Church History Part IX 080506

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Church History Part IX08/05/06

• What does Eastern Orthodoxy have to do with EP?
• Which is the lesser of two evils? Eastern
  Orthodoxy or Roman Catholicism
• Why should / shouldnt the church assume secular
  power authority?
• What do Radbertus Ratramnus have to offer us
  today?
• When is it biblical to sever fellowship from
  another body of believers?

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Why does the iconoclastic controversy matter?

• Because it deals with the broader issue of media
  in worship
• where do YOU draw the line? Why? Why not?
• Because one side accuses the other of sin, and we
  have an obligation to help those who are living
  in sin
• Because new issues are quite old

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Why else does the iconoclastic controversy
matter? Because it brought East West tensions to
a new height

• Anti-Icon Emperor Constantine V called an
  Ecumenical council which met from February
  10th, 754 to August 8th.
• 338 Bishops attended the Council despite noted
  absences from Constantinople, Rome, and the
  Patriarchs of Antioch, Alexandria, and Jerusalem.
• Empress Irene ascended to the throne and sought
  to mend the gap between East and West (and church
  state in the east) by calling a council to
  restore icons
• An armed militia of Imperial iconoclasts stormed
  the council and violence was avoided when someone
  shouted we won and everybody left.
• Irene send out invites to the 7th, and final,
  ecumenical council aka Nicea II, which began at
  the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, 787.
• 7 Sessions, Sept. Oct.
• Endorsed John of Damascus arguments, overturned
  Constantine Vs council, declared anyone cursed
  who does not endorse icons.
• Appealed to Gen. 3134 Ex. 3517 Num. 78-9
  Heb. 91

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Result? Eastern Orthodoxy Won the Day

• John of Damascus Contribution?
• Veneration of icons a permanent fixture in EO
  RC
• Re-emphasized key principles common to EO
  theology
• Saving incarnation
• Deification of humanity through Jesus
• Ineffable essence of God beyond all comprehension
• Centrality of worship to all EO theology
• So how did EO spread?
• Before the iconoclastic controversy, through the
  Emperors like Justinian who composed liturgies
  and administered the Lords Supper
• After the iconoclastic controversy, primarily
  through civil leaders and monks

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Spread of EO

• Patriarchs of Constantinople encourages missions
  next door in Moravia, Russia, the Balkans
  (800s).
• When church and state are one, wherever the
  Empire expands, so does the church!
• Pre-Wycliffe translation efforts!
• Vladimir (988) in Kiev
• Sava, King of Serbia (1200s) Simeon the
  Myrrh-Gusher
• Spread to Moscow through monasteries
  spiritually minded princes and kings
• Icons were huge! Our Lady Vladimir
• 1453 Turks take Constantinople, so the EO
  influenced Russia tries to rebuild the Empire
• Ivan 4th calls himself Czar
• Holy Mother Russia is to Eastern Orthodoxy as
  Manifest Destiny is to Christianity

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Why does the spread of EO matter?
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Meanwhile, the Western Church was gaining power
through mutual back scratching

• The Pope was forging deals with the Carolingians
  in France to protect its missionary endeavors
  inside their territory
• Charlemagne (742-814) takes over
• Conquers a huge portion of Europe,like Roman
  Empire size!
• Mass Conversions to Christianity!
• Donates the Papal states
• Christmas Day, 800, crowned King by Pope Leo III
• Who has authority over who? And who has the power
  to give authority to whom?
• Results?
• Secularization of the church is its spiritual
  death knell. (Fulda owned 15,000 villas!)
• In 1870 this power was finally reduced to Vatican
  City alone

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Europe Emerges The Eastern Empire Dwindles
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Meanwhile, Augustine continued to ignite
pre-Reformation reformational debates

• The Lords Supper was being debated at Corbei
• Radbertus (790-865)
• Wrote Concerning the Body and Blood of our Lord
• Argued that a miracle takes place, the substance
  of the bread wine is transformed into the
  actual historical body and blood of the Lord
• Hence, the Lords Supper is a very real sacrifice
• Appealed to Augustine
• Ratramnus (? -868)
• Argued that the Lords Supper was more of a
  spiritual communion with the spiritual
  presence of Christ
• Appealed Hebrews 727 He has no need, like
  those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily,
  first for his own sins and then for those of the
  people, since he did this once for all when he
  offered up himself Hebrews 925-26 Nor was it
  to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest
  enters the holy places every year with blood not
  his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer
  repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But
  as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end
  of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of
  himself.

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Why does it matter?

• Because were taking it today!
• 4 Views in Church History
• Radbertus Roman Catholicism
• Magical transubstantiation view
• Ratramnus Calvins view
• spiritual presence
• Luthers View
• in, with, and under consubstantiation
• Zwinglis View
• Memorial
• So what can we say for sure?
• Memorial Do this in remembrance of me." 1 Cor.
  1124
• Blessing The cup of blessing which we bless,
• Communion is it not the communion of the blood
  of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not
  the communion of the body of Christ? 1 Cor.
  1016
• Proclamation For as often as you eat this bread
  and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's
  death
• Anticipation until he comes. 1 Cor. 1126

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pre-Reformation reformational debates part II

• Predestination
• What was embarrassing about Augustine on the
  real presence of the Lords Supper was his
  vagueness. What was embarrassing about him on
  predestination was his clarity. Jaroslav
  Pelikan
• Gottschalk (803-868) _at_ Fulda
• Taught total depravity, the bondage of the will
• Taught limited atonement, that Christ only died
  for the elect
• Defended predestination against the charge of
  fatalism
• Appealed to Rom 9-11
• Hincmar (806-882) _at_ Rheims
• The will is weak, but not broken
• Distinguished between foreknowledge and
  predestination to argue against predestination

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The two swords the churchs downward spiral

• Example Pope Nicholas I (858-867)
• Photius Controversy (meddling with the Eastern
  Church)
• Lothair II (meddling with the Western State)
• Hincmar (meddling with the Western Church)
• Proof that an increase in secular authority is a
  decline in spiritual authority
• 897-955 Papal Pornocracy
• Number of Popes
• Titles given
• John 23rd
• By 1000, the Papacy was bought and sold,
  assassinations were common

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Next few weeks

• A king barefoot in the snow begging the Popes
  forgiveness
• Christian jihad!
• Theology becomes enthroned amongst academics
• The Renaissance gives birth to Reformation!