Church History: Content
Year 7: 6BCE-650CE
Year8 650 CE- 1750 CE
Year 9 1750 CE- 1918 CE
Year 10 1918 CE- Present
Construction: Searching for Unity, Order, Authenticity
Construction: Searching for Unity, Order, Authenticity
Construction: Searching for Unity, Order,
Construction: Searching for Unity, Order,
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Authenticity
 Catholic tradition continued to emphasise unity of belief
Authenticity
 Catholic and Protestant church membership continued to
The life and teachings of Jesus
 The Jesus Movement as a sect of Judaism
 Refer to Year 7 Sacred Texts: Old Testament and New
Testament
Foundations of the Church established by male and female
disciples:
Examples of male disciples:
 In Acts: Stephen , Timothy, Philip, Barnabas, Cornelius,
Aquila, John-Mark, Peter, John, James, Andrew, Thomas,
Bartholomew, Matthew, Paul, Silas
Examples of female disciples:
 In Romans: Phoebe, Prisca, Junia, Tryphaena, Tryphosa,
Persis, Mary, Julia, Rufus’ mother, Nereus’ sister
 In Philippians: Chloe, Euodia, Syntyche,
 In Philemon: Apphia
 In Acts: Mary Mother of Jesus, Sapphira, Tabbitha, Mary,
Roda, Timothy’s mother, Lydia, Damaris, Priscilla, four
daughters of Philip
 In Colossians: Nympha
 In 2 Letter to Timothy: Lois, Unice, Prisca, Claudia
 In Gospels: Mary of Magdala, female supporters of Jesus
(Source: Women in Early Church)
Why and where did the earliest Church communities
develop?
 The five major centres of Christianity:
Rome; Antioch, Jerusalem; Constantinople ; Alexandria
 The roads of the Roman empire were both wellconstructed and safe to travel (the Pax Romana)
Significant Developments and Events
 Oral accounts, and then later written accounts, of the
sayings and deeds of Jesus begin to circulate
 Following Pentecost, house churches are the main
meeting places for followers of Jesus; house churches
were led by both men and women
 c. 35CE - martyrdom of Stephen
 after 35CE - conversion of Saul of Tarsus
 c. 45 CE – 60 CE Paul’s journeys throughout the ancient
Mediterranean world
 c. 52CE – 67CE Paul writes letters to communities he
visited and established
 c. 49CE ‘Council of Jerusalem’ resolves issue of Gentiles
being admitted into Christianity
 c. 62CE – death of James; seat of spiritual authority for
Christians moves from Jerusalem to Rome when Paul and
Peter move to Rome
 c. 70CE – destruction of Jerusalem by Titus
 c. 70CE – c. 95CE Final versions of the four canonical
Gospels written
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Irish Monks spread across Europe to restore Christianity after
pagan invasions
Carolingian Renaissance restores learning and clerical influence
across Europe
Europe re-converted to Christianity by 1000CE
Roman and Papal Supremacy restored by 1000CE
Crusades ordered to halt rise of Islam and reclaim Holy Land
Inquisition established to maintain unity of belief
Church in the world becomes wealthy and constructs a whole
“Christian Society”
Renaissance brings huge cathedrals, the arts and literature to
Christianity.
Wealth of Church used in part for humanitarian work- hospitals,
education, plight of poor.
Great monasteries constructed (church removed from the world)
which brought order and stability to lives of peoples and
communities.
Church Councils continued to define matters of faith and practice
The church based in Rome claimed secular as well as religious
authority over nations and lands, leading to disputes with heads of
state.
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North West which lead to the decline of Christianity and
destruction of scholarship in many parts of Europe for 300 years (
600CE-900CE)
Rise of Islam continues to threaten the dominance of the Church,
especially in the East
Disputes over papal power, authority and issues of belief and
liturgy between Rome and Constantinople lead to schism
Eastern Church devastated by Western forces, leading to an
isolation of Orthodox Christianity, which has lasted to the present
Great wealth and power lead to corruption in the church of the
West: both the church in the world and often in monasteries.
Avignon Papacy (Western Schism) an example of this
Plagues and the Black Death devastated populations and led to a
crisis of faith among Christians everywhere.
The Renaissance was perceived as a threat to the complete
authority of the church over people’s lives.
The rise of secular states and kingdoms led to struggles for power
between the church and kings and princes.
Inquisition and Crusades examples of the worst excesses and
abuses of power and wealth of the Western church.
Period of simple faith, superstition and ignorance of clergy in the
Western Church- indulgences, relics and pilgrimages
Across Europe, scholars and thinkers began to revolt against church
corruption and power.
Rise of Printing Press and publication of Scriptures in vernacular
perceived as a threat by Church
Calls for reformation from Germany, Switzerland, England, and the
Low Countries posed the greatest threat to unity the church had
ever faced.
