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SYLLABUS WELCOME   NOTES: Aristotle and Plato Birth of the Church essay Chpt. 3 Review Church and State essay Cult to Culture Notes Dark Ages Notes Factors in the Rise of Monasticism Final Review The Ills of Industrial Society in the 19th Century Justification by Faith Kant Luther and the Reformation Medici Popes and the Reformation Missionary Church Notes PONT. MAX. r.q. 1 Rationalist Debate Sacraments of Initiation Vatican II: Before and After   LINKS: AMERICAN CATHOLIC AMERICA THE 4 MAJOR BASILICAS OF ROME BOSTON COLLEGE CENTER FOR CHRISTIAN-JEWISH LEARNING CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES TREASURE HUNT THE CHURCH OF IL GESU BERNINI The Ecstacy of St. Theresa THE COLOSSEUM THE ROMAN FORUM THE FRICK COLLECTION The Crucifixtion St. Francis in the Desert Sir Thomas More GALLERIA DELL' ACCADEMIA The David ITALIAN RENAISSANCE DA VINCI'S Last Supper MICHELANGELO The Campidoglio The Dome of St. Peter's The Moses The Pieta SISTINE CHAPEL CEILING THE CALIFORNIA MISSIONS VIRTUAL TOUR MARYKNOLL MISSIONS MITHRAEUM NEWADVENT.ORG THE PANTHEON POPE JOHN PAUL II TOURING THE ABBEY OF MONTECASSINO TOURING ROME THE CHURCHES OF ROME THE VATICAN INSIDE THE VATICAN MAGAZINE VIRTUAL SISTINE CHAPEL TOUR

CHURCH HISTORY 2000     RELIGIOUS ST. 3 WEB-SITE     MR. PIANTIERI

WELCOME!

Church History 2000 Web-site

As Roman Catholicism enters its third millennium of existence, its’ fascinating 2000 year journey from an obscure Jewish cult in the Palestinian back-waters of the Roman empire to a globally dominant faith, almost one billion strong, has impacted profoundly on political, social and cultural institutions the world over.

It is the very human story of both saints and sinners, heroes and villains, peasants and kings, popes and emperors; men of genius like Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, and giants of faith – mystic visionaries like Ignatius of Loyola, Francis of Assisi, Teresa of Avila, and Catherine of Sienna. And, in many ways, it is the story of ordinary people like you and I.

Through our study this year, we will retrace the journeys of St. Paul along the many roads that led to Rome – the heart of Empire, where St. Peter was crucified and entombed below the basilica that now bears his name.

We will witness the rise of the Papacy as the sun set on a crumbling Rome, ravaged by the Germanic hoards who would also, in their turn, bow before the cross of Christ.

We’ll be present at the Great Schism of 1054, the first break in Christendom as the Orthodox East established itself at Constantinople; we’ll debate philosophy and theology with Augustine and Thomas Aquinas; confront the challenges of Luther and the Protestant North, as the Roman Church responded with the Jesuits,   the Council of Trent, and Bernini.

We’ll also chant with Benedictine monks at Montecassino, as they kept the light of faith and knowledge burning through the long, dark night of the Middle-Ages along with their Franciscan and Dominican brothers, gradually leading Europe into the day-break of the Renaissance. We’ll marvel at Da Vinci’s "Last Supper;" Michelangelo’s ceiling and "Last Judgment" in the Sistine Chapel, the "Pieta`," "Moses," and "David;" St. Peter’s Square, with its’ colonnade designed by Bernini, as Papal patrons humanized, harmonized and civilized the deepest impulses and aspirations of the ordinary people in the pews. And, we'll also take a hard look at the dark side of Church history -- the imperialism of the Crusades, the corruption of the Renaissance Papacy, and the paranoia and anti-semiticism of the Inquisitions.

Finally, we’ll explore the Americas and Asia with Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries, as global attention started to drift away from Europe. We’ll study the emergence of the American church and listen to the Church’s demands for social justice during the Industrial Revolution of the 19^th Century, when the Church lost its’ temporal power to a united Italy, but rediscovered its’ spiritual vision and mission. And in the 20^th century, we’ll consider how the Ecumenical spirit of Vatican II calls Roman Catholics the world over to the table of dialogue and cooperation not only with other Christian denominations, but non-Christian as well – never forgetting the racism of Holocaust and horror of weapons of mass destruction, as the Church embarks on a new century and millenium as the Body of Christ in the world.

Please send all comments to: piantiea@fordhamprep.org