CHAPTER 4 The Church Fathers And Heresies The Popes, the Church Fathers, and the Ecumenical Councils, led by the Holy Spirit, guided the Church through the treacherous waters of heresy.

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CHAPTER 4The Church Fathers And HeresiesThe
Popes, the Church Fathers, and the Ecumenical
Councils, led by the Holy Spirit, guided the
Church through the treacherous waters of heresy.
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CHAPTER 4The Church Fathers And Heresies

• The persecutions endured by the early Church were
  followed by a series of heresies that rocked the
  Church to its foundations.
• From the beginning, many Christian thinkers used
  Greek philosophy and tradition to help explain
  Christian truths.
• Over the course of the third to fifth centuries,
  Popes and bishops led the Church through a number
  of Ecumenical Councils addressing new
  controversies and developing new theological
  traditions.

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CHAPTER 4The Church Fathers And Heresies

• The Athanasian Creed that emerged expresses the
  Catholic belief in the three Divine Persons of
  the Blessed Trinity and the Incarnation of God
  the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity. It
  emphasizes the equality of each of the three
  persons of the Trinity.
• The Creed begins and ends with an anathema (a
  condemnation) on those who do not accept it.
• Each sentence, word, and phrase of the Creed was
  carefully selected in order to adequately express
  the Catholic Faith. While some of these terms
  may seem difficult to understand, members of the
  early Church suffered torture, exile, and death
  in order to preserve and transmit the
  unadulterated Deposit of Faith.

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PART IEarly Heresies

• St. Thomas Aquinas defines heresy as a species
  of unbelief, belonging to those who profess the
  Christian Faith but corrupt its dogmas.
• Orthodox Catholicism derives from the Deposit of
  Faith (the sum of all truths revealed in Sacred
  Scripture and Sacred Tradition, and entrusted to
  the care of the Church).
• Heresy derives from the same Deposit of Faith,
  but denies or alters some part of it.
• A person may enter into heresy in one of two
  ways
• Material heresy entered into through ignorance
  of the truth, or misunderstanding or
  incomprehension of some aspect of the Faith.
  This species is merely a mistake that needs
  correcting.
• Formal heresy freely choosing, with full
  understanding of the teachings of the Church, to
  hold doctrines that are contradictory to those of
  the Church.

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PART IEarly Heresies

• The first heresies were particularly dangerous
  because they attacked the figure of Christ
  himself.
• Greek philosophy spoke of the logos, a term used
  by St. Paul referring to God the Son.
  Neo-Platonic thought taught that the logos was
  the most exalted creation of the Father, rather
  than God himself.
• They also viewed the material world as inferior
  to the world of ideas.
• Therefore, these heresies denied the divinity of
  Jesus, and de-emphasized, if not denied, his
  humanity. They made Jesus inferior to the
  Father, and set the stage for Arianism, the worst
  crisis that the Church would ever endure.

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GNOSTICISM

• Gnosticism comes from the Greek word gnosis
  meaning knowledge. It refers to a heresy in the
  early Church that taught that salvation came from
  knowledge.
• Gnosticism taught that secret knowledge had been
  given to a few. It pitted the Demiurge, the
  creator god of the material world, against the
  remote and unknowable Divine Being. Therefore,
  the material world was against and inferior to
  the spiritual world.

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GNOSTICISM

• The redeemer was sent by the Divine Being to
  release the divine sparks, found among some
  people, so that they could return to the Divine
  Being. This was only possible if the individual
  understood the secret knowledge and practiced the
  Gnostic rituals.
• Gnosticism rejected the Churchs teaching
  regarding both Christs human and divine nature.
  It taught that Jesus did not inhabit a human
  body, nor did he die on the Cross.
• The principle of finding the light within oneself
  through pagan ceremonies is the essence of New
  Age religions.

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MARCIONISM (144-400S)

• Tradition teaches that Marcion was excommunicated
  by his father, a bishop, on grounds of
  immorality. Going to Rome, he started his own
  Christian community AD 140. This heresy grew into
  one of the greatest threats to orthodox
  Christianity and lasted well into the fifth
  century.
• Adopting the idea from Gnosticism, he taught that
  the God of the Jews was the Demiurge. He believed
  that Christ was sent from the God of Love, who
  has no connection to the law, to bring about the
  destruction of the Jewish God.

