Competency Explain how Christians fought for

5 their faith amidst hardships and

persecution.

The learners in the long run and on their own will be able to commit to live out the
values of the disciples of as members of the Church.

At the end of this module, you will be able to:

a. Explain how the early Christians face the hardships and persecution and
b. Identify the reasons for the early Christians’ persecution.

Initial Task

Direction: Write down the song of Yeng Constantino “Hawak Kamay”

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Think and Share`

1. What does the song tell us?

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 Unlocking of Difficulties
Schism - a split or division between strongly opposed sections or parties, caused by
differences in opinion or belief.

Crusade- series of religious sanctioned military campaigns by the Latin Christian

Europe and the Holy Roman Empire.
Ecumenism – A movement promoting unity among Christian Churches or
denominations.

Edict of Milan– a declaration issued in 313 AD by Emperor Constantine which

made all religions legal within the Roman Empire.

Activating Prior Knowledge

How would you describe people who are marter sa pag ibig?
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Lecturette

Christians remain steadfast in their faith despite of difficulties they encounter

under of the Romans. They remain faithful to following Jesus amidst threats, physical
torture and persecutions, they supported one another through prayer, gestures of care
and fraternal charity.
Reasons of the Persecutions of the Christians by the Romans
 The beliefs and practices of the Christians were in conflict with the worldview of
the pagan Rome:
 They worship only one God and do not recognize the Roman gods and
goddesses. They also refuse to worship the emperor.
 Christians are believed to be engaged in some form of cannibalism in their
Eucharistic Rite which is celebrated in secret.
 Public spectacles of bloody games, like gladiatorial contests, were condemned
by the Christians as inhuman.
 Christians refused to serve in the army and protested against wars.
 Christians showed disloyalty to the state by not paying the imposed temple tax.

The Persecution of the Early Christians

After years of persecutions with different emperors in Rome with Nero in 64 CE

initiated the widespread brutal persecution of Christians, as cited in the words of the
historian Hubert Jedin (1993) wherein Christians were arrested and executed in ways
reserved for arsonists; some were sewn into the skins of animals and thrown to the wild
dogs; others were clothed into inflammable materials and used as living torches by Nero
to light his garden, which he opened to the public for the spectacle.
 But Nero’s act did not gain favor and sympathy to his fellowmen for the victims
were pitied, for it was felt that they (Christians) were being sacrificed to one man’s
brutality rather than to the national interest. And yet persecution persisted like a curse
for the Christian martyrs. Some remarkable emperors like Trajan (98-117) who urged
the Christians to denounce their faith and worship their Pagan gods and they will be
persecuted and if they can’t have their denounced then they will be haunted out.
To make the situation worse for the Christians, Septimus Severus in 202
intensified the campaign for the persecution. He forbade conversion to Christianity
considered baptism as a criminal act. The Christian was still pardoned if he denied his faith.
In 250 C.E., Roman emperor Decius directed that all citizen of the empire must
worship the Roman gods and secure a certification from the government. Those who
refused were martyred.Valerian in 257 continued the persecution by ordering the close and
confiscation of Christian Churches, and by exiling and killing the bishops but his son
Gallienus, stopped his father’s ordered and returned confiscated Church property.
The era of Roman persecution has its final implementation at the time of Diocletian (284-285).He
renewed the former edicts of persecution by Decius and Valerian, but added the confiscation of
Christian writings as well as buildings. The persecution during his reign according to W.H. Frend , was a
product of a well-thought and a well-planned attack on the Christians and if they caught unprepared by
these circumstances , manifested a variety of responses. Some fled to remote places where they can
freely practice their faith. Others simply submitted to the authorities. But there were those who
complained, fought for their rights and persisted to uphold their freedom. Thus, they ended up
tortured,executed or burned in public depending on those who arrested them and in what roman
province they belonged. Emperor Diocletian divided the Roman Empire into East and West in the year
292. Constantine succeeded Diocletian 312 – an armed conflict broke out between Constantine and
Maxentius.
ATTITUDES OF THE EARLY CHRISTIANS TOWARDS PERSECUTION

