Transcript ICHS Open House - Haiku Learning

Senior Theology
Brief Look Back at Church History
September 2014
The Early Church
 Pre Christian Rome
 Law/Justice necessary for orderly society
 Justice for each in the social order
 Landowners, artisans, freed slaves, slaves, lowest
 Not necessary to move between orders or aid other
orders
 Christianity introduces concept of Charity/caritas
The Early Church
 Charity/Caritas
 All are equal—examples????
 A radical idea
 Church still incorporated some idea of law from Rome,
especially when Christianity became legal
The Early Church
 Christianity becomes legal religion of all; takes root and
 Spreads during the Pax Romana
 Basic organization: bishop of Rome, plus other
bishops—from the Apostles; shepherd, sanctify &
teach.
 Assisted by priests & deacons
 Bishop of Rome is most important—why?
The Early Church
 Spread of Christianity
 Constantine’s Edict of Milan—he sees Christianity as
unifying force for the Empire
 Helps evangelization
 Church adopts Roman methods of administration &
Justinian Code of Law—a reform of civil law that
reflected Christian values. Includes protection for
women & children but still reflects customs of the
time—repressive measures against non-Christians
The Early Church
 Collapse of Rome in 476.
 Pope & bishops looked to as civic as well as religious
leaders.
 Gregory the Great (590-604)
 Monasticism—strong force for Christianity’s growth
 St. Antony of Egypt—father of monasticism
 St. Benedict—father of western monasticism; Rule of St.
Benedict becomes model for future monasteries
 Monasteries become centers of learning &
evangelization—stability in unstable times
The Early Church
 Patristic Age—Fathers of the Church—
 Franks—Clovis, Pepin, then Charlemagne and
 Holy Roman Empire: an alliance between Church and
state
 Rise of Islam—Muslim invasion, loss of the Eastern
Church in Syria, Palestine, North Africa & Spain;
isolates the Western Church
 Beginnings of split between Pope, emperor & Patriarch
of Constantinople
The Middle Ages
 Early—The Dark Ages—breakup of Holy Roman
Empire; invasions by Norsemen & Vikings
 Rise of Feudalism
 Secular control over the Church with abuses like
 Lay investiture, simony
 Reforms under various popes to free papacy from
secular control
The Middle Ages
 Councils—seeking spiritual reform; clear definitions of
Catholic doctrine
 Councils throughout all time periods
 1054—Eastern Schism—result of centuries of
differences between Western and Eastern Church—
language, culture, theology, politics
 Crusades—attempt to open Holy Land to Christian
pilgrims
 Mixed results—violence against the innocent but
opened the West to trade, new ideas, end of feudalism
The Middle Ages
 Mendicant (begging) orders helped call the Church back to Gospel
Values & simplicity
 Cathedrals & universities; scholastic theology—great thinkers—St.
Thomas Aquinas
 The Peace of God (spared women, clergy, children & peasants
from attack) and the Truce of God (limited days to fight in a year—
only 80; none Wed evening till Monday morning; religious
holidays)
 Just-War Theory—roots in St. Augustine & Thomas Aquinas
 However, later popes try to exert idea of pope is sovereign over
kings
Schism, Reform, Renewal
 Protestant Reformation
 Eventually, reforms followed
The New World
 Post-Reformation Church—missionary activity to the
New World and the East
 18th C—An age of revolution
 Enlightenment—
 Rationalism—humans could achieve truth without divine
revelation
 Revolution in America—not hostile to religion
 Revolution in France—hostile to religion—stamped out
Catholicism
The Modern Era
 19th C—Liberalism
 Right to vote, democracy, equality of all citizens
 But many liberals anti-religious, violent; hoped to destroy Church
 Industrial Revolution
 Marxist communism—must be a violent struggle to bring justice;
religion stands in way of that struggle—an ‘opiate’
 1891—Pope Leo XIII—
 Rerum Novarum—On the Condition of Workers
 Landmark social-justice encyclical
 Right to private property—capitalism is ok, with limits
 Workers’ rights to a fair wage & unionization
 But, state intervention to defend workers.
 Family & religion important to build just society
The Modern Era—an example
 Marie-Eugenie Milleret/France, early 1800s; family not
interested in religion, but passionate about ‘liberty and
justice’
 Fall of Napoleon; rise of industrialism
 Early years, did not connect Catholicism (name only in
France) to justice concerns
 Distraught over plight of industrialized workers.
 —”God willed to establish a social order where no man
would have to suffer from the oppression of others”
Marie-Eugenie Milleret, cont.
 Believed education a key to changing society—there
was great neglect in education, especially among
workers & women
 —”God willed to establish a social order where no man
would have to suffer from the oppression of others”
 Founded an order of sisters—Religious of the
Assumption—to teach and to perform works of
mercy/charity
 Compare Milleret’s approach to injustice & the
approach of marxism.
The Church In Modern Times
 A change from the past—castle & moat; above, in a sense, what
happens in society.
 The Church must be in the world, but not of the world
 Go forth from Liturgy to bring the kingdom of God/His transforming
love to all people!
 Many persons of the Church of 19th C were distilling these ideas—
Milleret as an example—but reaches a high point & beginning with
Rerum Novarum—try to change social problems
 Frederic Ozanam—founded the St. Vincent de Paul Society, a
worldwide charity organization for the poor.
The Church Today
 Catholic Social Teaching
 To examine & interpret historical & current events in
light of Gospel teachings of Jesus Christ with revelation
of the Holy Spirit
 CST must respond to the “signs of the times”
Rerum Novarum
 Radical! Creates a great stir!
 Challenges society to become more like the Kingdom
of God by
 Criticizing capitalism & marxism and
 Advocating for the dignity of workers
 Influenced governments to protect workers’ rights
Rerum Novarum, cont.
 More importantly,
 Sets the precedent for Church to speak out on social
matters
 Challenges Christians to look for the roots of social
injustice—look for causes of problems like poverty
 Change the way society is set up to eliminate the
problems!
 These two things cannot be separated:
 Individual moral choices affect society & society affects
individual moral choices
Review
 pages 47-50, papal and conciliar documents on CST.
Which one or ones interest you the most? Why?
 Now review the pastoral letters of the U.S. bishops.
Which one or ones interest you the most? Why?