacons
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new members of the faith were taught the essentials through catechisms before baptized
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by the third century, Christians had grown up in the faith alongside those who had converted
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forms of worship
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hymns
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prayers
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reading of sacred texts
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the Eucharistic meal
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increasing associated with Christ's sacrifice on the cross
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formed the body of Christ
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there was not set of interpretations
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third century
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a sense of unity that extended beyond its graphical reach
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not complete unity
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a network of local churches stitched together by lines of communication and personal relationships
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the bishops of Rome was seen as the senior figure in the Church
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not yet an established hierarchy
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no agreement on the canon of the Bible
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bishops held considerable authority
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many local divisions
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the line between orthodoxy and heresy was not clear
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leaders of the church
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Tertullian of Carthage (155-240)
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prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa
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had to built churches
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the faith had to adapt to different cultures and philosophies and languages
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Roman Empire at this time stretched from Britain to Dura-Europos in Mesopotamia
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by early 3rd century it was in decline
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Christians sporadically suffered persecution
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Perpetua, died in Carthage in 203
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Origin (184-253)
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lost his father at this time
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Emperor Decius
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the Decian persecution resulted from an edict issued in 250 by the Emperor Decius ordering everyone in the Roman Empire to perform a sacrifice to the Roman gods and the well-being of the Emperor
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it was the first time that Christians had faced legislation forcing them to choose between their religious beliefs and death
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it may not have been specifically to target Christians, but more as an edict appears to have been designed more as an Empire-wide loyalty oath
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lasted a year before the death of Decius
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Origin was tortured and died
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Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage
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executed following the renewal of persecution in 258 under Valerian
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Pope Sixtus II, bishop of Rome died during this time
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Diocletian
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most well-known period of persecution
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end of the 3rd century
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empire was in serious economic decline
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empire was divided into four sections and rulers
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failed to stop the decline
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persecutions were largely in the East where Christians were expected to sacrifice to the gods and to the emperor
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churches were destroyed
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property confiscated
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holy books handed over
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Christians were arrested
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severity of persecution was particular in North Africa
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third century
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Persian Christians were able to live in relative peace
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Christians were affected by the continuous war between the Persian Empire and Rome
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Christians in Persia spoke Syriac
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Persian Christians sent missionaries to both India and China
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around 200
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Christianity entered into what is now Afghanistan
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there seems to have been a link between the churches of Syria and India
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missionaries might have traveled the trade routes from Mesopotamia to India
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conversion of the Kingdom of Armenia
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the first conversion of a king and a royal household
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the Bible was translated into Armenian
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between the years 180-313, the Christian Church experienced a period of great growth but also a period of great persecution
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during this time, it was not a legal faith in either the Persian or the Roman Empire
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but this changed in Rome and the Roman Empire within a few decades