Protestant Christianity spreads across Europe: Christian Church in
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Deconstruction: Challenges to Unity, Order and
Authenticity
 Bitter sectarianism between Catholic and Protestant
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Deconstruction: Challenges to Unity, Order and
Authenticity
 Europe subject to invasions by forces from the North, East and
and personal piety through strict control over people’s
lives.
Emphasis in Catholicism on power of clergy over laity.
Rome turns its back on the modern world.
Huge growth in Catholic religious orders in response to
social conditions- poverty, industrial revolution, scientific
knowledge. Focus on education of laity.
Missionary activity (catholic and Protestant) continues
and follows migration patterns to New World and
Oceania.
New ways of preaching Gospel in Protestant
denominations- going to where the people were-e.g.
Methodism, Salvation Army, Evangelical Tent Crusades
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Christians continues- and carried to new countries such as
Australia and USA.
Lay Protestant missionaries “compete” with religious
Catholic missionaries for souls in Africa, Americas,
Oceania.
Emerging “isms” viewed as a threat by Catholic and
Protestant churches, but especially Rome: socialism,
egalitarianism, rationalism, capitalism; abolitionism,
modernism, atheism, agnosticism.
The social, political, scientific and industrial revolutions,
emancipation and democracy posed a threat to the
worldview of Catholicism and its methods of
evangelisation and church organisation.
Wars and revolutions, resulting in the horrific deaths of
millions, led to a crisis of belief across Christianity.
Agnosticism and atheism accompanied this new world:
people asked: Is God Dead?
Reconstruction: Restoring Unity, Order and
Authenticity
 The Catholic response to the “isms” and revolutions in
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thought and social structures was an attempt to return to
the past and use old models of expulsion, censorship,
condemnation and control over people’s lives.
Papal Infallibility, decreed at Vatican I, became the
ultimate sign of Catholicism’s rejection of the modern
world
The Catholic church challenged the worst excesses of
rampant capitalism thorough publication of Social
Encyclicals.
Many Protestant churches returned to Early Church
models: lay-led, small communities that went out of
church buildings to where the people lived and worked:
street corners and town halls, tents and stadiums.
Protestant groups embraced new media in reaching outprint, radio.
grow in the third world due to missionary activity and
population growth.
Catholic and Protestant church membership continued to
decline in traditional first world countries.
Formal attempts at re-unification began in the 20th
Century, resisted at first by Rome, but boosted by a change
in Catholic attitude to other Christians and religions at
Vatican Council II.
Democracy and liberal education led to flatter authority
structures in Christian churches.
Change in attitude to Missionary work from conversion to
development. Christian involvement in serving the poor
and oppressed in the world increases.
Church in peace movements and anti-war stances;
publication of Encyclicals for peace, development of
peoples, social and economic justice; ecological conversion
dominate church teaching.
Deconstruction: Challenges to Unity, Order and
Authenticity
 Wars, threat of nuclear annihilation, rampant capitalism
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and hedonism, terrorism and ecological crises lead to a loss
of faith among peoples of the first world.
Religion considered as irrelevant and impotent in many
people’s lives. Secularism, freedom and education led to a
rejection of teaching authority of church hierarchy.
Religion identified with wowserism, ignorance,
sectarianism, oppression, old and out-dated ideas and
world-views, and out of touch with the reality of people’s
lives. Vatican declaration against artificial contraception
perhaps the turning point for many Catholics.
Decline in power of Papacy over personal lives (especially
moral) of individual Catholics gathered momentum and
continues to the present.
Dramatic decline of religious orders in the First world.
Rise of interest in Eastern religions- Buddhism; and the Rise
of the influence of Islam
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From c. 110CE: Under the influence of Ignatius of Antioch,
the early church is restructured: house churches were
consolidated into public structures based on Roman civil
government with elders/bishops, presbyters and deacons
in authority; women lost their previous power and
authority
 From c. 140CE – c. 165CE: Justin Martyr was the first of
the apologists: strongly defended Christianity against
accusations of ignorance and barbarism
 From c. 196CE: Tertullian was influential in forming the
theology of the early western church (e.g. remarriage,
fasting, martyrdom, suffering persecution)
 The writings of Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, were formative
in the early development of Christian theology, especially
the episcopate, Scripture and tradition. He also attacked
Gnosticism (c. late 2nd Century – early 3rd Century CE)
 Clement of Alexandria attempted to unite Greek
philosophical traditions with Christian doctrine (c. 150CE
– c.215 CE)
 Emergence of hierarchical model of Church (from
c110CE): The City of God is modelled on the City of Rome;
Christ and the Emperor were ‘pantocrators’; bishops and
senators were secular and religious rulers
 Emergence of the monastic model of Church (from c
250CE): red martyrdom and white martyrdom; an
alternative communal way of living the way of Jesus as
opposed to the imperial Church
 Toleration and Religion of the state (c. 313CE – c. 410CE):
 Conversion of Constantine (312CE)
 Edict of Toleration (313CE)
 Council of Nicea (325CE)
 Council of Constantinople (381CE) – one Creed
 Conversion of Augustine (387CE)
 The Canon of Scripture fixed (c405CE)
At the beginning of the fifth century, the Roman Empire
covered most of the known world. This underpinned the
strength and cohesion of the Christian Church. For the Empire
and Church, there was one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one
Creed and one Canon of Scripture. Conquest meant
compulsory conversion to Christianity.
