Midterm Exam Flashcards
Pharisees
c. 150 BC
Favor orthodoxy over orthopraxy and perfect spirituality. Believe in the resurrection of our souls.
Slightly contrasts 1st century Judaism bc of emphasis on orthodoxy instead of both that and orthopraxy.
Sadducees
c. 150 BC
Motivated by wealth, power, and strictly adhered to the Torah.
Contrasts Pharisees bc they do not believe in an immortal soul, contrasts Essenes bc they don’t believe in the sacredness of the Torah’s practices and they were known to accumulate wealth.
Sicarii
c. 50 AD
Believe that human life is worthless. Want the apocalypse to come faster, creates chaos and terror. The Sicarii intended to expel the Romans and their collaborators from Judaea, and resisted their rule.
Essenes
c. 170 BC
Big on asceticism, monastic life, and celibacy. Believed that humans are evil, hence celibacy.
Marcion
c. 85-160 AD
Heretic
Saw OT God and NT God as two distinct deities (God of the Flesh vs God of the Spirit. Creation is ultimately evil. We live in perpetual imbalance and torment bc of the call of the flesh and call of the spirit. Central for the
development of the New Testament, writings emerged as reactions
against him.
Athanasius of Alexandria
c. 290-373 AD
Orthodox
Battled against Marcion and Arianism.
Justin Martyr
c. 103-165
The First Apology. Jesus Christ is the incarnation of the Logos, which leads him to the proof that any individual who has spoken with reason, even those who lived before Christ, connected with the logos in the form of Christ, and is thus, in fact, a Christian.
Plato
Paideia
The part of upbringing and education that forms the soul of a human being. Was the heroic code of classical culture. Seen in Homeric literature as competition and honor. Idealized men in Greek culture. Christians insisted on restructuring it and teaching humility and self-sacrifice.
Origen
c. 200 AD
He was huge on the concept of Homoousia, which contrasted Arius who believed in Homoiousia. Also believed in universalism, and was excommunicated bc of this.
Homoousia
Consubstantial (of the same substance). Begotten, not made. Different from homoiousia (of like substance).
The Nicene Creed
325 AD
Originally formulated at the first Ecumenical Council in Nicea. Follows orthodox beliefs and establishes the idea of homoousia.
Paul
c. 5-67 AD
Was a Jew, probably a Pharisee, but experienced metanoia (conversion) in the 30s and went on the practically create ancient Christianity due to his many influential writings and letters. Depicted conversion as a result of a miracle, and made Christianity universally accessible.
Battle of Milvian Bridge
312 AD
Constantine vs. Maxentius
Constantine and his army saw Chi Rho in the clouds and interpreted it as a promise of victory. Constantine is alleged to have converted when he won the battle
Arius
Anthony
c. 251-356 AD
Anthony the Great is thought to be the first recorded Christian monk. Strongly opposed the ecclesiastical hierarchy, but his hagiography says otherwise due to being authored by a bishop (Athanasius). Was huge on asceticism, because he wanted to exercise the spirit rather than the body.
Asceticism
Severe self-discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgence. Abstinence, fasting, etc.
Eremitic Monasticism
Consists of total withdrawal from society in the desert, as well as the constant practice of mental prayer. This is what Anthony the Great is well known for.
Anchorite
A religious recluse
Stylites
An ascetic living on top of a pillar
Holy Fools
People who participate in foolish and unconventional behavior in pursuit of spiritual enlightenment.
Cenobitic Monasticism
Monastic tradition that stresses community life.
Lavra Monasticism
A type of monastery consisting of a cluster of cells or caves for hermits, with a church and sometimes a refectory at the center
Theotokos
Mary is the Theotokos, the one who gave birth to God.
Pentarchy
c. 451
The five patriarchies in the early church, consisting of Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem. The members of the Pentarchy all participated in some form in the first eight Ecumenical Councils, from 325 to 880. Originally, these patriarchates were located in important Roman cities that were significant for Christians for several reasons. First, the Christian community in each city was founded by one of the Twelve Apostles. Second, the cities contained large Christian communities led by a prominent bishop.
