Transition From Republic To Empire
Rome had begun expanding shortly after the founding of the republic in the 6th century BC, though it did not expand outside the Italian peninsula until the 3rd century BC. Then, it was an “empire” long before it had an emperor. The Roman Republic was not a nation-state in the modern sense, but a network of towns left to rule themselves and provinces administered by military commanders. It was ruled, not by , but by annually elected in conjunction with the Senate. For various reasons, the 1st century BC was a time of political and military upheaval, which ultimately led to rule by emperors. The consuls’ military power rested in the Roman legal concept of , which literally means “command” . Occasionally, successful consuls were given the honorary title , and this is the origin of the word emperor since this title was always bestowed to the early emperors upon their accession.
In 117 AD, under the rule of , the Roman Empire, at its farthest extent, dominated much of the , spanning three continents.
What Are The Roman Catholic Sacraments
In Roman Catholicism and certain other Christian churches, the sacraments are a key and essential part of the faith. In Roman Catholic teaching, the sacraments serve to perpetuate the union of God and humankind. They are the visible form of an invisible grace, as St. Augustine famously described them. Roman Catholicism celebrates seven sacraments: baptism, the Eucharist, confirmation, reconciliation , , anointing of the sick, and holy orders. Some, such as baptism, confirmation, marriage, and ordination, are generally only to be received once in a Roman Catholics life. For others, such as the Eucharist and reconciliation, frequent participation is encouraged.
Council Of Trent Addresses Problems
For the next few years Paul III tried to convene a council, but it had to be postponed several times, mainly because bishops felt threatened by his efforts to bring change. He therefore initiated his own reforms, such as encouraging new religious communities. Among them was the Society of Jesus , an order for men founded by Ignatius of Loyola , which the pope approved in 1540. Two years later Paul III established an official church court, the Congregation of the Roman Inquisition, which was responsible for seeking out heretics and putting them on trial. In 1545 the pope finally succeeded in organizing the first session of the Council of Trent. He adjourned the council in 1547, however, because of poor attendance, an outbreak of typhus , and a bad climate. The second session of Trent met in 1551 and 1552 under Pope Julius III . The next pope, Marcellus II , held office only briefly and did not call any meetings. His successor, Paul IV , opposed the council as a threat to papal authority and refused to hold meetings. He undertook his own reforms, strengthening the Roman Inquisition and establishing the Index of Prohibited Books, a list of “unholy and dangerous works.” The final sessionof the Council of Trent met in 1562 and 1563, during the reign of Pope Pius IV .
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What Came First Christianity Or Catholicism
As a branch of Christianity, Roman Catholicism can be traced to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ in Roman-occupied Jewish Palestine about 30 CE. According to Roman Catholic teaching, each of the sacraments was instituted by Christ himself.
Papal Primacy And Infallibility
The role of the bishop of Rome, the pope, has always been a matter of controversy in the Christian Church. Because both Saint Peter and Saint Paul were martyred in Rome, the Christian community in Rome was acknowledged by all Christians to have central importance in the Church. The Bishop of Rome was the successor to both these Apostles. The Bishop of Rome was, at least originally, also the Bishop of the Christian church in the most important city in the Roman Empire. Consequently he was important among the Christian community of Churches as well as politically as a spokesperson for Christianity at the center of political power. That, you might say, is how it all began in the first century: a small group of persecuted Christians gathered around their leader, the Bishop of Rome. Approximately nineteen hundred years later the Bishop of Rome is head of Vatican City and head of a church with over a billion members. The controversy is greatly influenced by cultural circumstances such as when there were multiple popes and when many of them lived scandalous lives. In the context of the 20th century two celebrity popes, Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II, put a warm, human, devout face on the papacy which strengthened their role, given by the media, as principle spokesperson of Christianity. While many non-Catholics remember the popes of the Middle Ages, contemporary Catholics remember the engaging spiritual countenance of popes projected around the world by television.
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Beginning And End Of Life Issues
These issues are usually summarized in discussions surrounding abortion, euthanasia, stem cell research, war, and capital punishment. In the United States the controversial nature of these stances about moral evil usually divide into two slogans: Right to Life, dealing with abortion, and Seamless Garment, demanding equal emphasis upon abortion, euthanasia, and the social justice issues.
The official Catholic position is both clear and nuanced. To deliberately, consciously, and directly kill a human is intrinsically evil and a sin. Such killing is discussed under the Fifth Commandment, âYou shall not kill,â in the Catholic Catechism. Hidden within such a clear statement about killing are discussions about what is a human, when does a human exist or cease to exist, and what does it mean to deliberately, consciously, and directly kill someone? These discussions, as mentioned above, take place within a two thousand year discussion about birth, death, consciousness, free will, and the biology of humans. They will continue over the next thousands of years.
