17.

Church History
Church History attempts to understand the Church as a historical reality, incarnate in human
history (GS: 1, 2, 4, 40, 42-44). The transition from Jewish to Hellenistic Christianity and the
emergence of Patristic Theology (DV 8) are important milestones in the history of Christianity. In
course of time, Eastern and Western Churches went separate ways and developed their own
specific spirituality and theology. The Reformation divided Western Christianity, and the
Enlightenment challenged its place in Western society. The modern missionary movement
initiated the world-wide expansion of Christianity. The emergence of the Ecumenical Movement
and the Second Vatican Council are the two most important events in contemporary Christianity.

1. Church as a Historical Reality Incarnate in Human History [GS 1, 2, 4, 40, 42-44]

History is a human act, connected to / bound to a culture and it has various consequences. One
such is, history is provisional i.e. it is limited, does not say everything silences or suppresses
something. The study of history helps us to have a deep knowledge to unearth the facts and to challenge
the written history. Since, history is incomplete i.e. cant claim absolute truth, when we study it we need
historical consciousness i.e. a consciousness of being finite, provisional, contingent, limited etc.
Hence, our knowledge is limited/ incomplete and our interpretation too is limited/ provisional.
This has a tremendous consequence on our understanding of church history. The church is part of
human history. Hence, the church affects the human history and is affected by it. The relation between
church and history is theological, because we believe that church /world is permeated by Gods spirit. It
does not downplay the role of human beings. The incarnational principle is that the Divine does not
override the human [otherwise it would nullify the incarnation itself]. Instead, spirit facilitates or
cooperates with human freedom!]
Till Vat II, the understanding of the church was static, church as unchanging reality, guided by
Gods spirit, having fullness of truth [therefore, nothing to receive from outside]; free from error, perfect
society (world is an enemy.) However, after Vat II, this understanding has been changed, especially
through the historical consciousness brought by the decree [GS: Pastoral Constitution of the Church
in the Modern World, 1, 2, 4, 40, 42-44].
GS 1- speaks of deep sense of solidarity of the church with the whole of human family stating; joy and
hope, grief and anguish of the world are of the church as well.

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GS 2 -The church opens itself to the entire world [reaching out to all] not only to its members [sons and
daughters of the church]
GS 4- States the responsibility of the church in reading the signs of the time and interpreting them and
addresses the issues.
GS 40 -Dialogue/ relationship between church and the world. [Church is called to be leaven in the
world.]
Gs 42 -What the church offers to the society through it nature and mission i.e. universal.
Gs 43- Christians have a duty towards the world [what church gives -GIVE]
Gs 44 -What the church receives from the modern world. [RECEIVE].
Benefits of studying the history of the church could be that it liberates us [from the past], healthy
sense of relativism [church, both human and divine can make mistakes!], to understand the evolution of
structure and institutions of the church, to refrain from absolutizing the recent past, gives us theological
culture [church and its developments, etc.]

2. The Transition from Jewish to Hellenistic Christianity

Christianity was born in a world, which had already its own religious, cultural, social and
political structures of Judaism. The early Christians were Jewish Christians who were basically Jews
[went to the synagogues/circumcised], but had sme Christian elements [like believed in Christ Jesus,
baptism, breaking of the bread]. But Christianity was not meant to be only for Jews; but for others as
well. Hence, there was a movement/ transition from Jewish to Hellenistic Christianity. The chief
proponent of this shift/ transition was St. Paul [is the very first example of inculturation], who made a
paradigm shift in Christianity i.e. the famous Jerusalem council in 50 A.D [Acts: 15]. There was an
argument between Peter and Paul in which Paul wins his bid and becomes instrumental in changing the
Jewish face of Christianity. It was in Antioch [Hellenistic centre] that for the first time thee followers of
Christ were called Christians. [Acts 10: Cornelius episode].
The other factors that contributed to the decline of Jewish Christianity: -destruction of the temple
[70 Ad]; exclusivism of Jews [Christians expelled from synagogues, etc.]

