christianity and evangelizationmrsdearlovehrt3m.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/3/7/13376316/... · 2019. 5....

Why does the Church see it as its mandate to bring the name of Jesus to all peoples? There are two basic reasons.

First, Jesus revealed in a unique way who God is. The disciples of Jesus were deeply impressed by the intimate relation of Jesus to God, whom he called Abba (Father). They asked Jesus to teach them to pray to God as he did. Through Jesus, they came to know a God who healed people, loved the poor and the outcast, raised the dead to life, and set people free. In Jesus’s death on the cross and in his resurrection, they experienced how faithful Jesus was to this God who loved people and how

God raised Jesus from the dead. The disciples felt compelled to bear witness to others about this God of Jesus. For them, Jesus was the only access to this God. Jesus was the way to God.

Second, Catholics proclaim Jesus to all peoples because they believe that in the resurrection, Jesus was revealed to the disciples as the very Word of God. Jesus was in God. Jesus was the incarnation of God. This meant that the One God was Trinitarian (three persons): Father, Son, and Spirit. Catholics feel compelled to proclaim Jesus Christ because, by talking about Jesus, they talk about God. When Catholics talk about God, they do so by telling the story of Jesus.

Early Evangelization: The Great CommissionThe impulse for Christians to reach out to others came from Jesus himself. At the end of the Gospel of Matthew, before Jesus left his disciples, he gave them the great commission. He said to them:

All authority in heaven and on Earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

(Matthew 28:18–20)

Christianity and Evangelization

Fast Fact“Evangelization” comes from a Greek word meaning “to proclaim good news.” It refers to the Church’s mission to bring the good news of Jesus and his love to people in places where the Gospel has not been heard before or where it has been forgotten. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the writers of the Gospels, are called evangelists for the same reason.

Statue of Jesus. Detail of a statue

of Christ. The message of faith in a God of love, who cared for all without distinction, had great appeal among people everywhere.

12 Chapter 1 NEL

The disciples did as Jesus asked. They began a world mission to tell people about Jesus and the God he proclaimed. First, they went to their own people: the Jews. Then they went to anyone who was willing to hear.

The disciples told people what they had experienced in following Jesus: how Jesus had been open to others, how he loved the poor, how he made the outcast and the sinner feel that they belonged, how God forgives freely and asks his followers to do the same. They presented Jesus as the prophet of God’s love who loves everyone, even enemies, and talked about how God acted in this world through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Life was to be a gift of service to others, no matter who they were.

The work the disciples did was revolutionary. What Jesus proclaimed often did not fi t the cultures of the time. To people in the Roman Empire, Christians were dangerous. Their lord was Jesus, not the emperor. They refused to worship the emperor. In particular, they wanted to turn upside down the usual relationships between Jews and

Romans, Greeks and barbarians, the free and the slaves, rich and poor, men and women. Humans were to be brother and sister to each other in the name of Jesus. To many people in the Roman Empire, this view did not make sense.

The second-century Roman historian Suetonius saw Christians as followers of a “new and dangerous superstition.” Others called them “vain and insane,” or said that they were “fi lled with hatred of the human race.” Many Christians were hunted down and martyred, killed for their faith. Yet, Christianity grew into a powerful movement.

Christians attracted people by their example, by their new understanding of God, and by their love, which broke down many of the barriers that existed between people in the Roman Empire.

Yet, even though the very fi rst Christians were Jews, Christians and Jews did not succeed in maintaining good relationships with one another. For all sorts of reasons, Jews and Christians soon came to a parting of the ways. Some of the bitterness Christians felt toward the Jews at times shows through in the Gospels.

Fast FactThe Roman Empire was the world power at the time of Jesus’s life and for some 400 years after. Its leader was the emperor, who was worshipped as a god.

A Closer LookDuring its fi rst 300 years, Christianity was an illegal religion in the Roman Empire. Christians suffered great persecution. In order to survive, Christianity became a secret religion. To recognize each other, Christians used to wear the symbol of a fi sh. The letters of the Greek word for fi sh—ichthus—formed an acronym for “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Saviour.”

Check Your Understanding1. Explain what Jesus meant when he gave his disciples the great commission.

2. Describe how the disciples carried out the great commission.

Think About It 3. The idea of being called insane or being killed for one’s faith would seem

outrageous to most people today. In writing or in a drawing, respond to the threat Christians faced in the fi rst centuries of the religion.

