Historical Beginnings And Expansion Of Christianity Throughout The Roman Empire - Research Paper Example

Historical Beginnings And Expansion Of Christianity Throughout The Roman Empire Introduction The understanding of early Christian history through its peculiar stages and events gives a perfect opportunity to comprehend the concept. Below section considers the early church period, imperial church, Christian middle ages, reformation modern period ages of progress periods to understand the concept ‘comfort’. Through the analytical understanding, the paper grasps the use and application of comfort during the period. The views of scholars during this time are taken into consideration. Comfort is important for humanity to thrive economically, socially and politically. Early Church Period (0-300 CE) The early church period encompassed not only the birth and death of Jesus, but the historical beginnings and expansion of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. This was a time when the Christian faith and the Kingdom of God were in question and disbelieved by many Jews. According to Shelley (2013, p.5) “The Jews, who represented only half the population, despised their foreign overlords and deeply resented the signs of pagan culture in the accent homeland. The Romans were not just another in a long series of alien conquerors. They were representatives of a hated way of life. Their imperial reign brought to Palestine the Hellenistic (Greek) culture that the Syrians had tried to impose forcibly on the Jews over a century before”. It was evident that change was forthcoming and was imperative in the reduction of resentment, anger and hostility felt by many. It was during the first forty years of the early church period when Jesus and his apostles embarked on a journey to disseminate and distribute the word of God and the practice of Christianity. During this period of time Jesus not only conveyed God’s unending love and eternal life to those who believed, but most importantly he strived to achieve the trust and acceptance of the non-believers. He inspired and encouraged those, not only through his doctrine and sermons, but most notably by his own faithfulness, commitment and devotion. Ultimately his death and resurrection were the essential components supporting the Christianity movement and the word of God. The writings of two authors during this historical and instrumental time period will be explored and a synopsis of such will be examined. During the early time period there was born a Jewish man by the name of Joseph, and he was known to have a close association with the early Christians. Joseph was active and steadfast in his convictions in his Christian beliefs, and preached throughout Antioch, Alexandria and Rome. Eventually his travels took to him Cyprus and were given the honorary title of Apostle Saint Barnabas. Saint Barnabas was an influential participant in the establishment of the Cypriot Church, but as the story is told, he unfortunately was stoned to death. (Shelleys, 2012) Age of the Imperial Church, 300 to 590 CE The period presents a vast understanding of comfort. It is associated with the end of Christian persecution. This was seen when Emperor Constantine issued Edict of Milan. The order saw the establishment of tolerance and freedom amongst people from different religious groups. During the period (325 CE) no one had the authority to decide on matters of practice and belief. The issues were discussed and solved by the Bishops who mainly debated and solved some of the fundamental differences. Some of the issues they attempted to solve during their meeting included; issues facing the current church, relationship between God and Jesus. The Bishops also discussed the conflicting theories of Arius and Athanasius. The former held that Jesus and God were different entities while the latter held that Jesus must be divine to have been a survivor. The period also saw the construction of new Roman by Emperor Constantine. During 341 CE, the Emperor Theodosia issued a number of re-scripts or decrees. According to McCabe (1971) the decree was intended to "suppress all rival religions, order the closing of the temples, and impose fines, confiscation, imprisonment or death upon any who cling to the older [Pagan] religions." There was comfort amongst Christians and therefore most people would opt for Christianity as opposed to paganism given that Judaism and Christianity were the only official religions. The empire adopted the rules that punished pagans by death. During the same time, the authority of the church was left to the Bishops who were in Antioch, Rome, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Antioch, and Constantinople. In 381 CE, Aranism was declared heresy during the council of Constantinople. Later, in 431 CE, there was another contention on the precise nature of Jesus. The first belief system was held by the City of Alexandria who believed in the allegorical analysis of the bible, divinity of Jesus and acknowledgement that Jesus took both divine and human nature. On the other hand, Nistorius, Antioch amongst other scholars opposed the allegorical analysis of the bible, believed in the humanity of Jesus and did not see any connection about two natures of Jesus. The comfort came when the council stated that Jesus had two important forms; divine and nature. Finally, there was the beginning of separation of Western and Eastern churches. Some of the reasons of separation included Slav invasion in the Balkans and the fact that the Eastern religious language was Greek while Western language was Latin. "Although the two regions belonged to the same church, they became increasingly remote from each other." Christian Middle Ages, 500 to1500 CE During this period, Christendom was the unifying force. Christianity was the main standard bearer that anchored civilization on the Western nations. At the same time, papacy gained secular