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MARCIONISM (144-400S)

• The dualism of Law and Love is the main thesis of
  his system.
• He only recognized the writings of St. Paul
  because of their teachings on the Law. He felt
  the Apostles were blinded by the Jewish Law and
  so rejected their writings, accepting only a
  purified version of St. Luke.
• Unwittingly, this heresy helped the Catholic
  Churchs development of the New Testament Canon
  of Scripture.

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MANICHAEISM (250s1000s)

• Manichaeism was the most developed branch of
  Gnosticism. Founded by Mani (AD 216-276) it
  taught the dualist conflict between darkness and
  light. The heresy taught that Satan had stolen
  light particles and placed them in the brains of
  humans. The goal of Manichaeism was to release
  this light so that it could return to its
  original source.
• Manichaeism borrowed heavily from St. Paul, and
  its followers practiced strict asceticism. It
  appealed to many Romans by demanding a stricter
  moral life than Christianity, and by appealing to
  philosophy.
• St. Augustine was a fervent follower of
  Manichaeism for many years.
• Similar heresies, such as the Albigensians
  (Cathars) appeared in the Middle Ages.

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MONTANISM (156-200s)

• Montanism was an apocalyptic movement founded by
  Montanus based on private revelations. He taught
  that a new, heavenly kingdom was about to begin
  in Pepuza, a small town in Phrygia.
• Montanism taught that Christians who had fallen
  from grace could never be forgiven or redeemed.
  It also placed a high emphasis on the ascetical
  life.
• Its most famous adherent was Tertullian.

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DOCETISM (30s-100s)

• Docetism, believing that matter was corrupt,
  denied that Christ was truly human or that he
  suffered the pain of the crucifixion. Its name
  comes from the Greek dokesis meaning appearance.
  It often taught that someone else miraculously
  switched places with Jesus before the
  crucifixion.

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PART IIThe Ecumenical Councils

• In order to meet the challenges posed by various
  heresies, the Church convened a number of
  Ecumenical Councils.
• The word ecumenical comes from the Greek meaning
  the whole inhabited world.
• The first was in Nicaea AD 325.
• Altogether there have been twenty-one Ecumenical
  Councils, the last one being the Second Vatican
  Council (1962-1965).
• The first six councils addressed Christological
  issues providing theological answers to the
  question, Who is Jesus Christ?

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PART IIThe Ecumenical Councils

• Types of councils
• Ecumenical Council A council for the entire
  Catholic Church. At present it must be convened
  by the Pope who governs the Council and he alone
  has the power to accept or reject its decrees.
  Its teachings on doctrine are considered
  infallible.
• Plenary council A council including all of the
  bishops of a nation.
• Provincial council An assembly of the
  metropolitan archbishop with his suffragan
  bishops.
• Diocesan council A synod, or meeting of a
  bishop with representatives of the clergy,
  religious, and laity in matters of diocesan
  discipline or procedure.
• The first seven Ecumenical Councils are
  recognized by both the East and West.

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PART IIIThe Church Fathers

• A number of great and holy leaders arose to lead
  the Church, explain the faith, and meet the
  unique challenges posed by different heresies.
• These Fathers shared orthodoxy in doctrine,
  holiness, notoriety, and antiquity.
• While there is no definitive list of Church
  Fathers, they are typically divided between the
  Latin (West) and Greek (East).
• The study of Church Fathers is known as patrology
  or patristics.
• Their writings offer an opportunity to learn and
  appreciate the wealth of the earliest Christian
  traditions.
• Because of their proximity to the Apostles, their
  clarification and interpretation of Scripture is
  a standard reference point.
• A Doctor of the Church is a specific title
  granted by the Pope to those whose development of
  theology and personal sanctity are exemplary.

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ST. AMBROSE OF MILAN

• St. Ambrose, the son of the Praetorian Prefect
  for Gaul, studied law, became a lawyer, and
  eventually became governor.
• Upon the death of Milans Arian bishop, the
  people clamored for St. Ambrose to succeed him,
  although he was only a catechumen at the time. He
  was soon baptized, ordained, and installed as
  bishop.
• St. Ambrose defended the Churchs independence
  from the state. When Emperor Theodosius
  slaughtered 700 people AD 390, St. Ambrose
  excommunicated him and forced the emperor to make
  public penance. The emperor was pardoned after
  eight months of prayer and penance.
• As bishop he was an ardent opponent of Arianism,
  he encouraged monasticism, introduced hymns into
  the liturgy, and facilitated theological exchange
  with the east.

