Chapter 1: Beginnings

AD 30-100
The Church of the Apostles

Pentecost
 Occurred during the Jewish festival Shavu’ot:
 also called Festival of Weeks,
 50 days after Passover.
 Jesus’ followers were gathered in the upper room, having been
left confused and afraid following his resurrection and ascension.
 The Spirit of God (fire and wind) was seen and heard. The HS
filled the apostles and they began speaking in Tongues!
 They suddenly understood their job and were being empowered
by the HS to spread the good news!
 Pentecost:
 The Birthday of the Church

Jewish Roots of the Church

 We cannot understand how people of his time viewed Jesus
without understanding the Jewish culture in which he and they
lived.
 Christianity finds its roots in Judaism
 In harmony with its Jewish roots, the Christian Church insists on
Monotheism.

Built on the Good News

 Jesus called for a conversion of heart and mind.
 He spoke of both societal and personal conversion.
 This new way of being, the reign of God, included a radical
transformation in the way people viewed:
 themselves
 their God
 others
 He taught a style of life that was full of love and forgiveness.

The Early Church:

 Many early Christians believed that the “coming” would happen
in their lifetime.
 When they realized it would not, they had to make a lot of
practical decisions.
 They:
 – Divided up work
– chose leaders
– clarified teachings
– and resolved conflicts
 These decisions led to the Church as we know it today
 Early Christians saw themselves as Jewish, not as a separate
group.
– They worshipped in temple, attended synagogue, and
followed Mosaic law
– Christian Jews considered “breaking bread” (sharing meals)
to be part of their life with Jesus.
– Early Jewish Christians were held together by their Judaism
and their belief in Christ
 Tension between followers of Jesus and Jewish authorities grew
stronger after Jesus’ death.
– The apostles were arrested and brought before the
Sanhedrin on multiple occasions

Council of Jerusalem
 Early on Christians debated whether or not, and under what
conditions, Gentiles should be able to join the Christian
community.
 Council of Jerusalem-
– AD 50
– This meeting was called to address whether or not Gentiles
needed to be circumcised (entered into the Jewish faith) in
order to become Christians.
– Peter announced the decision to free Gentiles and other
provisions as well.
 Gentiles were now welcomed, and soon became the majority.
 The Christian way was no longer a strictly Jewish way

Church History
Chapter 2 Notes
Mrs. Caruso

Persecutions:
 Roman persecutions most profoundly affected Christianity.
 There was one major persecution that spanned 250.
 Factors that make Christianity susceptible to persecution:
– Once Christianity separated from Judaism, it became an
illegal religion
– Christianity spread quickly throughout the empire
– It rejects the worship of the emperor and gods of the
Romans
 – Early on, Christianity began accepting Gentiles as full
members
– Everyone came to view Christianity as separate from
Judaism
– Its members met in secret assemblies.
 Nero initiated the first persecution in Rome.
– Blamed the Christians and their God for a fire.
– Peter and Paul are said to have died in this persecution

Outsiders to Insiders:
 Constantine:
– Became the emperor of the west when Diocletian stepped
down.
– Met with Licinius, emperor of the East, and they signed the
Edict of Milan.
– This instituted tolerance for all religions.
– Marks the end of an era for the Christian church.

Heroes of the Church:

 Christians were and irritating “thorn” in the side of the Roman
Empire.
 Martyrs came to hold a special place of honor and respect. They
felt strongly enough about their faith to undergo serious
suffering, even death.
 Their graves and tombs became places where people gathered
to celebrate mass.
 Even today some alters still contain relics of Martyrs to continue
this tradition.
 St. Stephen:
– One of the 1st deacons
– “full of grace and power”
– Brought before the Sanhedrin as a blasphemer, stoned to
death.
– 1st Christian martyr

The Church Takes Shape:

 Three areas of Church life that the Christian Church needed to
address:
– The way it expressed its beliefs
 Took steps toward establishing its creed
– The way it celebrated and ritualized its beliefs
 Established its rites, or sacramental system
– And the way it structured itself
  Established roles performed by various church
members
Apologists Explain and Defend the Faith:
 When not faced with the threat of persecution, Apologists dealt
with issues of theology and criticisms against the Church.
 Prominent criticisms addressed by Apologists:
– Atheism
 Christians were accused of atheism because they
refused to worship the gods of the empire.