authority. There was also the establishment of cultural milieu. The church was the main unifying and universal institution. The Holy Roman Empire and feudalism assimilated some of the ideals of Christianity. There were a number of crusades which were organized to express militant religious zeal which originated from the strength European strength. The prosperity and security helped in the stimulation of life. During the same period, fanaticism in the church reached its highest level. There was the high persecution of the Jews during this time, mainly by the crusaders. One of the scholars during this time, The Venerable Bede asked "why should we attack the (Muslim) unbelievers in the Holy Land and leave infidels in our midst undisturbed?" He held that persecution of people is not by any means solving the problems that were faced. He believed that it only added to the tribulations and problems faced by people. As killings continued, most of the Jews were forced to fly to other countries in Europe, areas they believed they would get the required protection. They were given unique names so that they could be comfortable with other people. There was also the medieval to modern world transition du ring this time because of the economic expansion of the country, through secularization and political centralization. Serfdom was invaded by money economy with a number of exploitation cases being witnessed. The internal conflicts that were witnessed in the church resulted to its serious weakening. There was the sapping of the feudal strength. The new humanism of the Renaissance during this period was the harbinger of the super intellectual modernity. Another major event was the shattering of the medieval unity by a myriad of theories. This later resulted into the reformation of the protestant churches. The aim of the scholars during this period was reiterate that the success is anchored on the comfort amongst the people. The most important thing is to ensure that people feel comfortable in places they stay. There was no need for Jews to suffer in countries where they were not appreciated. There reason to move to other countries was to ensure that they remain comfortable and reduce the possibilities of suffering the pain. The scholars believed that the pain Jews were suffering could be turned positive. Reformation, 1500 1650 CE The Catholic Church dominated the political, economical, religious and the social life during the 1500 century in the entire Europe. During this time, people began questioning the wealth and authority of the church. Thousands of workers were opposed to the fact that Catholic Church was against the usury on loans. The English and German nobility were opposed to how Italy controlled the activities in the church. Most people began perceiving the church as corrupt. The causes of reformation were anchored on four main tenets, i.e. social, political, economic and religious. (McCabe, 1971) Social- people questioned the secularism and renaissance values of humanism in church. The printing press also facilitated the spread of ideas which were critical to the church. Political- The monarchs which were powerful challenged the supreme power of the church in Europe and a number of leaders perceived Pope and a foreign rule and opposed his authority. Economic- The kings and princes of Europe became jealous of the wealth that was accumulated by the church. The merchants were also opposed paying taxes to the church. Religious- Some of the leaders of the church were perceived as corrupt and people were opposed to some practices like selling indulgences. The opposition of the church began by Jan Huss and John Wycliffe. Martin Luther later picked this and used Gutenberg Printing press in sharing the ideas in 1517. In a 95 theses he printed, Luther encouraged people to read and analyze the bible before following the rules of the church. He believed that people were equal before God and therefore there should be no special treatment to the Popes. We believe salvation by faith alone and that the Bible, rather than spiritual leaders, is the ultimate authority on God. The discussion presents explanation of comfort through the opposition of the church. People were opposed to some of the happenings in the church. His expulsion from the church resulted to the formation of the protestant churches. The strengths and hope presents the comfort that people wanted to have in the new churches. The idea later spread to other parts of Europe. Another scholar apart from Luther was William Shakespeare who was another expressive writer during this time. As a writer, he managed to open some of the great discussions on comfort amongst people. He wrote in the ‘temperest’ that A wretched soul, bruised with adversity, we bid be quiet when we hear it cry; But were we burdened with like weight of lack of comfort. In this line, William summarizes the meaning of comfort during this time and the ability for one to be dragged down in its absence. Luther detailed discomfort in the society as a serious barrier to development while the latter perceived it as the epitome of the worst thing in life. Comfort is the basis of a calm nature of the heart and therefore emotions should be built upon it. Age of Reason & Revival, 1648-1799 CE This era witnessed a number of changes with regards to the balance of power amongst the monarch, clergy and the noble. The community lost their power with the collapse of the feudal system and the monarch took control of the church. One scholar during this period was Francis Bacon who was a member of parliament, lawyer and the counsel to the Queen. He mainly penned the inquiries on religion, state and law besides modern politics. He printed a number of manuscripts which helped people understand the origin of society. He held the fact that the main way to perception should be the wits. He is known to have oppos3exd Plato’s ideas, humanists and also resurgence students. He wrote about