When did Roman persecutions begin? Under what Roman emperor?
A.D 64
Nero
What did the Christians refuse to do?
Refused to pay homage to the Roman gods and refused to serve in the military.
What did Nero blame Christians for?
A great fire that destroyed much of Rome, he then began to kill them.
Who was martyred under Nero?
Peter and Paul
When did the last Roman persecution occur? Under who? What was their objective?
A.D 303
Diocletian
Planned to remove every trace of Christianity in the world.
What do the martyrs teach us?
Never be ashamed of being a witness in our words and deeds on behalf of Jesus.
What happened through the witness of martyrs?
God’s plan unfolded and the church grew and spread.
In what century did the most martyrs occur?
20th century
Are Christians still persecuted today?
Yes
Who was Dorothy?
Young woman who joined the Ursulines and she was chosen for the Cleveland mission and traveled to El Salvador.
What did sister Dorothy do in El Salvador?
Helped people learn Catholic Doctrine and receive the sacraments and educate those who were poor to promote their health.
What happened to sister Dorothy?
Was murdered on her way home in December 1980
Who was the emperor in the fourth century?
Constantine
How was the Christian church by the time Constantine became emperor?
The Christian church and communities were in every part of the empire.
What was Constantine worried about?
Division that occurred in the Roman Empire that were between Christians and those who opposed them
What did Christianity go from to becoming?
Went from being forbidden to being the official religion of Rome
What did Christians do to continue the witness of martyrs after the persecutions ended?
Went to live in the dessert to practice self denial.
Person who imitates the early life of Saint Anthony; eats very little food each day and appreciates silence; spends a lot of time praying, does penance, and makes sacrifices
Hermit
Someone who joined Saint Anthony; lives alone in a hut and joins the others in prayers
Monk
Clase teaching that rejects a truth that has been revealed by God and taught by the church
Heresy
Someone who believe or teaches a heresy
Heretic
What did arias do?
Created the Arian heresy that denied that Jesus was both human and divine
Local bishops gathering for a meeting
Synod
What did Constantine call for in 325? What question did they want to answer?
General meeting in Nicaea
Is Jesus both God and man?
What did the council of Nicaea create?
Nicene Creed: clearly states that Jesus is both human and divine
What did the 381 council of Constantinople do?
Expanded the Nicene creed and defined the divine nature of the Holy Spirit
What did Nestorius do?
Created the Nestorian heresy that stated that Jesus was 2 people
What did the council of Ephesus do?
Declared Jesus was one person with 2 natures: human and divine and declared that Mary was the mother of God
Who called forth courages leaders to explain the message of Jesus?
Holy Spirit
What did the Fathers of the church do?
Wrote letters, homilies, and books about faith and defended the Gospel against heresy
Had inspiring sermons
John Chrysostom
Tried to improve the relationship between the Eastern and Western churches
Basil
Wrote letters to Christian communities, while being taken to Rome to be martyred
Ignatius
What did Constantine do as he headed into battle in A.D 312?
Placed Christian symbol on the shields of his soldiers
What did Constantine do or decide after he won the battle?
Took as a sign that the Christian God was supporting them
What did Constantine decree? What did this decree state?
Edict of Milan (313)
Christianity was no longer a forbidden religion