– Incarnation
 Some heresies said that Jesus was God and not
human, others that Jesus was human and not God.

– Christian Practices
 Christianity, which linked the human and divine in a
mysterious fashion, seemed unnatural and caused
suspicion.

– Social Structure
 Christian community was seen as antisocial and
disruptive.

Setting the Canon:

 The New Testament Gospels developed over 3 stages:
 Life Stage
– The teachings of Jesus as they were taking place; people
hearing Him teach.
 Oral Tradition
– The apostles who witnessed Jesus’ life, death, and
resurrection shared the stories with others.
 Written gospels
– Gospel writers combined both the oral stories with those
that were already in written form.
 Early Church leaders had to choose from among all the writing of
the time and decide which ones to include in the New Testament.
 They made this decision by asking the following questions:
– Was it written by an eye-witness, someone who knew
Jesus, or by an Apostle?

– Did the writing accurately reflect the teachings of Jesus as

the Apostles remembered them?

– Had the writing been consistently used in liturgy?

 – What was the general consensus?

Beginnings of the Sacraments:

 Sacraments have their origin and foundation in Christ.
 Sacraments have a fundamental role in the life of faith
 They celebrate in some way the Paschal Mystery: Jesus’ life,
death and resurrection.
 Through the Sacraments, God’s life is celebrated by the person
experiencing it.
 There was no specific number of sacraments in the beginning.
 Over time, the actions of the early church became more specific
and formalized.
 As time went by, certain actions were recognized as having
special significance, and today we celebrate them as
sacraments.

Initiation into the Church:

 People wanting to enter the Church followed a general
procedure:
– Hearing and responding to the Good News.
– Learning the essentials.
– Mentoring.
– Gradual welcoming into the community.
 Catechumens:
– Went through a process of formation that helped them
move from their previous faith community into the
Christian community.
 Mentors (sponsors) and Teachers (Catechists):
– Helped them to discern the changes that needed to be
made and supported
 Catechumens joined the community on Sunday for the Liturgy of
the Word, then they would be dismissed along with a catechist to
reflect on what they just heard.
 They would finally be fully initiated at the Easter Vigil.
 As new Christians, neophytes, they would continue their
formation and assimilation into the community

Development of Church Structures:

1. Leadership positions did not exist in the early Church.
2. A variety of forms of organization existed in the earliest days of
the Church.
3. As the Church grew, clearly defined structures of authority grew
in it.
 4. The model that exists today became standard … Bishops, Priests,
Deacons, and laity all have different functions that serve a
common purpose.

Chapter 3 Notes
Church History
The Church Victorious: the
Age of the Fathers

Notes:
Religion of the Empire
 Constantine issued the Edict of Milan allowing religious tolerance:
 Changes to Christianity:
– Christians no longer persecuted, but were looked to by
leaders to foster the well-being of the Empire.
– Christian worship became public
– Christian missionaries spread not only Christianity but also
Roman civilization.
Constantine
 Moved the Roman Capital from Rome to Constantinople.
– Moved center of Roman civilization from West to East
– Only Church leaders were left to care for the crumbling
West.
 Constantine favored Christianity but allowed non-Christian
customs to continue.
– Kept the image of the Sun god on money
– Called himself Pontifex maximus (pontiff), a title eventually
adopted by the Pope.
 Turned to Christianity in 312, but was not baptized until just
before he died

Council of Nicea
 A new heresy:
– Arianism- stated that Jesus was not of the same substance
as God, only God was immortal, Jesus had to have been
created, He is like the father but is not the same.
 Alexander of Alexandria, Arius’ bishop, condemned Arius and his
teaching.
 Followers of Arius joined in the dispute:
– Riots broke out
– Controversy began to affect the security of the empire
 Constantine called a meeting in Nicaea to discuss the issue.
 Council of Nicaea:
– First ecumenical council
 –Opened by the Emperor; he wanted a Church that had
beliefs that would be Catholic.
– Rejected Arianism and formulated a creed that would
clearly describe their beliefs.
 Nicene Creed:
– Creed the Bishops created.
– Proclaimed in all Catholic churches as part of mass.
– Added onto later at the Council of Constantinople.