Making It Personal4. State what you think a Catholic might say and do to bring the Gospel of Jesus

to people.

World Religions and Religious Pluralism World Religions and Religious Pluralism 13 13NEL

WR SB Ch 01.indd 13WR SB Ch 01.indd 13 27/01/10 1:59 PM27/01/10 1:59 PM

BLACK SEA

RED SEA

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

Rome

Jerusalem

NORTHSEA

0 800 km400

N

EW

S

PredominantlyChristian by 325 CE

PredominantlyChristian by 600 CE

Marseilles

Bordeaux

Lyons

Autun

Trier

Cologne

MilanSan Candid

Carnuntum

PlujBelgrade

Philippi

PergamumEphesus

Sinope

Constantinople

Salona

Carthage

AnnabaCordoba

Tipasa

Thessalonica

CorinthNicopolis

Caesarea

Caesarea Mazaca

DamascusPalmyra

Antioch Edessa

Dura Europos

Alexandria

Cyrene

Christianity and the Roman Empire The fi rst stage of Christianity’s outreach was done by the disciples, following the example of Jesus. The second stage started in the second century, when Christianity began to make inroads into the Roman Empire.

By the beginning of the second century, preachers and healers had already gone into many of the cities of the empire. People were drawn to Christianity by the example of these preachers and healers. They healed the sick and formed powerful communities. But, Christians were outsiders, strangers in the Roman Empire, a minority of simple people, most of whom had little education.

A Religion of the LearnedThings changed after the second century. From the third century

on, some great scholars joined the Christian movement. They were able to translate the Christian message into the language of Greek philosophy, the dominant philosophy of the Roman Empire. Their knowledge and their schools became popular. Gradually, Christianity became the religion not only of the poor and uneducated, but also of the learned. Christians became the cultured people, the intellectuals. They became the driving force of the empire. Over time, Christians began to feel like insiders, like true citizens of the empire.

Those who were not Christians came to be seen as inferior, not just in religious terms, but often also socially and economically. The old Roman religion lost its power. People stopped identifying with it and became Christian, even though Roman emperors continued to persecute Christians.

The Spread of Christianity. As Christianity spread,

the early approach to community changed. The Christian community became more organized, more like an institution. This development was unavoidable, because so many people from all over the empire were joining. However, the ideal remained the same. Christianity was to be a community of love.

The Spread of Christianity, 100 CE–600 CE

Tertullian. Tertullian was one of the fi rst

Roman Christian theologians. A lawyer and writer, he was instrumental in making Christianity an important movement in the Roman Empire in the late fi rstand early second centuries.He coined the word“Trinity” to describe the three persons of God.

14 14 Chapter 1Chapter 1 NEL


Christianity: The Religion of the EmpireIn a dramatic turn of events, in the fourth century Christianity was declared the sole legal religion of the Roman Empire. In later centuries, whenever other groups, such as the Goths or the Germanic tribes, came into contact with and eventually conquered the Roman Empire, they became Christian. (See Chapter 5,The Story of Christianity.)

A Mission to the WorldThe fall of the Roman Empire and Christianity’s new status changed the social structure of Christianity. With the empire weakened and disappearing in the West, the institutional structures of the Church fi lled the void. Bishops became civic leaders, judges, and even rulers. In the East, where the Roman Empire was transformed into the Byzantine Empire, the Church was closely allied to the power of the court, which came to be seen as a refl ection of the heavenly kingdom.

In both cases, attention became focused more on the Church and its internal structures and dynamics. The ideal was to make the Church a holy place, a holy people, so that those who gathered there could share in the love of God. Slowly, the belief arose that those who did not gather in this way could not share in God’s love and salvation.

The Middle AgesHow did Christianity relate to other religions during the Middle Ages? Between 600 and 1500, Christianity became the dominant religion of Europe. From the Roman Empire, Christianity spread north and east, into the Scandinavian countries and far into Russia. Most of this evangelization was the work of monks who set up monasteries across Europe. They kept alive the tradition of welcoming others to Christianity.

Once it was established throughout Europe, Christianity became an intellectual, cultural, and spiritual powerhouse as great universities, monasteries, and cathedrals were opened. The Church also became a strong political force.