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THE APOSTLES CREED

• Although the contents are based upon the New
  Testament, and it is a profession of faith in the
  Apostles teaching, the author and exact date of
  the Apostles Creed are unknown. It was first
  mentioned by St. Ambrose AD 390.
• It is based on a baptismal creed used in Rome,
  known as the Roman Creed, and for this reason it
  was particularly accepted in the West where it
  was always associated with the baptismal rite.
• The creed is divided into three sections The
  Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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ST. JEROME

• St. Jerome spent five years in the Syrian desert
  leading an ascetical life with companions. It
  was there that he learned Hebrew, which would be
  vital for his future work.
• Always leading a penitential life, he served as a
  secretary to Pope St. Damasus I, and later spent
  the last years of his life in Bethlehem as the
  head of a new monastery.
• Although a learned scholar and writing on many of
  the important issues in his day, his most
  important work was the translation of the Bible
  from original sources into Latin known as the
  Vulgate.
• This version of the Bible is still the normative
  text in the Church today.

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TRANSLATIONS OF THE BIBLE

• It is widely believed that St. Jeromes Vulgate
  translation of the Bible is the most faithful
  translation because he had access to manuscripts
  of the original languages that no longer exist.
• The Douay-Rheims translation into English was
  based on the Latin Vulgate.
• The Church teaches that the books of the Bible
  are divinely inspired.
• After careful study, the Catholic Church will
  grant its imprimatur (ecclesiastical approval) to
  books, including translations of the Bible, in
  which it finds nothing that is contrary to
  Catholic Faith or morals.
• At present there are five English translations of
  the Bible which have been given an imprimatur
  (ecclesiastical approval) The Douay-Rheims,
  the New Jerusalem Bible, the New American Bible
  (used in liturgies), The Revised Standard Version
  (those editions which have the deuterocanonical
  books), and the New Revised Standard Version.

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THE CANON OF THE SCRIPTURE

• The word canon comes from the Greek meaning
  reed or measuring rod.
• As applied to Scriptures it means the list of
  writings that have been included in the Bible and
  proclaimed by the Church to be divinely inspired.
• The Synod of Rome (AD 382) found 27 books of the
  New Testament and 46 books of the Old Testament
  to be divinely inspired.
• However, the status of seven books of the Old
  Testament were still disputed. These books,
  called deuterocanonical, were written in Greek,
  rather than Hebrew, and were included in the
  Jewish Septuagint (Greek translation of the
  Hebrew Scriptures) that was used by the early
  Christians.
• The Councils at Hippo (AD 393) and Carthage (AD
  397 and 419) established that the
  deuterocanonical books were divinely inspired and
  were to be included in the Old Testament.
• The Ecumenical Councils of Nicaea II (787),
  Florence (1335), and Trent (1545) ratified this
  decision.

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ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, THE GOLDEN MOUTHED

• St. John Chrysostom studied law in Antioch and
  later theology in the influential Antiochene
  school.
• First deciding to be a monk he spent eight years
  following the Pachomian Rule with the last two
  spent as an anchorite or hermit.
• Returning to Antioch due to ill health he was
  ordained a priest AD 386.
• He became a renowned preacher and earned the name
  Chrysostom, which means golden mouthed.
• His sermons captured the deep spiritual meaning
  of Scripture without excluding their literal
  sense.

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ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, THE GOLDEN MOUTHED

• He combined this biblical meaning with
  real-world, practical application to the
  Christian life.
• He also wrote a book on the importance and duties
  of a priest.
• Against his wishes, the emperor named him
  Patriarch of Constantinople AD 398.
• Preaching against moral laxity, including that in
  the imperial family, made him unpopular with the
  empress who twice had St. John Chrysostom removed
  as patriarch and banished.

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PART IV Heresies of the Fourth and Fifth
Centuries

• The fourth and fifth centuries AD saw the ending
  of persecutions and the rise of great Church
  leaders.
• The new found freedom led to the rise of great
  theological and doctrinal developments, but also
  to the rise of heresies.
• Ecumenical councils made pronouncements on
  Trinitarian and Christological beliefs.
• Some of the causes of these heresies were
  inaccurate interpretations of the Bible and
  imprecise theological explanations.
• The two great centers of theological learning
  were Alexandria and Antioch.