Christ Logos And Son Of God
But who do you say that I am? Only Simon Peter answered him: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God â Matthew 16:15-16
Jesus is mediator, butâ¦the title means more than someone between God and man. He is not just a third party between God and humanityâ¦. As true God he brings God to mankind. As true man he brings mankind to God.
Most Christians generally consider Jesus to be the Christ, the long-awaited , as well as the one and only Son of God. The opening words in the /Mark#1:1″ rel=”nofollow”> 1:1), “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God”, provide Jesus with the two distinct attributions as Christ and as the Son of God. His is again re-affirmed in .Matthew 1:1 which begins by calling Jesus the Christ and in verse 16 explains it again with the affirmation: “Jesus, who is called Christ”.
In the Pauline epistles, the word is so closely associated with Jesus that apparently for the there was no need to claim that Jesus was Christ, for that was considered widely accepted among them. Hence Paul could use the term Christos with no confusion about who it referred to, and as in 1 Corinthians 4:15 and Romans 12:5 he could use expressions such as “in Christ” to refer to the followers of Jesus.
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Resurrection Ascension And Second Coming
The New Testament teaches that the Resurrection of Jesus is a foundation of the Christian faith. Christians, through in the working of God are spiritually resurrected with Jesus, and are so that they may walk in a new way of life.
In the teachings of the , the Resurrection was seen as heralding a . Forming a theology of the Resurrection fell to . It was not enough for Paul to simply repeat elementary teachings, but as Hebrews 6:1 states, “go beyond the initial teachings about Christ and advance to maturity”. Fundamental to Pauline theology is the connection between Christ’s Resurrection and redemption. Paul explained the importance of the Resurrection of Jesus as the cause and basis of the hope of Christians to share a similar experience in 1 Corinthians 15:20-22:
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
The , discussed the death and Resurrection of Jesus, including , , and . Following the and the liberating in 313, the of the 4th, 5th and 6th centuries, that focused on Christology helped shape the Christian understanding of the redemptive nature of Resurrection, and influenced both the development of its iconography, and its use within .
Church In South America
During this period the Church faced colonial abuses from the Portuguese and Spanish governments. In South America, the Jesuits protected native peoples from enslavement by establishing semi-independent settlements called reductions. Pope Gregory XVI, challenging Spanish and Portuguese sovereignty, appointed his own candidates as bishops in the colonies, condemned slavery and the slave trade in 1839 , and approved the ordination of native clergy in spite of government racism.
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The Great Schism In Christendom
It was in 1054, after the Great Schism of the West and East that the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches splited. Two major doctrinal differences that sparked this split were the Popes role and power and the Nicene Creeds filioque clause. Also, there is a difference between Western Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxism in their understanding of how the Holy Spirit is gotten. During the Reformations, Pope Benedict XVI and his supporters disagreed with Protestant reformers over issues of authority, soteriology , Scripture, and sacramental theology, resulting in yet another schism in the Roman Catholic Church . Meanwhile, Protestants battled with Roman Catholics to ensure that the liturgy and Bible remained in Latin, despite Protestants claims to the contrary.
Whats The Difference Between Catholic And Roman Catholic
When used in a broader sense, the term Catholic is distinguished from Roman Catholic , which has connotations of allegiance to the Bishop of Rome , i.e. the Pope. They describe themselves as Catholic , but not Roman Catholic and not under the authority of the Pope.
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Christianity In The 1st Century
Jesus Washing Peter’s Feet
Christianity in the 1st century covers the formative from the start of the to the death of the last of the and is thus also known as the Apostolic Age. Early Christianity developed out of the of . Subsequent to Jesus’ death, his earliest followers formed an during the late of the 1st century. Initially believing that was the start of the , their beliefs soon changed in the expected of Jesus and the start of at a later point in time.
, a Pharisee Jew who had persecuted the , c. 3336 and started to proselytize among the . According to Paul, Gentile converts could be allowed exemption from , arguing that all are by their . This was part of a gradual , as Christianity became a distinct religion including predominantly Gentile adherence.
had an early Christian community, which was led by , , and . According to Acts 11:26, was where the followers were first called Christians. Peter was later in Rome, the capital of the . The apostles went on to of the around the classical world and founded around the . The last apostle to die was John in c. 100.
Do Protestants Believe In Saints
In many Protestant churches, the word saint is used more generally to refer to anyone who is a Christian. Many Protestants consider intercessory prayers to the saints to be idolatry, since an application of divine worship that should be given only to God himself is being given to other believers, dead or alive.