real pain for sham friends which held that pain was an opposite of celebration. He gave his friends a reason to smile and therefore upholding the concept of comfort. He scathingly attacked his scam friends. He meant that comfort is emotional and physical and can be used to cause a success amongst people. Another scholar during this period was Rene Descartes. He is known for having published a number of books and philosophical papers. no reason in this which could persuade me that there is in the fire something resembling this heat any more than there is something resembling the pain; all that I have any reason to believe from this is that there is something in it, whatever it may be, which excites in me these sensations of heat or pain. He held that pain drives away comfort amongst people. He believes that discomfort is deliberate action and uses the fire to the cause effect relationship in the variables. (Levinson ,1996) The philosophy that he presents is in agreement with Bacon’s understanding on comfort. Their opinions on comfort are intertwined given that it is not easy to know how to treat one another who pretends to be friends and yet they are sham. Modern Period Age of Progress 1800-1918 CE The period is associated with the precipitation of the 1st world war. The era saw a situation whereby every power prepared and intended to beat competitors in the accumulation of the colonies. The weaker powers also began uniting with other powers to strengthen their base. The struggle and cause for some of the powers is the fundamental cause of the First World War. The first writer was Friedrich Schleiermacher published the stammer of Pain is somebody else pain. He believed that there is no comfort when someone is in pain. His book intended to pass the message that discomfort in one person are depictions of another person’s discomfort. He explained that when one’s pain stops, another pain will start. The concept of according to Friedrich Schleiermacher suggests that the comfort transforms from one being to another. A discomfort will multiply and cause harm. A comfort zone is likely to benefit the people as a result of the associated ripple effect. Another scholar during this time was Albert Schweitzer, who was a writer. He published his book, whoever is spared personal pain must feel him called to help in diminishing the pain of others. He believes in helping others and holds that the pain that causes discomfort amongst people should be an example for others to support and help where necessary. If the support is ignited across the world, it is likely that the world will be comfortable place to everyone and the miseries will reduce in number. The authors approach the issue of comfort amongst people in two unique ways. Friedrich presents the real nature of pain that result to serious discomfort amongst people. He says that however much people try to deal with the challenges, they fail to manage due to the undying nature. Albert on the other hand presents a possibility of living in a world will less misery by holding that we can deal with the challenges that we face. Analysis, It is axiomatic to squabble that the above description of chronology of events explains what happed in the coining of the church and the concept. Comfort is presented in different context and supported by writings from a number of writers. During the entire period, it is evident that the success of people is not possible without comfort. Any kind of pain is likely to derail the economic performance and growth of the people. As explained by Shelley (2013, p.5), the comfort was Roman’s main concern. Similar evidences are indicated during Christian Middle Ages, 500 to1500 CE. The Jews were being killed during this time, therefore their main concern was to leave and move to other countries where they were respected and appreciated. Another similarity was the publications of various authors during this period. Shakespeare explains that humanity thrives when they are comfortable. The same sentiments are shared by Albert who believes that any form of pain interferes with the performance of humanity. Both authors strongly believe that people can easily succeed in life when they are comfortable. Any form of discomfort in terms of pain can easily be dealt with when there is hope. (Gregory, 1997) Martin believes that the comfort of the Christians should not be anchored on the feelings and believes of the Catholic Church. He leads a revolution that later resulted into a number of protestant churches across Europe. From this context, the most important thing is to ensure that humanity does all that is possible to remain comfortable. Rene shares similar sentiments. Despite the fact that their ideas were presented during different timelines, it is clear that they both advocated for the peace of mind. Anything that causes harm and pain to Christians should be dealt with. It is clear from the above that all the writers advocated for comfort in the society. The difference however existed on some of the mechanisms to be adopted in achieving that comfort. During the early periods, there were a number of killings and oppositions that were witnessed for others to remain comfortable. It was an ideology that was not comfortable. In a nutshell, the discussion on the above periods, succinctly present the concept of comfort. It opposes any form of pain. References Gregory J.(1997) , "One Jesus, many Christs," Harper SanFrancisco, Page 4. Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store Levinson , D, (1996) "Religion: A cross cultural dictionary," Oxford University Press, Topics: Eastern Orthodoxy & Roman Catholicism. McCabe,j.,(1971) "A Rationalist Encyclopaedia: A book of reference on religion, philosophy, ethics and science," Gryphon Books (1971). Excerpts appear at: http://www.christianism.com/ Shelleys, B., (2012) Church History in Plain Language Thomas Nelson; 4 Rev Upd edition ISBN-10: 1401676316 Read More