Crucify us; torture us; send us to death; wipe us out? Your injustice is the proof of
our innocence!” The cruel inventions of your fury serve as recommendations for the
Church. Our numbers go on increasing while you make blood harvests of our ranks.”
“The Blood of Christ is a seed”
Hardships and difficulties of Christians brought by persecution finally met its end at
the time of Galerius in 311. And in 313, the Emperor Constantine together with Licinus
issued the Edict of Milan which declared religious freedom to all citizens of the empire, after
so many decades of prolonged agony and torture. Constantine beheld a vision of a cross in
the sky, over which were emblazoned the Latin words “ In hoc signo vinces” “In this sign you
shall conquer”
 Emperor Theodusius declared paganism illegal and made Christianity the
official religion of the empire in 380. Bishops ranked high in public life, some of them
holding civil position as judges. The church was also given lands and the revenues from
these properties were to be used for the upkeep of the Church. By 500, only Christians
were allowed to serve in the army.

ASSESSMENT:

Direction: Explain the following in tree sentences only:

1. Why were the early Christians persecuted?

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2. How did the early Christians accept persecutions?

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TRIUMPH OF THE CROSS

The cross, formerly a symbol of punishment and death, has been exalted by Jesus as
the stairway to paradise. There can be no Christian without the cross. The Triumph of
the Holy Cross is connected with the recovery of the sacred relic in 629. After the
placing of Jesus in the tomb, his cross was thrown into a ditch and covered with stones
and earth, so that the Christians couldn’t find it. In 326, St. Helena, mother of
Constantine the Great, discovered the hiding place and solemnly enshrined it in the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre. In 614, the Persians invaded Palestine and carried off
the precious relic. In 629, Emperor Heraclitus of Constantinople defeated the Persians
and brought back the Sacred Cross to Jerusalem. In 614, the Persians invaded
Palestine and carried off the precious relic. In 629, Emperor Heraclitus of
Constantinople defeated the Persians and brought back the Sacred Cross to Jerusalem.
In 312-Constantine became the Emperor of Rome.In 313 issued Edict of Milan, granting
freedom of worship to Christians in the Roman Empire. He was converted to Christianity
at his death bed. Historians differ greatly in their assessments of Constantine's motives
and the depth of his Christian conviction. Early Christian writers portray him as a devout
convert, although they have difficulty explaining his execution in 320 (on adultery
charges) of Crispus, his son by his first wife, and Fausta, his wife. Defeated his rival
emperor of the east after they shared power for a while. He tried to unite the empire but
because Rome was run-down, many people live in crumbling slums, he moved to the
eastern part of the empire Byzantium later called Constantinople which became the new
center of the empire. Helped built Christian churches in Rome and Palestine and
exempted the clergy from paying taxes.Some later historians see him as a political
genius, expediently using Christianity to unify his empire. An intermediate interpretation
pictures him as a pagan gradually converted to Christianity (he was baptized on his
deathbed), using his new belief for personal ends much as earlier emperors had used
the imperial cult. He began to interfere in church matters and because the church is
indebted for the good favor he has done, they were not inclined to resist his influence.

Think and Share:

What is the significance of the cross to the Christian life?

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Direction: Describe the Roman Emperors as persecutors to the early Christians using
the Graphic Organizer below:

Result and Synthesis

(Describe how God Journey with the early Christians amidst Persecution)

Rubric
Criteria 4 3 2 1
Cause-and-effect At least three Two cause-and- One cause-and- No cause-and-
relationships cause and-effect effect effect relationship effect
relationships relationships relationships
included on
graphic organizer

Clear description Extremely clear Clear description Basic description Minimal

description of the of cause-and- of cause-and- description of
cause-and-effect effect effect cause-and-effect
relationships relationships relationships relationships

Comments: Total score: _________________

 Competency Explain the contribution of
6 monasticism in the growth of the
Church.

