Inquiring Hearts and Wandering Minds: The History of the Church in 45 Minutes
Inquirers Class
St. Matthias
Sunday, June 16, 2019
I love the history of the Church - especially the Episcopal Church. You have great stories, great characters, and stuff happens that you just can't make up.
This map is pretty important for our discussion, so look at it closely.
After Jesus's death and resurrection, the Apostles set out to spread the Gospel message of the Savior. We know that St. Peter went to Britain and Gaul which included present-day France, Belgium, Luxemburg, and parts of the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany. Finally, Peter ended up in Rome where he died - crucified upside down.
Andrew went to Anatolia (Asia Minor) and Greece, St. John spent most of his time in Ephesus, Bartholomew went to Armenia, and others spread the Gospel in North Africa and Eastern Europe. Matthias, our patron saint, is credited with bringing the Good News to Ethiopia which is to the south of Egypt.
During the 2nd century, being a Christian was often hazardous to your health. Nero blamed the Christians for burning Rome even though we know he set the fire for political reasons. Roman emperors regularly carried out wholesale persecutions of Christians. Then in the year 312 AD, Emperor Constantine was converted by his mother and declared that Christianity was to be allowed and encouraged throughout the Roman Empire
As the Church grew and spread, 5 main cities became the centers of Christianity: Rome, Antioch, Alexandria, Smyrna, and Hierapolis (just to the right of Ephesus and south of Nicaea). The early Church mothers and fathers gathered in these cultural and economic centers and debated the major doctrines of the faith. The Nicean Creed was first composed in the city of Nicaea in 325 AD with the version we use today approved in a Church council in Constantinople in 381.
Bishops in Rome, Jerusalem, Antioch, Constantinople, and Alexandria became the leaders of the growing Christian Church. It is important to notice that only Rome was in Western Europe. There was a constant tension between the Church in the East and the Church in the West. East spoke Greek and the West used Latin. The West said Easter was one date and the East another. There were arguments over how, what, and why of the Trinity. Gradually the Bishop of Rome declared that he was the supreme leader since St. Peter was historically recognized as the 1st Bishop of Rome. After a long fight and for many different reasons, the Bishop of Rome, Leo IX, declared himself Pope, excommunicated the Bishop of Constantinople, Michael I and the Church split in 1054 AD.
From here, we will focus pretty much on the Church in the West. There was another important event in 800 AD when Charlemagne united all of Europe and declared himself Emperor of what would later be called the Holy Roman Empire. For the next 14 years, Charlemagne made sure that everyone he conquered converted to Christianity or was given the opportunity to meet their maker. This was the Dark Ages of European civilization and the Church.
In 1095 AD, Pope Urban II called for the First Crusade to take back Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the Islamic empires of the East. Over the next 2 centuries, Royalty and commoner alike would march under the banner of Christ to invade and conquer the infidels. We can sum it all up by saying that after 2 centuries and 7 major crusades, the final score was Muslims 7 and Christians 0.
Now also during this time, we see the rise of Monasticism. Monasteries were established across Europe and the Pope saw these and the Church in each country as a great source of income. The earliest orders like the Knights of St. John and the Knights Templar fought during the Crusades. Later orders would claim large tracts of land for the Church and send great wealth to the Pope. Obviously, this tended to upset the rulers of the day who thought all this wealth should be filling their treasuries to support their wars with one another. However, the poor person of the day benefitted little from any of this and rarely actually went to Church. Once a year, serfs and workers would go to the Church, give their confession, receive communion (bread only), and then pay their tithe for the year. That last part was the most important with a quick confession and communion deemed necessary just to get to the offering. Little thought or care was offered for the souls of the poor. One of the many reasons this historical period is now known as the Dark Ages.
All this set the stage for calls of reform in the Church. There were many and it all came to a head in 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis to the doors of All Saints' Church in Wittenberg, Germany. This was the beginning of the Reformation. Soon Huldrych Zwingli in Zurich, John Calvin in Geneva, and John Knox in Scotland would lead the way for the rise of Protestantism in Europe.