Council of Chalcedon
 Took place in 451
 Addressed the heresy of Monophysitism
 Eutyches:
– Head of a monastery near Constantinople
– Leading advocate of monophysitism
 400 Bishops attended
 Condemned monophysitism and declared the teaching that Jesus
is one person who possesses 2 natures without confusion,
change, division, or separation.

Pope as Emperor of the West

 Bishop of Rome came to be viewed early on as the leader of the
Church.
– Became the Emperor of the West
 In the East:
– Emperors and patriarchs divided secular and spiritual rule.
 In the West:
– Popes were the sole power, Empire relied on a strong
Papacy.

Western Roman Empire Falls

 By the end of the 5th Century, the empire ceased to exist.
– Was now a collection of land ruled by various tribes.
– Arianism dominant religion in the West at the start of the
Christian Tribal period.
– Catholic Christianity was kept alive by the bishops of Rome
so it eventually dominated Europe.

Fathers of the Church:

 Christian leaders that assisted the Church in deciding matters of
Christian beliefs and practice.
 39 fathers of the Western Church, 51 of the East.
 People of courage, conviction, wisdom, and faith who sustained
the Church during difficult times.
Monasticism
 As Roman lifestyle and Christianity grew together, some people
went to great attempts to live a solitary life.
 They determined the best way to pursue life with Christ was to
separate themselves from society
 Monasticism:
– Living alone and giving highest priority to experiencing a
relationship with Christ.
 St. Anthony of Egypt:
– 1st known monk
– Spent over 80 years living in the desert
– Known as the 1st of the desert fathers, group of men that
lived alone in the desert.

Church History
Chapter 4 Notes
Mrs. Caruso’s Class

Church Buildings:
• When persecutions ended, Christians built churches as gathering
places and monuments representing their faith.
• Used architecture to convey what Christianity at the time stood
for:
– Protection and stability
– A Christian view of reality
– Dominance of eternal over temporal concerns
– The church as the center of life

Marks of the Church:

• Converts from different regions brought with them different
perspectives.
• Church leaders felt the need to formalize beliefs and practices;
only a united Church could claim to be one, holy, catholic, and
apostolic…
• Marks of the Church:
– One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic
• One
– It has one Lord, one Baptism, forms one Body enlivened by
the Spirit, and one Hope in salvation
• Holy
– God, its author, is Holy, Christ died to make it Holy, its life
comes from the Holy Spirit
• Catholic
– Proclaims the faith to people around the world, it is
universal
 • Apostolic
– Founded on the Apostles, Christ governs through the
successors of Peter and the Apostles

Major Christian Centers:

• Largest cities became major Christian centers, leaders of which
were called Patriarchs.
• Patriarchates, cities with patriarchs:
– Constantinople, cities with patriarchs
– Rome in Europe
– Alexandria in Egypt
– Antioch in Asia Minor
– Jerusalem in Middle East
• Bishop of Rome continued to be viewed as the head of the
Western Church, but the Patriarch of Constantinople held a place
of prominence in the East.

The Christian Experience:

• Most influential thinker in the West was St. Augustine of Hippo
– Wrote extensively on the topic of Grace.
– “Grace is a participation in the life of God.” (CCC #1997)
• Christians of the time found grace everywhere. Their lives were
sacramental from birth to death. Seasons of the year were
Christianized into the Liturgical Calendar.
– Liturgical Calendar was divided into the seasons of Advent,
Christmas, Lent, the Triduum, Easter, Ordinary Time.

Developments in Church Practice:

• Though a set list of Sacraments did not exist until 1274, various
sacramental celebrations were definitely viewed as means of
Grace.
• Baptism and Eucharist had buildings designed exclusively for
their celebration.
• Church design imitated that of public buildings popular at the
time.
• Gregorian Chant was introduced and used in the Liturgy.
Missionaries:
• Were it not for missionaries, places like Ireland, England, and
Germany would not have become the strongholds of Christianity
that they did.
• Missionaries engaged in a contest: Christian God vs. other gods.

