Early Christianity Flashcards
Birth of Jesus (Date)
c. 5 - 4 B.C.
Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection
c. A.D. 30 (case for A.D. 33 possible)
When the Edict of Milan was passed
A.D. 313
Edict guaranteeing religious freedom across the Roman Empire, especially Christians
Edict of Milan
A.D. 325
Council of Nicaea (first) articulates position on the essence of Jesus
A.D. 367
Athanasius outlines a statement on the NT canon
Heretical teaching that Jesus was not divine but merely an exceptional human being
Arianism
Theories against the Resurrection
Swoon/Semi-coma theory
Vision/Hallucination theory
Wrong tomb theory
Fraud theory
[Late 18th C.] School of thought claiming that Jesus never lived but was invented
“Christ-myth” School
Non-Christian/Pagan witness to the historicity of Jesus
Roman Annals by Cornelius Tacitus
“They got their name from Christ, who was executed by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius.”
Cornelius Tacitus in his Roman Annals
True or False: Had Jesus never existed, the Jews easily could have questioned his existence, but they never did.
True
Reasons for Roman persecution of Christians
- Viewed to be disloyal subjects of the Empire, treasonous
- Thought to be atheists
- Lifestyle charply contrasted Roman culture (particularly the upper class; Christians refused to go to the arena, theatres, or public baths)
Emperor of the first empire-wide persecution
Decius
Emperor of “The Great Persecution”
Diocletian
Issued the Edict of Milan
Constantine and Licinius
Made Christianity the Roman Empire’s state religion
Theodosius
Significant reason for the spread of Christianity
It appealed across all classes and genders of society, especially the downtrodden
Early Christians that sought to defend or explain Christianity
Apologists
Early Christians to attack heretical ideas
Polemicists
[Chief] defect found among church fathers
Sacerdotalism
Sacerdotalism
The power of the priest as an essential mediator between God and man
Signified the end of the “pilgrim church” era
Coucil of Nicaea
True or False: The bishops attended the Council of Nicaea, but Constantine was absent.
False; both were present
How many positions on Jesus’ deity were discussed at Nicaea?
3
Argued that Jesus was a created being at Nicaea
Arius
Argued that Jesus has the same essence as the Father at Nicaea
Athanasius
Argued a middle position on Jesus’ deity at Nicaea, that he was of similar essence to the Father
Eusebius of Caesarea
Representatives of the three Christological positions at Nicaea
Arius
Athanasius
Eusebius of Caesarea
Bishop of Milan; [put Theodosius I under] church discipline [for murdering thousands in Thessalonica]
Ambrose
Produced the Vulgate
Jerome
Authorized Catholic Bible
Vulgate
Language of the Vulgate
[Common] Latin
Apocrypha
14 books of the LXX not part of the OT; rejected as canonical by Protestants and Jews
Bishop of Hippo
Augustine
Emphasized God’s sovereign calling of the elect
Augustine
Developed a Christian philosophy of history
Augustine
Championed the Whole Tenor Principle
Augustine
[Whole Tenor Principle]
[no section of Scripture should be interpreted apart from the whole of Scripture; likewise, no teaching contrary to the general tenor of the Scriptures should be developed from any particular passage]
Monasticism
A way of life that emphasizes certain aspects: life in community, celibacy, poverty, worship
Asceticism
Practice of strict self-denial, adopted by monastics
Monk focused on poverty, chastity, and obedience
Benedict of Nursia
Positive element of monasticism
Monastic schools were the seat of learning/[knowledge] preservation
Negative aspect of monasticism
Developed false standards of holiness
