The Four Marks of the Church One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic

The First Mark: One

Philosophical Foundation Plato o Dualism Material & Immaterial o Logos Divine Reason or Divine Word o Neo-Platonism Divine, Lesser divine, human Logos is created by God

Philosophical Foundation What is an essence (being)? o What you are What is a person? o Who you are What is a nature? o Essential to your existence

One What does the word “one” mean? Can anything have two natures in one thing? How can the church be one if there is a heaven and an earth? The unity of the church depends upon the unity in Christ.

Mystical Body: Unity Unity of Faith o Same belief o Nicene Creed Unity of Worship o Seven Sacraments o Same Mass in all Catholic Churches Unity of Leadership o Same Overall leader (pope) o Apostolic succession

Three Wounds to Unity Schism Heresy Apostasy

Early Christian Heresies

Gnosticism (2 nd C.) Secret Knowledge o limits salvation o “those in the know” o Modern Day: New Age, Buddhism Material world is evil o God would not become human (material) o Man’s problem is that he has flesh Solution: escape the flesh o Modern Day: Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism Major Errors of Gnostics o Reject goodness of creation o Reject God as only source o Reject clear meaning of Scriptures o Reject Christ’s Incarnation o Reject Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus

Gnosticism What Church doctrines regarding Christ’s nature did Gnosticism reject? o Divine nature (logos not God) o Human nature (beneath God) What was Jesus’ flesh according to Gnostics o Apparition / Hologram Modern Day equivalents o New Age Secret knowledge Crystals and amulets Illuminati o “Witchcraft” Fortune telling Tarot cards Horoscopes o Eastern mysticism Escape from flesh

Arianism (4 th C.) Name from Arius o Excommunicated Catholic priest from Alexandria o Believed by many Catholics for about 100 years Nothing coming from God can be equal to God o Believes that Jesus “comes from” God o Not consubstantial with the Father Jesus is created o The supreme creation of God (best of the best) o Therefore, denies Jesus’ divinity Stressed humanity at the expense of divinity Modern Day o Jehovah’s Witnesses o Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons)

Arianism Church’s Response was the Nicene Creed o First Ecumenical Council o Called by St Constantine Key phrases o Consubstantial with the Father o Begotten, not made Result o Many Arians remain until expelled by the Emperors

Apollinarianism (4 th C.) Name from Apollinaris o Excommunicated Catholic bishop Key heresy o Jesus is true God o Jesus has a human body (-ish) o Jesus does not have a human soul, or a human will Divine soul replaces human soul o Conclusion: Jesus is not fully human Response: o “That which is not assumed is not saved” (St Gregory of Nazianzus)

Nestorianism (5 th C.) Nestorius o Excommunicated Catholic Patriarch (bishop) The Divine & Human in Jesus are separate o Jesus is fully human and fully divine o Divine & human do not interpenetrate o Therefore, one can separate “Jesus” from “Christ” Rejected the term “Theotokos” (Mater Dei) o Mary did not give birth to God Key Questions o When Jesus was born, did Mary give birth to God? o When Jesus slept, was God sleeping? o When Jesus did miracles, was that only God or also Jesus’ humanity? o When Jesus suffered, did God suffer? o When Jesus died, did God die?

Nestorianism Church’s Response o Jesus is one person with two natures o The two natures interpenetrate Hypostatic Union o Jesus is not part human and part God o Jesus is not a hybrid o Jesus is not mostly God with a little bit of human o Jesus is simultaneously human and divine “without division, without separation, without comingling” o Jesus possesses two natures—human and divine IMPORTANT: You cannot separate Jesus into God parts and human parts o Jesus, the God-man, died and rose and ascended and will come again

Nestorianism Implication for the Eucharist o In the Eucharist, we receive Jesus’ “body and blood, soul and divinity” o Transubstantiation Implication for Mary o All mothers give birth to persons, not natures o Mary gave birth to the person, Jesus o Mary gave birth to the person who is both God and man o Mary is the mother of God

Nestorianism Implication for Salvation o Jesus unites human and divine in His person o We can unite the divine with our humanity by being in Christ o Therefore, we can be sharers of the divine nature Implication for History o After the Nativity of Jesus, there never was a time when Jesus was not fully human and fully divine o Read back in history, and forward into the future o Jesus, the God-man, died and rose and ascended and will come again

Monophysitism (6 th C.) Monophysites o Claim there is only one (mono) nature in Christ o That nature is mostly divine o Makes Jesus into a hybrid (something not human) Pope St Leo o Answers both the Monophysites and the Nestorians with his famous “Tome”

