Tuesday, October 12, 2010

The Christian Tipping Point


St. Ambrose blessing Emperor Theodosius

Ever wondered when Christianity became the ONLY religion allowed in the Roman World? When did the"Church" create the first Official Biblical Canon? When was Greek Paganism Officially destroyed? Who put out the flame of the Greek Mysteries? Who did all this?



Theodosius The Great

Flavius Theodosius (11 January 347 – 17 January 395), commonly known as Theodosius I or Theodosius the Great, was Roman Emperor from 378 to 395. Theodosius was the last emperor to rule over both the eastern and the western halves of the Roman Empire. During his reign, the Goths secured control of Illyricum after the Gothic War - establishing their homeland south of the Danube within the empire's borders. He is known for making Nicene Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire, issuing decrees that effectively worked towards melding the Roman state and the Christian Church into a single de facto church-state entity. He was the first Emperor to submit to a Church Leader (Ambrose). He pushed the Council of Hippo to create the Biblical Canon.


Aurelius Ambrosius, better known as Saint Ambrose was the force behind Theodosius' push to Christianize the world.





His Time Line:





380 Christianity established as the official faith of the Roman Empire by Emperor Theodosius the Great; Council of Saragossa condemns Priscillianism.
381 Second Ecumenical Council held in Constantinople, condemning Macedonianism/Pneumatomachianism and Appollinarianism, declaring the divinity of the Holy Spirit, confirming the previous Ecumenical Council, and completing the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed; Council of Aquileia led by Ambrose of Milan deposes Arian bishops.
382 Pope Siricius of Rome first to bear title Pontifex Maximus.
383 Death of Frumentius of Axum, bishop of Axum and Apostle to Ethiopia.
384 Council of Bordeaux condemns Priscillian.
385 Death of Gregory of Nyssa.
386 Panagia Soumela Monastery founded in Trebizond, Pontus, Asia Minor; death of Cyril of Jerusalem; Theodosius the Great begins to rebuild the present-day Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls.
387 Augustine baptized at Pascha by Ambrose of Milan.
390 Death of Horus of the Thebaid.
391 Death of Gregory the Theologian.
391-92 All non-Christian temples in the Empire closed; Theodosius the Great ends paganism by decree and causes surviving pagan sacrifices at Alexandria and Rome to cease.
392 Death of Macarius the Great.
393 Council of Hippo publishes Biblical canon; Emperor Theodosius bans Olympic Games as a pagan festival.

Ambrose and Theodosius Church tippers.

1 comment:

drlobojo said...

"We have studied, therefore, that the Catholic Church argues that since one of its councils in 390 selected the sacred books, one can accept them only on the basis of its authority. We have answered by showing: (1) The Bible is inspired and has authority, not because a church declared it so but because God made it so. (2) Jesus did not teach the people in His day that they could accept the Old Testament Scriptures only on the basis of those who placed the books into one volume. (3) It is a mere assumption that the Council of Hippo in 390 was a Council of the church which is now the Roman Catholic Church. (4) God did not give councils the authority to select His sacred books, nor does He expect men to receive His books only on the basis of councils. (5) The Catholic Church is not solely responsible for the gathering and selection of the New Testament books. (6) The Catholic Church has not been the sole possessor of the Bible at any time. (7) Even if it could be proven that the Catholic Church gathered the books into one volume, it still remains that it is not following the Bible today.
http://www.bible.ca/cath-bible-origin.htm