midterms

Question 1

describe and explain the events of pentecost

Answer 1

right after jesus ascended, the apostles had a feast. suddenly, they heard and felt wind. they were able to speak in tongues of fire, and went outside, preaching in their respective languages.

Question 2

explain peter’s role in the early community

Answer 2

peter was the leader of the 12 apostles, and later became the first pope. he healed many people in the name of jesus and was able to convert many to christianity.

Question 3

explain who stephen was and the factors contributing to his martyrdom

Answer 3

stephen was the first martyr of the christian church. he was a deacon in the early church in jerusalem. he was stoned to death after defending his faith before the rabbinic court, enraging his jewish audience. specifically, he accused them of murdering jesus, therefore god. contributing factors to his martyrdom include being christian, prophesizing, and being a priest.

Question 4

explain paul’s conversion and why he is uniquely qualified to be “the apostle to the gentiles”

Answer 4

paul’s conversion is the most interesting and famous conversion story. he essentially dedicated his life to persecuting christians. one day, he decided to go to damascus and persecute christians there. on his way to damascus, he was blinded by a bright white light, and heard a voice call down to him saying “saul, saul, why are you persecuting me?” he later went to damascus, where he converted, got baptized, and became an apostle of jesus. he is uniquely qualified because he is a roman citizen, so his punishments for being a christian would be less. this also let him have a classical education, allowing him to use different metaphors and stories the gentiles would understand.

Question 5

explain the vision peter had before going to cornelius’s house and the meaning of this vision.

Answer 5

peter had a vision of a cloth coming down from heaven with animals on it. it means that god deems anything he makes clean, meaning they can eat animals now.

Question 6

explain paul’s teaching of the law as our custodian

Answer 6

one of paul’s most recognized teachings to the gentiles was referring the law as our custodian. it was very common for roman citizens to have custodians, which were people who led roman children to adulthood, giving them lessons on financial matters. they were normally there so the children could inherent family businesses. the law is the teachings of the church and the teachings of jesus. the law is the custodian, raising us and teaching us how to act before jesus second coming.

Question 7

explain why paul was such a successful missionary.

Answer 7

he had a roman citizenship and education, giving him the ability to relate to roman citizens.

Question 8

explain what a catholic epistle is and who wrote them

Answer 8

catholic epistles are 5 letters written by jude, john, james, and peter. they are essentially considered conversations.

Question 9

explain our call to holiness and how this applies to the 21st century.

Answer 9

the universal call to holiness is a teaching of the church that everyone is called to be holy by god. this especially applies to the 21st century because many people are not following the call to holiness, therefore not making the world a better, holier place.

Question 10

explain why the early christians were persecuted by both the jewish and roman leaders.

Answer 10

the early christians were persecuted by the jewish leaders because they believed the christians were believing a false god, and felt they were being told they were wrong. roman leaders, especially nero, persecuted christians because they felt threatened by christians.

Question 11

explain the role of martyrs in the early community.

Answer 11

martyrs showed people that christianity meant so much to them, and jesus meant to them so much that it was worth dying for. by martyrs dying, and showing their devotion to the faith, many converted.

Question 12

explain the historical setting of the book of revelation

Answer 12

the book of revelation was written by the assumption that the reader read the entire old testament, especially genesis. it references stories such as adam and eve, noah’s ark, and many more.

Question 13

explain how the revelation is connected to the old testament and the structure of revelation

Answer 13

revelation is connected to the old testament by referencing stories such as adam and eve, noah’s ark, cain and abel, moses parting the red sea, and more.

Question 14

Explain John’s vision of the New Jerusalem and how it is connected to Genesis.

Answer 14

john said that he saw a new jerusalem come down from heaven. this is connected to genesis because the new jerusalem is the garden from the story of adam and eve.

Question 15

Explain what the “last things” are and why we should be concerned about death.

Answer 15

the four last things are death, heaven, hell, and purgatory. we should not be concerned about death because it simply leads us to the rest of our life, hopefully with god. if we have been good people, following god, we should not be afraid of death, but welcome it.

Question 16

Explain the teaching of Arius and why it is a heresy.

Answer 16

arius taught that Jesus Christ was divine/holy and was sent to earth for the salvation of mankind but that Jesus was not equal to God and that God and Jesus were not equal to the Holy Spirit. it is a heresy because it goes against the church’s teachings and is wrong.

Question 17

Explain how Constantine came to power and how he Christianized the Empire.