Summary IMPORTANT: These are ways in which the unity of the Church was ripped, ruptured, wounded Gnostics o Matter is evil, secret is good Arianism o Jesus is a creature, not divine. Jesus is superman. Apollinarianism o Not fully human; missing the soul Nestorianism o Not a real person; two boards glued together Monophysites o Jesus is a hybrid – mostly God with a little human mixed in

Protestantism & Ecumenism

Protestantism What was the Protestant Reformation? o Schism that becomes heresy o Begins 1517 o Leaders: Martin Luther, John Calvin, Henry VIII, Ulrich Zwingli o Northern Europe Was the Church in need of reform at this time? What abuse did Martin Luther criticize rightly? What was the result of the new churches’ independence from Rome?

Counter Reformation What was the Counter Reformation? o Response of the Catholic Church o Renewal of Church life o Clarification of Church doctrine o Evangelization What was the key event? o Council of Trent Who are some of the great saints of the Catholic Reformation? o Pope St Paul III o St. Ignatius of Loyola o St. Francis Xavier o St. John of the Cross o St. Teresa of Avila o St. Francis de Sales

Ecumenism What is ecumenism? o Working toward Unity o “That they may be one” – Jesus to His Father Why do Catholics engage in ecumenical work according to the Catechism, no. 816? With which Christian body is the Catholic Church the closest to reconciling? What are obstacles to unity with Orthodox? What are obstacles to unity with Protestants?

The Second Mark: Holy

Holy What is the origin of the Church’s holiness? What does the word “sanctify” mean? How does Christ sanctify his Bride? o See Ephesians 5 How is the Church holy if her members are sinner? Which members are “absolutely holy”? According to the Catechism, no. 827, how do members of the Church become holy?

Holy What is the effect of the sins of individual members of the Church on people outside the Church? o Obscure Church’s holiness o Give a poor witness What is the antidote to the sins of individual members of the Church? o Purification, penance, and renewal.

Participation Our participation in Christ’s holiness o is grounded in Jesus’ resurrection o begins in us with Baptism o culminates in the resurrection of our bodies Jesus’ resurrection is o The foundation for our faith If Christ did not rise from the dead, then our faith is futile, and we are still in a state of sin. o Different from the resurrections that He performed on earth Jesus raised people who would die again; hence their bodies retained the marks of mortality Jesus will not die again. His body possesses new properties that reflect the glory of his divinity and is not limited to time and space

Participation Our participation in Christ’s holiness begins with our baptism o In baptism, we were buried in Christ’s death and raised in His resurrection Romans o This means that our bodies are now capable of transformation o This transformation is also known as sanctification—being made holy But our commonwealth is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change [transform] our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself. Our participation in Christ’s holiness culminates in our resurrection o They will not be like Lazarus’ body, which died again, but like Christ’s, which is indestructible and capable of dwelling in Heaven.

Qualities What three qualities does the Church possess because of her holiness? o The Church is immutable o The Church is indefectible o The Church is perennial

The Third & Fourth Marks: Catholic & Apostolic

Catholic What does the word “Catholic” typically mean as used today? o Denomination What does the word “catholic” mean? o It comes from the Greek katholikos, meaning “universal,” or “pertaining to the whole.” o All times and all places What are the two meanings of the word “catholic” as it pertain to the Church? o She is whole and complete, o She has received universal authority from Christ to fulfill her universal mission.

Universal & Local What are local Churches called today? o Dioceses or Eparchies o Particular churches How can a Church in a particular place be universal? o Apostolic Succession of bishop and priests o Preserves Catholic Teaching Worship Leadership To what extent does each local Church possess the presence of Christ? o Each possesses it fully.

Universal? Why does “catholic” mean more than universal? o Christ is located in all time and space o Therefore, the Church fills both time and space, including Faithful living and Faithful departed in Purgatory & Heaven What diversity exists within the universality of the Church? o The Church possesses a rich diversity of external expressions of faith and worship according to the culture in which she has taken root.

Different Rites Why are there different rites in the Church? o From the earliest years the Catholic Faith has found expressions and ways of worship that are distinctive to individual cultures. What does every Rite of the Church have in common? o Each shares the same Apostolic origin and Sacraments. How do the Rites differ? o Each rite preserves its own linguistic, artistic, architectural, spiritual, and cultural heritage.

Apostolic

Apostolic