History of Christianity 1: Module 8

The proclamation that gave free exercise of religion to "Christians and all others." It returned seized property to the churches.

The most controversial word of the Nicene creed, intending to convey that the Son is just as divine as the Father. It means "of the same substance."

The occasion of Constantine's conversion to Christianity, according to Constantine himself.

A monk whose highest ideal was poverty, who preached the beauty of poverty. He gave away all that he had, and founded a mendicant order.

A famous early Egyptian anchorite who spoke of his struggle against the devil. His biography was written by Athanasius.

Ancient Christian historian who is the source of much of our information about the early church period.

An early heresy that started with a dualistic idea of reality consisting of a pure world of spirit and an evil world of matter. It stressed the use of secret knowledge of the initiated in their ritual and doctrines to find salvation.

The process of training new converts before baptism and full membership in the early church.

Term that describes an early monastic who lived as a solitary individual, away from all others in order to commune with God and fight against temptation.

Roman emperor under whom was the worst persecution of Christians.

A general word used to describe all monastics who lived by charity. Many were travelling monks.

A student of Clement, who was orthodox on central doctrines, but felt the freedom to speculate on all others, which led him to be closer to Platonism than Christianity in many issues.

A monastery in southern France. It was the center of monastic reform, returning to the ideals of Benedict's Rule.

Schismatic group who believed that the validity of the sacraments depends on the worthiness of the leader who administers them.

The document that most influenced the activities of Medieval monasticism.

The combining of elements from one or more religions and/or worldviews to form a new mixed religion/worldview.

Leader of a monastery. All monastics were required to live in obedience to this person.

He advocated for the Arian position at the council of Nicaea and with the emperors after the council was concluded.

Early leader who was an old man when he was arrested. He had a vision that he would be burned alive, and faithfully testified about Christ even while being burned alive.

Those who rejected the idea of Christ having two natures. They taught that He had only one nature.

King over Judea appointed by Rome who constructed great building projects.

The idea of universal reason that undergirds all of reality. Christians identified this with Jesus.

Student of philosophy who was converted to Christ. He became one of the best Christian scholars of his time. He taught Christianity as "the True Philosophy."

Firmly and finally decided the doctrine of the trinity to be orthodox and Arianism to be heresy.

The idea that church leadership was faithful to Christ by being in conformity with the first teaching, based on passing the teaching on from one leader to another.

A Writing in the Apostolic Fathers that was considered the teaching of the 12 apostles for Christian life and church organization.

Roman Emperor who tried to turn the empire from Christianity back to paganism.

Affirmed the doctrine that Christ had Two natures in One Person. Became the Orthodox definition of Christology.

Document that claimed Jesus to be "True God of True God, begotten, not made, of one substance with the Father."

An early heretic who taught that the God of the Old Testament was a different God from the Father of Jesus in the New Testament. He therefore rejected the Old Testament and many of the New Testament books as Scripture.