From Mediterranean to the World

Question 1

How are Ethiopians ‘unique among Christian nations’?

Answer 1

They alone adopted certain Jewish practices and gave ancient Israel a distinctive role in their national epic.

Question 2

What is the historical significance of King Ezana (320-56) of Ethiopia?

Answer 2

The introduction of Christianity to Ethiopia took place during his reign
First African King to embrace Christianity and adopt as religion of people
A letter to him confirms the presence of Frumentius

Question 3

The ‘conversion of Ethiopia follows a pattern that [marks] the Church’s mission in the centuries to come.’ How did the spread of Christianity during the 1st -3rd centuries differ from the way it was established in the 4th-11th (approx.) centuries?

Answer 3

In the 1st – 3rd century – grew from bottom up(people to ruler)
In the 4th – 11th century – grew from top down (king to people)

Question 4

How does the translation work of the Nine Saints illustrate the differing approaches to language by the missionaries in the East and the monks in the West?

Answer 4

In the East, they translated the Bible, liturgies and lives of the saints into the vernacular language
In the West, they kept everything in Latin, and taught the people Latin

Question 5

How was Ethiopia the ‘new Israel’?

Answer 5

Physically
They created a story by which they were descendants of Solomon and owners of the arc of the covenant

Question 6

To whose efforts does the traditional account date the conversion of the Armenian people?

Answer 6

Gregory the Illuminator

Question 7

What was the significance of the Tome of Proclus to the Christological position of Sahak, catholicos of the Armenians?

Answer 7

They turned away from the “two-nature” Christology
Accepting instead that of Cyril of Alexandria (Constantinople)
By aligning himself with the patriarch of Constantinople, Sahak brought down the wrath of Persian authorities on the Armenian Christians

Question 8

What was the significance of the city of Merv to the Christian mission?

Answer 8

t became the base for the mission to the Turkish tribes of the east and eventually China

Question 9

Contrast the perspective the Chinese authorities had toward Christianity in the 7th century to that of the 9th century.

Answer 9

Christian ideas were welcomed in the 7th century
Christian ideas were subservient to Buddhism in the 9th century

Question 10

Explain the Council of Calcedon.

Answer 10

Council of Calcedon 451

How do we understand the person of Christ? Is he both human and divine?

Alexandrian church voiced the opinion of ONE nature of Christ;

Church of Antioch advocated for two natures - fully human and fully divine;

Gathered the best letters and produced a compromise, which means no one was happy, in which it was stated that Christ clearly has two natures

Question 11

What was Gregory the Great’s approach to evangelism in Britain? Whu is it significant?

Answer 11

Incorporate religion into local customs.

The successA ugustine’a nd’ the ‘monks’ led’ to ‘disagreement’ within’ the’ English’
church’ about’ which ‘form’ of’ Christianity’–’Roman’or’Celtic’–’ should’ be ‘followed ‘in ‘
England.

Question 12

What was the council of Whitby?

Answer 12

Council called in 664 at joint monastary, led by Hilda to discuss whther to follow Celtic or Roman church

Decided in favor of the Roman church, which laid the foundation for a unified ecclesial structurein England under the bishop of Rome and in communion with thte churches of the continent

Question 13

After the Council of Chalcedon, what were the three distinct communions of Christianity?

Answer 13

Chalcedonians

Non-Chalcedonians (Copts)

Nestorians (Syriac-speaking)

Question 14

What were ‘the foundations for institutional structures’ laid by Patrick (c. 389-461) ‘that would allow the new faith to put down roots and flourish’?

Answer 14

He established monastaries and made provisions for teaching the Latin language, as Latin was foreign to the Irish and otherwise they couldn’t celebrate the church’s rituals or communicate with other churches

Question 15

Who was Augustine of Canterbury and when did he arrive in England?

Answer 15

Commissioned by Gregory to from Rome to GB; took a group of monks byut got as far as Francia when he turned back because the people were barbarians and didn’t speak their language; got aid and reached England in 597; there were already Christians in Kent bu it was his job to establish “Roman” Christianity

Question 16

What areas did Wynfrith/Boniface evangelize?

Answer 16

German-speaking people East of the Rhine

Question 17

Who were the two notable men (two Catholic monks and one Briton) in the early mission to Scotland?