The learners in the long run and on their own will be able to commit to live out the
values of the disciples of as members of the Church.

At the end of this module, you will be able to:

a. expound how the Church prosper during the time of the Middle Ages
b. describe the life of St. Benedict and his charism to serve the Lord.

Initial Task

Direction: Arrange the letters below to form words in Latin

AATEOOBALR

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HINT: Spirituality of the Benedictine

Unlocking of Difficulties

Bishops- From thee Greek word for supervisor. One for each community. Leads the community worship &

celebration of the Eucharist.

Heresy- means in effect "holding erroneous doctrines through no fault of one's own" as
occurs with people brought up in non-Catholic communities and "is neither a crime nor a sin"
since the individual has never accepted the doctrine
Apostasy- which denotes deliberate abandonment of the Christian faith
Activating Prior Knowledge
When you hear the word monk, what comes to mind?
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SCRIPTURE READING (Romans 8: 35-39)

Assurance in the Face of Persecution
What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish or distress, or
persecution or famine, nakedness or peril or the sword? As it is written: “For your sake
we are being slain all the day; we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we conquer overwhelming through Him who loved us. For I
am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels,, nor principalities, nor present
things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will
be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1. What does the second paragraph tell us about hardships and difficulties?
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Lecturette
Early Monasticism
With the legitimacy of Christianity in the empire and clergy were given positions,
prestige and power, possibility of martyrdom was a thing in the past. This made many
Christians live a complacent life but some lay men and women longed for a way to be
authentically Christ like, moved from the cities to the wilderness as a way of rejecting
the complacency. They embraced ascetic lifestyle- solitary lifestyle, self-renunciation
and self-denial by fasting, wearing coarse clothes, celibacy and long prayers
contemplating and serving others as a way to love God. In 270 Anthony of Egypt was
moved with the story from the Gospel of Luke about the rich young man. Sold
everything that he had and moved to the desert when he was still a young man. He is
known for his confrontations with the demons, healing acts and wise teachings. Other
dedicated monks and their time of existence were as follows:
 329 Basil the Great of Cappadocia, the Emperor Theodusius declared
paganism illegal and made Christianity the official religion of the empire in
380. Bishops ranked high in public life, some of them holding civil position as
judges. Basil taught communal monasticism that serves the poor, sick, and
needy.
 335 Martin of Tours, a great monk who is famous for his compassion for the
poor
 346 d. Pachomius – the organizer of Monastic communities
 347 b. Jerome, monk, the great Bible scholar and translator, author of the
Vulgate
  396 Augustine was named the Christian bishop of Hippo (Annaba, Algeria)
In his remaining decades of his life he devoted his time to the formation of an
ascetic religious community.
Born to a Christian mother and pagan father at Tagaste in North Africa, he was a
confirmed Manichaean during his early years as a student and teacher of rhetoric at
Carthage and Rome. But in Milan, during his early thirties, he began to study
Neoplatonic philosophy under the guidance of Ambrose and eventually converted to
Christianity. An account of his early life and conversion, together with a reasoned
defense of his Neoplatonic principles, may be found in the Confessiones (Confessions)
(401).

Heresies (False Teachings)

• Marcionism- (Marcion -85-160) Rejected the OT scriptures claiming that God

who created the material world was not spirit, but the demigod.

• Docetism- Jesus as pure man could have had a material body of flesh. His death
at the cross were not real. Donatism- (from bishop Donatus) Internal challenge
about the purity of membership in the church. Should apostates (those who
renounced their faith to save thrie lives) be allowed within the church?

