Church History
Ignatius of Antioch is an important early church figure for a number of reasons. His surname was Theophorus meaning "God-bearer" (EWTN, 2011). Many believe that he was most likely to converted by St. John who was known as the Evangelist. Not much is known of his early life, however (EWTN, 2011). In fact, since Peter as well as Paul planted the church in Antioch, one can believe that Ignatius was to succeed that of Evodius who was the bishop of that particular city at that time in history (EWTN, 2011). Furthermore, "Ignatius retained the office for forty years, proving himself in every way an exemplary pastor" (EWTN, 2011).
When Domitian reigned from 81-96, Ignatius was courageous by constantly preaching, fasting and praying with those in his congregation (EWTN, 2011). Once Domitian died, persecution ceased for at least 15 months during the reign of Nerva (EWTN, 2011). Furthermore, many were martyred when Trajan came to power (EWTN, 2011). He believed that Christians should die and to not endure punishment. One of them that died during this time was St. Ignatius (EWTN, 2011). This was because many refused to worship...
.. celebrating Mass, hearing confessions, teaching theology, preaching, giving spiritual direction, directing the Spiritual Exercises, nursing the victims of plagues, championing the socially deprived..." (History of Jesuits, 2006) The identifying feature of the Society of Jesus was its: total availability for mission...members would be ready to go anywhere in the world, at whatever cost to themselves to undertake whatever ministry was required. Instead of living in stable monastic communities, they would
high degree of misinformation I had received from traditional teachings about the church and the beginning of Christianity. Moreover, I was struck by the notion that most other people in the Western world receive this same degree of intentional misinformation, so much so that I have even heard people defend the idea that knowledge of the historical church is irrelevant to modern Christianity. Reading through the class material, I
Jesus' Teachings, Prayer, & Christian Life "He (Jesus) Took the Bread. Giving Thanks Broke it. And gave it to his Disciples, saying, 'This is my Body, which is given to you.'" At Elevation time, during Catholic Mass, the priest establishes a mandate for Christian Living. Historically, at the Last Supper, Christ used bread and wine as a supreme metaphor for the rest of our lives. Jesus was in turmoil. He was
Orthodoxy and the Establishment of the Canon The fact that the early leading churches, from Antioch to Alexandria to Rome, were separated by many miles and had their own issues and problems that were directly addressed in letters (that would go on to be recognized as part of the Sacred canon of Scripture) surely played a part in the difficulty that arose when the Gnostics and other heretical sects began to
In that same year as well, Portuguese ships reached China, re-establishing direct trade for the first time since its termination 150 years prior. The Chinese were particularly eager to purchase Spanish silver from the Andes, which the Portuguese provided in exchange for Chinese silk, highly coveted throughout Europe. The Portuguese even went as far as Japan, where they established contact briefly before that country's isolation. Expeditions were also sent
Holy Trinity One of the most fundamental beliefs of the entire system of Christianity is the belief in the Holy Trinity, something which is known as the union of three people: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This belief has caused much controversy and disagreement among the various churches of Christianity, particularly because the concept does not appear in the Bible, but was a development
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