Answer 17

Columba sailed to Iona and worked in the north; Ninian was a Briton who evangelized to the south

Question 18

Who was Columbanus and what was the new form of penance he introduced?

Answer 18

He wanted to “pilgrim for Christ” and left Ireland for Gaul to re-Christianize regions where it had once flourished; developed “private” penance which could be administerd by a priest, not only a bishop, and would only be known by family, friends and neighbors as opposed to the entire public – this personal compassionate way to deal with sin became characteristic of Western Christianity

Question 19

Who was Clovis and what was his historical significance with regard to Christianity (c. 466-511)?

Answer 19

Clovis was first among the Frankish Kings to embrace Catholic (Nicene) Christianity rather than the Arianism favored by Germanic peoples. The conversion of Clovis was the first step in the building of a new Christian society with the king as the head of the Christian people.

Question 20

Who was Ulfila (c. 311-83) and what was his historical significance?

Answer 20

Ulfila was “apostle to the Goths” who embraced Christianity in the 4th Centa the height of the Arian controversy, ordained by Arian bishop in Constantinople, and served beyond the Danube River; founded churches, ordained Bishops, and translated parts of the Bible into the Gothic language, because of this, Germanic peoples living on the borders of the empire adopted Arian or non-Nicene Christianity

Question 21

By whom was the Church in India founded and under whose influence and jurisdiction did it eventually come under (in the 3rd and 4th centuries)?

Answer 21

Thomas the Apostle; Apostle Bartholomew? P.244 Founded by the Greek-speaking Christians sailng from Roman Egypt; Taken over by Syriac-speaking Church in Persia

Question 22

What was the ‘effect’ of the murder of Proterius of Alexandria and the installation of Timothy (the Cat) as the rival Bishop of Alexandria?

Answer 22

Non-Chalcedonians creating a parallel church in the city and region

Question 23

What did the miaphysites stubbornly resist?

Answer 23

Two nature terminology

Question 24

Who was Shenoute?

Answer 24

Coptic speaking monk archimandrite (abbot or head) of an enormous monastery in upper Egypt.
Known as “the prophet”

Question 25

The ‘conversion of Ethiopia follows a pattern that [marks] the Church’s mission in the centuries to come.’ How did the spread of Christianity during the 1st -3rd centuries differ from the way it was established in the 4th-11th (approx.) centuries?

Answer 25

1-3 Centuries: Christianity spread slowly in the Roman world from the ground up- men & women through personal contacts [family, neighbors, & friends] learned of Christ, eventually asked to be catechumens and be baptized
4-7 Centuries Christianity was est. from the top down- king/queen was attracted to the faith (not always for spiritual reasons) & the king/queen would be baptized, followed by those they were over (often in masse) Conversion was a communal event

Question 26

What were the Judaic features present in Ethiopian Christianity that aren’t present in other Christian communions of the East?

Answer 26

Observe Saturday as a holy day- not only Sunday
Followed OT rules on cleanliness- esp. in sexual relations
Observe certain dietary laws
Circumcise male children on the 8th day

Question 27

What form of Christianity arose in Edessa? Was it similar to or different from Greek and Latin Christianity?

Answer 27

Semitic. Different

Question 28

Who ‘became the authoritative teacher for the Copts in Egypt’ and who ‘became the teacher par excellence of Syriac Christians in the Sasanid Empire’?

Answer 28

Cyril – authoritative teacher
Theodore – teacher par excellence

Question 29

The Church of the East ‘had a large vision of the Chirstian mission’; to where was ‘the new faith’ brought by Syriac-speaking Christians?

Answer 29

India, China, islands of the Indian Ocean (including Sri Lanka)

Question 30

To whose efforts does the traditional account date the conversion of the Armenian people?

Answer 30

Gregory (“the Illuminator”)

Question 31

What happened at the council in Dvin in 506 and what was its significance for the future of the Armenian Church?

Answer 31

24 of the 30 bishops in attendance joined with the Armenians in condemning Chalcedon.. Vakhtang I allied with Zeno & accepted the Henotikon. Led to separation from the Roamn empire.

Question 32

What was the significance of the city of Merv to the Christian mission? (p239)

Answer 32

Had a bishop in 5th century and became base for mission to Turkish tribes east of the Oxus River & eventually to china

Question 33

Who was ‘the driving force behind the mission to the East’? (p 239)

Answer 33

Timothy I