Week One: early church 100-500 Flashcards
Around which year did roman authorities realise there was a new secret society at the heart of the city?
60
what were the rumoured names of the figure the new secret sect was based upon?
‘chrestus’ ‘Christus’
when was the great fire that swept through Rome during the reign of Nero?
64
who was blamed for the great fire in Rome
the new mysterious religion
why did Rome blame christians for the fire of Rome?
to cover up their own failings for the fire and its aftermath
why was historian Tacitus (56-117) significant?
he gave the secret group the name ‘christians’ after giving an account of the fire which happened 50 years earlier
where did the name ‘christians’ come from?
Tacitus gave it to the new religious cult in Rome. based of of the name Christus. a man who had been executed by Polonius pilate. ‘pernicious superstition’ had found its way to Rome.
where did pernicious superstition spread from and too?
Judea to Rome
what happened to those who pleaded guilty for their association with the group/ fire?
arrested, immense conviction, not for the crime of the fire tho, more for hating humanity.
wha did the Christ’s group pose a threat to?
the cult of the emperor worship
how did christianity appear in the contest of judaism?
as a reform movement
how did early christians refer to each other?
as ‘disciples’ or ‘saints’
who used the term ‘christians’
outsiders used it to refer to people who followed Jesus of Nazareth
what was the form of the early Christian movement?
diverse, not well defined, no clear authority or defined belief system
what is the ‘patristic period’?
c.100-451 a time when christianity began to expand rapidly throughout the Mediterranean and beyond
originally, what position did christianity take in regards to judaism?
they saw themselves as continuous with Judaism
which God did christians worship?
the same God worshipped by patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
what does the name Jesus Christ mean?
Jesus who is the christ
what is the title ‘Christ’ a demonstration of?
the hope for a new messiah to save the people of Israel
what does messiah mean?
the anointed one
what demonstrates Christianity’s continuity with Judaism?
Judaism emphasises the following of the law (Torah) and Jesus emphasises that he did not come to abolish the law but to fulfil it (Matt 5:17)
generally what texts did early christians read?
the same as jews: Law, Prophets and Writings.
who thought there should be no ties with Judaism?
Marcion of Sinope
what was different about the way jews and christians read their text?
they interpreted the same text differently
what 2 things did the New Testament emphasise?
Old Testament prophesies were fulfilled by the life and death of Jesus Christ and christianity brings judaism into fulfilment.
what is a central question in Paul’s letters?
whether christians should still be circumcised
who favoured circumcision
those who were still loyal to jewish law, those who emphasised the continuation between jews and christians
which thought prevailed in regards to circumcision?
christians were no longer subject to cultic laws of Judaism