• Pelagism – (from bishop Pelagius) A person could get to heaven without the
special inner help (grace) of God, it’s a matter of working hard enough and
achieving it through one’s own effort.
Gnosticism/ Maniecheanism

• Involved dualistic mythology:

– Spirit was good, matter was evil.
– Material world was ruled by the demigod (devil, satan, a being subordinate
to God).
– Taught denial of the world by separating the world from heaven, and
advocated asceticism, celibacy and bodily discipline.
(Augustine of Hippo was a Manichean before his conversion)

• Gnosticism – denies that Jesus was a human; it teaches that Jesus human form
was just an apparition. He is divine but not human.
(Gnosticism shaped Christian doctrines)

• Arianism- Started by Arius, a leader of a Christian congregation in Alexandria.

“Claimed that Jesus the son of God was subordinate to the father, hence he was
not of the same status as God” Christ was created, God was not.
• A great thinker and leader Athanasius was forceful in opposing Arian: “the Word
of God had became man so that you might learn from a man to how a man may
become God.” Jesus is related to God as brightness to light. Jesus was of the
same substance as the father, possessing the same divine nature.
• 340 Ulfilas converted to Arian Christianity. He takes it to the Germanic tribes,
gives them an alphabet, and translates the Bible into their language. Most of the
Germanic tribes became Arian Christians
• 353 Emperor Constantius releases his pro-Arian campaign and drives
Athanasius from Alexandria
• 361-363 Reign of Julian the Apostate, who converted from Christianity to
paganism and restored paganism in Rome
• 361 Julian the Apostate removes the restrictions against the Donatists

Heresy and Apostasy differs

Heresy, then, was a departure from the unity of the faith, while believing to subscribe to
the Christian faith. ... Heresy, denial or doubt of any defined doctrine, is sharply
distinguished from apostasy, which denotes deliberate abandonment of the Christian
faith itself.

The Christian Creed

Many controversies existing in Rome about the nature of Jesus and his relationship
to God.These became the threat to the Church. The Church needed to compose a
profession of faith – the Creed that can be used by all Christians in worship and
baptism.
The Creed was to define who Jesus was and his relationship with God. A council was
convened at Nicaea in 325 CE by Constantine to unite Christians.The product was the
Nicene Creed that rejected Arian beliefs about Jesus. This was named the Council of
Chalcedea in 451 CE. A council convened to resolve controversy over the nature of
Jesus and relationship with God. This Declared that Jesus had two natures 1. Perfectly
divine, 2. Perfectly human.By 392, Emperor Theodosius had outlawed Arianism along
with paganism. Arianism continued to grow outside the empire among the barbarians
who had been taught by missionaries from Constantinople years.

The Council of Nicaea and Council of Chalcedon

In 328 Athanasius, when elected a bishop of Alexandria was constantly harassed

by Arian bishops from the East.In the year 339 b. Ambrose the Churchman, who fought
Arianism and the revival of paganism, and promoted the power of the Church. Mid-300
Ambrose, an unbaptized governor of Milan was chosen by people to be the Bishop of
Milan. He was just there to pacify the tension among the angry people when the
emperor decided that an Arian bishop should be elected, when the people shouted his
name to be the bishop. He dissuaded the people, fled the scene and hid. But people
found him and persuaded him to be the bishop. He was baptized, confirmed, given the
Eucharist and ordained bishop. He was an experienced administrator but he realized
that his career as lawyer and governor was not an ideal preparation for his new role as
spiritual leader. Thus he began his life long study of Christianity

Growth of Monasticism

Monasticism, like the early centuries, was counter-cultural to its era which attracted
many lay people. The growth of monasticism played a large part in the increasing
influence of the Church. Monasticism created centers of Christian society, renewed the
spiritual life of religious communities, and helped transform a dying Western culture into
a Christian civilization. Books and education became luxuries only the rich could afford.
The vast majority of people grew up illiterate. The people of the Middle Ages, like their
barbarian forefathers, were hunters, farmers, and warriors, not businessmen or
scholars. Surrounded by such poverty and ignorance, Christian monasteries offered
some security, a modest education (or better), an opportunity to serve God, and the
hope of eternal life. One of the oldest monastic orders, which served as God’s flickering
light in the dark ages in western Europe is the Benedictines—named for their founder,
St. Benedict. In the early 500’s, Saint Benedict of Nursia founded Benedictine
monasticism. The Benedictine Rule was both moderate and humane in setting forth how
its followers should live. These qualities influenced the rule of many later orders.
Monastic life shifted to formal spiritual supervision. Monasteries were set up, rules
formulated to help monks persevere their calling. Benedictine monks owned nothing,
except in common with the other monks. Benedict required that they give all of their
property to the poor or to the monastery when they entered. In this respect, Benedict
patterned his monasteries after the 1st century Christian church described in Acts.
Clothing was simple. Prayer was frequent. See Acts 2:44-45;
“And all those who had believed were together, and had all things in common;
and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them
with all, as anyone might have need.”