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PART IV Heresies of the Fourth and Fifth
Centuries

• Both appealed to Apostolic founding and
  traditions in defining the theology of the
  Incarnation and the Trinity.
• The School in Alexandria gave special status to
  the divinity of Christ and the unity of his
  person, along with an allegorical exegesis of the
  Scripture.
• The Antiochene School focused more on the literal
  and historical meaning of Scripture and tended to
  isolate Christs human and divine natures.

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CHRISTOLOGICAL HERESIESARIANISM (Fourth Century)

• Arius (250-336) was a priest in Alexandria who
  had studied in Antioch.
• He was charismatic and attracted huge crowds of
  listeners and devotees.
• Arius claimed that Christ is neither God, nor
  equal to the Father, but rather an exceptional
  creature raised to the level of Son of God.
• This heresy was especially dangerous because it
  denied the divinity of Christ, therefore
  effectively denying the most central beliefs of
  Christianity, including the Trinity and
  Redemption.
• This heresy found a wide following, and
  eventually spread to the entire Eastern Church,
  part of the Western Church, and the Germanic
  tribes.

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THE COUNCIL OF NICAEA

• St. Athanasius (296-373) marshaled the necessary
  orthodox forces to defeat the Arian heresy.
• Even when almost all of the Eastern Church had
  become Arian, St. Athanasius remained firm and
  would not be silenced.
• The Emperor Constantine pushed for a General
  Council at Nicaea in 325 to settle the issue of
  Arianism and to bring unity to the Empire.
• This was the first of several Ecumenical
  Councils.
• Pope St. Sylvester I, who was too old and infirm
  to travel, led the council through his legate
  Bishop Hosius of Cordova, Spain.
• St. Athanasius proposed a statement using the
  Greek term homoousios which means of the same
  essence or substance. This term was accepted
  and the result was the Nicene Creed.

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THE COUNCIL OF NICAEA

• With the Arian view defeated, all of the bishops,
  except for two signed the agreed Creed. These
  two were exiled by the emperor.
• Unfortunately, the Emperor Constantine reversed
  his decision, permitted the return of the exiled
  bishops, and forced the leaders of the Nicene
  party into exile, which included St. Athanasius.
• Before the Emperor Constantine died AD 337, he
  was baptized on his deathbed by the Arian
  Patriarch of Contantinople.
• The East soon succumbed to Arianism and the
  heresy even spread to the West.

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THE COUNCIL OF NICAEA

• Different forms of Arianism included
• (1) Anomoeans who stressed the difference
  between the Father and the Son
• (2) Scriptural purist who rejected the word
  homoousios because it does not appear in
  the Bible.
• (3) Several semi-Arian groups who stressed
  differences and
  similarities between the Father and the Son with
  the Greek term homoiousios (similar
  substance).
• Later the Council of Paris affirmed the Nicene
  Creed and St. Athanasius returned from exile.
  This Nicene Creed was reaffirmed by the council
  of Constantinople (AD 381).

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THE NICENE-CONSTANTINOPOLITAN CREED

• The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed came out of
  the Second Ecumenical Council of Constantinople
  (AD 381).
• It is longer than the Nicene Creed in three
  distinct places
• (1) The second section concerning the Son
• (2) The third section concerning the Holy
  Spirit
• (3) The last section concerning the Church,
  Baptism, the forgiveness of
  sins, and the Resurrection.
  
• This Creed is recited on most Sundays as the
  Profession of Faith following the homily in the
  Mass.

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ST. HILARY OF POITIERS THE ATHANASIUS OF THE
WEST

• St. Hilary of Poitiers was a leading Latin
  theologian of his day.
• He ardently defended the orthodox position
  against the Arians, and so is called The
  Athanasius of the West.
• Rather than condemning all heretics without
  exception, he often told semi-Arians who were
  moving toward reconciliation that their arguments
  were merely semantics and that their ideas were
  actually the same.

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THE THREE CAPPADOCIANS

• St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory of Nazianzus,
  and St. Gregory of Nyssa spent their lives
  working against the Arian heresy.
• Their work bore fruit in the Council of
  Constantinople (AD 381) when Arianism was
  decisively defeated.

