1. Saints in Our History The First Thousand Years
Chapter 11

2. A Mustard Seed Church started off small and grew Guided by Holy Spirit
Led people to become Saints and lead Church
Ages of the Church
Apostles and Martyrs
Fathers and Doctors of the Church
Monastic Movement
Schism and the Middle Ages

3. Apostles and Martyrs
Apostles commanded to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations”
Apostles spread across the known world
Peter
Preached from Pentecost on
Went to Antioch and then Rome
First Bishop of Rome
Martyred under Emperor Nero
64 or 67 AD
Crucified upside down
Buried on Vatican Hill, spot of St. Peter’s Basilica today
Pope St. Linus elected to succeed him

4. St. Paul Greatest missionary of early Church
Covered in the Acts of the Apostles
Palestine, Syria, Turkey, Greece, Rome
Continued preaching, even though imprisoned and stoned
Apostle to the Gentiles (non-Jews)
Wrote 14 letters (epistles)
Martyred in 68 AD

5. Early Christian Martyrs
Persecution of Christians for next 250 years
Christianity outlawed in Roman Empire
Christianity expanded anyway
Inspiration of martyrdom impressed Roman bravery
“Blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church”
St. Perpetua and St. Felicity
Perpetua lived in N. Africa
Just had a baby
Felicity was a servant who lived with her
Pregnant
Perpetua and Felicity arrested for being a Christian
Refused to deny Christ, martyred even though they had young children to take care of
Eucharistic Prayer
First martyr: St. Stephen
Early Popes: Linus, Cletus, Clement, Sixtus
Holy Women: Agatha, Lucy, Cecilia
Apostles

6. Fathers and Doctors of the Church
Christianity became legal under Constantine
4th Century
Next wave of trouble for the Church was internal
Heresy (denial of basic doctrine of the faith)

7. Arianism and Athanasius
Spread by Arius, a priest in Egypt
Taught that Jesus wasn’t God
Spread through the Church, believed even by bishops
Council of Nicaea (325 AD)
Nicene Creed
Athanasius
Defended proper Church teaching
Bishop of Alexandria, Egypt
Taught that Christ is “consubstantial with the Father”
“One in being”
Wrote On the Incarnation
Talks about the Second Person of the Trinity becoming man
Died in 373 AD
Arianism officially denounced in 381 AD

8. St. Augustine Born to St. Monica in North Africa
Lived a wild lifestyle
“Lord make me chaste, but not yet”
St. Monica prayed for his conversion
Brilliantly intelligent
Converted after hearing a homily at age 33
Talked about in The Confessions
Wrote The City of God
Contrasts Christian life with the evils of the world
Combated other heresies
Also considered a father of the Church

9. The Monastic Age Rome was crumbling from barbarian attacks
Empire collapsed
Monasteries continued way of life
Communities of monks
Men who live together to grow in the faith
Vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience
Converted barbarians
Became centers of Western civilization
Schools and towns grew around them

10. St. Benedict Founded the Benedictine Order
Called the “Father of Western Monasticism”
The Rule of St. Benedict
Guided the lives of his monks
“Ora et Labora”
Prayer and work
Prayer: Liturgy of the Hours, Mass, Adoration
Work: Copying manuscripts, farming, teaching

11. Missionaries from the Monasteries
Monasteries became centers of the missionary movement
St. Columban (6th Century)
Irish monk who preached to the Franks
St. Boniface (8th Century)
Benedictine monk from England
Preached in Germany

12. Schism and the Middle Ages
Islam arose in Middle East
Spread to North Africa, Eastern Europe, Spain
Separated Christians in the West from the East
Eastern Schism (1054 AD)
Schism = split
Eastern Orthodox split from Catholic Church
Source of issues
Wording of certain Christian doctrines
Authority of Bishop of Rome (Pope)

13. Corruption Corruption of the clergy in the years 850-1000
Roman Empire had collapsed
Church became foundation for society
As it was the clergy who were the educated people
Some clergymen focused more on worldly issues and power than the spiritual
Need for reform in the Church