Church History

Chapter 2 Notes
Mrs. Caruso

Vocabulary:

Deacon:

Martyr:

Edict of Milan:

Heretic:

Apologist:

Incarnation:

Canon:

Tradition:

Sacrament:

Catechumen:

Bishop:

Presbyter:

Persecutions:
  ______________________________ most profoundly affected
Christianity.
 There was ____ major persecution that spanned _______________.
 Factors that make Christianity susceptible to persecution:
– Once Christianity separated from Judaism, it became an
__________ religion
– Christianity spread _________ throughout the empire
– It rejects the worship of the ____________ and _____ of the
Romans
– Early on, Christianity began accepting ____________ as full
members
– Everyone came to view Christianity as ______________ from
Judaism
– Its members met in _________ assemblies.
 Nero initiated the ____ persecution in Rome.
– Blamed the Christians and their God for a ______.
– Peter and Paul are said to have ______ 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
__________________________.
– This instituted ____________ 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
____________________.
 __________ 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 __________________________.
 Even today some _________ still contain _________ of Martyrs to
continue this tradition.
 St. Stephen:
– One of the 1st __________
– “full of _________ and _________”
– Brought before the ________________ as a blasphemer,
________________________.
– 1st ___________________________
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 ________
– The way it celebrated and ritualized its beliefs
 Established its ______, or
_______________________________
– And the way it structured itself
 Established ________ performed by various church
members
Apologists Explain and Defend the Faith:
 When not faced with the threat of persecution, Apologists dealt
with issues of _____________ and ____________ against the Church.
 Prominent criticisms addressed by Apologists:
– Atheism
 .

– Incarnation
 .

– Christian Practices
 .

– Social Structure
 .

Setting the Canon:

 The New Testament Gospels developed over 3 stages:
 ______ Stage
– The teachings of Jesus as they were taking place; people
hearing Him teach.
 ______ Tradition
– The apostles who witnessed Jesus’ life, death, and
resurrection shared the stories with others.
 __________ 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
_______________________.
 They made this decision by asking the following questions:
– .
 – .

– .

– .

Beginnings of the Sacraments:

 Sacraments have their origin and foundation in ________.
 Sacraments have a fundamental role in the life of ________
 They celebrate in some way the Paschal Mystery: ______________,
_________, _________________________.
 Through the ____________________, 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
_______________ and _____________________.
 As time went by, certain actions were recognized as having
special _______________, and today we celebrate them as
_____________________.

Initiation into the Church:

 People wanting to enter the Church followed a general
procedure:
– .
– .
– .
– .
 Catechumens:
– Went through a process of formation that helped them
move from their __________________________ into the
Christian community.
 Mentors (_____________) and Teachers (______________):
– Helped them to discern the changes that needed to be
made and supported
 Catechumens joined the community on Sunday for the Liturgy of
the _______, then they would be dismissed along with a catechist
to reflect on what they just heard.
 They would finally be fully initiated at ________________________.
 As new Christians, __________________, they would continue their
formation and assimilation into the community

Development of Church Structures:

1. .
2. .
3. .
4. .