Some of Historical Themes in Deus Caritas Est or Who was Julian the Apostate and Why Should You Care?

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Some of Historical Themes in Deus Caritas
Est orWho was Julian the Apostate and Why
Should You Care?

• Ann T. Orlando
• 17 September 2006

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Limiting the Scope of this Talk

• Other approaches that could be taken in
  discussing Deus Caritas Est
• Biblical themes (Johns Gospel and Letters Song
  of Songs, Deuteronomy)
• Linguistic themes (eros and agape, caritas,
  dioconia)
• Philosophical themes (Plato, Aristotle,
  Descartes, Gassendi, Marx, Nietzsche)
• Theological themes (Christology, Trinity)
• Spirituality (Christianity as a personal
  relationship with Jesus, monasticism, spiritual
  ascent, Jacobs Ladder)
• My approach
• Talk about historical themes
• Then questions and discussion that may lead us
  into some of these other areas

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Outline

• Summary of Deus Caritas Est (DCE)
• Very Broad Historical Periods and Terminology
• Julian the Apostate
• Karl Marx and Modernity
• What this means for us and our practice of
  charity

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Structure of DCE

• Introduction 1
• Major theme
• Purpose in writing this as the first encyclical
• Part I Unity of Love 2-18
• Differences and unity of true eros and agape 4
• Path of ascent as renunciation, purification,
  healing 6
• Jesus Christ as personification of divine love
  12
• Part II Caritas Practice of Love 19-39
• Caritas has always been part of the Churchs
  ministry, as much as the Word, and liturgy,
  since both flow from the Trinity 22
• Relationship between justice and charity 26
• Relationship between Church and State 28
• The distinctiveness of Christian charity 31
• Proper attitude of Christian engaged in charity
  humility 35
• Conclusion 40-42
• Importance of saints and Mary
• As both examples of true charity and intercessors
  for us

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Some Surprising Aspects of DCE

• For a Pope who is popularly portrayed as being
  opposed to Vatican II, the Encyclical quotes
  VII, and does so very positively DCE 28, 30
• On the other hand, the Encyclical recognizes that
  the Churchs leadership in the 19th C did not
  respond well to challenges of Enlightenment
  DCE27
• For a Pope who is popularly believed to be the
  enforcer of orthodox Catholicism as the only
  valid religion, the Encyclical goes out of its
  way to eschew any type of coercion or charity as
  a tool for proselytism 31. Indeed the Pope
  suggests that as the occasion warrants, silence
  about specifics of faith may be the best course
• For a Pope who is popularly believed to be
  antagonistic to American and Western European
  governments, the Encyclical goes out of its way
  to recognize the important work for justice that
  belongs primarily to the State
• This Encyclical seems designed to open a fruitful
  dialog with Governments on justice and charity
• Example of culture of death is Church-State
  cooperation in volunteer organizations working to
  reduce drug use among young people DCE 30

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But I think the main point of DCE is

• Not about Church-State relations, but how we as
  individual Christians are to practice charity
• Justice is all about common good charity is all
  about the individual giving and receiving works
  of Christian love DCE 34
• But charity should be practiced in humility we
  cannot fix the world or even one person only
  God can do that DCE 35
• All these points are presented with examples from
  history and the points cannot be fully
  appreciated without some understanding of history

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Three Very Broad Historical Periods

• Early Christianity, Patristics (1- 604)
• Middle Period (604-1600)
• Enlightenment and Modernity (1600- Present)

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Early ChristianityPatristics

• Jesus Christ and Writing New Testament ( 1 90
  AD)
• Among the last to be completed Johns Gospel
• Time of Martyrs (64 312 AD)
• Ignatius of Antioch (d 110)
• Justin Martyr (d. 166)
• Tertullian (d 220)
• Time of Christian Roman Empire in West (312
  604)
• Constantine the Great converts to Christianity
• Establishment of monasteries in Egyptian Desert
• Julian the Apostate (r 361-363) attempted to
  return Empire to paganism as official religion
• St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan
• Martin of Tours (397)
• Augustine (d. 431)
• Pope Gregory the Great (d. 604)

