History of the Catholic Church
History of the Catholic Church
Since the Council of Trent between 1545 and 1563 held, the Christian Church subject to papal authority began to call themselves Roman Catholic, in opposition to Protestant churches formed from the Reform. Defined as one, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic, and considers his boss as rightful heir to the Chair of the Apostle Peter, Holy Pope, according to the Gospel, by Christ himself.
The term was used by some Catholic authors (Aristotle, Zeno, Polybius), before the Christian era, with the sense of universality. Applied to the Church first appears around the year 105 of the Christian era in the letter of Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch. In the early texts, shall apply to the General Church considered in relation to local churches. In the authors of the second century of the Christian era (Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Cyprian), the term takes on a double meaning: the geographic universality, because in the opinion of these authors the Church had already reached the end of the world; and the true Church, Orthodox, authentic, as opposed to cults that were starting to emerge.
History of Christianity in Palestine
At the time of Jesus Christ, when Palestine was ruled by the Romans, the official religion of the Jewish people by the editor of the Bible known as the old testament. While not wishing to break with the Jewish religious tradition, the message of Christ could highlight especially the ethical principles of love and brotherhood, opposed to religious formalism advocated by the Pharisees and doctors of the Mosaic law.
This message of more spiritual and less legalistic went on to be released especially among poor layers of the population, in popular language, Aramaic, through parables.
After the death of Christ, his disciples were called Christians, and gathered in small communities, sought to keep alive the memory of his teachings, while participating in the Jewish religious tradition.
The most important event of this period was the first Christian Assembly, known as the Council of Jerusalem, which emerged two pastoral prospects. On the other hand, under the leadership of Apostle James, were the ones that were intended to highlight the root of the new Jewish faith; on the other, the followers of Paul, who wanted an immediate opening of the Christian message to the Greco-Roman cultural world.
The decision to reconcile opted for a cautious opening, proposed by Pedro, already chosen by Christ as head of its first group of disciples. This Jewish Christianity was, however, relatively soon, in view of the destruction of Jerusalem, ordered by the Emperor Titus in the year 70.From then on, the Christian faith has expanded in the provinces of Anatolia and in the capital of the Roman Empire.
Christianity in the Hellenistic world
It was mainly thanks to the work of St. Paul, the Evangelist Christian message in Anatolia, which the religious movement started by Christ in Palestine was extended to the Hellenic world. The belief of poor peasants and fishermen went on to win supporters among the families belonging to the urban middle classes. The Christian worship was gradually adapted to forms of mystical expression of the Orient and their liturgy began to employ the Greek language. There was also the translation of the Bible into Greek, known as version of 70, and the ethical attitude proposed by Christianity supplemented with a conceptual and doctrinal approach. The theoretical elaboration started with the apologetas, among which stood out Origen, committed to defending the validity of the Christian belief in the face of Greek worldview.
Two centers of Christian culture took an exceptional importance at that time: Alexandria, in Egypt, andAntioch, in Syria. In Alexandria was the Platonic influence and an interpretation of the Scriptures for the allegory; in Antioch the historical-rational interpretation prevailed, Aristotelian root. The period covering the 4th and 5th centuries was characterised by the practice of Catholic intellectuals such as Athanasius, Basil, Gregory Nazianzus, Gregory of NYSSA, John Chrysostom and Cyril of Alexandria, all belonging to the Catholic clergy.The consolidation of Christian dogma at this time spawned doctrinal differences known as heresies.
The first Ecumenical Council was held in Nicaea in 325, convoked by Emperor Constantine. It fell to Theodosius I gather the second Ecumenical Council in 381, in the city of Constantinople, with the participation only of bishops.The third Council was held in Ephesus in the year 431, and proclaimed the divine origin of motherhood of Mary.The largest Christian Assembly of antiquity was the Council of Chalcedon, held in 451. Since the 4th century, the Greek Church went on to act in collaboration with the political power and this alliance with the State strengthened after the separation of the Church of Rome.
In the 9th century, with Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople, relations between the two churches have shaken, but the definitive separation only occurred in 1054. Since then the Roman Church refers to the Greek Church as schismatic, though this is defined as Orthodox, i.e. holding straight doctrine. In addition to differences over theological formulations, originating from different cultural perspectives, also had great weight at break the resistance of the Greek Christians to accept the increasing assertion of ecclesiastical and political power of the Roman Church.
Christianity in the Roman Empire
To start the expansion of the Catholic faith by Anatolia, the region was under the rule of the Roman Empire. With the destruction of Jerusalem, many Christians, including the Apostle Peter, lived on the outskirts of Rome, together with other Jews. From then on, Rome was the seat of the Christian religion; Hence the terms Roman Christianity and Roman Church. The celebrations of the cult began to take place in the Latin language. Also the Bible was later translated into Latin by St. Jerome, known as the Vulgate.Unlike the Greeks, the Romans were markedly speculative legal people par excellence. Little by little, the loyalist spirit asserted itself in Christian formation, with increasing emphasis on organization of the ecclesiastical structures.
