The Church Went Through A Period Of Cruel Persecution

Francis of Assisi was a poor man who astounded and inspired the Church by taking the gospel literally—not in a narrow fundamentalist sense, but by actually following all that Jesus said and did, joyfully, without limit and without a mite of self-importance. Francis was famous for his love of all creation. He called for simplicity of life, poverty, and humility before God. He worked to care for the poor. Thousands were drawn to his sincerity, piety, and joy. In all his actions, Francis sought to follow fully and literally the way of life demonstrated by Christ in the Gospels. My report is going to discuss the life and contributions of St. Francis of Assisi.

The religious contributions of the early fathers of the Coptic Church have remained unnoticed and sometimes have been ascribed to the Greeks, until the relatively recent rediscovery of the Copts and their heritage. During the first four or five centuries of our era, Egypt produced some of the most illustrious names in Christian annals. Men such as Origen, Athanasius, Cyril the Great, St. Anthony, St. Pachomius, Shenute the Great, and many more have left their mark on the history of Christian civilization both within and outside

Difficulty 41 was written by St. Maximos the Confessor during the seventh century and was part of a larger body of work titled, The Ambigua. The Ambigua answered difficult theological questions faced by the early church fathers, such as St. Gregory Nazianzus, using Greek philosophical methods. Difficulty 41 explains how the incarnation of Christ restores man to his proper function granted to him before the fall, for Christ unites all of creation in him by overcoming the divisions of being. St. Maximus’ writing draws on St. Gregory Nazianzus’ homily on the Theophany and on Gregory of Nyssa’s writings concerning the divisions of being. St. Maximus’ Christology would forever influence Christian doctrine and thought and as the last link between the theology of the East and West, as he is considered the last church father accepted in both churches.

The reason why Paul of Tarsus was one of the most significant persons in Christianity is because of his contributions of the development of

When we look back at Christianity over the years, there are several people who are remembered for their impact on the religion. The first most important figure was Jesus Christ. However, if we travel forward a bit, into the 4th Century we come across Constantine. Historians agree that Constantine served as an important component in the spread of Christianity. Although he spread the religion in a massive way, others wonder if his methods were more harmful then anything. In this paper I will be discussing Constantine in his rise to power and his impact on Christianity. Constantine provided a mean for the word of God to be spread, which is a major benefit. However, He also used violence and hate as

St. Athanasius is of the Patristic period. He was conceived in 296 AD and kicked the bucket in 373 AD. He was the twentieth Bishop of Alexandria. Athanasius is the creator of the work titled, "On the Incarnation of the Word". In this book St. Athanasius safeguards the incarnation of Christ against the general population who don't concur with his perspectives on it.

The Patristic Era saw various controversies arising over the nature of Jesus Christ, which consequently lead to the establishment of the creed as an attempt to reject the heretical views held by proponents. An example of a heretical advocate is Arius, who suggested Christ was inferior to God, but still above other creatures (McGrath, 2001, p.358). However, early orthodox theologians disputed this idea due to the soteriological complications that accompanied it (Young, 2010, p.55). The central advocator of this dispute was Athanasius, who questioned how Arius’ belief allowed for salvation through Jesus Christ, which is a key orthodox belief identified within the Bible. Accordingly, this essay will critically evaluate the heretical opinion of Arius and determine how this Arian understanding was discarded by Athanasius and the Nicene Creed. It is important to note that the Arian thought that will be assessed is primarily presented to us by Athanasius, which will emphasise the conflicting orthodoxy/heretical opinion that was held. In addition to this, the essay will determine how the establishment of the creed at the Council of Nicaea, which was greatly influenced by Athanasius (McGrath 2001, p,12), was a failed attempt to expel all aspects of Arian heresy but a success in uniting Christians.