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Middle Ages

• Usually divided into early, high, late
• Rise of Islam (622 Hajij)
• Charlemagne (Crowned by Leo III 800)
• Crusades (First one preached by Urban II in 1095)
• The great 13th C Dominic and Francis, Aquinas
  and Bonaventure, countless others
• Avignon Papacy 14th C
• Plague
• Renaissance and Reformation
• Turks capture Constantinople, rename it Istanbul
• Rebuilding St. Peters Michelangelo, Raphael,
  Bramante, Bromine, Bernini
• Expulsion of Moors from Spain
• Columbus (1492)
• Martin Luther (95 Theses 1517)
• Founding of Jesuits, Teresa of Avila, Council of
  Trent
• Great age of missionary activity in South America
  and Asia
• Religious wars in Europe
• Great Historical Void in DCE virtually no
  mention of any historical event or saint from
  this period (1000 years)
• Half the period of Christianity
• Not a single reference to Thomas Aquinas!!

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Enlightenment and Modernity

• New philosophical developments
• Descartes (1650)
• Gassendi (1658)
• Rise of Science and Technology Globalization
• New Political Structures
• Separation of Church and State
• Social problems resulting from marriage of
  economics and technology
• Marx (d. 1883)
• Labor movements of 19th C
• Rerum Novarum (1891)
• Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (1997)

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Why Emphasize Patristics and Modernity but a
great Void in the Middle

• Benedict XVI is deeply concerned that the Church
  has not yet fully responded to challenges posed
  by the Enlightenment
• Agnosticism
• Ethical Relativism
• Materialism
• Only valid knowledge comes from scientific method
• Belief in mankinds ability that through science
  we can fix anything
• Unlike the Middle Ages the Enlightenment is NOT
  a Christian era DCE 3
• In this it is like earlier Patristic Period in
  the Roman Empire

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Key Historical Example in DCE Fourth Century

• Fourth Century was perhaps the most important
  century in Christianity other than the First
• Opens with Great Persecution under Emperor
  Diocletian
• Major turning point Constantine the Great
• Constantine the Great has a vision (dream) before
  Battle of Milvian Bridge to put sign of Christ on
  shields of his army wins battle succeeds in
  uniting the Roman Empire under himself,
• Shows great favoritism toward Christianity edict
  of toleration, 313
• Council of Nicea, 325
• Leaves Rome under protection of papacy,
  establishes new eastern capitol in Constantinople
  (Istanbul)
• Attitude of Church theologians during time of
  Constantine
• God had established a Christian Roman Empire to
  rule the world, and so..
• The Kingdom of God led by the Church must be
  close at hand
• To call it triumphalist is putting it mildly
  Constantine as another apostle
• What happened to burst this bubble? Julian the
  Apostate

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So Who Was Julian the Apostate?

• Nephew of Constantine the Great
• Constantine was succeeded by his sons Constans,
  Constantius and Constantine (Julians cousins)
• Constantius consolidated power through intrigue
  and murder, including the murder of Julians
  father and older brothers DCE 24
• Julian as a boy sent to study in Athens (may have
  known St. Basil Great and Gregory Nazianzus
  there) pretended to be a Christian
• After his studies, he commanded Roman troops in
  Gaul
• When Constantius died (363), Julian was named
  Emperor by Army
• Tried to reestablish paganism and other
  non-Christian forms of religion in Empire
• Tried to mimic Churchs charitable structures in
  the State
• Died on campaign in Persia
• Julian was succeed by a Christian Emperor,
  Jovinian

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Julian the Apostate in DCE

• A paragraph devoted to Julian, 24 and another
  mention in 31 and the Encyclical even quotes
  from one of his letters!!??
• The only historical figure who gets more air
  time than Julian the Apostate, is Karl Marx!!??
• Why??

