Midterm Study Guide Flashcards

Question

Describe the reasons, course and extend of the persecutions of the church during the 2nd and 3rd century. Be able to identify the emperors of the persecution in the essay:

Answer 1

1. Reasons for persecutions: a. misunderstandings of Christian practices surrounding communion and love feasts. They were also ridiculed for their beliefs in the nature of God, the crucifixion and resurrection. 2. The Course of Persecutions: a. In AD 193-211: Septimus Severus made it illegal under penalty of death to convert to Christianity or Judaism and promoted common worship of Sol invictus, the unconquered Sun. b. Under Decius AD 249-251, Made it mandatory to worship the Gods of Rome. Even though it featured few martyrs, most of the persecution was threats, imprisonment, torture. c. In AD 253-260, Emperor Valerian after being captured by the Persians, ordered arrests and confiscation of property of bishops, presbyters, deacons and prominent Church laypeople. Many servants were reduced to slaves and aristocratic women were exiled. The notable martyrdom of Cyprian occurred in 258. d. In AD 284-305, Emperor Diocletian began organizing a tetrarchy of four co-emperors. He then enacted an edict in 303 which removed Christians from government positions and the military. In 313, the Edict of Milan part of an alliance between Constantine and Licinius set in motion the events that would eventually end systematic persecutions of Christians.

Answer 2

1. False teaching intensifies and movements such as Gnosticism caused for a response from the Church. The canon was to be regarded as a list of authoritative writings, not an authoritative list of writings. a. Marcion: He rejected certain texts and suggested substitutes. However, he does challenge believers to ask why crtain scriptures were regarded as Scripture. This led the way for developing criteria for decisive action on what is to be considered scripture: b. Several books were already circulating such as Paul's letters and the Gospels. Even though no formal list had been drawn up yet, the works were considered authoritative. Notably, Paul's writings were read in churches alongside the Old Testament. They were also quoted heavily in combating heresies. The use of these writings in combating heresies is a testimony to its authoritative use and acknowledgment. c. One key development was in the late 2nd century, there is an attempt to compile a list of writings to be included in the canon. Probably written in Rome around 190, it listed the Christian Scriptures as the Gospels, Acts, 13 letters of Paul, Jude, 1 and 2 John, the Wisdom of Solomon, Revelation of John, and the Apocalypse of Peter. d. 260-3340, Eusebius of Caesarea recognizes 22 of the 27 books of the NT as undisputed and the rest disputed. e. By the time of Augustine, around 393, the West recognize all 27 books as the NT. The east follows in 367 with a letter from Athanasius during Easter.

Answer 3

There are many believers that doubt Constantine's faith and the fact that he was a Christian. Nevertheless, his rise to power and more so his legacy is formidable. God used this man for His purposes in advancing His kingdom and the continuation of building the Church. 1. Constantine's "conversion" a. as persecution intensified, Constantine was a skilled man militarily. He defeated Maxentius in 312 and gained control of the western half of the empire. However, before the battle, he claims to have a dream or vision of Christ. He saw a trophy of a cross of light in heaven and the inscription reading "conquer by this". This, in his mind was used as motivation and attributed to for his success in conquests. b. in 313, he forms an alliance with Licinius and with the edict of Milan, he ends the systematic persecution of Christians. In 314, Licinius gains control of the eastern half of the empire. By 315, Constantine defeats Licinius and gains control of the entire Roman empire. He establishes and moves the capital Constantinople to Roe and this sped up the rapid decline of Roman power. 2. Constantine's legacy and significance on the church: Constantine effectively ended systematic persecutions in 313 with the edict of Milan. He returned property and granted favor, wealth and status to many "Christians", bishops, etc. This led to a growth in what would later be the papacy and its noteriety and acceptance. He increased worship services liturgically, and contributed to more elaborate worship buildings. 3. The response of the church to to imperial church. several movements came out of a response by several Christians to this imperial church. First were the Donatists. This group broke from the church which aligned itself with the empire. Monasticism was another response. This group was a reaction to the political favor and growing wealth and privilege of the Church. This group sought to separate themselves from this empirial church and focused more on a lifestyle of humility, devotion to prayer, and self sacrifice. They did not like the increase in favor to the Church by the world and sought to strictly separate themselves from the world.

Midterm Study Guide Flashcards

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