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ST. BASIL THE GREAT

• St. Basil was marked by his strong intellect
  combined with a deep personal holiness and keen
  administrative abilities.
• He lived as a hermit and his ascetical life set
  the example for the structure and spirit of
  Eastern Monasticism.
• Unlike the west, Eastern Monasticism never
  fractured into new orders and rules, but has
  remained together as an organic whole under St.
  Basils Rule.
• He worked to see that priests were rigorously and
  properly trained, and worked to care for the
  material and spiritual needs of the laity. He
  developed a system of hospitals and social
  service institutions to serve the poor.
• He authored the Liturgy of St. Basil which is
  still used in the East during Lent, and its
  influence is seen in the Eucharistic Prayer IV
  used in the Roman Missal.
• As bishop St. Basil encountered opposition from
  the emperors and other churchmen regarding
  Arianism.

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St. Gregory of Nazianzus, The Theologian

• St. Gregory received a classical education in
  Athens.
• He has often been given the title Theologian
  because of his writings. He devoted much writing
  to the Holy Spirit. Through his preaching in
  Constantinople, he helped to bring the Arians
  back to the orthodox Faith.
• Like St. Basil, he led a rigorous ascetical life
  and became a bishop in Sasima around 372.

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ST. GREGORY OF NYSSA

• St. Gregory, the younger brother of St. Basil,
  was forced into exile because of his deep
  opposition to Arian beliefs.
• He utilized neo-Platonic philosophy in his
  theological work.
• He defended the popular title of Mary,
  Theotokos, which is Greek for Mother of God, or
  more literally the one who gave birth to God.

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APOLLINARIANISM (ca. 360381)

• Apollinaris ardently supported the orthodox
  position, especially against the Arians, but his
  unguided fervor led him into heresy.
• Though he believed that Christ had a human body,
  he denied the existence of a human mind and will
  in Christ as a defense against Arianism.
• Therefore, it would appear that Christ did not
  live a complete life as a man.
• This is incompatible with the Churchs view that
  Jesus was true God and true Man.
• Beginning with councils in Rome from 371380
  Apollinarianism was declared erroneous.

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NESTORIANISM (ca. 351 ca. 451)

• Nestorius became the Patriarch of Constantinople
  AD 428.
• In an effort to escape Apollinarianism, Nestorius
  maintained that Christ was the unity of a divine
  person and a human person.
• He attempted to eliminate the term Theotokos,
  teaching that Mary was the mother of Christ, but
  not the Mother of God. According to Nestorius,
  Jesus is the result of the union of two separate
  persons, one man and one God.
• The orthodox position is that Jesus is one Person
  with two natures, human and divine.
• St. Cyril of Alexandria described the
  relationship of the two natures as the Hypostatic
  Union. This doctrine was accepted in the Fourth
  Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon.
• The Third Ecumenical Council at Ephesus (431)
  declared Mary as the true Mother of God.
  Nestorius, who refused to recant, was exiled.

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MONOPHYSITISM (400s-600s)

• Monophysitism claimed that there is only one
  nature in Christ.
• The name is derived from the Greek monos (alone,
  single) and physis (nature).
• It was a reaction to Nestorianism, attempting to
  stress Christs divinity, with Christs human
  nature being assumed into his Divine nature.
• One version, Eutychianism, was initiated by
  Eutyches who taught that Christs human nature
  was absorbed into the divine, like a drop of
  water is absorbed into the ocean.
• Pope St. Leo spoke through his legates in the
  Council of Chalcedon (451) declaring that Jesus
  Christ is the God-man, one Person with two
  natures. It was declared, Peter has spoken
  through Leo.

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MONOPHYSITISM (400s-600s)

• The cumulative effect of these heresies was a
  weakening of the Roman Empire, and the creation
  of splinter Christian groups in the East.
• Recent common declarations of faith between the
  Catholic and Coptic, Ethiopian, and Syrian
  Orthodox Churches have concluded that they no
  long hold a monophysite position.

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GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR APOSTLE OF ARMENIA

• Bishop Gregory the Illuminator (257337) began
  the Christianization of the Armenian people. He
  did so by first converting the king, Tiridates
  III, and then the people. This model of
  evangelization would be followed in the centuries
  to come.
• Armenia enjoys the distinction of being the first
  nation to officially become Christian AD 314.
• Unfortunately, most of the Armenian people broke
  away from the Church over the issue of
  monophysitism, although a segment is still in
  communion with Rome and has its own Eastern
  Catholic rite.

