Class 1: Introduction Church History Dr. Ann T. Orlando Sept. 5, 2017

Introduction to Church History Introductory remarks Importance of Church History Review Syllabus Structure of course Requirements Course Web Site Primary sources Periods or eras in histiography History as Theology: Augustine as our guide Assignments

Importance of Church History An appreciation for importance of Catholic Church in Western civilization Papacy is oldest continually functioning institution in the world Witness (testimony) of holy men and women Context for the theological answers that have been developed and taught by the Church Often, can’t appreciate the answer without knowing the question Example: Jesus Christ whom we confess as one person with two natures God’s plan of salvation unfolds in history History is an aspect of theology, Providence

Pilgrim Church The Pilgrim Church is moving toward her celestial home at the end of time Individual members as members of the society of the Church The Pilgrim Church is in the world but not of the world Martyrs Political entanglements The Pilgrim Church is not a church of the pure Sinful members History helps us to understand where the Church has been so far on her pilgrimage

Structure for Course Course covers Church History from Pentecost through late Middle Ages Divide semester into four parts Antiquity, especially late antiquity (100 – 604) Rise of Islam and Carolingians (612 – 900) Early Middle Ages (900 – 1225) Late Middle Ages (1225 – 1453)

Requirements Class attendance and active participation. Papers and discussion on primary source readings during semester at conclusion of each Part Papers should be 1-2 pages Theme of thesis statement FOCUS ON PRIMARY SOURCES At end of class, a longer reading and paper with a 10 min presentation will be required. Reading likely will be selected from: St. (and doctor) Peter Damien St (and doctor) Hildegard von Bingen St. (and doctor) Bernard of Clairvaux St. (and doctor) Thomas Aquinas St. (and doctor) Catherine of Sienna Two Exams: Midterm will cover first half of semester (closed book) Final will cover second half of semester (closed book) Both midterm and final will include matching quotes to primary source authors; identification of terms and people; geography identification (midterm only) Grade: 1/3 papers and discussion 1/3 midterm 1/3 final

Texts for Class 1. Modern text (secondary source) recommended text from list in syllabus James Hitchcock, History of the Catholic Church: From the Apostolic Age to the Third Millennium is strongly recommended. 2. Augustine, City of God, available at http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1201.htm or Dyson translation (Cambridge University Press, 1998); or New City Press translation, 2013 3. Many primary sources available on web, see syllabus for details Anselm, Why Did God Become Man

Web Site for Class http://web.mit.edu/aorlando/www/SaintJohnCHI/ Several files Word file of syllabus Web file (html) with links to web primary readings; other background resources of interest; Basic map of key historical regions (large pdf file) Lecture slides; posted day after each lecture, in a folder called Lectures; PowerPoint format

Sources Primary Source: original works from the historical period under study Secondary Source: later works written about earlier historical periods or works Primary Source readings are FOCUS in class Different, multiple sources each week; should be focus of papers and presentations Reference ancient works using Book/Chapter/Paragraph numbering (e.g., Luke 1:1-4) Most are available on the web; URL provided in syllabus and web site Read everything critically (includes secondary sources) What is author’s perspective Bokenkotter: late 20th C American Catholic Hitchcock: early 21st C American Catholic Orlando: early 21st C American Catholic What issues is the author addressing; How important is the historical circumstance to those issues Who is the audience What is genre of the work (homily, thesis, poem, letter, Biblical commentary, histiography) Caution using Web Resources Anybody can put anything on the web and claim that it is ‘authoritative’ Many ancient works, especially early Church Fathers, are available, but in older translations Maintenance of a web resource is still on an individual basis; no guarantee that information will be well maintained

Difficulty of Primary Source Readings I know that this is a lot of material I know that it is often very difficult to read Therefore At the end of each class I will strongly suggest what should be read carefully, and what should be skimmed I will try to point out key themes It will serve you well to bring the next weeks’ readings with you Remember when referring to primary source use Book.Chapter.Paragraph; NOT page number Would you refer to a Biblical passage by page number??

Marking Sacred and Secular Time: B.C. and A.D. Almost all journals and books in the last 20 years have gone to BCE and CE BCE = Before the Common Era CE = Common Era I stubbornly hold on to B.C. and A.D.

Historical Eras or Periods… Are arbitrary fictions of later historians All historians have an agenda (e.g., Dark Ages) But are convenient ways to arrange historical material. Periods usually marked by some dramatic change causing a disruption in the ‘old’ order But even dramatic changes do not change all of society all at once Commonly referred to eras: Antiquity Late Antiquity Early Middle Ages Middle Ages Renaissance Reformation Early Modernity Enlightenment

Important Concepts in Antiquity Actually concepts that will be unchallenged until the Enlightenment There is no separation of Religion and State Limited concept of individual rights – emphasis on individual duties The antiquity of something was a direct measure of its value Prophecy is not predicting the future like magic; it is more like cause and effect

History as a Theological Study Providence History as the unfolding of Providence in creation; space and time Our guide: St. Augustine of Hippo, The City of God

God’s Providence Providence: a Stoic term Stoicism Most important Greek philosophy for early Christians Begun by Zeno in opposition to Epicureans Philosophy the handmaid of theology Philo of Alexandria (1st C AD), Jewish Stoic philosopher

Epicureans Epicurus (Athens, 4th C BC) begins with the theodicy question Answer: God or gods are uninterested in created world No life after death Happiness (tranquility) and Ethics based on achieving pleasure and avoiding pain Passions subordinated to intellect Encouraged celibacy; sex too emotionally messy, does not lead to happiness Women encouraged to join as full members of schools Friends more important than family; but self-reliance most important Free will; not bound by ties of family or duty Science and technology very important; based on random motion of atoms Justice based upon contractual agreements Opposed to allegory and prophecy as a way of knowing Favored philosophy of intellectual Romans who wanted to withdraw from society Roundly condemned by all other philosophies; rabbinic word for atheist is derived from Epicurus Human history has no particular meaning ‘God is dead, history is dead’; no such thing as Providence

Stoicism Happiness is following the will of God (Providence) God is everywhere, God as logos (rational necessity); God as a type of gas that permeates everything His Providence rules everything (see Acts 17:28) Ethics based on following God’s plan; Minimal free will; Emphasis on virtues; Judgment by God after death Justice based on natural law as part of Providence’s eternal law Passions are to be subordinated to intellect Encouraged celibacy; sex too emotionally messy Allegorical interpretation of Greek myths Dominant philosophy of Roman Empire Human history is story of God’s Providence in human society

History as part of Theology History has several layers 1. Facts of what happened when Jesus of Nazareth crucified c. 33 AD 2. Proximate causes Roman imperial concerns about Jewish insurgents Jewish priestly class (Sadducees) concern about renegade Jewish sects upsetting their relation with Romans 3. Secular historical result New religion 4. Providence Salvation for mankind Secular historians are generally concerned with 1 and 2, maybe 3. We are concerned with 1-4

Assignment Recommended Review rubric for essay papers Hitchcock, Introduction Review rubric for essay papers