Heterodoxy vs. heresy
Predominance of Gnosticism in certain areas in early Christianity
Apocalyptic
The Apocalypse (Revelation)
Apocalyptic world view
Radical dualism
marginalized communities
Archaism
Apocalyptic eschatology
Tours of Heaven & visions of the future
Symbolic language (animals, etc)
The number of the beast
Gematria
666/616 = Nero Caesar?
Persecution and the Rise of Early Catholic Christianity
legal issues in the Roman Empire
one state religion
burning incense to the genius of the emperor
Nero
Barbarian invasions (early 3rd c)
Septimius Severus (193-211 AD)
Banned Romans from becoming Christians
Polycarp
Perpetua & Felicitas
Development of church authority
Presbyteros (elder) Poimenos (shepherd - pastor) Episcopos (overseer - bishop) Diakonos (deacon - servant - minister)
Development of the hierarchical structure
Bishops, archbishops, cardinals
Bishop of Rome (= Pope)
Relation of church & state after Constantine
Political division of the Roman empire under Constantine
East / West issue after Constantine moves capitol to Byzantium
Constantine
Legalized Christianity
Christian writers: Rome set stage for Christianity
Eusebius:
Augustus united world under Rome
Christ united world under God
Constantine brought two together
Emperor = representative of divine
Question of whether Christianity after Constantine would be recognizable to Christians before him
Veneration of the saints
Two tiered model (David Hume)
Low (popular, vulgar) religion vs. high religion
Issue of syncretism and practice of importing indigenous gods into Christianity as saints
Or assigning gods' attributes to a known saint
Esp. Mary
Role of saints as ways of accessing an increasingly distant and unapproachable Deity
More personal than angels, etc. (prior to 4th c.)
Relics
Biblical examples
Political importance for church or monastery to have a reliquary
Concept of 'holy' located in physical item (clothing, body part, etc)
As counterbalance to ascetic view of body
Multiplication of the saints and its correction in 20th c. Catholicism
Christianity & Islam
5 pillars of Islam
People of the book
Quran
Sunni vs. Shi'i
Crusades
1st Crusade - 1096
Peter the hermit
Capture of Jerusalem
Baldwin I
Knights Templar - 1118