Benedict stressed that his monks should strive for Christian perfection, to be kind to
the poor and the sick; to love their enemies and endure injuries without complaint; and
to always remember the mercy of God. He decreed that hospitality was to be shown to
all: This is Benedict's legacy, he established Rules such as poverty, chastity, obedience
and that each monastery should be self sufficient through monks labor. Ora et Labora
was their spirituality.

The Middle Ages

Medieval Church

In 988 Conversion of Russia begins.We knew not whether we were in heaven or on

earth, for surely there is no such splendour or beauty anywhere upon earth. We cannot
describe it to you: only this we know, that God dwells there among men,and that their
service surpasses the worship of all other places. For we cannot forget that beauty. -
Envoys of the Russian Prince Vladimir, after experiencing the Divine Liturgy at the
Church of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople in the year 987
The Christianization of the Kelts, Teutons, and Slavonians was at the same time a
process of civilization, and differed in this respect entirely from the conversion of the
Jews, Greeks, and Romans in the preceding age. Christian missionaries laid the
foundation for the alphabet, literature, agriculture, laws, and arts of the nations of
Northern and Western Europe, as they now do among the heathen nations in Asia and
Africa.The medieval Christianization was a wholesale conversion, or a conversion of
nations under the command of their leaders. It was carried on not only by missionaries
and by spiritual means, but also by political influence, alliances of heathen princes with
Christian wives, and in some cases (as the baptism of the Saxons under Charlemagne)
by military force.
The barbarians, owing to the weakness of their heathen religion, readily submitted to
the new religion; but some tribes yielded only to the sword of the conqueror. This
superficial, wholesale conversion to a nominal Christianity must be regarded in the light
of a national infant-baptism. It furnished the basis for a long process of Christian
education. The barbarians were children in knowledge, and had to be treated like
children. Christianity, assumed the form of a new law leading them, as a schoolmaster,
to the manhood of Christ.
The missionaries of the middle ages were nearly all monks. They were generally men
of limited education and narrow views, but devoted zeal and heroic self-denial.
Accustomed to primitive simplicity of life, detached from all earthly ties, trained to all
sorts of privations, ready for any amount of labor, and commanding attention and
veneration by their unusual habits, their celibacy, fasting and constant devotions, they
were upon the whole the best pioneers of Christianity and civilization among the savage
races of Northern and Western Europe. The lives of these missionaries are surrounded
by their biographers with such a halo of legends and miracles, that it is almost
impossible to sift fact from fiction. Many of these miracles no doubt were products of
fancy or fraud; but it would be rash to deny them all. The same reason which made
miracles necessary in the first introduction of Christianity, may have demanded them
among barbarians before they were capable of appreciating the higher moral
evidences.Thus, Christianity may have won relatively quick acceptance because it
served as a catalyst in cultural rebuilding. Rather than being a destructive threat,
Christianity had become a friend to the barbarians' culture. It was thus something to be
embraced rather than fought against.