Monophysites/Miaphysites
c. 1st century
The belief that Jesus has only one nature, and it is only divine or only human but not both. Most say he only has the divine nature.
Dyophysites
Monothelitlism
Jesus has one will, and it is a divine will. This idea was not accepted at the 6th Ecumenical Council in favor of dyothelitism.
The Seventh Ecumenical Council
787 AD, Nicaea II
Attempted to resolve the Iconoclastic Controversy, initiated in 726 when Emperor Leo III issued a decree against the worship of icons (religious images of Christ and the saints).
Iconodules
slaves of icons
Iconoclasts
breakers of icons
Gregory of Nazianzus:
On Himself and the Bishops
4th century
Disillusioned experience in the overly
politicized world of church hierarchy, Gregory critiques the foolish criteria by which Christians choose their leaders.
Creed and Canons of Nicaea
325 AD
The creed introduces the term homoousios, “of the
same substance” to describe the relationship between God the Father and God the Son and underscoring that the Son was “begotten, not made” by the Father.
The canons combine concerns for clerical correctness with attempts to unify the practice of worship among all Christians. They also attempt to steer a middle path between moralistic rejection and lax accommodation of the “lapsed” Christians.
Canons of Hippolytus
c. 3rd century
Collection of church rules.
Arius: Letter to Alexander of Alexandria
c. 320 AD
Answers Alexander’s doctrine of divine unity with his own theology of distinction of the divine persons.
Athanasius: On the Incarnation
of the Word
c. 335 AD
In the first part of the treatise (not this one) he takes up the familiar themes of second- and third-century Christian apology: attacking the idolatry and mythology of the Greeks and the stubbornness and faithlessness of the Jews.
The second part of the treatise, On the Incarnation of the Word, reaches beyond this apologetic framework to give a detailed examination of the rationale behind the incarnation of the Son of God.
Athanasius: Life of Anthony
c. 356 AD
Athanasius recounts Antony’s temptations (food, money, sex), his struggles with the devil and demons, his performance of miracles (as a simple conduit for God), his confounding of (pagan) philosophers and heretics, and his moral instruction. Although Antony is praised as
a model of ascetic renunciation and monastic withdrawal and is presented as a model for all Christians: guided in all things by the Word of God; obedient in all matters to the wisdom of the bishops; resistant at all times to the wiles of the devil, pagans, and heretics.
Eusebius: The Life of Constantine
c. 3rd century
Contains elements of a typical imperial biography: the relation between Constantine’s upright character and the
economic, military, and political revitalization of the empire. It is also a religious history; the triumph of Christianity is part of Constantine’s own religious awakening
The Origin of Constantine
c. 330s
Highlights Constantine’s (perhaps bogus) relation to the third-century Emperor Claudius Gothicus (reign ca. 268-70 C.E.); he recounts the political career of Constantine’s father, Constantius; and he places great emphasis on Constantine’s military hardiness and sobriety
Origen: On First Principles
c. 220 AD
Represents the first major attempt
by a Christian intellectual to produce a systematic theology that provided much of the conceptual framework for subsequent theological reflection.
Justin: First Apology
c. 155 AD
Justin demands a fair hearing for Christians rather than summary condemnation; he attacks pagan idolatry and defends Christians against charges of atheism
and immorality, and he warns his readers about punishment in the afterlife for those who refuse to believe. Justin also argues that pagan philosophers who spoke the truth were inspired by the divine “logos”
The Infancy Gospel of Thomas
c. 1st century
Begins with Jesus as a five-year-old boy and relates a number of incidents, most of them miraculous, that betray a streak of the mischievous.
The Gospel of Thomas
c. 2nd century
114 “secret teachings” of Jesus. It includes no other material: no miracles, no passion narrative, no stories of any kind.
The Gospel of Matthew
c. 80 AD
Matthew’s accounts were drawn from written and oral sources. “Matthew” used these sources to create a distinctive portrayal of Jesus as a new Moses who provides the authoritative interpretation of the Jewish law. His followers are to adhere to this law in all its particulars, and to do so even better than the Jewish leaders, the scribes and Pharisees who throughout this Gospel are condemned as self-serving hypocrites.
c. 150 BC
Favor orthodoxy over orthopraxy and perfect spirituality. Believe in the resurrection of our souls.