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POPE ST. LEO THE GREAT

• Pope St. Leo (d. 461) did much to consolidate
  papal power.
• The origin of this authority is based on the
  words of Christ, You are Peter, and on this rock
  I will build my Church.
• With a firm conviction of Gods will, Pope St.
  Leo secured a rescript from Emperor Valentinian
  III acknowledging papal jurisdiction in the West.
• His strong leadership in dealing with heresies,
  his dealings with the barbarian threat, and his
  administration of the Church earned him the title
  the Great.

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MONOTHELITISM (600s)

• Monothelitism is the doctrine that professes the
  existence of only one will in Christ, but still
  maintains that he has two natures.
• It name comes from the Greek mono (alone, single)
  and thelos (one who wills).
• The heresy originated with the emperor as a way
  to reconcile the Monophysites with the church and
  to bring unity to the empire.
• Patriarch Sergius of Constantinople approved the
  formula and wrote to Pope Honorius to clarify the
  matter.
• The Pope approved of Sergiuss handling of the
  matter and used the words one will in his
  reply, which the emperor and Patriarch used in an
  official document.

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MONOTHELITISM (600s)

• Two councils in Constantinople (not ecumenical)
  accepted this formula.
• The Popes use of the term one will in this
  private letter to the Patriarch is often used as
  evidence against Papal Infallibility.
• However, it does not meet the conditions for
  infallibility as the Pope did not define a matter
  of doctrine for the entire Church, nor was it his
  intention to descend into theological details.
• It does show evidence that the other Churches,
  including the Patriarch of Constantinople, would
  appeal to the papacy to settle theological
  issues.
• Later, the Church developed precise language in
  defining its position that Jesus had two natures
  (human and divine) and two wills (human and
  divine).

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DOGMATIC AND SACRAMENTAL HERESIES DONATISM
(311-411)

• Donatism rejected the validity of the Sacraments
  celebrated by priests and bishops who had
  betrayed the Faith during persecution or who had
  in other ways sinned.
• They identified the true Church only with
  themselves and even rebaptized those who joined
  their sect.
• St. Augustine was their chief opponent.
• He developed the Catholic position that Christ is
  the true minister of every Sacrament, even if the
  person celebrating the Sacrament is in a state of
  sin.
• St. Augustine separated the worthiness of the
  priest from the validity of the Sacrament.
• The Donatists were suppressed by the state AD
  411, but were never fully defeated until Islam
  overran the Church in Africa in the seventh and
  eighth centuries.

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PELAGIANISM (late 300s-431)

• Pelagianism taught that man can be redeemed and
  sanctified without grace.
• It denied the existence of Original Sin, as well
  as its transmission to the human family.
• The Sacraments were superfluous since salvation
  could be obtained by human effort.
• These views were condemned at the councils of
  Carthage and Milevis AD 416 and AD 418 the Pope
  excommunicated its founders.
• These issues surrounding the Fall, Original Sin,
  and grace reappeared during the Middle Ages and
  again at the time of the Reformation.

45
ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO

• St. Augustine (354430) was perhaps the greatest
  Father of the Church. He was a pastor, penitent,
  monk, preacher, bishop, teacher, and theologian.
  No other theologian rivaled his importance until
  St. Thomas Aquinas.
• St. Augustine was born to a pagan father and a
  Christian mother (St. Monica). He lived a
  dissolute life for many years before converting
  to the Faith. During this time he cohabited with
  a woman with whom he had a child and later became
  deeply involved with the heresy of Manichaeism.

46
ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO

• Upon moving to Milan he found great intellectual
  stimulation in neo-Platonic philosophy and the
  preaching of St. Ambrose.
• After a conversion experience he resolved to
  become Catholic and to abandon his sinful life.
  He and his son were baptized. However, he soon
  suffered tragedy as his mother, who had prayed
  for her sons conversion her entire life, died,
  and his son died the following year.
• He returned to his birthplace in North Africa
  where he established a monastic community and
  lived a life dedicated to prayer and penance.
  Upon a visit to Hippo, he was seized by the
  people and ordained a priest by the bishop. Four
  years later he became a bishop.