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Julian as a Metaphor for Contemporary
Church-State Relations

• First consider that Julian was an apostate,
• that is someone who abandoned Christianity
• Just as much of the contemporary Western world
• He abandoned it because of the hurtful things
  that those calling themselves Christians had done
  to him and his family Emperor Constantius who
  passed himself off as an outstanding Christian
  DCE 24
• What remained in Julian was a recognition of the
  importance of the Church's charitable activities
• But with Julian, these activities, because they
  no longer had Christ at their center, became a
  vehicle to ensure his own political popularity
  and social stability
• General restructuring of society and social
  welfare systems to ensure political stability was
  part of the political theories of Karl Marx

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Karl Marx and Problems of Modernity

• Industrial revolution created new economic
  opportunities and power structures also created
  vast social dislocations and urban poverty DCE
  26
• Railroads as primary example of an industry that
  abused workers and their families
• Rise of labor movements
• Marxism tried to collectivize all industries and
  dispense all material goods to members of society
  by the State DCE 27
• Charity would be unnecessary an anachronism
• Rerum Novarum 27 and subsequent Church teaching
  argued against both Marx and unfair labor
  practices

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Key Examples of Theology and PracticeAugustine
and Teresa of Calcutta

• Augustine (d. 431) Theology of Christian Charity
• If you see Charity you see the Trinity DCE
  transition from Part I to II, 19
• Great Christian political theorist DCE 28, 36
• God governs the universe, and we cannot fully
  understand this DCE 17, 38
• Recognize historical moment Immediately after
  Julian the Apostate after Fall of Rome Against
  Pelagian Heresy
• Teresa of Calcutta (d 1997) Great Modern
  Practitioner of Charity
• Love of neighbor renewed in Eucharist DCE 18
• Prayer and devotion to God are drivers for
  Christian charity DCE 36
• Recognize historical moment working in charity,
  not as a social worker in late 20th C

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What are some of the aspects of a Christian
Working in Charity? DCE 31

• Following the example given in the parable of
  the Good Samaritan, Christian charity is first of
  all the simple response to immediate needs and
  specific situations DCE 31 a
• Christian charitable activity is a way of
  making present here and now the love which man
  always needs DCE 31 b
• Love is free it is not practiced as a way of
  achieving other ends. DCE 31 c

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How Does this Practice of Christian Charity
Affect the Christian?

• I must give to others not only something that is
  my own, but my very self I must be personally
  present in my gift. DCE 34
• This proper way of serving others also leads to
  humility. The one who serves does not consider
  himself superior to the one served, however
  miserable his situation at the moment may be.
  Christ took the lowest place in the worldthe
  Crossand by this radical humility he redeemed us
  and constantly comes to our aid DCE 35
• It is time to reaffirm the importance of prayer
  in the face of the activism and the growing
  secularism of many Christians engaged in
  charitable work. Clearly, the Christian who prays
  does not claim to be able to change God's plans
  or correct what he has foreseen. Rather, he seeks
  an encounter with the Father of Jesus Christ,
  asking God to be present with the consolation of
  the Spirit to him and his work. DCE 37
• Hope is practised through the virtue of
  patience, which continues to do good even in the
  face of apparent failure, and through the virtue
  of humility, which accepts God's mystery and
  trusts him even at times of darkness DCE 39
• Love is the lightand in the end, the only
  lightthat can always illuminate a world grown
  dim and give us the courage needed to keep living
  and working. DCE 39

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DCE 40 The Saints and A Subtle Reference to
Julian the Apostate

• Finally, let us consider the saints, who
  exercised charity in an exemplary way. Our
  thoughts turn especially to Martin of Tours (
  397) DCE 40
• When the story of meeting the beggar and sharing
  his cloak occurred, Martin was in the army of
  Julian the Apostate!!
• Julian had Martin imprisoned for refusing to
  fight I am a soldier for Christ and it is not
  lawful for me to fight
• After Julians death, Martin was released and
  became famous for his practice of Charity as monk
  and bishop