The belief that one had to recognize Jesus as God’s Messiah in order to be saved led Church leaders to pressure, and sometimes force, those who did not believe this to convert. People who openly disagreed with the Church’s beliefs were often treated like criminals.

Goths. The Roman Empire fell because of

tribes such as the Goths from Eastern Europe. These tribes invaded the empire a number of times and fi nally conquered Rome. The tribes that swept across the empire became the basis for the Europe that emerged after the fall of Rome. This photograph is a mosaic of a Goth king found in a palace in Constantinople.

European Cathedrals. As Christianity

became stronger and more widespread throughout Europe, the Church created the great institutions of Western civilization, such as universities, cities, trade halls, guilds, monasteries, and churches. Among these institutions, people still prize the massive, ornate cathedrals found in most European cities, such as this one in Rheims, France. Why do you think building huge and highly decorated cathedrals was so important to Christiansduring this period?



Relations with Other Religions in the Middle AgesIn the Middle Ages, Christians had little contact with members of other religions. The two exceptions wereJews and Muslims.

Catholics and JewsJews lived among Christians in many parts of Europe. They had formed communities around the Mediterranean many centuries before Christ was born. After the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman Empire in the second century, Jews no longer had a geographical centre of faith. As a minority in many parts of Europe, their lives were not easy.

In certain cities, they were forced to live in separate neighbourhoods, called ghettos. They sometimes had to wear distinctive clothing. During the crusades to recapture the Holy Land, which had been seized by Muslims, some Christian soldiers attacked and destroyed Jewish towns along the Danube and Rhine rivers. Such attacks continued in later centuries.

Catholics and MuslimsThe relations between Catholics and Muslims were mostly a story of armed conflict. Most of the conflicts were political ones. In the eighth century, Muslim armies attacked and conquered northern Africa, which at the time was nearly all Christian. They then attacked Christian Europe from the south, through Spain, which became an Islamic country, as well as from the east, through what is now Turkey. Christian armies succeeded in stopping their advances. In his desire to keep the holy city of Jerusalem accessible to Christian pilgrims and to help the Byzantine Christians in Constantinople, the pope called for crusades against the Muslim armies. Nine such crusades took place between 1095 and 1272.

Christian armies were successful for a time and held Jerusalem. In the end, however, the Muslims recaptured the Holy Land in 1291.

Kazimierz, Poland. This painting shows Kazimierz, now a district of Krakow, Poland, sometime during the 1800s. It was once a separate city

and the site of a Jewish community from the fourteenth century until the Second World War.

The Siege of Antioch in the First Crusade (1098). Huge armies of

Christians from across Europe gathered to do battle with Muslims.

16 Chapter 1 NEL

By 1453, Muslims had conquered Constantinople. They then advanced to the gates of Vienna in 1529.

Until they were decisively stoppedin 1683, Muslim armies were seen as a constant threat to Christian Europe.A number of Christian writers of the time, including Raymond Lull (thirteenth century), St. Francis of

Assisi (thirteenth century), and William of Tripoli (thirteenth century) tried to engage Islam in dialogue, but such attempts were rare. In Spain, after the Catholic King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella managed to recapture their territory from the Muslim armies, they expelled all Muslims and Jews from their land.

St. Francis of Assisi. This fresco by the Italian

painter Giotto (1267–1337) portrays St. Francis of Assisi and his ordeal by fi re before the sultan of Egypt.

A Closer LookIn 1219, Francis of Assisi travelled to Egypt during one of the crusades to preach peace. There is a story of Francis passing through the armies of the crusaders to speak to the sultan of Egypt. In order to convince the sultan of the truth of Christianity, Francis engaged him and his Muslim scholars in a wager by fi re. Francis proposed that whoever should survive the test by fi re could claim his religion to be true. Francis said that he would go fi rst. If he came out unharmed, the sultan would have to accept Christ as the true God. The test never took place, but the sultan was so impressed that he allowed Francis to preach about Jesus in Egypt.

Check Your Understanding1. Make your own timeline of events from the time Christianity entered into the

Greek culture around the Mediterranean until the end of the Middle Ages.

Think About It 2. In a small group, discuss the high and low points of Christianity during the

Middle Ages.

Making It Personal3. Compare the challenges of living as Catholics today with the challenges Christians

faced in the Middle Ages.