The purpose of the paper is to differentiate between Christ of faith and Jesus of history. New Testament biblical scholars from the 19th Century have been preoccupied by the notion of Christ of faith versus Jesus of History. Jesus of history can be described as the quest for historical Jesus, while the Christ of Faith is the Christ of Christian belief either through the Church or historically. Some traditions even went ahead to argue that the Jesus of History could never be found and therefore the Christ of faith is the only way forward for Christians. On the other hand, those who have been promoting the Jesus of History have often assumed that the historical Jesus is much superior as compared to the Christ of Faith. Despite the key differences between Christ of faith and the historical Jesus, both these aspect have an implication for Western Christianity.

His loss of hopes during the war led him to return to Scripture for his theological work (pg. 460). From this, he wrote the Commentary on Romans published in 1919 (pg. 460). Despite his own views of this work, the ideas that he wrote about in this writing gained the praise of many people. His most influential work titled Church Dogmatics became known as one of the most talented masterpieces of theological work in the 20th century (pg. 462). In this work, he states that in the bible, God supplied his people with both the questions and answers that they needed (pg. 461). His approach to theology as he was writing gave him the ability to stay consistent throughout all of his writings and never disconnected him with God’s Word and teachings (pg. 462). From these three people, one can see the dramatic changes that have taken place within the Roman Catholic Church during the 20th century. From each persons’ views in theology to their work in the issues surrounding Catholicism, one can see the breathtaking changes and influences they had within the Roman Catholic Church. These changes are some that gave Catholicism the ability to further expand into places beyond Europe during the 20th

It seems strange that so little is known biographically about one of the most important figures in Christian history, but this only serves to add to the mystery and grandeur surrounding the Apostle Paul of Tarsus. Much, however, is known of the time after his conversion to Christ and what he did to contribute to Christianity in this period, and it is this that leaves a greater legacy than the simple facts of his life. The contributions that he made towards the cause of Christ and the spreading and formation of Christianity are what he is perennially remembered for.

As a Charismatic and transformational figure, Peter drew the attention of diverse Biblical researchers who to date, portray him as the epitome of ideal Christianity (Neil & William 389). Throughout his life, Peter was affiliated with various accomplishments and shortcomings that reflect imperative spiritual lessons for Christians in contemporary societies.

Athanasius formed a firm understanding of Christ’s Incarnation. His work, On the Incarnation, well represents his theology. He insists that Christ, who is divine himself, became a human in order to deify fallen people through the Incarnation. This idea of Christ’s being human is later called deification. Jesus took on a human body so that he could lead people into the Lord’s kingdom with his image and into the world of deification. Through Jesus’ salvation, one is able to participate in God. Athanasius also holds the thought that the Holy Spirit works as an agent leading Christians to meet theosis. According to his idea, one can be deified by partaking of the Spirit of God. Both Irenaeus and Athanasius had a great influence on the history

The efforts made by the early church fathers during the Patristic Period made a significant impact on the actions, practices and beliefs of the Christian community during the past as well as today. The Apostolic Fathers such as Papias, Polycarp, Hermas, Ignatius and Clement of Rome focused on matters such as church organization, righteous living and faith (“Church Fathers” 2). With their writings, these fathers fought to keep the faith within the old church in the face of persecution. As the attention turned to defending Christianity, the Apologist Fathers used their writings to counter the false claims that Christianity was faced with. Among the famous apologists are Tertullian and Justin Martyr (“Church Fathers” 3). Later,

This paper will provide an understanding the theories of theology of the history of the church, the celebration of the atonement; Jesus Christ being the vicarious substitutionary lamb slain for the sins of mankind.

The late Alexander of Alexandria did many things that influence Christianity. Alexander of Alexandria birth is not known but he left our world to meet God, on April 17, 326. He faced persecutions from Roman Leaders. He was our 19th pope. During his time, on Earth, he helped our leaders decide on the date, for Easter. This is a very important event that takes place yearly. He also had an important role in the actions concerning Meletius of Lycopolis. His predictor Achillas, allowed Arius to return to the Church. Achillas also gave Arius the oldest church in Alexandria. Another contribution to Christianity that he made, was when he mentored his successor, Athanasius of Alexandria. Alexander of Alexandria was an influential person that impacted