Reformation in England was also a hot topic. We might call it "separate but equal" to the European Reformation in large part thanks to Henry VIII. For many years, English kings had resisted any control from Rome. It was a long way from the Vatican to London and the English monarchy preferred to keep British loyalty and money in England. English theologians openly wrote about the need for reform in the Church and called for the separation of the Church in England. As early as 1356, John Wycliffe led the Lollard movement attacking the privileged status of the clergy, the veneration of the Saints, monasticism, and the very existence of the Papacy. In 1382, he completed a translation of the Bible from Latin to Middle English.
There were other calls for a reformation of the Church in England. The White Horse Tavern in Cambridge became a center for discussions of Protestant ideas. In 1526, William Tyndale completed his English translation of the scriptures and with the rise of the printing press, many in England could now read the Bible.
But then there was Anne Boleyn. Henry VIII had come to the throne of England in 1509. Originally he was not expected to ever reign since his older brother Arthur was heir to the crown. In 1501, at age 15, Arthur married Catherine of Aragon, youngest daughter of the Spanish monarchs. But just 5 months later, Arthur died of an unknown ailment. Catherine declared that the marriage had never been consummated and so it could be annulled. in 1502, Henry and
Catherine were married and for 23 years enjoyed what appeared to be a happy and loving marriage. But we all know the story and when Catherine could not produce a male heir, Henry began his quest to have his marriage annulled so he could marry Anne Boleyn. It was not until Jane Seymour, his third wife, that Henry realized his wish and Edward VI was born. But Jane died shortly after giving birth and three more wives would suffer through marriage to the English monarch before he died in 1547.
It is important to note that Henry died a devout Catholic, he just didn't think much of the Pope. It was Pope Clement VI who would not allow the marriage to Catherine. This may have been because Charles V of Spain and nephew of Catherine surrounded the Vatican with his army and threatened to attack if Clement granted the annulment. The Acts of Supremacy in 1534 declared that England was sovereign and it was treason to pledge allegiance to any foreign power, especially the Pope. Later Henry would declare himself head of the Church in England and stop the payment of any church taxes to Rome. All of this causes a great separation, but I do not think we can say that Henry VIII founded the Anglican Communion.
Unfortunately, this was as far as I could get in our 45 minutes so next Sunday, June 23 will be "The History of the Church in More than 45 Minutes."
St. Matthias
Sunday, June 16, 2019
The History of the Church in 45 Minutes!
or
"Truth is Stranger than Fiction!"
I love the history of the Church - especially the Episcopal Church. You have great stories, great characters, and stuff happens that you just can't make up.
This map is pretty important for our discussion, so look at it closely.
After Jesus's death and resurrection, the Apostles set out to spread the Gospel message of the Savior. We know that St. Peter went to Britain and Gaul which included present-day France, Belgium, Luxemburg, and parts of the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany. Finally, Peter ended up in Rome where he died - crucified upside down.
Andrew went to Anatolia (Asia Minor) and Greece, St. John spent most of his time in Ephesus, Bartholomew went to Armenia, and others spread the Gospel in North Africa and Eastern Europe. Matthias, our patron saint, is credited with bringing the Good News to Ethiopia which is to the south of Egypt.
During the 2nd century, being a Christian was often hazardous to your health. Nero blamed the Christians for burning Rome even though we know he set the fire for political reasons. Roman emperors regularly carried out wholesale persecutions of Christians. Then in the year 312 AD, Emperor Constantine was converted by his mother and declared that Christianity was to be allowed and encouraged throughout the Roman Empire
As the Church grew and spread, 5 main cities became the centers of Christianity: Rome, Antioch, Alexandria, Smyrna, and Hierapolis (just to the right of Ephesus and south of Nicaea). The early Church mothers and fathers gathered in these cultural and economic centers and debated the major doctrines of the faith. The Nicean Creed was first composed in the city of Nicaea in 325 AD with the version we use today approved in a Church council in Constantinople in 381.
