HISTORY OF THE CHURCH
Jesus Christ founded
the Church,
on the solid rock of
Peter.
The foundation of the Church
• In the Gospel we see the stages by
which Christ founded “His Church”.
GRECO, El
Saint Peter
1610-13
Oil on canvas, 209 x 106 cm
Monasterio de San Lorenzo, El Escorial
– He began preaching the Kingdom of
God,
– He selected twelve Apostles,
– One of the Apostles, Peter, was
designated His vicar and Christ gave
him the supreme power over the whole
Church.
– Jesus performed many miracles to show
that “with Him” the Kingdom of God
had arrived.
– With His death on the cross He obtained
salvation for all men,
– and the last stone of this magnificent
building was the coming of the Holy
Spirit, sent by Him from Heaven on the
day of Pentecost.
The mystery of the Church
– The Church is human and
divine,
– visible and invisible, at
the same time.
– The Church is both
hierarchical and
charismatic, but the
charismas are
subordinated to the
hierarchy, because the
hierarchy governs the
Church in the name of
Christ under the guide of
the Holy Spirit, from
whom charismas spring.
MASACCIO
St Peter Healing the Sick with his Shadow
1426-27
Fresco, 230 x 162 cm
Cappella Brancacci, Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence
149. What is the origin and the
fulfillment of the Church
The Church finds her origin and
fulfillment in the eternal plan of
God. She was prepared for in the
Old Covenant with the election
of Israel, the sign of the future
gathering of all the nations.
Founded by the words and
actions of Jesus Christ, fulfilled
by his redeeming death and
Resurrection, the Church has been
manifested as the mystery of
salvation by the outpouring of the
Holy Spirit at Pentecost. She will
be perfected in the glory of
heaven as the assembly of all the
redeemed of the earth.
• The Church depends entirely from
Christ, as the light of the moon
depends on the light of the sun.
• St. Augustine said that the Church is
Christ among us :
– Christ’s hands keep on healing us (through
the sacraments of the Church), His lips
keep on teaching us (the doctrine that the
Church teaches). The Church continues
Christ’s mission; that is the reason why
Christ founded the Church.
• When we profess our faith in the
Creed, we say, “I believe in One,
Holy, Catholic and Apostolic
Church.” The Church is a mother who
takes care of us with the sacraments
and Christ’s doctrine, and leads us to
Heaven.
History: divine providence &
human freedom.
GOALS:
Sanctity
Apostolate
PROPERTIES
OR MARKS:
One
Holy
Catholic
Apostolic
St. Peter's
Church (Antioch)
• Antioch played a large role in the early spread of the Gospel
of Christ. After Stephen was stoned, many disciples fled to
Antioch in order to escape persecution and then preached the
Gospel to Jews there (Acts 8:1; 11:19).
• Other disciples soon arrived in Antioch and preached the
Gospel to Greeks (11:20-21). Later the church in Antioch
sent Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey
(Acts 13). Paul began and ended his second missionary
journey in Antioch, accompanied by Silas (Acts 15:36-41;
18:22). He started his third missionary journey from the city
as well (Acts 18:22-23).
...Antioch
• Many were baptized.
• where for the first time
the disciples were
called Christians
(Acts 11:26)
• From there, to the
gentiles (Eph 3:5-12)
The House of the Virgin
Mary. It is believed that the
Virgin Mary accompanied
St John, the Evangelist to
Ephesus around 37 AD
and it is here that she
died. The house is at the
top of a high hill, hidden
amongst the trees. Been
restored and is now a
chapel.
“Upon this rock…”
The Altar of the Crucifixion of St.
Peter is a mosaic reproduction of a
picture by Guido Reni (15751642) showing St. Peter crucified
upside down.
An ancient tradition claims that
St. Peter suffered martyrdom
precisely where the altar stands. In
fact part of the basilica is actually
built on the site of Nero's Circus.
Floorplan
Graffito of the Red
Wall - "Peter is
Within"
Persecutions
• First form the Jews;
then from the Romans.
• Martyrs.
• But “the powers of
death shall not prevail
against it” (Mt 16,18)
• Edict of Milan 313.
Persecutions stopped,
but 10% Christians.
• Ecumenical Councils
Emperor Constantine
FATHERS OF THE CHURCH
• From first centuries
• Doctrinal orthodoxy
• Holiness of life
• Witness of the
tradition of the Church
Middle Ages
• The Eastern Schism: Photius (IX), Michael
Cerularius (XI).
• Theology. Universities. St Thomas Aquinas,
St Bernard, St Albert the Great, St
Bonaventure.
• Religious Orders: Benedictins, Franciscans,
Dominicans.
• Crusades.
St. Benedict
• St. Benedict was born in
Umbria 480. Educated at
Rome, he began the eremitic
life at Subiaco where he
gathered disciples, and then
departed for Monte Cassino
(Benedictine Rule: a life of
liturgical prayer, study,
manual labor, and living
together as a community).
• Adopted throughout Europe
• He is one of the patrons of
Europe and is the patron of
poison suffers.
Western Schism
•
•
•
•
Avignon (1306-1376)
St Catherine of Siena.
1378: Schism: 40 years.
“Conciliarism”.
Modern Age
• Evangelization of
America (1492) &
Asia.
• Protestantism (Luther:
1483-1546) and
Council of Trent (15451563).
• Great Saints: St Teresa
Avila, St John of the
Cross, St Ignatius, St
Francis Xavier, St
Philip Neri,...
Separation
• Protestants
– Reject the Papacy, the Magisterium & Sacred Tradition
– The battle cry of the Reformation is over the doctrine of
Luther’s Justification by faith alone.
• Pillars of the Protestantism
– Sola Fide ( faith alone is sufficient for Salvation)
– Sola Scriptura ( the Bible is the sole rule of faith)
Recent Times
• First Vatican Council
(1869-1870).
• Infallibility of the
Pope.
• Rationalism and
Agnosticism.
• Evangelization of
Africa.
Kiev, Ukraine
Recent Times
• Social Doctrine of the Church. Leo XIII:
Rerum Novarum (1891).
• Liberalism.
• Marxism.
• Modernism & St Pius X. Pascendi (1907).
Recent Times
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pius XII
Second Vatican Council (1962-1965)
Bl. John XXIII- Paul VI.
Post-Council
Liturgical issues.
Aggiornamento.
A New Evangelization.
To love Christ is to love the
Church
• St. Ciprian said that
“nobody can have
God as Father if he
does not have the
Church as mother”.
GRECO, El
Christ on the Cross with the Two Maries and St John
c. 1588
Oil on canvas, 120 x 80 cm
National Gallery, Athens
Our duties towards the Church
• Our duties towards our
mother the Church are:
– to believe what she teaches;
– to do what she commands;
– to love her truly, feeling happy
and honoured to belong to her.
– We have to pray for the
Church: for the Pope, for the
bishops, for all Christians.
– Furthermore, we have to assist
the Church in its necessities.