Sacramental Life of the Church Flashcards
What are the two ways?
One of Life
One of Death
What four professions are prohibited for Christians in Chapter 3?
Augur
Enchanter
Astrologer
Magician
According to the author, are Christians allowed to eat meat sacrificed to idols?
No, it is involved in the worship of dead gods
According to the author what are the three steps that should be taken when baptizing someone?
1-Review all these things
2-Fast beforehand
3-Baptize in running water
If not running other water
If not enough water pour over the head 3 times
When should Christians fast? Why?
Wednesday and Friday | Those who fast on Monday and Thursday are hypocrites
What is unique about the Lord’s Prayer as listed in the Didache?
Who can partake of the Eucharist?
Only those baptized in the name of the Lord
What does the Didache say about what to do on the “Lord’s own day.” What three things take place on that day? What should a Christian that has a quarrel with another do? What phrase does the author use to refer to the Eucharist?
3 things take place | Gather together, break bread, give thanks
Quarreling | reconcile before joining together so that the sacrifice is not defiled
Eucharist | Pure Sacrifice
What four positions of ministry are mentioned in the Didache?
Bishop, Deacons, prophets, teachers
According to Ferguson, what three groups of people were not even considered for membership in the Church during this period? Which groups were required to quit their jobs before they could be baptized?
- Prostitutes, sodomites, and magicians were not considered
- Brothel keepers, actors in the pagan theatre, charioteers, gladiators, officials who put on the public games, pagan priests, military officers, and magistrates had to quit their jobs first
- Sculptors and painters must not make idols or they were rejected
- Pagan educators who had no other job could continue to teach paganism
- Soldiers should not kill or say a military oath
- Men with concubines must legally marry; the concubines must stay faithful
What was the preffered day for baptism and what did catechumens do to prepare?
Easter Sunday
Catechumens spent the days before participating in fasting, prayer, confession of sin, attendance at scripture reading and instruction, and receiving exorcism of demons.
Who is the first author to mention a “triple immersion” during baptism?
Tertuillian, but appears also to be the general custom and remains the practice in the Eastern Orthodox churches
What verse was central to the common belief in the early Church that baptism was required in order to enter heaven?
• John 3:5 - • Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.”
In the early 2nd c., where did Christians meet for worship? On what day and at what time of day?
Sunday before sunrise, and again in the evening for a meal
Took place in the homes of more well-to-do members
Justin Martyr gives us our “earliest explicit account of activities in the Sunday assembly.” What does he say took place when Christians assembled?
Readings from the memoirs of apostles or writings of the prophets, a sermon based on the readings, prayer, the eucharist, and a voluntary contribution for those in need
According to Apostolic Tradition 17, how long should a catechumen receive
teaching before he/she is brought into church membership?
3 years
According to Apostolic Tradition 21, when were the two times that a baptizee was anointed with oil (and what were the called)?
Before baptism – oil of excorcism
After baptism – oil of thanksgiving
In Apostolic Tradition 21, when were catechumens taught about the meaning of the bread and the cup of communion?
After baptism
What part of the service were catechumens allowed to attend? What part were they not allowed to attend?
Allowed to remain for Scripture readings and sermon
Dismissed before the eucharist
What does the term sacrament derive from? What does it mean? What was the word that the Greek speaking church used?
Latin - Sacramentum – an oath
Greek – musterion - mystery
By the fourth century, how many acts had sacramental significance? What were they?
Three acts
Baptism
Eucharist
Chrism
According to Ferguson, the idea of “penitence” as a church discipline was well developed by the end of the 2nd c. What were the five classes of Penitents that Gregory Thamaturgus described in his Canonical Epistle? (In EAST)
Mourners – stayed outside and asked the faithful to pray for them
Hearers of the word – could hear Scriptures and preaching from door
Kneelers – within assembly room, but dismissed
Bystanders – associated with faithful but did not commune
Restored – shared in communion
According to Ferguson, after baptism, how many times were Christians in the early Church allowed to go through the process of penance in order to be restored to the Church community?
One time
What are two fourth century documents that describe baptismal practice? Identify which one was written by an author with orthodox sympathies, and which one seems to have more Arian sympathies.
The Catechetical Lectures – “orthodox” 348 CE by Cyril
The Apostolic Constitutions – “Arian” late 4th century in Syria or Asia Minor
According to Apostolic Tradition 21, when were the two times that a baptizee was anointed with oil (and what were the called)?
1 - if he declares the saying (I renounce you Satan..)before he enters the baptismal pool (oil of exorcism)
2 - When he comes out of the water of baptism (oil of thanks giving this time)
After their “second Birth” the bishop pours oil of thanksgiving on his hands and anoints them with the holy oil of god the almighty
According to Ferguson, what are three aspects of Christian practice that derived from Old Testament concepts?
A priestly understanding of ministry
a sacrificial understanding of worship
the view of the church building as a holy temple
What were the Greek and Latin terms used for catechumens who were in immediate preparation for baptism?
Greek: “photizomenoi” meaning “those being enlightened”
Latin: “competentes” meaning “candidates”
Concerning the anointing of oil either before or after baptism, what was the difference between what Cyril’s church in Jerusalem and the Syrian church in Antioch thought that it represented? Because of their differing understandings, which church gave the anointing of oil before baptism, and which one gave it afterward?
Cyril: anointed after baptism to represent anointing of Jesus by the Holy Spirit at his baptism
Syrian: anointed before as a symbol of reception of the Holy Spirit
According to Ferguson, what are the 13 parts of the liturgy that Cyril describes in his Catechetical Lecture 23 and Mystagogical Catecheses?
- Washing of presbyters hands (Lavabo)
- Kiss of Peace at invitation of Deacon
- Sursum Corda “Lift up your hearts”
- Prayer of Thanksgiving
- Singing of Sanctus “Holy, Holy, Holy…”
- Epiclesis call on God to send HS on bread and wine
- Great Intercession
- Lord’s Prayer
- Invitation to Communion
- Psalm 34 v. 8 and 11
- Bread and Cup received
- Thanksgiving
- Benediction
When did a systematic theology of penance develop into a sacrament?
12th Century
In what ways did the Medieval idea of penance differ from its Patristic predecessor?
Changed from being public and non-repeatable to becoming private and repeatable, and from being a punishment to becoming a positive part of the religious life
Explain the term “catechumen”
Means “time of being instructed” and was a time for moral training in which leaders of the church would determine if you had the morality necessary to become part of the church, originally this time period was three years (before the rush on Christianity)
