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70
The Fall of Jerusalem
This occurred in 70 AD when Roman soldiers began the siege of Jerusalem, marking the start of the first Jewish-Roman War. It was significant for various reasons. First, the fall of Jerusalem changed the church by moving the Christian faith forward, creating a separation between Jewish Christianity and orthodox Judaism. Over time, Rome became the center of Christain communication and obtained all authority. Bishops became the heads, scripture was established, and creeds were created. -
313
The Edict of Milan
It was an official order made by Constantine and Licinius in 313 AD. It was significant because it brought religious freedom to the Church and stopped martyrdom in the Roman empire. This was finalized after Constantine had a dream that converted him to Christianity. Some results that came from this edict were that Christians gained their freedom to worship, resulting in a rapid spread through the empire, and the Church and Holy Roman Empire began to interweave, foreshadowing complications. -
325
Council of Nicaea
It was the first ecumenical council of the Church. It was called together by Constantine to make a final decision on the divinity of Christ. It's most significant for resulting in the first uniform Christian doctrine, the Nicene Creed, which is still used today and accepted by all major faiths of the church. As this took place, they discussed both the Arianism, stressing that God is greater than Jesus, as well as the Orthodox view, that Jesus and God are both eternally the same substance. -
530
Benedict's Rule
This was a rule book for monks. It is important because the monastic movement officially began after this. Monasticism started due to two reasons, the church and state were becoming intertwined, striking fear into believers of Christ, and they also were facing persecution. Some good things that came out of this were that monks created a Christ-centered practice that stressed spiritual disciplines and copied Scripture. However, the spiritual life of a monk was percieved higher than the normal. -
Mar 27, 800
Coronation of Charlemagne
It occurred when the former Pope Leo crowned Charles as the pope.This was significant because it symbolized the fact that the sacred and secular spheres of lives were being synthesized. This also put the pope in a position of authority that ruled over all people. This coronation put him above the emperor and crowned him as the spokesperson for God. This created this idea of the papacy, increasing the authority and office of the pope. However, this caused a problem, regarding who had more power. -
Mar 27, 1054
The Great Schism
It occurred once Pope Leo IX and the Patriarch Michael I excommunicated each other from the church, resulting in the establishment of the Western Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy Churches. The reason they split was over the pope and who had the overall authority and power. Overall, it was significant for being the first official split in the Church, which lead to more. It was over papal authority and the Crusades to follow will only worsen the wedge between the two churches. -
Mar 27, 1096
The Crusades
It was a war that started in order to take back Jerusalem from the Muslims. This started in 1096 AD and successfully ended in 1099 AD by winning back Jerusalem. Many other crusades followed the first one, all of which having similar motivations, to take back Jerusalem. Despite the varied results from the crusades all the way up to 1291 AD, the church flourished. By the end, the church had grown in wealth and power in the Roman empire. They had won back their land in Jerusalem form the Muslims. -
Jan 28, 1521
The Diet of the Worms
This was the deliberate assembly of the whole Empire where Martin Luther was summoned to appear. This was significant because it consisted of Luther defying the emperor Charles V, refusing to recant his writings. It was convened to decide Luther's fate and resulted in the Edict of Worms to be issued, declaring that no one can, by words or deed, receive, defend, sustain, or favor Martin Luther. It acted as the start of the revival of the church and resulted in the excommunication of Luther. -
The Great Awakening
The First Great Awakening was a religious movement among colonials. John Wesley was very influential for being the first to embrace outdoor evangelism. Whitefield was also important for being the one to result in people beginning to study the Bible at home.This took the Gospel from the "church" into the "world." It was also responsible for reforming society by focusing more on education and starting campaigns against slavery and over drinking. It renewed doctrines to relate to the working class. -
Edinburgh Missionary Conference
It was a conference that consisted of over 1000 people that called for “the hope that the unity begun in the mission field might extend its influence." It revived missionary activity and brought the focus back towards women. It was responsible for instigating the expansion of more mission work, bringing a renewed Gospel to the world. After this conference, the church begins to take on different forms. Unfortunately, it came with the cost of thousands of Christians being matyred. -
Today's Church
My impression of the Church today is mixed. It consists of a more contemporary way of worship, with the main focus on Jesus; however, some are too contemporary, focusing more on music and fun. I enjoy being a part of a Church because of the community that it offers. Some strengths are that they are very inclusive and helpful to the community, although we can come off as distant and superior. I hope that the church will grow and a revival will occur, bringing the world back to Christ and love.