47
ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO

• St. Augustine was a voluminous writer who
  addressed all of the major heresies of his day
  Manicheans, Donatists, Pelagians, Arians, and the
  pagans.
• His theology addresses the Trinity, grace, the
  Fall, Original Sin, repentance, Sacraments,
  predestination, and atonement.
• St. Augustines theology and writings came to be
  adopted as the official teaching of the Church.
• A number of religious orders adopted his rule in
  the Middle Ages.
• By the time of his death the temporal, social,
  and economic order of the Roman Empire was
  ending.
• His writings set the theological tone in the
  West, and his philosophy and theology dominated
  Christian thought for some eight hundred years
  until the advent of Scholasticism and St. Thomas
  Aquinas.

48
PART V Christianity Official Religion of the
Roman Empire

• For political reasons the state wanted religious
  unity and uniformity. The Church in the East,
  influenced by the growing power of the Patriarch
  of Constantinople under the strong influence of
  the emperor, tended to accept a role of the
  Church which was subservient to the interests of
  the state.
• The dual role as head of state and leader of the
  Church on the part of the emperor was called
  caesaropapism. The emperor played a major role in
  selecting the patriarch who was then beholden to
  the emperor.

49
PART V Christianity Official Religion of the
Roman Empire

• In the West as well, the papacy wanted a good
  working relationship with the state. However, the
  Church in the west did not allow anyone, even the
  emperor, to be above the law of Christ.
• When Constantine abandoned Rome, it left the
  papacy with temporal power in addition to its
  spiritual power. When the state collapsed, the
  papacy was there to defend and preserve the Faith
  and culture of the people.

50
CONSTANTINES ASCENDANCY

• After the Edict of Milan, Constantine and
  Licinius ruled the Roman Empire.
• AD 321 Licinius began a persecution of bishops
  and clergy, and AD 324 he declared war on
  Constantine. Licinius was defeated and religious
  toleration was enjoyed throughout the Empire.
• Constantine freed the Church and priests from
  taxation, individual churches were permitted to
  receive donations, work on Sunday was forbidden,
  and crucifixion as a punishment was ended.

51
CONSTANTINES ASCENDANCY

• Constantine founded the city of Contantinople on
  the site of the Greek city of Byzantium. It was
  dedicated to the protection of Mary under the
  title of Theotokos and survived for over a
  thousand years until it fell to the Ottoman Turks
  in 1453.
• In moving the capital to Constantinople, the
  economic, cultural, and linguistic power shifted.
  The east was wealthier and more heavily
  populated. It looked upon the West as backward
  and poor.
• On his deathbed Constantine was baptized by an
  Arian bishop. The East declared him a Saint.
  Although the West did not concur, he was given
  the title the Great.

52
JULIAN THE APOSTATE

• Julian (332-363) was the nephew of Constantine.
  He became Caesar in 355. The title Apostate
  (one who willingly renounces the Faith) has been
  given to Julian because, though he was baptized a
  Christian, as emperor he tried to de-emphasize
  Christianity.
• Although he didnt persecute Christians, he
  promoted paganism placing it on an equal footing
  with Christianity, and attempted to strip the
  Church of all of the privileges with which it had
  been granted by Constantine.
• The Emperors following Julian moved to reduce
  paganism to oblivion and re-established the
  special status of Christianity.

53
THEODOSIUS I THE GREAT (379-395)

• Theodosius I cemented the union between Church
  and state with his AD 391 decree declaring
  Christianity to be the official religion of the
  Empire.
• Heresy became a legal offence and pagan sacrifice
  was outlawed.
• This union of throne and altar became the
  standard relationship between Church and state
  until Vatican Council II. This union posed many
  challenges and occasioned many crises for the
  Church over the centuries.

54
CONCLUSION

• The Edict of Milan brought about a moment of
  freedom to the Church. However, the Church was
  convulsed by one theological controversy after
  another for the next two centuries.
• Only the leadership of the Popes, the Church
  Fathers, and the Ecumenical Councils under the
  influence of the Holy Spirit guided the Church
  through the treacherous waters of heresy.
• The proclamation of Christianity as the official
  religion of the Roman Empire by Theodosius I in
  391 inaugurated a new era in Christianity.

55
The End