Introduction: History's Beginnings
What does BC mean?
Before Christ
Who ruled Judea during the life of Jesus?
King Herod the Great
What is the Principate?
The Principate is the new organization, started by Augustus, giving real power to the emperor or princeps ("first citizen").
Define heresy.
Heresy is either a removing, adding, or emphasizing some aspect of the Catholic faith.
Chapter 1: Who was the first deacon martyr?
St. Stephen, which was witnessed by Saul
What does the abbreviation AD stand for and what is the English translation?
Anno Domini, The Year of our Lord
What are the four major stages of Christ's life?
Infancy and hidden life (The Nativity), Public Ministry, Passion, and the Resurrection
What is the Pax Romana?
The Pax Romana is the "Roman Peace," a long period of relative peace in the Mediterranean world.
What was the Edict of Milan? Who passed this edict?
The Edict of Milan was passed by Constantine and was the toleration of religions in the Roman Empire, legal status to Christians.
What were the four river civilizations and what rivers were these civilizations built on?
Mesopotamia (Tigris and Euphrates Rivers), Egypt (Nile), Northern India (Northern India), China (Yellow River)
How did King Herod earn the title "The Great?"
Because Herod ruled with fear and used these divisions to his advantage. The Romans also made him great king of Judea.
What happened with the rule of the following emperors: Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero?
Tiberius - The Unwilling: He's a good general and excellent governor, never wanted the principate which was forced on by his mother, governed by his ministers and messengers.
Caligula - Little Boots (37-41 AD): He's self-indulgent, cruel, and insane, declared war on the ocean, and made his horse consul of Rome.
Claudius (41-54 AD): He's the uncle to Caligula and historian, praetorians and senate thought they control him. He was a wise ruler, added Britain to the Empire, and made peace with the Parthians.
Nero (54-68 AD): He was a good ruler for the first five years; he protected people from oppression, lowered taxes, and had an appreciation for the arts and learning. Eventually became sinister by murdering his mother, divorcing his wife and murdering her, and persecuted the Christians because of a great fire. He built a party palace out of the part of the Empire that was burnt.
Chapter 1: How did Sts. Peter and Paul suffer their death?
Sts. Peter and Paul went to Rome and there was a large suspicious fire and Nero needed someone to blame. He blamed the Christians and started a Christian persecution, which included St. Peter and St. Paul. St. Peter wanted to be crucified upside down, like Jesus was crucified.
What is the difference between history and prehistory?
History - refers to the beginning of the written word
Prehistory - period of human life before the invention of writing
Talk about Saul's conversion. HINT: What happened? Who was the voice and what did he/she say? Who did he visit? What's his new name?
Saul/Paul Conversion: Saul heard the voice of Jesus saying, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." Saul converted and had his baptism at Damascus, and he changed his name to Paul. After three years in Arabia, he comes to Jerusalem and pays a visit to Peter to learn about Jesus. Paul eventually wrote the Epistles (letters) to early Church communities.
Who were the "Good" emperors?
Trajan, Hadrian (116-138 AD), Titus Antonius "Pius" (138-161 AD), and Marcus Aurelius (161-180 AD)
What happened with Diocletian and his "Great Persecution" with the Christians?
Diocletian's persecution: Diocletian blames Christians for a failed pagan sacrifice. There was nothing found so he blamed the Christians. Then, two edicts were formed and Galerius came to power.
Talk about the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods. Say the years, how humans lived, and the religion.
Paleolithic: 50,000 BC - 10,000 BC
Humans lived: Nomadic, hunting/gathering
Religion: Nature, Cave paintings
Neolithic: 10,000 BC - 2,000 BC
Humans lived: human settlement, agriculture and architecture
Religion: Nature, Temples, and Monuments
What are the three different factions in Judea and what are some details about each faction?
Samaritans: Believed in only the torah, Holy Mount Gerizim, didn't believe in afterlife, and resisted joining other groups
Sadducees - the "old" elites: Believed in the first five books of the torah only, didn't believe in an afterlife of Heaven or Hell, and not strict with the law
Pharisees - come from "middle" class: Study of the law is the center of the faith, they believed in prophets and other writings, and were scribes, judges, and teachers of the law
Talk about Diocletian's reforms. HINT: What was the thought that started this? What happened to the Roman Empire? What was the Eastern and Western Augustus? etc.
Diocletian's Reforms: Diocletian realized that the empire was simply too big, so he thought that the empire had to be broken up into two empires: the Eastern and Western Empires. These two empires would eventually work together. Each empire has a head emperor, Augustus, and an assistant. The provinces were then divided in half and people were not allowed to move so the government could collect more taxes. Price and wages didn't increase and eventually this all caused an economic disaster and a lot of resentment. Diocletian and Galerius then started another persecution of Christians.
POSSIBLE TEST PARAGRAPH QUESTION: Talk about and describe each of the following early heresies: Gnosticism, Marcionism, and Montanism (with the Montanists.)
Gnosticism: Gnosticism is the earliest heresy and it focused on the hidden knowledge for salvation. It taught that the material world is evil and a prison to the world and that there are two different gods.
Marcionism: Marcionism, created by Marcion, rejected the Old Testament and taught that there are two different gods, one in the Old Testament and one in the New. It said that the God in the Old is not the same God of love in the New Testament. Marcion only accepted the New Testament and altered it.
Montanism (with the Montanists): Montanism, created by Montanist, taught that the only way to be saved is by strict life and was considered just as reliable as the scripture.