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64
The First Era of Persecution (Part 1)
Christianity was disdained as Roman society couldn’t fathom a monotheistic religion because they worshipped a multitude of Gods. Christian rituals were performed in private arousing suspicion & due to their beliefs, Christians abstained from public activities & were perceived as lazy because some didn’t work as they were deluded that Christ was coming again. -
64
The First Era of Persecution (Part 2)
A fire broke out in Rome at the South East ends of Circus Maxiumus, destroying various regions of Rome and it was heavily speculated by Romans, that Emperor Nero stimulated the fire justifying their accusation with his personality which lusted for chaos and death. To steer the blame away from him, Nero blamed the Christians & unleashed persecution upon them. From this time Christianity was regarded as an illegal religion & its followers suffered under fatal conditions under the sake of Jesus. -
451
Council of Chalcedon (Part 1)
The Council of Chalcedon was the first break in Christian unity, occurring in Persia. Persian Christians didn’t accept the Council of Ephesus’ teachings and in the midst of this turmoil there was conflict, tension, and jealousy built between the East and the West, as a result of the East having its Capital located in Constantinople, and the West with its capital being in Rome. -
451
Council of Chalcedon (Part 2)
The Council of Chalcedon emphasised Jesus was fully human and divine however Nestorius (The Archbishop of Constantinople) believed since Jesus had two natures, making him two separate people which bore each feature. Christians in Syria and Egypt refused to accept this, and separated from the Church. -
Dec 24, 1054
The Great Schism/The East West Schism (Part 1)
Jurisdiction of the Western Church was the idea that the Pope could tell Patriarchs & Emperors of the East what to do and had authority over all Bishops. The Eastern Church reprimanded this idea as they believed all Bishops were of equal virtue. In addition, contradiction arose between these two Churches as the East didn’t want to add the filioque clause to the Nice Creed as the West had done. -
Dec 24, 1054
The Great Schism/The East West Schism (Part 2)
Due to the Conflict, People Leo IX ordered Michael Cerularius to be excommunicated from the Church, which resulted in the act of dividing the Church into two parts, the Eastern and Western churches. Some differences between the churches include: the language traditional language of scriptures, elaboration and celebration of the Eucharist and sacraments, and the way they presented art representing/depicting holy images. -
Dec 24, 1347
The Plague/The Black Death (Part 1)
The Black plague was a plague which erupted in Gobi desert circulating around flea infested rodents which moved around countries, causing fatality. The Black plague, was believed to be the punishment by God, which made people begin to question the religion. In this time, the Church’s influence began to decline as Bishops and priests couldn’t offer a cure or explanation. -
Dec 25, 1347
The Plague/The Black Death (Part 2)
During this adversity, it was thought that non-sinners wouldn’t be affected by the plague so people began to relinquish their faith in Christianity. Despite the decline in faith, believers of Christianity made Churches filthy rich as they were gullible and bought potions from shops, which was believed to help cure this horrible disease. -
Dec 24, 1517
95 Theses - Martin Luther (Part 1)
Catholic Churches were at the height of power during this time, however they abused their influence by deluding the public with false ideas of indulgences. Indulgences were actions which prevented someone from purgatory, and allowed them to go straight to heaven. Some religious brothers and sisters took money from those who revered and believed them, as they persuaded lay people that materialism in the Catholic Church, gave one the opportunity to go to heaven. -
Dec 24, 1517
95 Theses - Martin Luther (Part 2)
They persuaded lay people that money could atone for their sins and guaranteed that if they complied and gave money, they’d get out of purgatory, and into salvation in heaven. The abuse of indulgence was a source greed which came from within the Church, and when it’s looked back upon in modern society, it’s seen as a stigma to Christianity, and a malicious act. -
Dec 24, 1517
95 Theses - Martin Luther (Part 1)
A monk called Martin Luther saw the malice in the act of deluding people, in order so that the Church could gain profit. Martin Luther published the 95 theses, which were statements which explore the aspects of Church life and teaching, and focused heavily on indulgences. Luther’s student’s nailed these documents to on the church door of Wittenberg Castle, so all by-passers could see, in protest against the Church's abuse of indulgences. -