Answer 17

it was suddenly acceptable to be christian after constantine came to power. constantine issued the edict of milan, giving tolerance to christainity. christians no longer had to live in fear. constantine eventually converted to christianity.

Question 18

Explain the changes to Christianity after Constantine became emperor.

Answer 18

Constantine took over the role of patron of the Christian faith. He supported the Church financially, had an extraordinary number of basilicas built, granted privileges (e.g., exemption from certain taxes) to clergy, promoted Christians to high-ranking offices, returned property confiscated during the Great Persecution of Diocletian, and endowed the church with land and other wealth.

Question 19

Explain the teaching of Arius and why it is a heresy.

Answer 19

arius taught that Jesus Christ was divine/holy and was sent to earth for the salvation of mankind but that Jesus was not equal to God and that God and Jesus were not equal to the Holy Spirit. it is a heresy because it goes against the church’s teachings and is wrong.

Question 20

explain why we must bury our bodies

Answer 20

it is said that after the second coming, we will need our bodies again. therefore, we can not destruct them by cremating them.

Question 21

explain the teachings of nestorius and why it was a heresy

Answer 21

Nestorius claimed that Mary did not in fact give birth to God, but rather to a human person, namely, Christ, who was somehow united to God. Therefore, the Virgin did not deserve the traditional title of ‘Theotokos‘, but rather the more lowly title, if you will, of ‘Christotokos‘. For how, in heaven’s name, could the eternal and infinite God be born of a woman?

Question 22

explain the teachings of cyril

Answer 22

cyril said to name her theotokos because she gave birth to god. however, this implies that god is human, and that she is a goddess.

Question 23

why was the council of ephesus held and what were the results

Answer 23

the council of ephesus was held to attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all of christian society, gave more details in the original Nicene Creed, and condemned the teachings of Nestorius

Question 24

explain the teachings of the monophysites and why it is a heresy

Answer 24

Monophysites were ones who believed that Jesus Christ’s nature remains altogether divine and not human even though he has taken on an earthly and human body with its cycle of birth, life, and death. Monophysitism asserted that the person of Jesus Christ has only one, divine nature rather than the two natures, divine and human. it is a heresy because the church states that jesus was both fully divine and fully human, and monophysites went against this.

Question 25

explain why the council of chalcedon is held, what was discussed, and the result of the council of chalcedon

Answer 25

the council of chalcedon was held to assert the doctrine / heresy taught by the monophysites. monophysitism was condemned by the church at the council of chalcedon. they stated jesus does, in fact, have two natures.

Question 26

explain how martyrdom was replaced by monasticism

Answer 26

monasticism was replaced by martyrdom because martyrdom was used to become closer to christ and imitate him. monasticism was a simple replacement that did not get anyone killed, and gave people a chance to get closer to god.

Question 27

theotokos

Answer 27

god bearer

Question 28

christotokos

Answer 28

christ bearer

Question 29

describe the story of st. anthony of the desert

Answer 29

anthony was born in 251. When he was about 18 years old, his parents died and left him with the care of his unmarried sister. Hearing at Mass the words, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor,” he gave away all his vast possessions, staying only to see that his sister’s education was completed, and retired into the desert. He then begged an aged hermit to teach him the spiritual life, and he also visited various solitaries, undertaking to copy the principal virtue of each. To serve God more perfectly, Anthony walled himself in a ruin, building up the door so that none could enter. Here the devils assaulted him furiously, appearing as various monsters, and even wounding him severely; but his courage never failed, and he overcame them all by confidence in God and by the sign of the cross. One night, while Anthony was in his solitude, many devils scourged him so terribly that he lay as if dead. A friend found him in this condition, and believing him dead carried him home. But when Anthony came to himself he persuaded his friend to take him back, in spite of his wounds, to his solitude. Here, prostrate from weakness, he defied the devils, saying, “I fear you not; you cannot separate me from the love of Christ.” After more vain assaults, the devils fled, and Christ appeared to Anthony in His glory. St. Anthony’s only food was bread and water, which he never tasted before sunset, and sometimes only once in two, three, or four days. He wore sackcloth and sheepskin, and he often knelt in prayer from sunset to sunrise. His ad­mirers became so many and so insistent that he was eventually per­suaded to found two monasteries for them and to give them a rule of life. These were the first monasteries ever to be founded, and Saint Anthony is, therefore, the father of all monks who live a common life.