Church History Chapter 5

The Church and World Unite
Charlemagne & the Holy Roman Empire
 Crowned by Pope Leo III:
– It was an attempt to bring back peace and stability of
earlier days of glory
– Emperor in the east was furious, adding to the rift between
E & W.
 Often called the 2nd Constantine:
– Formed all of Europe into one family of faith.

Charlemagne the Christian Emperor

 Decreed that every monastery have a school where boys could
be educated:
– Brought Alcuin, most learned monk of the time, to teach at
the finest school.
– Arranged for manuscripts to be brought and copied.
 Believed he ruled the empire in God’s name:
– Arranged for a uniform manner of worship throughout the
empire.
– Attempted to establish a procedure for choosing bishops
and leaders of abbeys and monasteries to ensure worthy
people held positions of power in the church.
– Instituted rules for clergy
– Enacted laws against heresy

Three Problems that Plagued the Medieval Church

 Lay Investiture
– Lay rulers expected favors in return
– This is one of the main causes of Church related problems
in the Middle Ages
 Simony
– Wealthy lords paid for positions of power in the Church
– Person might not carry out their duties responsibly
 Disregard for Celibacy
– A large number of priests and bishops lived with women
without being married.

Hildebrand – The Reforming Pope

 Pope Nicholas II reformed the process of selecting a new Pope:
– When a Pope dies, all cardinals who could be in Rome
within 9 days would go into a secret meeting (Conclave)
and vote on the new pope.
– This practice continues to this day.
 Hildebrand = Pope Gregory VII
– Initiated measures to eliminate corruption known as
Gregorian Reforms.
 – Among these:
• Election of Pope by Conclave
• Celibacy for Priests
• Papal power to choose bishops and abbots.

East – West Schism

 As the Eastern and Western sections of the Empire grew apart,
so did the E and W Churches.
 In the East:
– Viewed Patriarch of Constantinople as head
– Little had changed
 In the West:
– Saw the Pope as the head
– Faced challenges that required change
 Schism happened in 1054:
– Breaking of a relationship between 2 groups who still hold
essential beliefs in common

Controversies
 Filioque Contraversy:
– West changed the wording of the Nicene Creed to say that
the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.
– East was angry: they disagreed with the change and were
not consulted about it.
 Iconoclast Controversy:
– Eastern Emperor forbade the use of Icons, Patriarch of
Constantinople agreed.
– Pope in the West, supported the use of icons in liturgy.
– 2nd Council of Nicea upheld the use of Icons

Eastern Orthodox vs. Eastern Rite Catholics

 Eastern Orthodox:
– No longer in union with Rome
 Eastern Rite Catholics:
– Accept the Pope as head of the Church, but follow the
practices and worship of Eastern churches.
– They are Fully Catholic.

Church History Chapter 7 Notes

Challenge and Response
Mrs. Caruso’s Class

Protestant Reformation:
 Refers to a series of events that took place during the 1st half of
the 16th century
  Total transformation of the political and religious landscape of
Western Europe
 Martin Luther:
 A university professor ,a priest , and a loyal son of the
Church
 Wrote a local archbishop outlining his position on
theological issues
 Immediate concern – indulgences
 Indulgences reduce or eliminate time spent in
purgatory.
 Sent his concerns to several bishops hoping to spark a
scholarly debate.
 Did not intend originally to break up the church.

Church Teaching: Indulgences

 We believe in the Communion of Saints
 Concept of Indulgences points out that Christ, Mary and the
Saints have a built up “treasury of merit” available to those who
are seeking to make good, having received the sacrament of
Reconciliation and expressed sincere sorrow.
 Reconciliation forgives us, but our sins are not forgotten.
 Indulgences reduce the amount of time spent in purgatory for
our sins.

