The idea of monastic life was unknown to Christianity until the end of the third century. Many early Christians continued to own private property after their conversion, and marriage was widespread. Some Christians, including St. Paul, had a preference for celibacy, but they admitted that there was no command from God to be celibate. Widows were treated with a special respect, but were encouraged to remarry if they were under the age of 60. Missionary and social work were emphasized more than individual prayer and meditation. However, there were sects of early Christians who emphasized celibacy, poverty, and the journey for moral perfection. Fasting was accepted, and widows were encouraged to dedicate themselves to Church work. Also, the custom that clergymen should not marry (or remarry, if widowed) was established. One of the earliest monks was St. Anthony of Egypt. A resident of Alexandria, he went to live in the desert, where he lived for the next ninety years. Through a biography written by St. Athanasius, Anthony's way of life became widely known, and collection of hermits began to spring up throughout the Eastern Roman Empire.
Monasticism was largely confined to the Eastern Roman Empire until a monk from the East, Honoratus, established a small community on an isle off of the coast of Southern France. Afterwords, one of Honoratus' followers. St. Patrick, brought monasticism to the British Isles.
However, the spread of monasticism on the continent was not as rapid as it was in the British Isles. This changed when St. Benedict,who founded a monastery at Monte Cassino, and wrote his Holy Rule, which set a rather strict set of guidelines for monks to follow. Benedict's style of monastery began to slowly spread, and eventually became the standard for Western monasteries.
Protestant sects of Christianity have largely gotten rid of monasticism; however, some examples of it remain, such as the Lutheran communities, the Loccum and Amelungsborn Abbeys. There is also an Anglican monastery in Korea, the Jesus Abbey.
Also, while they both follow the same general outline, there is a difference between Catholic monastics and Eastern Orthodox monastic. Western monasticism has the strict rules and the different religious orders, and the division between active and contemplative lifestyles. These are not found in the Eastern tradition.
Monasticism has contributed greatly to the culture of both Eastern and western Europe. Monasteries often became centers of learning, which led to the establishment of universities centered around the communities. Furthermore, monasticism led to a buildup of the Church, because monastic life became popular with the laity, which led to an increase of both monastic and clerical devoti
Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year for Jews. Yom Kippur provides insight on the second coming of the Messiah, the restoration of national Israel, and the final judgement of the World. Orthodox Jews rutinely stick with the reliegious celebration of Yom Kippur where other branches of Judasim tend to change a few things. During the Liturgy on Yom Kippur, where the Orthodox Jews would read the prayer "Kol Nidre" to start the liturgy, the reform Jews took this prayer out. During the reform movement the Reform Jews took the prayer out, but evenutally towards the end of the movement they put the prayer back in. On Yom Kippur, the Orthodox Jews study the temple ritual that represents positive rabbinically ordained obligation which Jews seeking atonemtn are required to fulfill. This ritual of the tmeple includes lamenting the inability to perform the temple services an d petitioning its restoration. Conservative synagoges tend to omit this part of the liturgy, and only the Hazzen or cantor engages in full prostration. Where as the Reform and Reconstructionist services omit the entire service as inconsistent with modern sensibilities.
Hanukkah is not considered a major Jewish holiday. Because of this, it has no strict rules or guidelines in regards to its celebration. It is celebrated as more of a tradition than a religious celebration, which means it had no real weight in the breaking of the Jewish faith. All branches still celebrate the holiday and in very similar ways. They all use the menorah candle, and light one additional candle the next day. (One candle day one, two candles day two, etc.). The candle is placed near a window so that it may be seen from the outside of the house so it can serve as an outward sign of their faith.
1. Q: What do Christians believe about Jesus of Nazareth? A: Christians believe that Jesus was the Son of God, both human and divine, and he was the Messiah. 2. Q: Why is Pentecost significant to Christians? A: Pentecost is significant to Christians because it marks the birth of the Church, and it was the day that the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles. 3. Q: What was the role of Paul in the spread of Christianity? A: Paul was the "Apostle to the Gentiles." He helped to found a number of Christian communities around the world.
