History Events Flashcards
Council of Nicea
- The council of Nicea was concerned primarily with the nature of the second person of the trinity—
Jesus Christ. Arius asserted that Christ was not eternally generated from the Father, but created from the
non-existent. Athanasius and his followers asserted that Christ was eternally begotten of the father. The semi-Arians
argued that Christ was homoiousios (“of similar
Council of Chalcedon
- The Christological council. Christ is one person, with two natures.
The Council of Chalcedon dealt with the heresies of Nestorianism and Eutychianism. The Eutychians
taught that Christ possessed two natures in one person, and that each performs its own function. The
Council asserted that the redemption of fallen humans required a mediator who was human and divine,
passible and impassible, mortal and immortal, and that Jesus Christ permanently assumed human nature.
Significantly the Council asserted that properties of both Christ’s human and divine natures can be
attributed to one person, that the suffering “I” ; of the God-man can be regarded as truly, really infinite,
yet the divine nature remained impassible, that divinity and not humanity is the root and basis of Christ’ s
personality, and that the logos did not unite with a distinct human individual, but with a human nature.
Reformation
Sola Scripture: Scripture alone. Sola Fide: Faith alone. Sola Gratia: Grace alone. Sola Christos: Christ alone. Soli Deo Gloria: To God alone be the glory
- We may use this as a date for the Reformation since the beginning of the Reformation is
traditionally tied to Luther’s nailing of his Ninety-five theses to the door at Wittenburg. This was the
culmination of a developing movement to reform the Catholic Church from it medieval laxity. Above all
it was a time of spiritual renewal in which God graciously intervened to return his gospel to the center
stage of human history.
Counter-Reformation
1534-1563 (1540’5). The Counter-reformation was the Catholic response to the Reformation in which
many of the abuses of the Catholic church were corrected, and traditional Catholic doctrine was
resoundingly re-affirmed. This formulated in the articles of the Council of Trent, a council which was
held to combat the spread of Protestantism. Affirmed that Church/tradition were on par with Scripture,
sacraments and transubstantiation, and justification is faith plus works.
Heidelberg Catechism
- Written by Olevianus and Ursinus this beautiful work has the form of a catechism, but the content
of a confession. Held by the Continental Reformed Church (European-German, Dutch). Many say the
Heidelberg Catechism has a more personal feel than the Westminster Confession
Belgic Confession
- Written by Guido de Bres this confession is one of the three standards of the Dutch Reformed
Church. It draws heavily on the Gallican Confession.
Synod of Dort
- A convening of Reformed thinkers to answer the assertions of the Remonstrants. Although political
and other issues affecting the Dutch church were raised at this Synod, its primary business was answering
the five points of Arminianism. Their response is what we today know as TULIP, or the five points of
Calvinism.
Westminster Assembly
1643-1652. The Westminster Assembly was a gathering of eminent Puritan divines, assembled by the
British Parliament in 1643 with the charge of producing a Confession of Faith to unite the United
Kingdom ecclesiastically. The assembly sat from 1643-1652, during which time it handled ecclesiastical
concerns such as the ordination of ministers, trial of heretics, etc. its most enduring work is the
Confession of Faith, and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms. These would become the standard of faith
and practice for the Presbyterian, Congregational and Regular Baptist churches in Scotland, England and
America. The Confession and Catechisms were borne out of Scotch and English Calvinism, and were
structured upon the foundation of the “Irish Articles of Faith” of 1615.
Pietism
1600’s. Primarily based in Germany, it was a movement against dead orthodoxy in the
Lutheran Church. The common emphasis was on individual conversion and living orthodoxy that lead to
a changed life. The duo of Spener and Franke at the Halle began the movement which was later carried by
Zinzendorf and the Moravians. The movement played a large influence in the development of the modern
missionary movement.
Emphases:
- Individual experience over theology
- New birth
- Spiritual discipline
- Lay involvement in the church
- Renewal preaching
- Love for all people.
Great Awakening(s)
First Great Awakening: 1741-1745. The Great Awakening was a remarkable outpouring of
the Holy Spirit that swept through New England colonies. Through the Reformed preaching of George
Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards, thousands were truly converted to Christ. There were however, many
instances of abuse that accompanied the outpouring prompting the able mind of Edwards to defend the
true nature of the Awakening in such works as ‘‘Distinguishing Marks” and “Treatise on the Religious
Affections.” Tennet: “Danger of an unconverted ministry .”
Second Great Awakening 1800-1825. After the First Great Awakening steady religious decline brought
the country to a new religious low by the 1800’s. Unlike the First Great Awakening this revival went in to
the frontier as well. It was also characterized by a longer duration and more fervor than concern for theology. This awakening led to significant church growth, improvement of morals and national life,
checking of the growth of Deism, growth of missions, and social reform movements. It left a permanent
mark on the American evangelical scene with its revivalistic emphasis and Arminian theology
Old Side/ New Side
This was the controversy over the Great Awakening. The New Side was pro-revival and staunchly
Calvinistic. Included in the New Side ranks were Edwards, Tennet, and Whitefield. The Old Side were
Anti-Revival. Many were Arminian, Unitarian or Universalist. The most famous Old Side adherent was
Charles Chaucy.
Old School/New School
- This was the controversy over the Second Great Awakening. There was an effort to create a
cooperative plan for reaching the frontier out of which emerged a debate over seeming doctrinal
indifference. The Old School were strict subscriptionists, and skeptical about the excesses of the Cane
Ridge revivals and the New Measures of Finny. The New School was, at best, lax subscriptionists, and
often Arminian or rationalists. This controversy would split the Presbyterian Church into two
denominations in 1837, a division that would last until the reunification–only to split again along NorthSouth line in the Civil War Era.
Auburn Affirmation
- Issued by a group of Presbyterians meeting in Auburn, New York this was designed to safeguard
the unity and liberty of the Presbyterian Church. The affirmation was intended to display tolerance, but
became a marker on the battle field between conservative and liberals in the church.
The Affirmation
denied the need of ordained Ministers to commit to the five essentials: - Inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture;
- The virgin birth;
- Substitutionary atonement
- Christ real and historical resurrection
- Jesus working of miracles
Scholasticism
The system and method of learning for philosophy and theology during the medieval period as developed in
European university contexts. It relied on philosophical methods and the use of reason to make clear divisions and
distinctions within a body of knowledge. The system flourished from the 11 th-14th centuries. Some notable
scholastics include: Thomas Aquinas, Peter Abelard, Anselm of Canterbury, Peter Lombard and Duns Scotus.
Babylonian Captivity
Also known as the Avignon schism. Period in the 14th century when popes lived in Avignon,
France, due to the political situation. The term, which referred to the Jews’ captivity in Babylon
(586 BC), was used by Luther in the 16th century to describe the Roman Catholic Church’s
“captivity” to the papacy and need for gospel liberation.