The Break with Catholicism:

 1520 – Pope Leo X issued Exsurge Domine
 Excommunicated Luther unless he retracted his beliefs
 Met some resistance.
 Luther and his students burned the papal letter in a bonfire.
 Luther was formally excommunicated, making him an outlaw and
in danger of death.
 Diet of Worms:
 Luther appeared and when asked to recant his teachings,
he responded that he could not in good conscience take it
back.
 Emperor signed Edict of Worms, declaring him a heretic

Reasons for Reform:

 Extravagant Lifestyles of Church Leaders:
 . Many were actual princes, Church and state not separate,
Pope lived like a king

 Buying and Selling Church offices:

 . Many leaders had no training in sensitivity to spirituality
  Poorly Trained and uneducated lower Clergy:
 . No formal training for priests

 Spirituality of Laypeople:
 . Lay movements were popular at the time. Protestantism
fed into this

 Spirit of the Renaissance:

 . Church was criticized for investing in Art and Architecture
and for use of Greek and roman sources of knowledge

 Nationalism:
 . Because of the fragmentation of Europe, the reform was
able to spread to one nation at a time

 Discovery of New Lands:

 . Discovery of America leaves Europe open to new ideas
and worlds

 Invention of the Printing Press:

 . Reformation was able to spread quicker

 Rise of the Middle Class:

 . Church represented to them old order of taxing money for
extravagances

2 Protestant Reformers:
 Ulrich Zwingli:
 Advocated scripture as the sole source of truth
 Denied authority of Church Leaders
 John Calvin:
 Presbyterian form of church leadership.
 Predestination :
 We can’t know whether we are among the saved, but
good indications are that we live moral lives and are
industrious members of society.

Differences in Teaching:
 Scripture alone or Scripture and Tradition?
 Luther believed in scripture as the only source of divine
revelation, the Church believes in Scripture and Tradition
 Faith alone or Faith and Good Works?
  Luther says that God gives grace and we receive it, the
Church says that we are active participants in receiving
God’s grace. For that reason, sacraments are important to
us.
 Priesthood of all believers or a Separate Priesthood?
 Luther says all Christians are priests by virtue of their faith.
Church needs ordained priests for sacraments and to
represent Christ

Council of Trent:
 Lasted on and off from 1545-1563
 Addressed abuses and clarified Church Teachings to meet
protestant challenges.
 Reforms to the Priesthood:
 Instructed Popes to be careful in selecting Cardinals
 Bishops were to reside in their diocese, meet with priests
regularly, and visit parishes
 Reaffirmed celibacy for priests.
 They were to wear distinctive clothing so they could be
distinguished from lay people
 Seminaries were instituted for educating and training
priests.
 Church Teaching:
 Restated and clarified longstanding Church Teaching
 Often stated teachings in legalistic terms
 Catechism of the Council of Trent:
 Stated fundamental beliefs in precise terms
 Published in 1566

Church History Chapter 8 Notes

Sacred or Secular?
Mrs. Caruso’s class

Galileo and the Catholic Church

• Heliocentric belief caused much controversy
• A number of people denounced his idea as heresy.
• Went to Rome and appeared before the court of the Inquisition.
• Court raised 3 questions:
o Galileo offered no proof
o Contradicted statements in the Bible
o Could present a danger to the faith of the common people
• Left the Inquisition promising not to speak of his theory, but he
broke this promise.
• Time of Galileo marks another transition time for the Church.
 • Church had to meet the challenges posed by new ideas and new
perspectives.
• Worldview that emerged had intellectual, moral, and political
implications.
• Issues the Church faced in the 17th and 18th Centuries:
o Challenges posed by a developing modern science.
o Science made the point that the Bible is not to be read
literally.
o Scientists would go from doing their work in the name of
the Church to seeing religion as an obstacle

New Age Science

• Rene Descartes:
o “I think, therefore I am.”
o Believed reason was the key source of human truth.
o Descartes and others after him posed challenges for the
Church
• Enlightenment:
o Kant- “Have the courage to use your own understanding!”
o Struck at the heart of the Church even more than the
Reformation.
o Did not reject Christianity, they found Christianity to be in
agreement with reason
• Rationalism:
o Stood against any religious tradition based on mystery or
revealed truth
• Deism:
o God was neither positive or negative force.
o Held that:
• God exists
• God created the world
• Once created, God left the world alone
• The world operates by definite natural laws
• Humans can discover these laws through reason
• Reason should be used to scrutinize all truth claims
• Reason should guide all human endeavors.