The factors that helped for the initial spread of Christianity:A. External Factors:- Common language, unity of the empire, decadence of Greco-roman religion,
attitude of the Diaspora Jews [receptivity], tolerance by Romans of other religious, Pax Romana [peace
and prosperity].
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B. Internal Factors: - i) Christianity offering authoritative and satisfying solutions [life after death,
etc.] ii) High moral standards of Christians, iii) Appealing doctrines, iv) Universal character of
Christianity, v) Miracles, wonders, examples of martyrs, etc.

3. The Emergence of Patristic Theology [DV 8]

Fathers of the Church, is a technical title applied to certain ecclesiastical writers of Christian
antiquity. They played an important role in the history of the church. As a young church when there was
a transition from Jewish to Hellenistic [Greco-Roman civilization] Christianity, it faced lots of
challenges and difficulties in communicating the message of Jesus across the diverse socio-political and
cultural atmosphere. In this context, fathers of the church, through their writings, defended the traditions
and nourished the faith of the church [defended the faith against Greco-Roman world]. They also made
this tradition relevant to different contexts through their writings, interpretations, homilies, etc. Thus, the
tradition that was handed down by the apostles made progress in the church. Qualifications that are
regarded as essential to be fathers of the church are [four]:
i. Antiquity - belonging to a certain period in the church [East: ends in 750, West: ending with 636, Basically first three centuries].
ii. Orthodoxy -The doctrine or basic teachings of the church [doctrinal truth] [there could be errors].
iii. Holiness of Life Harmony between life and doctrine - practising basic Christian values.
iv. Ecclesiastical Approval- Church accepts them implicitly or explicitly.

The age of the fathers [patristic period] could be divided into 2 epochs: 1. Ante-Nicene Fathers [Up to Council of Nicea 325].
In this period, the fathers of the church and their writings can broadly be classified into 3 divisions.
A. Apostolic Fathers: They are people who are regarded as the immediate successors of
apostles [had personal contact with apostles or instructed by their disciples]. Their teachings can be
considered as the echo of the apostles teachings. Hence, their writings have lots of significance, which
are pastoral [letters/epistles] and eschatological [meant for unity in the community]. Some of them are
Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch [monoepiscopacy- under one bishop], and Shepherd of Hermas,
etc.
B. The Greek Apologists: - [Apologia = defense] - defending the faith. They [Greek Apologists]
defended the faith and the church by their reasoned explanation of faith. They attacked paganism and
refuted all the accusations leveled against Christians [eating, drinking and cannibalism]. In this process,
they laid a foundation for theology [first theologians]. Some of them are Justin Martyr [logos],
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Athenagoras of Athens, Theophilus of Antioch, and Irenaeus of Lyons [Economy of Salvation i.e.
Gods plan of salvation and Recapitulation i.e. entire creation taken back to God].
C. Anti-heretical Literature [Theological Refutation]
There were many heresies which threatened the purity of faith and unity of the church. The
church responded to them in two ways i.e. being defensive and offensive. The theological writers took
upon themselves the task of exposing the errors of the heretics by explaining the true doctrine of the
church from scripture and tradition. Some of them are [from the school of Alexandria] - Clement of
Alexandria, Origen, Tertullian, Cyprian of Carthage, etc.

2. The Golden Age: - It was a time of first four councils [Nicea 325, Constantinople I, Ephesus,
Chalcedon] at which the basic truths with regard to Christology, Trinity were formed. It was a time of
peace and prosperity, and so Christianity flourished / literature flourished, no more defending against
any heresies [apologists]; but a lot of importance to intense theological works, defining dogmas and
doctrines and their interpretation.
This age is further divided into two:
A. The Golden Age of the Greek Patristic Literature
B. The golden Age of the Latin Patristic Literature.

A. The Golden Age of the Greek Patristic Literature

In this period apart from Athenasius of Alexandria and Cyril of Alexandria, we have
Cappadocian Fathers (3): Basil the great, Gregory of Nyssa and Gregory of Nazianzus, who clarified
the doctrine of Trinity against Arianism [who denied the full divinity of Christ - as creature]. Also John
Chrysostom [Gold mouth] was known for his Homiletic Theology (700 homilies) -about social
justice.