Slightly contrasts 1st century Judaism bc of emphasis on orthodoxy instead of both that and orthopraxy.
Pharisees
c. 150 BC
Motivated by wealth, power, and strictly adhered to the Torah.
Contrasts Pharisees bc they do not believe in an immortal soul, contrasts Essenes bc they don’t believe in the sacredness of the Torah’s practices and they were known to accumulate wealth.
Sadducees
c. 50 AD
Believe that human life is worthless. Want the apocalypse to come faster, creates chaos and terror. The Sicarii intended to expel the Romans and their collaborators from Judaea, and resisted their rule.
Sicarii
c. 170 BC
Big on asceticism, monastic life, and celibacy. Believed that humans are evil, hence celibacy.
Essenes
c. 85-160 AD
Heretic
Saw OT God and NT God as two distinct deities (God of the Flesh vs God of the Spirit. Creation is ultimately evil. We live in perpetual imbalance and torment bc of the call of the flesh and call of the spirit. Central for the
development of the New Testament, writings emerged as reactions
against him.
Marcion
c. 290-373 AD
Orthodox
Battled against Marcion and Arianism.
Athanasius of Alexandria
c. 103-165
The First Apology. Jesus Christ is the incarnation of the Logos, which leads him to the proof that any individual who has spoken with reason, even those who lived before Christ, connected with the logos in the form of Christ, and is thus, in fact, a Christian.
Justin Martyr
Plato
The part of upbringing and education that forms the soul of a human being. Was the heroic code of classical culture. Seen in Homeric literature as competition and honor. Idealized men in Greek culture. Christians insisted on restructuring it and teaching humility and self-sacrifice.
Paideia
c. 200 AD
He was huge on the concept of Homoousia, which contrasted Arius who believed in Homoiousia. Also believed in universalism, and was excommunicated bc of this.
Origen
Consubstantial (of the same substance). Begotten, not made. Different from homoiousia (of like substance).
Homoousia
325 AD
Originally formulated at the first Ecumenical Council in Nicea. Follows orthodox beliefs and establishes the idea of homoousia.
The Nicene Creed
c. 5-67 AD
Was a Jew, probably a Pharisee, but experienced metanoia (conversion) in the 30s and went on the practically create ancient Christianity due to his many influential writings and letters. Depicted conversion as a result of a miracle, and made Christianity universally accessible.
Paul
312 AD
Constantine vs. Maxentius
Constantine and his army saw Chi Rho in the clouds and interpreted it as a promise of victory. Constantine is alleged to have converted when he won the battle
Battle of Milvian Bridge
Arius
c. 251-356 AD
Anthony the Great is thought to be the first recorded Christian monk. Strongly opposed the ecclesiastical hierarchy, but his hagiography says otherwise due to being authored by a bishop (Athanasius). Was huge on asceticism, because he wanted to exercise the spirit rather than the body.
Anthony
Severe self-discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgence. Abstinence, fasting, etc.
Asceticism
Consists of total withdrawal from society in the desert, as well as the constant practice of mental prayer. This is what Anthony the Great is well known for.
Eremitic Monasticism
A religious recluse
Anchorite
An ascetic living on top of a pillar
Stylites
People who participate in foolish and unconventional behavior in pursuit of spiritual enlightenment.
Holy Fools
Monastic tradition that stresses community life.
Cenobitic Monasticism
A type of monastery consisting of a cluster of cells or caves for hermits, with a church and sometimes a refectory at the center
Lavra Monasticism
Mary is the Theotokos, the one who gave birth to God.
Theotokos
c. 451
The five patriarchies in the early church, consisting of Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem. The members of the Pentarchy all participated in some form in the first eight Ecumenical Councils, from 325 to 880. Originally, these patriarchates were located in important Roman cities that were significant for Christians for several reasons. First, the Christian community in each city was founded by one of the Twelve Apostles. Second, the cities contained large Christian communities led by a prominent bishop.