Catholic Response:
• Catholics responded on 3 levels:
• Entrenchment of Scholasticism:
o Held onto scholasticism as their principal method of
seeking truth
• Popular Devotions:
o Offered very personal images of God, Mary, and the saints.
 o Devotions to the Sacred Heart became popular.
• Moral and Spiritual Authority of the Pope:
o 1st Vatican council in 1870 declared the pope infallible
when making official definitive statements about faith and
morals

A changing World:
• Common people suffered and often looked to the Church for
comfort and meaning.
• Men and women gave their lives helping people in need.
• Christian message flourished even in the midst of the great
changes taking place worldwide.

Varieties of Spiritual Life:

• St. Vincent de Paul:
o Had an experience that made him realize what a gift his
priesthood was and that he should use it to serve the poor.
o Trained and organized priests, used contacts among the
wealthy to fund charitable projects, convinced women to
work among the poor and destitute.
• St. Louise de Marillac:
o Founded the Daughters of Charity.
o Did not live in convents or dress as nuns, lived among the
poor and served their needs.
• St. Francis de Sales:
o Patron saint of writers and the press
o Writings suggested that people should not concentrate on
practices of self mortification but love.
o People should develop good habits in their everyday lives
that make them aware of God.
• St. John Baptist de la Salle:
o Patron saint of teachers.
o Founded the other Christian Brothers

Mrs. Caruso’s Church History Class

Chapter 9 and 10 Notes

Chapter 9: The Church in the US

Maryland: A Safehaven
• Began as a safe haven for Catholics, but was not founded as a
Catholic colony.
• Act of Toleration:
• Passed in 1649.
 • Decree by the gov’t of Maryland granting freedom of
religion for the colony.

John Carroll: The Nation’s First Bishop

• Wrote a letter to the Pope requesting he appoint a US Church
leader.
• All agreed on Father Carroll.
• Later appointed the 1st US Catholic Bishop.
• Bishop of Baltimore, but his diocese included all 13 colonies.
• Established 1st US seminary: St. Mary’s in Baltimore, helped
establish Georgetown University in Washington D.C.
• By the time of the Declaration of Independence :
• There were 30,000 Catholics
• By 1815, there were 200,000!
• Catholics gained acceptance for 2 reasons:
• Their numbers were small so they were not seen as a
threat.
• Bishop Carroll showed such sensitivity and support to the
new system of gov’t that he convinced others that the
members of the Church could be both Catholic and
American.

The American System:

• In the US:
• People elected their own leaders.
• Religion was completely separate from politics
• Freedom of religion and freedom of speech.
• Lay Trusteeism:
• Control of parish funds and resources by an elected body
of laypeople.
• Seemed to be the American way and the way of the
American Church.
• Bishop Carroll saw issues with it:
• Undermined the Pope and went against Canon law
• He allowed it to continue nonetheless.
• American system was new for all people
• Priests had been scarce so laypeople were used to running
things

• US Bishops view:
 • Catholics owed spiritual fidelity to the Pope but that fidelity
in no way interfered with their ability to participate freely
in the political system of the US

Chapter 10: The Church in the Modern World

The Industrial Revolution:
• 2 positions surfaced as a response to increased industrialization:
• Laissez- Faire Capitalism:
• Hands off approach
• People with money can use their money as they wish
without restrictions from governments or other
sources.
• Socialism:
• Insists on gov’t controlled industry

Pope Leo XIII:

• Most responsible for formulating a Catholic position on
industrialization problems.
• Issued an encyclical called Rerum Novarum:
• Told wealthy industrialists they could not abuse workers.
• Urged gov’ts to step in
• Declared workers have a right to a living wage
• Taught that workers have a right to form unions.

Spiritual Life:
• Devotional Catholicism:
• Principal expression of spirituality during this period.
• Practicing popular devotions similar to those of the
baroque period.