According to the Roman nomenclature, the territories where blossoming bud the Christian faith were divided into dioceses and parishes, in front of which were placed bishops and parish priests, under the leadership of the Pope, the successor of Peter and Bishop of Rome.
The Christian presence in the Roman Empire was marked by two steps right.
In the first, which lasted until the end of the 3rd century, the Christian religion was despised and persecuted. The Emperor Nero was the first persecutor of Christians, accused of having caused the fire of Rome in 64. Among the martyrs of this phase, which lasted four years, include St. Peter and St. Paul. With Domitian there were new pursuit, started around the year 92.
The antonines emperors of the 3rd century not openly hostile to the Christians, but the legislation allowed them to be denounced and brought to court. There were persecutions under Decius, Valerian and Diocletian, but the situation began to change with the victory of Constantine over Maxentius. From Constantine, the emperors began to protect and encourage the Christian faith, until, by the time of Theodosius I, at the end of the 4th century, the Roman Empire became officially Christian State.
At first professed only by descendants of Jews who lived in the outskirts of Rome, Christianity soon spread, however, poor layers of the population, especially among the slaves, and little by little was reaching also the families of the Roman nobility. With the decrees of freedom and officialization, Christianity asserted itself on the verge of becoming, for some, social promotion vehicle and way to obtain public office. To the extent that the Christian faith has been consolidated as a markedly urban religion, from the end of the 4th century, the other cults were persecuted. Therefore, his followers had to take refuge in the countryside, where the pagan name, IE, inhabitant of the field.
The Catholic Church in the middle ages
From the 5th century, the Roman Empire fell into disrepair until succumbing to the invasions of the barbarians.When the Germanic populations exceeded the borders of the Empire and settled in the West, were the Franks the first to embrace the Christian faith, which is why the France was later called "eldest daughter of the Church".By virtue of missionary activity, other people were then adhering to the Christian faith. From the 6th century, theFrankish realm was losing the old force, due to the weakness of the Merovingian kings, while the rise of the House of the carolingians. Charlemagne was crowned Emperor by Pope Leo II in 800; consolidated a new Christian State, i.e. the medieval Christianity, strongly supported in the feudal system. In the 11th century, that Christianity was represented by the Holy Roman Empire and in the 16th century by the kingdoms of Spain and Portugal.
While Jewish Christianity, rural character, had assumed urban features with the transposition into Greco-Roman culture, the dissemination of Catholic faith in the medieval society led to the reverse process, because the anglo-Germanic peoples had a markedly rural way of life.However, the Catholic hierarchy sought to keep eigenvalues of Roman civilization. That way, the official language of the Church remained the Latin, because the so-called barbarians had no literary expression still structured. The clergy continued to use the old Roman tunic, now called habit talar of ecclesiastics. The religious doctrine also continued to be expressed by Greek philosophical categories and the ecclesiastical organisation remained within legal standards.
From then on, there was quite a sharp separation between the official Christian religion, supported by the hierarchy with the support of the political power, and popular Christianity, marked by the strong influence of the anglo-Germanic cultures. And may not be part of the cult for lack of understanding of the language, the people started to develop their own forms of religious expression markedly devotionals. Similarly to what happened in life layperson medieval, with social links articulated by the oath of allegiance, whereby the servos undertook to provide services to feudal lords in Exchange for protection, also the heavenly aid began to be invoked by promises that should be paid upon receipt of graces and favours.
The division between religion and Christianity survived until the official dawns of the 16th century, notwithstanding the creation of courts of the Inquisition for maintenance of orthodoxy of the faith. Given the fragility of religious practice, the Council of Lateran IV, 1215, decided on the faithful Christians prescribing Sunday assistance to mass under pain of sin, as well as the confession and communion. Hence the origin of the commandments of the Church.
Since the beginning of the middle ages, under the influence of St. Augustine, one of the largest Catholic thinkers, there was an appreciation of the doctrine of divine grace, but simultaneously took a negative concept about increment of body and human sexuality. Within this perspective, the Council of Elvira, celebrated in Spain in 305, prescribed celibacy for the clergy, made official later to the whole Church. There was also a big promotion of monasticism: the order of Saint Benedict, established in rural abbeys had wide dissemination in the first centuries of the formation of Europe. From the 13th century, the mendicant orders, as founded by Francis of Assisi, spread quickly.
In the 9th century, the monks of Cluny, Benedictine inspired, began to devote himself to the preservation of the cultural heritage classic, copying old documents. In the 13th century, the great cultural contribution of the Church was the Foundation of the first universities, in which stood out Thomas Aquinas and Albertus Magnus, of the Dominican order. Nevertheless, the religious vision of world began to be questioned from the 15TH century, with the new discoveries, scientific development, product whose origin was linked to the movement of the Crusades, religious expeditions that led the Christian princes to establish trade with the East.
