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diff --git a/sum-chap-16.tex b/sum-chap-16.tex new file mode 100644 index 0000000..fdfe8d6 --- /dev/null +++ b/sum-chap-16.tex @@ -0,0 +1,119 @@ +\setcounter{section}{15} +\section{Theology in the patristic era} +Christianity is culturally rooted in both Judaism and Greco-Romanism: since +Jesus was a Jew, many patterns from the Hebrew Bible are taken over by the +evangelists, and since early Christian theologians were in constant dialogue +with the Greek intellectual tradition, that is available around the +Mediterranean Sea thanks to Hellenisation. + +The \index{Apostolic fathers}apostolic fathers are those theologians that were +active in the late first to mid-second century. They are mainly concerned with +church organisation. \index{Clement}Clement advocates a strong hierarchy. +\index{Ignatius}Ignatius coins the term \index{Catholicity}\emph{catholicity} +to stress the unity and universality of the church. + +Another topic is \index{Christology}christology. Both Clement and Ignatius +assert that Jesus existed before Creation, in contrast to the Ebionites, who +claimed Jesus was but a Jewish teacher. On the other hand, Ignatius also +affirms Jesus' true humanity, opposing \index{Docetism}docetism, the view that +Jesus only seemed human. + +In dialogue with the Roman empire, the idea of \index{Martyrdom}martyrdom and +the \index{Apologetics}apologetics came up. The main charges levelled at early +Christians were: atheism (because they refused to worship the Roman gods); +cannibalism (because of the Eucharist); and sexual immorality (because of the +term `brothers and sisters' for everyone). Apologists did not only counter +these charges but also tried to argue for the reasonability of the new faith. +\index{Justin Martyr}Justin Martyr is an example of this: he developed the +\index{Logos!Doctrine}Logos doctrine, which claims that the logos (as the +rational structure of the cosmos) became incarnate in Christ, implying that +Christianity is the highest form of truth. + +In this first time, \index{Orthodoxy}orthodoxy came up as opposing +\index{Heresy}heresies. Some heresies: \index{Ebionism}Ebionism tried to +preserve the Jewish purity of the church, emphasising monotheism and reaching +out to adoptionism for christology. \index{Docetism}Docetism taught that +Christianity should separate entirely from its Judaic roots, rejecting the +Hebrew Bible. Yahweh is an inferior God, reigning through justice and law in +the evil realm of matter, while Jesus is a true God, working through grace and +love in the good spiritual realm. \index{Modalism}Modalism is the view that God +is a single monad expressing itself in three operations. + +Most importantly, \index{Gnosticism}gnosticism held that salvation comes via a +secret given through special revelation. The world is created by an evil +\index{Demiurge}\emph{Demiurge}. Spiritual souls are trapped in a body but can +escape by the grace of Jesus Christ. Christ then has to be fully divine (He +cannot be evil), and therefore gnosticism is partially docetic. + +\index{Irenaeus}Irenaeus counters gnosticism by stressing \index{Creation!Ex +nihilo}creatio ex nihilo and insisting that God keeps interacting with the +world. Humanity goes through a process of \emph{maturation} that would lead to +the choice to remain faithful. This process has been stopped by Adam and Eve's +\index{Sin}sin, which is why redemption or \emph{recapitulation} is needed. In +the end, salvation is the fulfilment of creation, not an escape from it. + +\index{Tertullian}Tertullian attempts to free Christianity from pagan +philosophy (`What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?'). He also coins the term +\index{Trinity}\emph{trinitas}, which he sees as three persons in one +substance. + +\index{Origen}Origen is ambiguous: sometimes he seems to claim that the Son is +eternal and has his personal being from the Father (eternal begottenness); at +other times he suggests a subordinationist arrangement among the three members +of the Trinity. + +\medskip +In the fourth century, Christianity became the state religion under +Constantine. After this era, theology becomes preoccupied with the doctrines of +the Trinity and of Christ. + +Also, the NT canon was closed, using four criteria: +\index{Apostolicity}apostolicity (should reflect apostolic teaching); +\index{Catholicity}catholicity (should be relevant to the whole church); +\index{Orthodoxy}orthodoxy (should agree to the rules of faith, the creeds); +and \index{Tradition}traditional usage (should be used widely in the life of +the church). Much of the canon was already decided on in the second century, +but the first list of the NT canon as we know it today dates from 367. + +On the \index{Trinity}Trinity, \index{Arianism}Arius proclaimed that the Son +was a creature. Alexander and \index{Athanasius}Athanasius argued that if Jesus +wasn't truly God, he couldn't accomplish redemption. In \index{Nicea}Nicea in +325 the debate was settled: the Son is of the same essence +(\index{Homoousios}\emph{homoousios}) as the Father. Only the Creator can +redeem creation. Some eastern church leaders then proposed +\index{Homoiousios}\emph{homoiousios}, `of similar essence', but this was +condemned in \index{Constantinople}Constantinople in 381. There are three +divine persons (hypostaseis or personae) who share one essence or substance +(ousia or substantia). + +On Christ, the question was how He can be both divine and human. The +Alexandrian school (notably \index{Apollinarius}Apollinarius) emphasised his +divinity and the unity of his person: the Logos overshadowed Jesus' humanity; +the Antiochene school (Theodore of Mopsuestia) his humanity and his two +natures: how could a non-human ever redeem humanity? The Alexiandrans proposed +the term \index{Theotokos}\emph{Theotokos}, `God-bearer', intensifying the +debate. This idea was confirmed at \index{Chalcedon}Chalcedon in 451, where it +was also said that Christ is \emph{one} person with \emph{two} natures. + +\medskip +The \index{Cappadocians}Cappadocians extended the logic of Nicea (if Jesus +brings salvation, and salvation is deification, then Jesus must be divine) to +the Spirit (if the Spirit brings sanctification, \dots), thus affirming the +oneness of the whole Trinity. They also distinguished +\index{Hypostasis}hypostasis and \index{Ousia}ousia: the latter is the essence +common to the three members of the Trinity, while the first is their +individuated existence. Gregory of Nyssa compares the Trinity to Peter, James +and John, sharing humanity. + +\index{Augustine}Augustine proposes a psychological analogy for the Trinity +rather than a social one. The Trinity is then compared with mind, knowledge and +love. + +The \index{Donatism}Donatists claimed that bishops who seized to persecutions +were traitors. Augustine counters by saying that even though the Church is +built up from sinful humans, it is still holy because it participates in +Christ's holiness. + +The \index{Pelagianism}Pelagians said that humans can, also after Adam's sin, +achieve true perfection because of free will. Augustine counters by claiming +that human nature is infected by \index{Sin!Original}original sin. diff --git a/summary.tex b/summary.tex index 72785e1..3a50997 100644 --- a/summary.tex +++ b/summary.tex @@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ \usepackage[english]{babel} \usepackage{multicol} \usepackage{array} +\usepackage{morefloats} \makeatletter % Align marginpars to inside; doesn't work yet @@ -83,6 +84,7 @@ \input{sum-chap-3.tex} \input{sum-chap-4.tex} +\input{sum-chap-16.tex} \vfill\eject% \begin{multicols}{3} |