B. The Golden Age of Latin Patristic Literature

There are many Latin fathers like Hillary of Poitiers, Ambrose of Milan, Augustine of Hippo,
and Jerome. Hillary of Poitiers developed a Trinitarian Theology based on scripture [unlike others who
depended on philosophy]. Ambrose of Milan was a man of intense pastoral, social and political activity.
Jerome was a man of the Bible. He said, To be ignorant of the Scripture is to be ignorant of Christ.
Augustine of Hippo was the most famous of them all, made a significant impact on the church. His
doctrines on grace, trinity, redemption and church continue to affect the church even today. He is also
known as the Father of Western Christology.
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Why Study Fathers of the Church? - Reasons:

a. They are an integral part of Christian tradition.
b. They lived close to the beginning of Christianity [culturally, chronologically, and psychologically].
c. They were pastors [practical in nature/ wrote to instruct people].
d. They belonged to an ecumenical church [undivided church].
e. They were the founders of theology [used Greek philosophy].
f. They belonged to a pluralistic tradition [pluralism].

4. The Eastern and Western Schism and their Own Specific Spirituality and Theology.
In the course of time the Eastern and Western churches were separated due to various reasons.
The fundamental/main cause was the conflict/ break between Rome and Constantinople. The division
between them came about due to various reasons: a. Acacian Schism- the excommunication of the Patriarch Acacias by Pope Felix [484], by imposing
Roman Primacy on Constantinople.
b. Iconoclast Controversy [iconoclasm = image breaking] - Controversy regarding the veneration of
icons, images etc, which the Eastern Church had and the Western wanted to destroy them led to the
alienation of Eastern Churches.
c. Potian Schism mutual excommunication of Patriarch Potius and Pope Nicholas.
d. Mutual Excommunication [Rome and Constantinople] in 1054 The final break between East and
West came in the year 1054 - mutual excommunication by Pope Leo IX and Michael.
[Though union was proclaimed by councils: II Lyons [1274], Florence [1838]; this
excommunication was lifted only in 1965 by Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athanegoras of
Constantinople in a Joint Declaration.]
e. The 4th Crusade During which Constantinople was sacked, city was plundered, Greek clergy were
obliged to take an oath of obedience to Rome [the break was complete].

The Salient Features of Eastern Christianity [Spirituality/Theology]

i) Monasticism: Resulted in the East - still prevails in the church.
ii) Veneration of Icons: Sacramental - a special form of communication between the believer and God.
iii) Byzantine Liturgy: messianic banquet of the exalted Lord with his community.

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iv) The importance to the Holy Spirit Filioque of the West is rejected, [double procession i.e.
from the Father and the Son] because it undermines the personhood and autonomy of the Spirit.
Therefore, the Spirit is from the Father, through the Son.
v) Collegial understanding of Roman Primacy. All bishops are equal; but Bishop of Rome [elder
brother] has first place in honour [Not in supremacy and not in jurisdiction].
vi) Church as Conciliar: It is not monarchical.
[They accept only first seven councils, seven sacraments, more role to laity, married clergy, unleavened
bread, no belief in purgatory]

5. The Reformation divided the Western Christianity

The reformation is an all embracing term [could refer to Lutheran movement, Calvinism, radical
reformation] which led to the disintegration of western Christianity in the16th century. The various
causes are: - Dissolution of Christendom and the rise of nation states like France, England, and Spain;
Renaissance Papacy; Humanism return to Christian and classical antiquity [against Scholasticism];
Crisis in Scholasticism; Mysticism; and Anti-clericalism [Popes].
However, the immediate cause was the Practice of Indulgence (i.e. the remission by the Church
of the temporal penalty due to forgiven sin in virtue of the merits of Christ and saints; Churchs right to
administer in consideration of prayer, money and works.]
Reformation: It was Martin Luther who started the reformation [95 theses]. Later Zwingli and Calvin
became significant reformers. The main theology of the reformers includes Justification by faith [sola
fide], return to Scripture [sola scriptura], sacraments [only two], Church as congregation of people,
predestination [a choice of god]. Hence they had three main characteristics:1. Primacy of Scripture: Return to the Scripture/gospel of Christ.
2. Primacy of Christ: Christ is the only Mediator between God and human beings.
3. Primacy of Grace and Faith: Against all human achievements and works /efforts.
Counter Reformation: It was basically a reaction by the Church to the Reformation, through which the
Church attempted to clarify dogmatic and doctrinal positions, but no real reform [renewal at all]. The
Council of Trent reaffirmed the 2 sources of faith: Scripture and Tradition, 7 sacraments, etc. Its main
objective was to establish true doctrine and maintain discipline. As a result, a re-establishment of Roman
Catholicism emerged and there was also a suppression of the Protestant Reformation through political
and military power by the Church.
6. The Enlightenment [Modernity] Challenged Churchs Place in Western Society
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From the middle of the 17th century till the end of IWW, the period characterized by Reason [vs.
faith], Progress [Vs Tradition] and Nation [Vs Church/empire] is called Enlightenment /Modernity. It
had tremendous consequences for Christianity [challenged its positions]. This was rationalistic, antiinstitutional and individualistic. The important elements of enlightenment were revolutions in science,
philosophy, culture, theology, state, society, technology, industry, etc. The church reacted sharply,
emphasizing Traditional Religion [Anti-modernism].