Question 30

explain how monasteries and religious order grew out of a desire to imitate st. anthony

Answer 30

monasteries grew so people could become monastics, to imitate st. anthony. religious orders grew for the same reasons.

Question 31

explain what the rule of st. benedict is and how it influences other monastic orders

Answer 31

the rule of st. benedict is is a book of precepts written in 516 by st. benedict for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. it influences other monastic orders because it encourages them to be more perfect, and follow in his steps. he is considered one of the desert fathers, so they would eagerly follow him.

Question 32

explain the role of monasteries in preserving and continuing western civilization

Answer 32

Those were the centuries of cultural retrogression, the centuries of the Barbarian invasions in Italy and elsewhere which effectively wrecked Roman civilization as we know it. Those invasions destroyed cities, monasteries, libraries, schools, institutions such as law, government, you name. It was in fact the Church that stepped in the vacuum and maintained a modicum of order within a crumbling civilization. By the establishment of Western monasticism by St. Benedict of Nursia at Montecassino Italy (some fifty miles south of Rome) in 529 AD. St. Benedict’s immediate intention was not to do great deeds for European civilization, but that was the result. At its height the Benedictine order boasted 37,000 monasteries throughout Europe.

Question 33

explain what happens to the leadership of the western empire once there is no more claim to emperor

Answer 33

with the church’s fixing the western empire, the pope assumes the role.

Question 34

explain why the bishop of rome welcomes the conversion of clovis

Answer 34

clovis’ adoption of Catholicism led to widespread conversion among the Frankish peoples, to religious unification across what is now modern-day France, Belgium and Germany, and three centuries later to Charlemagne’s alliance with the Bishop of Rome and in the middle of the 10th century under Otto I the Great to the consequent birth of the early Holy Roman Empire.

Question 35

explain the importance of charlemagne’s crowning as emperor

Answer 35

In his role as a zealous defender of Christianity, Charlemagne gave money and land to the Christian church and protected the popes. As a way to acknowledge Charlemagne’s power and reinforce his relationship with the church, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor of the Romans

Question 36

explain the cultural and religious factors that resulted in the great schism

Answer 36

By the beginning of the sixth century, the Western Roman Empire was being overrun by the barbarians while the Eastern Roman Empire continued to do well. Language also caused the two halves to slowly drift apart. The main language in the West was Latin but the main language in the East was Greek. The two parts of the Church began to separate. They had different views on religion. the nicene creed was one of the disagreements. The opening statement which read, “We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father,” was changed by the Roman church so that the sentence read, “We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.” The Roman Catholic Church had added the words “and the Son.” The Eastern Orthodox Church disagreed with this addition and called it non-canonical.

Question 37

Explain the events of the mutual excommunication of 1054 and when the definitive split between East and West occurred.

Answer 37

On July 16, 1054, Patriarch of Constantinople Michael Cerularius was excommunicated from the Christian church based in Rome, Italy. This excommunication severed the largest faction of Christianity, called Chalcedonian Christianity.

Question 38

Explain how the rise of feudalism affects the Church and her role in Western society.

Answer 38

Although church and state were separate at the beginning of feudalism, as time went on, both tried to penetrate into the other. Many churches were becoming large lords, owning large estates, many vassals and serfs. They also influenced and regulated society through controlling marriages, divorces, and abortion.

Question 39

Explain the reforms of Pope Leo IX

Answer 39

Leo IX’s aim was the eradication of what he saw as the chief evils of the time—that is, concubinage (clerical marriage), simony (buying and selling of ecclesiastical offices), and lay investiture (conferment of an ecclesiastical office by a lay ruler).

Question 40

Explain the reforms of Gregory VII.

Answer 40

gregory vii’s reforms dealt with matters such the moral integrity and independence of the clergy.

Question 41

Explain what begins the emergence of scholasticism in the West.

Answer 41

The first significant renewal of learning in the West came with Charlemagne, advised by Peter of Pisa and Alcuin of York. They attracted the scholars of England and Ireland. He established schools in every abbey (the building or buildings occupied by a community of monks or nuns in his empire)

Question 42

describe the development of universities and their basic curriculum

Answer 42

university systems and their curriculum come from scholasticism, from the monks and their teachings. The first true university, that is an institution called as such, was founded in Bologna, Italy in 1088. Many historians state that universities and cathedral schools were a continuation of the interest in learning promoted by The residence of a religious community.