The Emperors and the Heresies

Finally, I'm getting around to post what we discussed in class this week.  I apologize about it being so late.  I've had a busy week at school since it is the week before Spring Break!  I will make sure to get the blog updated MUCH sooner next time!

Our discussion this week concerned Chapter 4 in our book.  I had posted a previous summary of Chapter 4 here.  So if you want, go back and look at that one, too.  Anyway, we had a great discussion concerning several of the Roman emperors and the heresies that followed along with them or that occurred during their reign.  We also discussed Tertullian, who was an early Christian writer who coined the term "Trinity" as well as "Old Testament" and "New Testament".

One of the emperors that was discussed was the emperor Decius (249 A.D. - 251 A.D.).  During his reign, there was a heresy known as Novatianism.  Novatianism, to put it simply, was a schism in the Church that consisted of a group of Christians who said that anyone who had renounced their faith for whatever reason could never be admitted back into the Church.  This sect was founded by Novatian, who was a former Roman priest.  You can find more about him and this heresy here.

We also discussed the emperor Constantine, who eventually made Christianity legal and the main religion of the Roman empire.  A particular heresy that occurred, however, was Arianism. Followers of this sect, created by Arius,  denied the Divinity of Jesus.  You can read more about them here.  This Arianism is not to be confused with the Aryanism that stems from the peoples that inhabited the areas of Iran, Afghanistan, and India.  Also, it is not to be confused with the term or "aryan" that was used by Hitler in Nazi German to describe the "ideal race".  The actual Aryan people looked drastically different.  The Nazi term "aryan" is where the more modern group "aryan brotherhood" gets its name.

I want to leave you with a few things we discussed to ponder over the rest of the week...

One that we discussed was the question, Do we heed the call and deepen our faith during the Lenten season?  In other words, do we listen as the Lord whispers ever so quietly and take to heart the meaning of Lent.

Also, I want to leave you with a quote from Dale...

"God creates circumstances in our lives to shatter the glass houses we live in."

Those were two great things to ponder over this week.  I hope you all have a blessed week, and I'll see you on Sunday!

-Kristy

    

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J.M.J