Bishops in Rome, Jerusalem, Antioch, Constantinople, and Alexandria became the leaders of the growing Christian Church. It is important to notice that only Rome was in Western Europe. There was a constant tension between the Church in the East and the Church in the West. East spoke Greek and the West used Latin. The West said Easter was one date and the East another. There were arguments over how, what, and why of the Trinity. Gradually the Bishop of Rome declared that he was the supreme leader since St. Peter was historically recognized as the 1st Bishop of Rome. After a long fight and for many different reasons, the Bishop of Rome, Leo IX, declared himself Pope, excommunicated the Bishop of Constantinople, Michael I and the Church split in 1054 AD.
From here, we will focus pretty much on the Church in the West. There was another important event in 800 AD when Charlemagne united all of Europe and declared himself Emperor of what would later be called the Holy Roman Empire. For the next 14 years, Charlemagne made sure that everyone he conquered converted to Christianity or was given the opportunity to meet their maker. This was the Dark Ages of European civilization and the Church.
In 1095 AD, Pope Urban II called for the First Crusade to take back Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the Islamic empires of the East. Over the next 2 centuries, Royalty and commoner alike would march under the banner of Christ to invade and conquer the infidels. We can sum it all up by saying that after 2 centuries and 7 major crusades, the final score was Muslims 7 and Christians 0.
Now also during this time, we see the rise of Monasticism. Monasteries were established across Europe and the Pope saw these and the Church in each country as a great source of income. The earliest orders like the Knights of St. John and the Knights Templar fought during the Crusades. Later orders would claim large tracts of land for the Church and send great wealth to the Pope. Obviously, this tended to upset the rulers of the day who thought all this wealth should be filling their treasuries to support their wars with one another. However, the poor person of the day benefitted little from any of this and rarely actually went to Church. Once a year, serfs and workers would go to the Church, give their confession, receive communion (bread only), and then pay their tithe for the year. That last part was the most important with a quick confession and communion deemed necessary just to get to the offering. Little thought or care was offered for the souls of the poor. One of the many reasons this historical period is now known as the Dark Ages.
All this set the stage for calls of reform in the Church. There were many and it all came to a head in 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis to the doors of All Saints' Church in Wittenberg, Germany. This was the beginning of the Reformation. Soon Huldrych Zwingli in Zurich, John Calvin in Geneva, and John Knox in Scotland would lead the way for the rise of Protestantism in Europe.
Reformation in England was also a hot topic. We might call it "separate but equal" to the European Reformation in large part thanks to Henry VIII. For many years, English kings had resisted any control from Rome. It was a long way from the Vatican to London and the English monarchy preferred to keep British loyalty and money in England. English theologians openly wrote about the need for reform in the Church and called for the separation of the Church in England. As early as 1356, John Wycliffe led the Lollard movement attacking the privileged status of the clergy, the veneration of the Saints, monasticism, and the very existence of the Papacy. In 1382, he completed a translation of the Bible from Latin to Middle English.
There were other calls for a reformation of the Church in England. The White Horse Tavern in Cambridge became a center for discussions of Protestant ideas. In 1526, William Tyndale completed his English translation of the scriptures and with the rise of the printing press, many in England could now read the Bible.
But then there was Anne Boleyn. Henry VIII had come to the throne of England in 1509. Originally he was not expected to ever reign since his older brother Arthur was heir to the crown. In 1501, at age 15, Arthur married Catherine of Aragon, youngest daughter of the Spanish monarchs. But just 5 months later, Arthur died of an unknown ailment. Catherine declared that the marriage had never been consummated and so it could be annulled. in 1502, Henry and
It is important to note that Henry died a devout Catholic, he just didn't think much of the Pope. It was Pope Clement VI who would not allow the marriage to Catherine. This may have been because Charles V of Spain and nephew of Catherine surrounded the Vatican with his army and threatened to attack if Clement granted the annulment. The Acts of Supremacy in 1534 declared that England was sovereign and it was treason to pledge allegiance to any foreign power, especially the Pope. Later Henry would declare himself head of the Church in England and stop the payment of any church taxes to Rome. All of this causes a great separation, but I do not think we can say that Henry VIII founded the Anglican Communion.
Unfortunately, this was as far as I could get in our 45 minutes so next Sunday, June 23 will be "The History of the Church in More than 45 Minutes."
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