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When Did The Catholic Church Start Worshipping Mary
Hippolytus of Rome is credited with recording the first liturgical reference to the Virgin Mary as a component of the ordination ceremony of a bishop. This event took place in the early part of the third century. The observance of Marian feasts began in the fourth century, and by the year 350, the feast known as the Memory of Mary, Mother of God was being held on August 15 in Jerusalem.
What Is The Difference Between Christians And Catholics
- A person who adheres to the teachings of Jesus Christ and may be a member of the Catholic Church, the Protestant Church, the Gnostic Church, the Mormon Church, the Evangelical Church, the Anglican Church, or the Orthodox Church is referred to as a Christian.
- A Christian who adheres to the teachings of the Catholic Church as they have been handed down from Pope to Pope is known as a Catholic.
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Beliefs Concerning The Origin Of The Eastern Orthodox Church Also Differ:
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The Eastern Orthodox church and most religious historians teach that there were five Patriarchates in the early years of Christianity. They were: Alexandria, Antioch Constantinople, Jerusalem and Rome. Each was governed by a Bishop. With the advent of Islam, only Constantinople and Rome survived as major power centers. They were in a continual state of disagreement until they formally severed their relationship in 1054 CE by mutually excommunicating each other’s leaders.
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The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the Bishop of Rome was universally recognized as the center of authority within very early Christianity. The Eastern branch of Christianity broke away from Rome in 1054 CE. However, the two groups both recognize the Apostolic succession and what the Roman Catholic Church considers to be “a valid Eucharist.”
When Did The Roman Catholic Church Begin
How and when was there a Roman Catholic Church? Once you know the story of the church, the rise of Roman Catholicism is easy to understand.
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Social And Cultural Issues
Catholic social teaching, reflecting the concern Jesus showed for the impoverished, places a heavy emphasis on the corporal works of mercy and the spiritual works of mercy, namely the support and concern for the sick, the poor and the afflicted. Church teaching calls for a preferential option for the poor while canon law prescribes that “The Christian faithful are also obliged to promote social justice and, mindful of the precept of the Lord, to assist the poor.” Its foundations are widely considered to have been laid by Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical letter Rerum novarum which upholds the rights and dignity of labour and the right of workers to form unions.
Catholic teaching regarding sexuality calls for a practice of chastity, with a focus on maintaining the spiritual and bodily integrity of the human person. Marriage is considered the only appropriate context for sexual activity. Church teachings about sexuality have become an issue of increasing controversy, especially after the close of the Second Vatican Council, due to changing cultural attitudes in the Western world described as the sexual revolution.
The Roman Catholic Church In Medieval Society
The Roman Catholic Church was immensely important in medieval society. Many would argue that it was actually the most important factor in peoples lives. This could be seen even in the way that towns and cities were laid out, with the church at the center. Usually, the church steeple was also the highest building in the city, showing that nothing else was more important.
As the center of society, the Church was very powerful and took in a lot of money. People paid a tax called a tithe to the church, representing 10% of their income. The Church used this wealth to influence politics. In fact, the upper levels of the Catholic Church, such as the Pope at the top, were often more powerful than Europe’s monarchs. This meant that kings and lords listened to the opinions of the Church when they made decisions, allowing the Church to influence what happened in different regions throughout Europe
In addition to being wealthy and powerful, the Church played an important role in preserving Greco-Roman culture . The most important thing the Church did to preserve Greco-Roman culture was to safeguard and copy ancient manuscripts and works of art.
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Middle Ages And Renaissance
The Catholic Church was the dominant influence on Western civilisation from Late Antiquity to the dawn of the modern age. It was the primary sponsor of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Mannerist and Baroque styles in art, architecture and music. Renaissance figures such as Raphael, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Fra Angelico, Tintoretto, Titian, Bernini and Caravaggio are examples of the numerous visual artists sponsored by the church. Historian Paul Legutko of Stanford University said the Catholic Church is “at the center of the development of the values, ideas, science, laws, and institutions which constitute what we call Western civilisation“.
In the 11th century, the efforts of Hildebrand of Sovana led to the creation of the College of Cardinals to elect new popes, starting with Pope Alexander II in the papal election of 1061. When Alexander II died, Hildebrand was elected to succeed him, as Pope Gregory VII. The basic election system of the College of Cardinals which Gregory VII helped establish has continued to function into the 21st century. Pope Gregory VII further initiated the Gregorian Reforms regarding the independence of the clergy from secular authority. This led to the Investiture Controversy between the church and the Holy Roman Emperors, over which had the authority to appoint bishops and popes.