Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

Church History

Satisfactory Essays
422 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Church History
Church History
5-16-12

There are many events that have shaped the church today. Narrowing it down to three I feel that the Edict of Milan, the Reformation, and Vatican II are the most significant.
The Edict of Milan granted religious freedom throughout the Roman Empire, though it was especially intended to legalize Christianity. It was instituted by empire Constantine in 313. Constantine recognized and accepted Christianity. It was the first time an emperor was doing so. Prior to that Christians were persecuted frequently. I feel that this is extremely significant because without the granting of religious freedom the church could not continue to expand and grow. Accepting Christianity effectively paved the way for it becoming the official religion of Rome. Once they were legal they were able to focus on addressing areas of church like the ways they were expressing their faith and the way the church was structured. They took major steps in clarifying their creed and roles in the church. All of this added to inspiration from the Holy Spirit the church gained a greater understanding of the mystery of Jesus Christ.
The Reformation began when a German named Martin Luther who criticized the power and practices of the Catholic Church. In 1517 he listed his 95 thesis statements against the Catholic Church and nailed them to the door of the church. Eventually Luther was excommunicated , however, many people agreed with his criticisms and joined his protest movement against the Catholic Church. I think this shaped the church tremendously because this began the era of questioning the church. Many of the churches practices were attacked and church authority was questioned. The Protestant reformation divided Christians and reshaped political and religious values in all of Europe. The empire was no longer united by religion. Overall the reformation led the way for big change I the church.
Vatican II called by Pope John XIII in 1962 was where over 2,500 bishops from all over the world came to have a council. The council produced 16 documents. Vatican II is considered the most pivotal church council because it changed the way the faith engages the modern world. It described a whole new role for lay Catholic. One of the biggest impacts was the change to the mass being said in the vernacular or the language of the people. Lay people began reading the Scriptures at Mass and serving Communion. The way people interact with the mass has been forever impacted.
All of these events have impacted the church tremendously.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Reformation Impact

    • 60 Words
    • 1 Page

    The Reformation that was started in 1517 by Martin Luther is considered one of the greatest religious movements. Even though the impact of this movement was not known to effect the Germans or even the world, history is now forever changed. Although before the 16th century, there have been a lot of tries in order to reform the Roman Church.…

    • 60 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Protestant Reformation

    • 1550 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The Protestant Reformation was the 16th-century religious, political, intellectual and cultural even that split up Europe. The protest against the church was not entirely new. In England there had been similar protests in the 14th century: although these had been crushed. Luther gained a lot of support for his ideas. Many people were unhappy with the Pope and the Church. The Reformation began as an attempt to reform the Roman Catholic Church. The Protestant Reformation started in the northern and central parts of Europe. This area was affected because it is further away from the Catholic religious capital, Vatican City. Reformers like Martin Luther, John Calvin and Henry VIII challenged Catholic authority and questioned the Catholic Church's ability to define the Christian practice. A movement began in…

    • 1550 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Crusades Essay

    • 661 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Monarchs started to gain political power (e.g. Henry VIII) and were able to make Church (Protestant) of England because he has money and he is powerful.…

    • 661 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Church History

    • 2030 Words
    • 9 Pages

    God is the Divine Author of a set of books, songs, narratives and letters that were written as a way for man to draw nearer to Him through His loving Son Jesus the Christ. God’s Word is an expression of who God is and who His Son is. J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays wrote a book called Grasping God’s Word. Within this book, the authors inspire their readers by giving a detailed reason why we study the Bible. They say, “The reason we study the Bible is that we want to hear God’s Word to us.” They go on to say, “The Bible was written by numerous human authors, but the divine aspect of it is inseparably and mysteriously interwoven into every verse. The term we use to describe this relationship between the divine role and the human role is inspiration. Inspiration can be defined as the process in which God directed individuals, incorporating their abilities and styles, to produce His message to humankind.”[1] Our Bible is an inspired canon of the 39 received books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament. The combined 66 books of the Old and New Testament form the orthodox belief which was founded upon the inspired moving of God among man and creation. What were the events and movements that were influential in the recognition of the canonical books? Furthermore, what methodology was used by the applicable individuals and councils that deemed these 66 books the inspired Word of God?…

