Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Formation of Doctrine in the Early Christian Church
Christianity was an extremely dynamic religion during its early days of existence. "In a dramatic turn of events, Christianity had gone from being persecuted to the favored religion of the Empire" (Vidmar 27). One of the earliest controversies was that of Donatism, or the question of how to act towards those who had lapsed in their faith during the persecution of the Emperor Diocletian (Vidmar 28). This controversy was relatively swiftly resolved, with the penance depending on the nature of the believer's apostasy -- penance was greater for those who had sacrificed to pagan gods versus those who had merely offered incense or who had professed to be pagan in name only (Vidmar 28).
A more serious issue which emerged was Gnosticism, a radical, new interpretation of Christianity. Gnosticism viewed the physical world as essentially evil and stressed the need for the believer to enter into a wholly spiritual union with God (Vidmar 31). Orthodox Christianity was based upon the physical nature of Christ's sacrifice and the fact Christ was God and man simultaneously and always. The Gnostic perspective denied this with its emphasis on spiritualism...
Another controversy which developed during this era was Arianism, which stressed the oneness of God the Father. This belief in oneness meant that Arians denied the concept of the Trinity, viewing Christ and the Holy Spirit as of a separate substance from the Father (Vidmar 56). This is why one of the most critical milestones in the evolution of the early Church occurred at the Council of Nicaea, at which what became to be known as the Nicaean Creed was developed. The Creed insisted upon the literal resurrection of Christ, and the fact that Christ came to earth and was part of the same substance as the Father.
The Council of Nicaea, however, did not fully settle the controversies raging within the developing Christian faith. At the Council of Ephesus, another issue was debated, namely whether Mary was the mother of Christ. "Nestorius said that Christ had two 'personalities' or was two distinct persons -- that he was God and had always been God, but that for a time he put aside his divinity and became man. After the resurrection he reverted to being God and ceased being man" and thus Mary was the mother of Christ, not of…
Work Cited
Vidmar, John. The Catholic Church Through the Ages. Paulist Press, 2005.
history of Christianity within the country of Romania goes back to such a degree that the foundation of the country itself is often linked with its Christian theology. "By 360 Dacia was a part of Christendom. " Miller 28) The foundation of the country is to some degree synonymous with its theology, known today to be largely Orthodox. Romania occupies, roughly, ancient Dacia, which was a Roman province in the 2D
Whereas Origen did, to a certain degree, follow Clement's teachings, he introduced his own point-of-view in the matter and provided his followers with less information regarding Christian mysticism. This is most probably caused by his interest in teaching mainstream Christianity. He considered that it was easier for him to promote the religion this way, as the masses were presumably unable to understand mystical concepts if they did not know
Articles on the History of Christianity Christopher J. Haas' article "Imperial Religious Policy and Valerian's Persecution of the Church, A.D. 257 -- 260" was published within the scholarly journal Church History in 1983, and the author focuses his attention on the persecution of Christians by the Roman Emperor Valerian. According to Haas, one of the most compelling aspects of Valerian's persecution of Christians was the sudden shift in his official
Decius had come to the throne at a particularly crucial time. Rome had just celebrated its one thousandth year of rule in 247, but the Goths had attacked Rome in 248. Decius had forced the Goths out of the Danube provinces and in return had been hailed emperor by his troops (he would die fighting the Goths in June 251). In the midst of this crisis, Decius appealed to
Christianity was born in the Middle East, the religion has become globalized with a relatively sparse and scattered Christian presence in the region today. Currently, Christians suffer from frequent persecution, especially at the hands of terrorist groups like ISIS/ISIL. As Thomas (2014), points out, "members of the Islamic State have targeted Christian churches, destroyed symbols of Christian faith and killed Christians because of their beliefs." Current events echo the roots
It was founded on the knowledge that spurred during the Renaissance and has placed significance on rational thought and cultural emphasis, which was not present before. Furthermore, with regards to the popularity of Baroque during this period, it is important to note that this style was able to combine the principles of science and the philosophies and doctrines of early Christianity, which has been very prominent in architectures built on