Modern society and church reform
The changes of social, economic and cultural character that occurred from the 14th century, marking the end of the middle ages and the birth of the modern Western world, provoked a very strong crisis in the institution and in the experience of the Catholic faith. Various groups have come to request urgent reforms and protesting the slowness and difficulty of the Church in adapting to new times. These differences resulted in the split within the Catholic Church and the rise of Protestant denominations.
The figure of the Catholic monk Martin Luther is exemplary in this respect. On the emergence of progressive modern languages, Luther was trying to preach the necessity that the cult was celebrated in vernacular language, in order to reduce the distance that stood between the clergy and the people. Looking forward to that Christians of their homeland had access to sources of religious faith, translated the Bible into German. In this same perspective, proclaimed the need to adopt for the clerics society costumes in which they lived and contested the need of ecclesiastical celibacy. The various Protestant denominations that have emerged in this period, such as the luteranisno in Germany, Calvinism in Switzerland and Anglicanism in England spread rapidly in view of their greater capacity to adapt to the emerging values of bourgeois society.
The deep linking the Roman Church with political power, from Constantine, and the progressive participation of the ecclesiastical hierarchy in the nobility throughout the middle ages meant that adherents of the Catholic faith had very big difficulties to join the evolution of European society. The Catholic Church reacted conservatively not only to new cultural perspectives, as well as the reforms proposed by Luther. The strongest expression of this antiburguesa and antiprotestante reaction was the Council of Trent, held in the mid-16th century. In opposition to the Protestant movement that advocated the adoption of vernacular in worship, the Council fathers decided by maintaining the Latin. Has the clerical power in the structure of the Church and the priestly celibacy was reaffirmed. On the popularization of biblical reading promoted by Luther, the Catholic hierarchy has recommended the disclosure of Catechisms with summary of the truths of faith.
The Catholic institution reacted strongly against the advancement of humanist mindset, insisting on the need for an ascetic practice. The ecclesiastical hierarchy persisted in linking with the old rural nobility and found it difficult to accept the new values of the rising urban bourgeoisie. The antiburguesa reaction took extreme positions on the Iberian Peninsula, where the Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, have deployed the Inquisition against the Jews with the specific purpose of breaking the economic power they held.
The Council of Trent brought a significant revitalization of the Catholic institution, with the emergence of new religious congregations, many of which are dedicated to missionary activities, educational and welfare. The society of Jesus, founded by Ignatius of Loyola, became the model of the new form of religious life. Baroque art, in turn, became an important instrument of expression of ecclesiastical reform.
The conservative mentality of the Catholic Church continued in the following centuries, which provoked the hostility of the new liberal bourgeoisie against the society of Jesus, expelled from several countries in the second half of the 18th century. The French Revolution of 1789 assumed a distinctly anti-clerical character too, considering the Alliance of the Church with the monarchical power of the Ancien Regime. Throughout the 20th century, the Church has continued fighting the liberal ideas and finding it difficult to assimilate the progress of science. The first Vatican Council, interrupted with the capture of Rome in 1870, has strengthened authoritarian positions of the Church to proclaim the dogma of papal infallibility. Since the beginning of the XXth century, Pope Pius X has prescribed to all teachers of the antimodernista oath seminars, demanding loyalty to the theological-philosophical concepts developed in the 13th century by Thomas Aquinas, based on Greek Aristotelian worldview.
Catholicism and contemporary world
After about 400 years of reaction and resistance against the advances of the modern world, the Catholic Church began a process of greater openness with the Second Vatican Council, held between 1962 and 1968. Among the most significant achievements of this episcopal Assembly, it should be emphasized that the Catholic faith does not bind directly to any particular cultural expression, but it must adapt to the diverse cultures of the peoples to whom the Gospel message is transmitted.Thus, the mark of the Church of Rome the relevance that had in the past. One of the practical consequences of this guidance was the introduction of vernacular languages in worship, as well as the progressive adoption of the civil suit by the clergy.
The Council brought a greater tolerance in relation to scientific advances, the subsequent withdrawal of the condemnation of Galileo was a symbolic gesture of this new attitude. The structures of the Church have changed partially and opened up room for greater participation of the laity, including women, in the life of the institution.Unlike the previous Councils, concerned with defining truths of faith and morals and order errors and abuse, Vatican II had as fundamental guidance in search of a more participatory role for the Catholic faith in society, with attention to the social and economic problems.
The Council fathers showed sensitivity to the problems of freedom and human rights. Pastoral policy, less dogmatic issues devoted to classical theology, allowed greater rapprochement between the Roman Church and the various Orthodox churches of Greek tradition, such as Armenia and the Russian, and the Protestant denominations. Finally, the horrors of Nazi anti-Semitism offered opportunity for the Catholic Church rethink its traditional position of detachment in relation to Judaism.
Category: Religion History
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