    • 2030 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Reformation Dbq

    • 542 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Reformation was a large, unique movement away from the Catholic Church in 16th and 17th century Europe. Starting with Martin Luther being the first to officially oppose the theology of the Catholic Church, he posted his work, 95 Theses, to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church. This act allowed for multiple movements away from the Catholic Church, consequently creating multiple new religions, some of which remain today. Some movements began with the sole idea of rectifying the Christian religion, while others were seen as an opportunity for gain of power or in umbrage of a political adversary. Due to the unmitigated diversity of each distinct reforming sect, the Reformation as a whole is to be considered as both a religious…

    • 542 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Church History Paper I

    • 1562 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The process by which Scripture has been preserved and compiled is one whose history is worth noting. The early church had many opportunities to share the Good News of Christ via word of mouth, but from the time of Christ’s resurrection until the mid-second century, there had not been a single culmination of writings considered to be essential for the purposes of teaching and spreading the Gospel. Increasing heretical opposition in conjunction with the need for a standard of living to follow gave rise to the formation of the New Testament Canon; however, this would not come without multiple false teachers and many arguments over what would classify as “inspired by God”. To seek the answer to one of history’s most important questions, we must understand what the canon is, how it was inspired and to whom authority was given in determining what would be included in such Holy Scriptures.…

    • 1562 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Protestant Reformation was the 16th Century move to democracy for Christians and time of reform from the “dark ages” or from the strict control of the Roman Catholic Church. The reformation was initiated by a schism within the Eurpoe Christian community within the church, and among other Christians that had divergent interpretations of the Bible. It was also a time of change and time for new opportunities and asking new questions. The reformation brought new structures and beliefs that would change everything and have a definite impact on our modern era.…

    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Reformation started in the 16th-century religious, political, intellectual and cultural upheaval that splintered Catholic Europe.…

    • 680 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This new faith change created the “Edict of Milan,” an agreement with Licinius of Milan. Such agreement granted the free exercise of religion to Christians and all others. This was a significant change that strengthened the entire empire and altered the once secretive society to a more accepted standard way of…

    • 856 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Protestant Reformation started in the 16th-century. A European movement reforming the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. The Reformation ended the unity by medieval Christianity. The Protestant Reformation was caused by the Clergy's abuse of the Catholic Church: the selling of forgiveness from sins for money, Latin sermon, and religious posts were often sold to the person that would pay the most.…

    • 240 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Reformation has profoundly affected the modern view of politics and law. Before the Reformation the Church governed politics; she controlled emperors and kings and governed the law of lands. One of the significant impetus to the Reformation was the decline in papal power and prestige during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries (pg, 320). The Protestant Reformation in the 1500s changed the course of history. It helped move Europe out of the Dark Ages and led to the rise of true religious freedom.…

    • 323 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Edict Of Milan Analysis

    • 755 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Edict of Milan granted all of the people freedom to worship and their religion. It was a letter of approval of religious freedom in the Roman Empire. The letter was signed by Emperors Licinius and Constantine I. The Edict of Milan was passed on AD 313.…

    • 755 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Religion has been around since the beginning of time. Even before there were the dominant religions such as Catholicism and Christianity, the first humans had different things that they served and worshipped. During the evolution of mankind, religion also evolved and transformed. There are many events that have greatly affected the course of religion and has alowed it to blossom into what it is today. Three events that I feel changed the course of religion in history are the Edict of Milan, the production of the first printed Bible, and Luther’s “95 Theses”.…

    • 1088 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    * Concordat of Bologna: Granted the Pope right to collect the first year’s revenue from the Church offices in return for the ability to nominate high officials in the French Churchnationalized the church and increased the power of the monarchy…

    • 1900 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The church has influenced various issues in our society. The issues which have been influenced are abortion, divorce, homosexuality, and poverty. But before we look at how these issues were influenced lets first look at some of the aspects of the church.…

    • 1831 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays