CH. 2 Flashcards
(42 cards)
What is the analogy in the pilot?
What does this analogy mean?
“Christians is to the world what the soul is to the body”
- The body hates the soul because the soul places restrictions on its pleasures
- As the soul benefits from the deprivation of food, drink, and pleasure (FASTING) so too do Christians flourish under persecution
What does Christianity propose?
Christianity proposed a radically new vision of human life. Morality demanded believers to make difficult choices concerning their witness to Jesus and on vital issues that affected daily life
What did the early Christians lack that we have?
What did the early Christians take from the Jewish religion?
What changed the ethnic makeup of Christianity?
The early Christians did not have the same advantages of knowledge and structure afforded to us in the modern world
Many Christians took from the Jewish beliefs
Passover = eucharist
Pentecost = confirmation
Fasting = fasting readings from OT
After the council of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple, an influx of gentile Christians changed the ethnic makeup of Christianity
What are the origins of Baptism?
Jesus baptized by St. John instituted this sacrament
What are the 3 types of baptism with an additional type?
- Catechumen
- Infant Baptism
- Baptism of the Blood
- Emergency Baptism
What is Catechumen?
- What did catechumens have to do before baptism?
- What did this process let them?
- When did the catechumens want to be baptized?
Catechumens — the adult baptism means “the instructed” in Greek from the word Kateckhein “to instruct”
- Catechumen adults seeking admission into the church sought years of instruction before being baptized
- The lengthy process provided time for them to learn the message of the Gospel and develop a strong faith
- The catechumens wanted to be baptized at the Easter Vigil (Holy Saturday)
What is infant baptism? What are the benefits of infant baptism?
It emerged in the 3rd century and became universal
Benefits:
- removed original sin
- incorporated children into the Mystical Body of Christ
- Christian life was also frail and in danger of persecution, so it would increase Christian admission to the church and save many lives
What is baptism of the blood?
those who die for the faith through martyrdom before receiving baptism receive the graces of Baptism
What is emergency baptism?
- Should be administered when the recipient is in danger of death
- Only sacrament that can be administered by any person —priest, baptized, or non baptized
What does agape mean in Greek?
How did Mass begin and how was it structured?
- What was not fixed in the earliest?
- What was not established?
What did the celebrant pray instead?
What did the consecration hold and where was written down?
Agape in Greek means “universal love”
- Mass began with readings from the Bible, singing of Psalms and Hymns, common prayers, and a collection for the poor. Liturgy of the eucharist was the high point of liturgical celebration
- In the earliest years, fixed prayers did not exist, such as Haily Mary, Glory be, etc. The Creed was not established yet
- The celebrant prayed the institution Narrative and Consecration
The consecration, which holds the actual words of Christ, was written down in the earliest letters of St. Paul (Epistles) in 50 AD
What is the eucharist or thanksgiving?
Central act of Christian worship, consists of consuming the Sacrament of Holy Communion or the Body and Blood of Christ
What did early Christians consider about the eucharist?
What happens when the celebrant utters the words of Jesus?
- Early Christians considered Christ was truly present in the Eucharist under the appearance of bread and wine
- When the celebrant utters the words of Christ in Mass, the power and grace of God make transubstantiation possible
He could make something out of nothing, so he could turn something into something else
Where were the earliest masses celebrated?
People gathered together in private homes and catacombs during periods of persecution
What happened after certain churches were allowed to be built?
What was the edict of Milan and what did it entail?
- Certain church were allowed at first until later persecutions destroyed these buildings
- Edict of Milan (313 AD) — Emperor Constantine began a building program favorable to Christians
When were the days of fasting for the early Christians every week?
Why were these days chosen in particular?
For early Christians, Wednesdays and Fridays were days of fasting
- Wednesday: Christ was betrayed
- Friday: Christ suffered and died
When did the Jewish sabbath last?
What was the Jewish sabbath replaced with and why?
What developed throughout the years?
- Jewish Sabbath lasted from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown (7th day of rest)
Replaced with Sunday (also Saturday Vigil) because Jesus’ Resurrection and Pentecost occurred on Sunday
Also convenient for coverage because many pagans also celebrated on Sunday
- Christian Holidays and Feast days developed throughout the years
What does the “Vicar of Christ” mean?
- The supreme authority of guiding the Church in all church matters from the beginning
- Important to recognize that the bishop of Rome (Pope) had the responsibility to settle all controversies in the church
What did Pope St. Leo I tried to?
Where was Roman political power shifting to?
How did Leo I respond when the patriarch’s power in the east grew?
- tried to centralize church governance and authority in Rome
- Roman political power was shifting towards the east in Byzantium and Rome’s power and importance was dwindling
- Pople Leo spoke out that Church councils and bishops should still abide by the Pope before acting in any spiritual matter or decision
What is the value of episcopacy?
Why were the bishops held at a high level of importance?
Bishops were important because they were:
- Successors to the Apostles
- Responsible for shepherding Christ’s flock
What word was priest derived from?
Who are the presbyters?
Why were the priests needed?
- Priest is derived from the Greek word “presbyteros” or presbyters
- church elders who swore canonical allegiance to the bishops as their subordinates
- As early as the second century, priests were needed to expand the church and perform certain duties of the bishop, such as offering up the Sacrifice of the Mass
What does Christianity being monotheistic mean? How were Christians being monotheistic cause tension in roman society?
Christians believed in only the One God. Christians rejected all acts of paganism from sacrifices to acknowledges and teachings.
- Christian sculptors and painters could no longer work in pagan temples
- Christian teachers could not teach Roman or Greek Mythology
- Christians couldn’t serve as judges or magistrates since eventual laws condemned Christians
- Christians refused to adore emperors or images of emperors as they claimed themselves as gods or demigods
What was the Pentateuch?
What books or epistles were universally accepted
What was not universally accepted?
What occurred in the council of Trent in 1546?
- The Pentateuch — the first 5 books of the OT were held to be canonical by Jewish traditions and essential in the history of Christianity
The Gospel of Mattew and Epistles of Paul were universally accepted
- Certain epistles and the book of revelation took more time to accept
Council of Trent in 1546 — the Church made its final definitive statement on the books that made the Bible
What did the protestant reformation claim?
What was sola Scriptura?
Protestant Reformation claimed Sola Scriptura
- Sola Scriptura: only the Scripture had the authority of teaching and not the establishment of the Church, papacy, other apostolic successions
What was the Catholic Church’s response?
What does an apocryphal book mean?
- What are examples of apocryphal books?
Catholic Church’s response
- Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the works of the Apostles and early Christians, there would be no NT or the completion of the Bible
- These books through the guidance of God and the Church’s authority were carefully considered to be canonical
- noncanonical were apocryphal and not accepted, such as the Gospel of John and Judas