Pentarchy
c. 1st century
The belief that Jesus has only one nature, and it is only divine or only human but not both. Most say he only has the divine nature.
Monophysites/Miaphysites
Dyophysites
Jesus has one will, and it is a divine will. This idea was not accepted at the 6th Ecumenical Council in favor of dyothelitism.
Monothelitlism
787 AD, Nicaea II
Attempted to resolve the Iconoclastic Controversy, initiated in 726 when Emperor Leo III issued a decree against the worship of icons (religious images of Christ and the saints).
The Seventh Ecumenical Council
slaves of icons
Iconodules
breakers of icons
Iconoclasts
4th century
Disillusioned experience in the overly
politicized world of church hierarchy, Gregory critiques the foolish criteria by which Christians choose their leaders.
Gregory of Nazianzus:
On Himself and the Bishops
325 AD
The creed introduces the term homoousios, “of the
same substance” to describe the relationship between God the Father and God the Son and underscoring that the Son was “begotten, not made” by the Father.
The canons combine concerns for clerical correctness with attempts to unify the practice of worship among all Christians. They also attempt to steer a middle path between moralistic rejection and lax accommodation of the “lapsed” Christians.
Creed and Canons of Nicaea
c. 3rd century
Collection of church rules.
Canons of Hippolytus
c. 320 AD
Answers Alexander’s doctrine of divine unity with his own theology of distinction of the divine persons.
Arius: Letter to Alexander of Alexandria
c. 335 AD
In the first part of the treatise (not this one) he takes up the familiar themes of second- and third-century Christian apology: attacking the idolatry and mythology of the Greeks and the stubbornness and faithlessness of the Jews.
The second part of the treatise, On the Incarnation of the Word, reaches beyond this apologetic framework to give a detailed examination of the rationale behind the incarnation of the Son of God.
Athanasius: On the Incarnation
of the Word
c. 356 AD
Athanasius recounts Antony’s temptations (food, money, sex), his struggles with the devil and demons, his performance of miracles (as a simple conduit for God), his confounding of (pagan) philosophers and heretics, and his moral instruction. Although Antony is praised as
a model of ascetic renunciation and monastic withdrawal and is presented as a model for all Christians: guided in all things by the Word of God; obedient in all matters to the wisdom of the bishops; resistant at all times to the wiles of the devil, pagans, and heretics.
Athanasius: Life of Anthony
c. 3rd century
Contains elements of a typical imperial biography: the relation between Constantine’s upright character and the
economic, military, and political revitalization of the empire. It is also a religious history; the triumph of Christianity is part of Constantine’s own religious awakening
Eusebius: The Life of Constantine
c. 330s
Highlights Constantine’s (perhaps bogus) relation to the third-century Emperor Claudius Gothicus (reign ca. 268-70 C.E.); he recounts the political career of Constantine’s father, Constantius; and he places great emphasis on Constantine’s military hardiness and sobriety
The Origin of Constantine
c. 220 AD
Represents the first major attempt
by a Christian intellectual to produce a systematic theology that provided much of the conceptual framework for subsequent theological reflection.
Origen: On First Principles
c. 155 AD
Justin demands a fair hearing for Christians rather than summary condemnation; he attacks pagan idolatry and defends Christians against charges of atheism
and immorality, and he warns his readers about punishment in the afterlife for those who refuse to believe. Justin also argues that pagan philosophers who spoke the truth were inspired by the divine “logos”
Justin: First Apology
c. 1st century
Begins with Jesus as a five-year-old boy and relates a number of incidents, most of them miraculous, that betray a streak of the mischievous.
The Infancy Gospel of Thomas
c. 2nd century
114 “secret teachings” of Jesus. It includes no other material: no miracles, no passion narrative, no stories of any kind.
The Gospel of Thomas
c. 80 AD
Matthew’s accounts were drawn from written and oral sources. “Matthew” used these sources to create a distinctive portrayal of Jesus as a new Moses who provides the authoritative interpretation of the Jewish law. His followers are to adhere to this law in all its particulars, and to do so even better than the Jewish leaders, the scribes and Pharisees who throughout this Gospel are condemned as self-serving hypocrites.
The Gospel of Matthew