Deconstruction: Challenges to Unity, Order and
Authenticity
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Persecutions: Stephen (c. 35CE); James (c. 62CE); Peter
and Paul (c. 67/8 CE); Nero’s persecutions of Christians (c.
64CE); Domitian’s persecution of Christians (c. 81CE –
96CE)
Suspicion: reactions to new Jewish sect included suspicion
from ruling Jewish classes, ridicule, disgust and horror
from Romans (cf. Tacitus, the historian); tensions
between Jews and Christians about membership and
traditional beliefs and practices; Christians expelled from
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the West divided between Churches loyal to Rome and multiple
denominations claiming a return to Bible-based authority. Some
national churches such as Church in England.
A period of bitter attack and counter-attack between churches and
countries loyal to Rome and Protestant countries and groups.
(1548 CE-1750 CE)
Wars of words and weapons break out across Europe in the name
of Christianity.
Ordinary people suffer from the excesses of both sides.
Christianity bitterly divided for centuries to come.
 Christian reformers joined great social reform movements
for the abolition of slavery, child labour and exploitation
of workers and the emancipation of women and working
classes.
Reconstruction: Restoring Unity, Order and Authenticity
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Church in Eastern Empire continues to flourish (Constantinople)
until 1000CE
Christian learning preserved in Irish monasteries and returned to
Europe via missionary monks.
Reforms of Charles, Holy Roman Emperor, led to re-establishment
of the church in Europe and conversion of invaders.
Great thinkers and reformers arose in the church to counter
corruption and ignorance in the secular and monastic church
Western church response to dissent and challenge was often
brutal and scandalous: Inquisition torture; Interdicts placed on
whole nations and peoples.
Rome’s response to the Reformation was to excommunicate
reformers and to condemn calls for reform.
The Council of Trent, while a turning inward of Church of Rome,
did institute significant reform of clergy, liturgy and spirituality.
Counter-Reformation in Roman Catholic tradition- internal reform
and attempts to regain countries and peoples lost to protestant
Christianity.
Jesuits lead the catholic thrust to regain lost congregations
Catholic church, in response to the Reformation reforms its
structures in parishes and focuses on personal piety and
spirituality, and absolute unity. A catechism of beliefs produced.
Education of laity in faith.
Both Catholic and Protestant Christianity seek membership by
conversion through missionary activity in Asia, Africa, the Pacific
and the Americas.
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Rome under suspicion of causing tumults with Jews (c.
49CE)
c. 90CE the Jewish synod at Jamnia expels the Christian
sect from Judaism
Heresies: Emergence of a gnostic segment of the new
Christian community claiming a special revelation of the
divine apart from the revelation of Jesus (e.g. reference
made in 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Jude)
Dissent: Paul’s letters reveal the struggles for unity within
some of the early Christian communities (e.g. in 1
Corinthians – division of loyalties, schisms, authority)
Paul’s dissent with the Jerusalem community led by Peter
and James (c. 49CE)
Separation from Judaism: c. 90CE the Jewish synod at
Jamnia expels the Christian sect from Judaism
Heresies: Seven ecumenical councils (from 325CE) to try
to bring unity of faith to disputing Christian groups- e.g
Pelagians, Arians; Docetists
Eastern and Western Empires and church:
 Monasteries, churches and libraries all over
Europe were destroyed; knowledge and learning
lost (from c 410CE)
 Rome is looted and burned (410CE)
 St Patrick and others bring Christianity to Ireland
(432CE) and Ireland becomes overwhelmingly
Christian (by c 471CE)
 Monasteries in Ireland preserved learning and
copied texts after the destruction of European
libraries (from c 450CE)
Rome finally falls (c. 476CE)
The Empire and the Church move to the East (from c
476CE)
Emperor Justinian 1 (527 – 565CE) attempts to reunite
the Church and Empire, both spiritually and physically.
Rise of Islam (from c 610CE) poses the greatest threat to
the Eastern Church
The great centres of Christian learning (Jerusalem,
Alexandria, Carthage and Antioch) fall to Islam (652CE)
Reconstruction: Restoring Unity, Order and Authenticity
 Council of Jerusalem
 Order and uniformity to church structures: Bishop, deacon,
presbyter
 Apologists for Christianity- Early Church Fathers
 Collation of written texts
 Edict of Toleration
 Church Councils respond to differences
 Common creed, canon of Scripture, authority structures
 Rise of Roman Pontiff as Supreme Head of Church
 Church structures take over civil authority in a declining
Empire.
 Church structures and roles take on model of Roman
Empire
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