Modern Times: 1500–1950Christian Europe underwent some dramatic changes around the year 1500. These changes were to lead to the birth of a whole new world: the modern world. For Christianity, modern times began with a serious and painful separation in the Church through the Protestant Reformation. Some groups called for major changes or reforms to the Church. The tension in the Church grew so much that some groups broke away from the Church to create the Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, and Anabaptist communities. The Church was no longer united. Princes and kings felt forced to choose sides. Then wars erupted between Catholics and Protestants, with various political undercurrents, making everything even more complicated.

Colonization and the Spread of ChristianityThe Reformation happened just as a whole new world opened up before European Christianity—a world that no one could have imagined before. It began with a new awareness of lands beyond Europe. In 1492, Christopher Columbus set out to fi nd a shorter route to India and “discovered” America. Other such journeys of exploration followed.

Christians were shocked to learn that the millions of people in these faraway places had never heard of Christ. Since these people were not baptized, Christians thought they would be barred from heaven.

As European nations vied with each other to claim these new areas as colonies, they also felt duty-bound to preach the Gospel and make these new peoples Christian. Right behind the colonizers of the Americas, Asia, and Africa came Christian missionaries wishing to evangelize the people. In this era, at the beginning of modern times, Christians felt that people belonging to other religions needed to be converted to Christianity in order to know God’s salvation in Christ. In their eyes, other religions were simply “false” religions.

The Age of Dialogue: 1950–PresentBy the middle of the twentieth century, the missionary approaches to other religions started to change. The Church no longer wanted to be identifi ed with the colonial practices of European nations. This insight led to new approaches in missionary work and new kinds of relationships with other world religions. Mutual condemnation was slowly replaced by dialogue.

The Catholic Church fi rst entered this dialogue through the missionaries who were living in the various countries

Akbar. Akbar, the great mogul (ruler) of India (1556–1605) and a Muslim, showed keen interest in world religions. He invited Catholic

Jesuit priests to come and debate with him. European Christians were excited about his invitation. They hoped to bring Jesus’s message of love to the people of India. But, Akbar was not interested in becoming a Christian. He was simply curious about many things, including religions. He was agood model for dialogue.

A Closer LookWith the separation in the Church, working for unity among the Christian churches became necessary. The dialogue among the churches to arrive at unity is called ecumenical dialogue. You will explore the Reformation and dialogue among Christians in Chapter 5.

18 18 Chapter 1Chapter 1 NEL


around the world. Here are some of the changes that occurred in the approach to other religions:

• There was a realization that there were good, worthy elements in other religions.

• There was a renewed emphasis on bringing not just the message of the Gospel to other nations, but also its impact, by focusing on the well-being of other peoples and providing socio-economic development in the areas of education, medicine, and social aid.

• Salvation was understood as being not only for the next world, but for this world also.

• The focus was not only on the individual, but also on the community and society.

A more public and offi cial involvement began through the Second Vatican Council, a gathering of the world’s Catholic bishops in Rome between 1962 and 1965. A number of documents emerged from the Council that dramatically changed the Church’s relationship to other religions. We will spend the rest of the chapter exploring these changes. A Closer Look

An ecumenical council is the highest exercise of the Church’s power. All the bishops of the Church come together with the pope, the bishop of Rome, to decide on issues of importance for the whole Church. In the 2000-year history of the Church, there have been 21 ecumenical councils. The councils are identifi ed by the places where they are held. The most recent ecumenical council—Vatican II—was held between 1962 and 1965 at Vatican City in Rome.

Dialogue with Christians and Buddhists. Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifi cal Council on Interreligious Dialogue (right),

meets with Master Xuecheng, vice-chairman of the Buddhist Association of China, at the World Conference on Dialogue.

Check Your Understanding1. Explain to a partner what happened when European nations began their

journeys of “discovery.”

2. What is colonialism? How did the Christian Church use a colonial approachto religion?

3. Summarize how the Church began to change its approach to other religions after 1950.

Think About It 4. In the nineteenth century, many religious communities were set up in Europe

and in North America by Catholic missionaries. In your opinion, what made the missionaries leave their families and their countries of birth to preach the Gospel?

Making It Personal5. Think about something you did in the past that had a negative impact. What

changes would you make if you could do it all over again?



christianity and evangelizationmrsdearlovehrt3m.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/3/7/13376316/... · 2019. 5....

Documents