ch. 1: Beginnings. Read pgs. xiii-16 1. What is the mission of the church? 2. Describe how the Holy Spirit has influenced/shaped the

history of the church?3. What is history?4. Why do we study the history of the church? (list the 3

reasons.) 5. Who are the Hebrews? Why are they relevant in the

study of Christianity?6. What is the relationship between Passover and Paschal

Mystery?7. What does Hellenization mean? Describe the period of

Hellenization.8. Why is Jesus and his message crucial for understanding

Christianity? 9. What key role does Kingdom of God play in the history of

Christianity?

CHURCH HISTORY

Why Study History?

History is Useful

Useless

History is helpful; it tells us truths about human behavior

It makes us self-awareWhen we are

self-aware we can make wise and informed decisions

Knowing history can make us better human beings

History repeats itselfEvidence shows that

even if we know history and our past mistakes as individuals and societies, we still repeat them

History is useless ifPeople do not learn

its lessons and do not practice new behaviors now

History is biased

Stories of what happened in the past will differ depending on who tells them

Winners have a different story from losers

Due to their different roles and lack of education for women, throughout history, men’s stories often differed from or excluded women’s stories

Example:How Christians, Jews, and

Muslims understood the Crusades is highly varied.

History is DynamicBecause there is more than

one way to describe an eventAnd because people differ in

how they remember and interpret events

History is dynamic; it can changeHistory can also change due to

finding new factsExample:The Dead Sea Scrolls and the

gnostic gospels found in the 19th-20th centuries

Why study Church History

Two goals to study church history:1. To better understand the Church’s past2. To look at how that past has formed the Church as it

exists today The history of the church is also the history of the world History is not about memorizing names, dates and

events, it is about learning who we are, how we got here, and where we are going

It is about us, the Church, and our world. Family background/history- warm-up Genesis creation accts.

Why is it important to study the history of the Catholic Church? It goes beyond the record of

popes and bishops It’s about people who felt

they were answering God’s call

It is an essential part of the history of the Western world.

It shares much of its history with that of other Christian churches

It’s the study of the wider history of Christianity

Understanding (church) history helps us understand our world ultimately helps us understand ourselves

Major events of Church history