Justify the decision of the early Christians to take their message into the gentile world.

Thie decision of the early Christians to take their messages into the gentile world gave everyone a
chance to become a Christian. It gave early Christians empowerment to show who they really are
and helped the gentiles throughout the world to become converted and live the life following jesus
through Christianity.
The different roles in the early Christian community.
President/bishop and elders/Presbyters (priests)
Presached
Taught
Led worship
Gave sacrements
Look after day to day pastoral care and management
Did the decision making withing a community
Within each community the presbyters formed a group or council (presbyterate) around the bishop,
who was regarded as the successor of the apostles in leading each community. By the end of the 1
st

century a single bishop led /replaced the presbyterate committee in each church community. Thus
began the role of the bishops in the modern day church. Up until the 9
th
century the community
generally elected the bidhop..
There were deacons in the earlist community in Jerusalem. Their role was to look after the daily
administration of the community, so that the apostles world be free dor the task of teaching.
Deacons had a ministyu of assisting at the breaking of the Bread, since it was their task to
distribute the body and blood of the lord to the assembled chrsitians. They assisted at baptisms and
took care of the sick. They were in charge of distributing the community funds and so had to be
honest and just in their dealing with others.
Women also took leading roles in the management of particular communites. Unlike deacons,
however they did not receive the laying of the hand which marked them as ordanined ministers
In the early church it aslso appear that there were men and women who were prophets and teacher.
Believing thwmselves to be called by the holy spirit, these men and women moved freely form
community to community , taching and preaching while the bishops presbyters and deacons lived in
one community.
What is the Doctrine of the Trinity? Think of a traditional prayer to the trinity.
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity teaches the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons
in one Godhead.the doctrine e of the trinity is the belief that god is thefather, son and the holy spirit
in one.
Traaditional Prayer:
In the name of the father and the son and the holy spirit Amen
Under Constantine, of what did the sign of Christ become a symbol?
Under contanitine the sign of chirst (christos XP) was painted on his soldiers shields and inder its
banner to help him conquer his rivals in the name of god and become emperor of both eastern and
western sides of the empire.
How was this different from the original symbolism of the cross in the life of jesus and the very
earliest Christians.
Thisd was different because it used letters and it was unrecognisable to the earliest Christians. The
cross was a sign of jesus life and what he had done for christains to die for us to forgive our sins. The
sign of christos was used to help him win battles and kill other people to become more powerful
therefore defying the teachings of jesus.
Identify the issues that are associatied with balancing the essential message of Christianity with
the power, wealth and assets of the growing church.
The issues that are associated with the essential messages of the Christianity along with
power,wealth and assests is that leaders of the church can be misguided into thinking that they are
bvery powerful and misuse tyhis power this enenually caused in the 16
th
century the reformation
within the catholic church. The wealth of the leaders of the church may have caused the leaders to
spend and spend and forget the essenitail message of chirsitanity to help people who are not as well
off and spread the message of the world.
What were the disagreements of the time about?
The dissagereements of this time were about whether or not jesus was fully human, fully divine or
both. Other dissagreements were about whther god was abandoning them, the church and the
empire and the kingdom of god on earth with the destruction of rome from barbarians and goths.
Eastern Western
Leader PAtriach of Constantinople The Pope
Language Greek Latin
Centre of Authority The church of Constantinople
claimed authority because it
was the capital of the roman
empire. It thought that the
patriarch of Constantinople
should have much the same
authority as the pope
The church of rome thought it
should have authority in
Christianity because St Peter,
Prince of Apostles had founded
it. The western church
disagreed.
Celebration of the Eucharist Eastern churches emphasise
the mystery of the eucharist
concealing the altar behind
curtains and later behind a
fixed screen (the iconpstasis)
Was more simple than in the
east. The western church
emphasises on letting people
see what was happening at the
altae.
Holy Images/Icons Used holy images. IN THE 8
TH

century it was disputed by
bishops within the church as to
whther the use of images of
mare, jesus and the saints was
Used holy images. Statues as
well as pictures continued to be
honoured in churches and
homes.
appropriate. Some emperors
banned them completely and
used just the cross. Many
images were destroyed. Later
images were restored but inly
flat images, paintings,
mosaicsmor shallow carvings
were permitted. Usually called
icons
Priestly Celibacy Continued to ordain some
married deacons to priesthood
Increased the insistency of
celibacy of all of the clergy
Nicene Creed

Explain the diffences that are most significant
In one sentence, explain the doctrine of the supreme authority of the pope.
Papal Infallibility was defined by the First Vatican Council of 1870 as the dogma that the Pope, when
he speaks on matters of faith and morals ex cathedra (that is, officially), does not have the possibility
of error.
On what grounds is this claim made.
The First Vatican Council taught that three conditions must be met in order for a pronouncement
to be considered infallible:
1. The pope must speak ex cathedra (from the Chair of Peter) in his official capacity.
2. The decision must be binding on the whole Church.
3. It must be on a matter of faith or morals.