7. The Modern Missionary Movement (The World Mission)

The Modern Missionary Movement began with the World Mission that arose in 16th century.
However, St. Paul, as a missionary, spread Christianity and by 500 AD the entire Roman Empire was
Christian. By 1500 the entire Europe became Christian and Christianity was basically European.
The agents of mission were: - Local Episcopal Church, the Monks and the States.
The characteristics of mission are: (The way it was undertaken) i) Use of Force - following Augustines theory of Just War and Emperor Justinians theory of One
Kingdom, One Church, One Faith.
ii) Mass Conversion: - a political decision.
iii) Organized Mission: - of Irish monks and Gregory the Great [first pope to undertake mission; sends
Augustine with 40 monks to Anglo-Saxon Mission.]
iv) Inculturation: - . Cyril and Methodius Slavonic language and Pope Gregory I encourages it.
v) Mission to Muslims and Mongols [13th and 14th century] by Mendicant Orders.
vi) The Geographical Discoveries and Trade: Contributed to the spread of Christianity [e.g. 1492
Columbus - America]; 1498 Vasco da Gama - India]

Modern missionary movement can be broadly divided into two: 1. Spanish mission [ who went to the west]
2. Portuguese mission [Africa and Asia]
1. Spanish Mission: They undertook mission by applying clean-sweep method [i.e. destruction of
everything, cultures, religions, society, etc.] and implantation of European Christianity.
2. Portuguese Mission: They too applied the cleansweep method [exception: Matheo Ricci, de
Nobili, etc.] imbued with Apologetic Theology of Council of Trent i.e. absolute conviction that
Christianity is the only true religion.

8. The Ecumenical Movements

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Christians [different denominations] working all over the world began to realize the need for
unity [disunity was an obstacle for conversion]. The World Missionary Conference at Edinburgh in
1910 was the beginning of the Ecumenical Movement. Protestants are considered as the pioneers of this
movement. After several attempts in 1948, the World Council of Churches was founded at Amsterdam
[300 churches from 100 countries]. Catholic Church was a late beginner, because Pre-Vatican attitude
was negative, and non-cooperative. But, in 1960, Pope John 23rd established a Secretariat for Promoting
Christian unity. Second Vatican Council has a decree on Ecumenism [Unitatis Redintegratio]- Key
ideas are: Ecumenism is guided by the Spirit, Church acknowledges its guilt, True Church subsists in
the Catholic Church but not co-extensive with it and real ecumenism is possible only with the change of
heart and attitude.

9. Second Vatican Council

Pius IXs attempt [Vatican I] to create order in the Church was a failure and proved to be
counter-productive i.e. leading to clericalism, centralization and uniformity. The Church began to realize
that it should respond to the world positively. Hence, Poe John 23rd calls for II Vatican council with its
goals like Updating the Church and Unity of all Christians [more pastoral, than dogmatic]. There were
4 dogmatic constitutions, 9 decrees and 3 declarations. Karl Rahner says, The fundamental
significance of this Council is that for the first time in history, the Church became truly a World
Church. The significant contributions of Vat II are: - Church as People of God, a shift from Institution
to Mystery, Papal Monarchy to Collegiality, Hierarchy to People of God, Universal Church to
Communion of Local Churches, Centrality of the Eucharist, Recognition of the Values of Pluralism and
Freedom, Commitment to Secular Values, Struggles for Justice, Peace, Solidarity with the Poor, etc.

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