4. Q: Explain the significance of Emperor Constantine in the history of Christianity. A: Constantine was baptized as a Christian on his deathbed, and he legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire.
5. Q: Name two important Christian doctrines that were defined at the Church councils between the fourth and fifth centuries.
A: Two important doctrines that emerged were the affirmation that Jesus was both fully God and fully Man, and that God is three persons in one substance.
6. Q: Who was Benedict? A: St. Benedict was the one who wrote the rule for monastic life.
7. Q: Briefly trace the events that led to the division between the Church in the East and the Church in the West. A: Constantine's decision to move the capital of the Roman Empire to Byzantium, renamed Constantinople, created two political centers, and this was the initial problem. Furthermore, the Eastern Church rejected the primacy of the Pope, believing all church leaders to be equal. Additionally, the addition of the filioque to the creed without the consultation of the eastern patriarchs cause tensions to rise. This culmin
The Torah is reverenced when it is taken out of the Ark and is carried around the synagoge by the rabbi. When the Rabbi is carrying the Torah is reverence by the people by them touching it, kissing it, and even dancing. Theis represents the presences
Sh'ma is a statement recited daily be devout Jews.
The Talmud are learnings that came from Rabbinic scholars from thw centers that were created after the destruction of the Second Temple. The Rabbinic scholars studied the Mishnat and wrote commentaries and discussions that created the Talmud. The Talmud that is considered the most authoritative version is the Babylonian Talmu
The Mishnah is Torah that were written down and organized into six sections. The six sections are agricultural and the Land of Israel, holidays, family life, relations with other people, sacrifices and dietary laws, and ritual purity.
The Jewish people call the Hebrew Bible the Tanakh because Tanakh is an acronym for the three divisions of the Hebrew Bible; Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim. They do not call the Hewbrew Bible the Old Testament because the Hebrew Bible does not have an old and new testament. They believe that the Messiah has yet to come, so the New Testament is not relevant to their faith, and the name of the Old Testament is not relevant,
An Agreed Statemnt on the Holy Eucharist:
The agreement statement made by Orthodox-Catholic consultation is shown in six principles. One, the Holy Eucharist is memorial of the history of salvation; especially with the history of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Two, the father sends the Holy Spirit to change the bread and wine into Jesus’ blood and body, and to sanctify the faithful. Three, the eucharistic sacrifice involves the active presence of Christ, the High Priest, acting through the Christian Community, drawing it into his saving worship. Four, when eating the Eucharist, the faithful are nourished as the one body of Christ and are built up as temples of the Holy Spirit. Five, during the Eucharistic celebration we do not only commend ourselves to each other’s and Christ, we also accept the mandate of service of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Six, the Eucharist transforms the believer into the glory of the Lord. Knowing these principles lets the faithful know what they can and cannot do in other religious churches. We must look at the difference of the Churches and how they are related to the principles and how they can be resolved.
http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/ecumenical-and-interreligious/ecumenical/orthodox/holy-eucharist.cfm
An Agreed Statement on the Right to Life:
Human Life is a gift from God, and nobody has the right to take this gift away. Human Life today is being threatened destroyed for unexplainable reasons. It looks like the Church is more concerned with the issues of war and capital punishment more than the right to Human Life. They believe that the right to life to a baby and to a full grown human. Furthering there goal to unborn, mentally challenged, the aging, and the under privileged is there duty on a global and domestic scale. The United States decision the not make abortion illegal has led to a wide discriminate of abortion. The Catholic Church believes in the right to life. No matter under what circumstances a mother is in, the church believes that the baby needs to still be born. The Church wants the faithful to be active toward this subject. They want them to take a stand and to fight for the right to human life. All babies have the right to be born because they have the right to life. This is what the Church teaches, that every person has the right and gift of life, no matter what.
http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/ecumenical-and-interreligious/ecumenical/orthodox/respect-for-life.cfm
|
RSS Feed