Assessment
Direction: On the space before the number, write the correct answer.
_________________ 1. In 270 he was moved with the story from the Gospel of Luke
about the rich young man. Sold everything that he had and
moved to the desert when he was still a young man.
_________________ 2. He was an Emperor from Constantinople who defeated the
Persians and brought back the Sacred Cross to Jerusalem.
_________________ 3. He was a political genius, expediently using Christianity to
unify his empire.
_________________ 4. He discovered the hiding place and solemnly enshrined it in
the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
_________________ 5. He denies that Jesus was a human; it teaches that Jesus
human form was just an apparition. He is divine but not

human.
_________________ 6. Claimed that Jesus the son of God was subordinate to the
Father, hence he was not of the same status as God” Christ
was created..
_________________ 7. This Creed that rejected Arian beliefs about Jesus.
_________________ 8. In the Old Testament this is the Hebrew word which means
“assembly of God’s People.
_________________ 9. He converted from Christianity to paganism and restored
paganism in Rome
_________________ 10. He was converted to Christianity in his death bed.
_________________ 11. Martin of Tours, a great monk who is famous for his
compassion for the poor
_________________ 12. Which denotes deliberate abandonment of the
Christian faith itself.

_________________ 13. He was the one who fought Arianism and the revival
of paganism, and promoted the power of the Church
_________________ 14. Declared paganism illegal and made
Christianity the official religion of the empire in 380.
_________________ 15. The spirituality of the Benedictine

II- ESSAY: Explain the following in three sentences only:

1. The way of life of St Benedict

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1.
2. Contribution of monastery in the mid- century in the Church
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3. How did the council of Nicea resolve the issue over the nature of Jesus and His
relationship with the Father?
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Criteria:
Content …………………………………. 5 pts.
Connection to readings …....….. (3 pts.)
Connection to self experience… (4 pts.
Neatness ………………………………… 2 pts.
Conciseness ………………………………… 3 pts.
10 pts.

Final Task: Life of Saints: An Infographic

Act.# 4 Make an Infographic about the life of a religious men and women
 An infographic is a visual image such as chart or diagram used to represent information or data. In
this activity you will have to create an infographic about the life of your section’s Patron Saint and the
congregation he founded (if there’s any). The infographic will be posted on SMCT Facebook Page and
shared on the social media to spread information about the significance of the life of your patron saint.

Rubric to be used of the above output:

Criteria Exceeds the Meets the Approaching the Below the

Standards Standards Standards Standards
2 1
4 3
Creativity The infographic should The infographic is The infographic is The song is not
be original and very creative. common creative and
creative inspiring.
Presentation The infographic has The infographic has The infographic has The infographic
interesting and inspiring meaningful relevant illustrations/ lacks relevant
illustrations/ photos illustrations/ photos photos illustrations/ photos
Message The infographic is The infographic is The infographic The infographic is
stimulating and value value laden.. slightly promotes poor in terms of its
laden. value value content
Dissemination The infographic is The infographic is The infographic is The infographic is
shared on social media shared on social shared on social shared on social
and has garnered 250 media and has media and has media and has
likes or shares garnered 200 likes garnered 150 likes or garnered 100 likes
or shares shares or shares

References:
References / Instructional Materials: Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)
Kenosis: The life-Giving Sacrifice of Jesus Del Castillo et al, Catechism for the Filipino
Catholic (CFC), Holy Bible, Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP-II), Enjoying our
Life in the Church Bocar et al, Jesus Christ Roawie Quimba et al.

ONLINE SOURCES:

http://www.ust.edu.ph/uwide-news/interreligious-dialogue-from-the-catholic-
perspective
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Christian_art_and_architecture#/media/
File:Fiery_furnace_01.jpg Retrieved 07/25/2020
https://www.google.com/search?q=Life+of+the+early+christians+images&rlz Retrieved
08/26/2020
https://www.google.com/search?q=power+of+seeds&tbm=isch&ved Retrieved
08/28/2020

Prepared by:

EVELINDA B. LAZAGA, LPT. MARE ED

Instructor

Checked by:

Raymond W. Dela Cuesta, LPT. MAED

SHS Academic Coordinator

Noted by:

Eleanor C. Aguillon, MAED

SHS Focal Person