Dec 24, 1517
95 Theses - Martin Luther (Part 4)
Luther preached, that the only indulgence that guaranteed salvation in heaven, was faithfulness to God alone. Seeing God’s prevailing and unconditional love and mercy, was a gift that God gave to those who trusted and believed in his powers. He encouraged people to pray more and acknowledge God’s omni-potency as he immerses us in his ocean of love if we truly wanted to go to heaven. -
Dec 24, 1520
Martin Luther's excommunication from the Church
Luther was excommunicated from the Church, as he refused to take back his attack, by Pope Leo X, however gained the approval of German nobility. His books (95 theses) were burnt throughout Germany, and he wrote a letter to Pope Leo X apologising to the Pope sincerely about creating turmoil, but proudly remained resilient as he stood tall by his ideas about indulgence which differed from the Pope’s. -
Dec 24, 1530
The Reformation and the start of Protestantism
German princes signed documents, which expressed the new Protestant faith, called the “Augsburg Confession”. Later on in 1555 German princes were given the right to claim a religion that his territory would follow. This emancipation from delusion, and initiation of obeying Luther’s preachings, was called “The Reformation” and spread through the North and East of Europe. Protestantism was the religion's name which was subsequent to Luther’s teaching, and it was heavily based off of his teachings. -
Dec 24, 1545
The Council of Trent 1545-1563 (Part 1)
The years subsequent to luther’s rebellion, Christian society was in need of a general council of the Church. Paul III initiated the Council of Trent in 1545, which met at various times between 1543-1563 and responded firmly to the issues around reformation. This treaty raised the idea that the priests and bishops were prohibited from abusing indulgences to receive money from parishes that they visited. -
Dec 24, 1563
The Council of Trent 1545-1563 (Part 2)
In addition, the Church re-evaluated the idea that salvation came from God as a gift of human co-operations, faith, and good actions. As taught by Luther, the only source of faith was scripture, which was an improvement to tradition to carry authority as they were seen as sources of Revelation and the Church wanted to instll this idea into the minds of followers. -
The First Vatican Council 1869-1870 (Part 1)
The First Vatican Council, was held between 1869-1870. The council reviewed and summarised the Catholic faith, and dealt with the authority of the Pope. They acquired the idea, that since the Pope was the true successor of St Peter, he was entitled to have supreme power over the whole Catholic Church. -
The First Vatican Council 1869-1870
The Pope is infallible, and teaches doctrines concerning faith/morals, which are to be believed by the entire Church. The concept of Infallibility is materialised only on specific occasions when the Pope makes decisive pronouncements about controversy, in his position as successor of St Peter. -
The Second Vatican Council - 1962-1965(Part 1)
The Goal of the Second Vatican Council is to promote serenity and unity amongst humanity, in contrast to the past, where Pope John observed that it used reprimand, severity and abstinence against ideas they didn't believe. The SVC was an era of mercy and understanding, Pope John’s use of the word "Aggiornamento" expressed the renewal and updating that he believed the Church needed, in order to adapt to the changing world of the 20th century. -
The Second Vatican Council - 1962-1965(Part 2)
Horror reigned the world as there were serious violation of human freedom and dignity which took place during WW2. In 1945, the United States formed as a guardian of human rights, ensuring no offences of WW2 would linger/occur again. Poverty and powerlessness also surfaced in nations such as Africa, Asia and South America, causing the flow of migration, as people from these countries sought peace and freedom after war, and religion drastically declined. The Church aimed to help these countries. -
The Second Vatican Council 1962-1965 (Part 3)
The SVS was the first council, to make use of transport and long distant-immediate communication. It was also the first to be covered by newspapers and magazines and media all over the world. The Second Vatican council was a turning point in the Catholic Church’s image to the world, as it allowed itself to be more open to the Modern world. It was announced by Pope John XXII, and was constituted by Lay people, bishops from all around the world, preaching all over the world about peace.
