The Four Marks of the Church

1. The Four Marks of the Church One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic

2. The First Mark: One

3. Early Christian Heresies

4. Philosophical Foundation • Plato • Dualism • Material & Immaterial • Logos • Divine Reason or Divine Word • Neo-Platonism • Divine, Lesser divine, human • Logos is created by God

5. Philosophical Foundation • What is an essence (being)? • What is a person? • What is a nature?

6. Gnosticism(2nd C.) • Secret Knowledge • limits salvation • “those in the know” • Modern Day: New Age, Buddhism • Material world is evil • God would not become human (material) • Man’s problem is that he has flesh • Solution: escape the flesh • Modern Day: Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism • Major Errors of Gnostics • Reject goodness of creation • Reject God as only source • Reject clear meaning of Scriptures • Reject Christ’s Incarnation • Reject Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus

7. Gnosticism • What Church doctrines regarding Christ’s nature did Gnosticism reject? • Divine nature (logos not God) • Human nature (beneath God) • What was Jesus’ flesh according to Gnostics • Apparition • Modern Day equivalents • New Age • Secret knowledge • Crystals and amulets • Illuminati • “Witchcraft” • Fortune telling • Tarot cards • Horoscopes • Eastern mysticism • Escape from flesh

8. Arianism(4th C.) • Name from Arius • Excommiunicated Catholic priest from Alexandria • Believed by many Catholics for about 100 years • Nothing coming from God can be equal to God • Believes that Jesus “comes from” God • Not consubstantial with the Father • Jesus is created • The supreme creation of God (best of the best) • Therefore, denies Jesus’ divinity • Stressed humanity at the expense of divinity • Modern Day • Jehovah’s Witnesses • Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons)

9. Arianism • Church’s Response was the Nicene Creed • First Ecumenical Council • Called by St Constantine • Key phrases • Consubstantial with the Father • Begotten, not made • Result • Many Arians remain until expelled by the Emperors

10. Apollinarianism (4th C.) • Name from Apollinaris • Excommunicated Catholic bishop • Key heresy • Jesus is true God • Jesus has a human body (-ish) • Jesus does not have a human soul, or a human will • Divine soul replaces human soul • Conclusion: Jesus is not fully human • Response: • “That which is not assumed is not saved” (St Gregory of Nazianzus)

11. Nestorianism (5th C.) • Nestorius • Excommunicated Catholic Patriarch (bishop) • The Divine & Human in Jesus are separate • Jesus is fully human and fully divine • Divine & human do not interpenetrate • Therefore, one can separate “Jesus” from “Christ” • Rejected the term “Theotokos” (Mater Dei) • Mary did not give birth to God • Key Questions • When Jesus was born, did Mary give birth to God? • When Jesus slept, was God sleeping? • When Jesus did miracles, was that only God or also Jesus’ humanity? • When Jesus suffered, did God suffer? • When Jesus died, did God die?

12. Nestorianism • Church’s Response • Jesus is one person with two natures • The two natures interpenetrate • Hypostatic Union • Jesus is not part human and part God • Jesus is not a hybrid • Jesus is not mostly God with a little bit of human • Jesus is simultaneously human and divine “without division, without separation, without comingling” • Jesus possesses two natures—human and divine • IMPORTANT: You cannot separate Jesus into God parts and human parts • Jesus, the God-man, died and rose and ascended and will come again

13. Nestorianism • Implication for the Eucharist • In the Eucharist, we receive Jesus’ “body and blood, soul and divinity” • Transubstantiation • Implication for Mary • All mothers give birth to persons, not natures • Mary gave birth to the person, Jesus • Mary gave birth to the person who is both God and man • Mary is the mother of God • Implication for History • After the Nativity of Jesus, there never was a time when Jesus was not fully human and fully divine • Read back in history, and forward into the future • Jesus, the God-man, died and rose and ascended and will come again

14. Monophysitism (6th C.) • Monophysites • Claim there is only one (mono) nature in Christ • That nature is mostly divine • Makes Jesus into a hybrid (something not human) • Pope St Leo • Answers both the Monophysites and the Nestorians with his famous “Tome”

15. Summary • Gnostics • Matter is evil, secret is good • Arianism • Jesus is a creature, not divine. Jesus is superman. • Apollinarianism • Not fully human; missing the soul • Nestorianism • Not a real person; two boards glued together • Monophysites • Jesus is a hybrid – mostly God with a little human mixed in

16. Protestantism & Ecumenism

17. Protestantism • What was the Protestant Reformation? • Schism that becomes heresy • Begins 1517 • Leaders: Martin Luther, John Calvin, Henry VIII, Ulrich Zwingli • Northern Europe • Was the Church in need of reform at this time? • What abuse did Martin Luther criticize rightly? • What was the result of the new churches’ independence from Rome?

18. Counter Reformation • What was the Counter Reformation? • Response of the Catholic Church • Renewal of Church life • Clarification of Church doctrine • Evangelization • What was the key event? • Council of Trent • Who are some of the great saints of the Catholic Reformation? • St. Ignatius of Loyola • St. Francis Xavier • St. John of the Cross • St. Teresa of Avila • St. Francis de Sales

19. Ecumenism • What is ecumenism? • Working toward Unity • “That they may be one” – Jesus to His Father • Why do Catholics engage in ecumenical work according to the Catechism, no. 816? • With which Christian body is the Catholic Church the closest to reconciling? • What are obstacles to unity with Orthodox? • What are obstacles to unity with Protestants?

20. The Second Mark: Holy

21. Holy • What is the origin of the Church’s holiness? • What does the word “sanctify” mean? • How does Christ sanctify his Bride? • See Ephesians 5 • How is the Church holy if her members are sinner? • Which members are “absolutely holy”? • According to the Catechism, no. 827, how do members of the Church become holy?

22. Holy • What is the effect of the sins of individual members of the Church on people outside the Church? • Obscure Church’s holiness • Give a poor witness • What is the antidote to the sins of individual members of the Church? • Purification, penance, and renewal.

23. Participation • Our participation in Christ’s holiness • is grounded in Jesus’ resurrection • begins in us with Baptism • culminates in the resurrection of our bodies • Jesus’ resurrection is • The foundation for our faith • If Christ did not rise from the dead, then our faith is futile, and we are still in a state of sin.  • Different from the resurrections that He performed on earth • Jesus raised people who would die again; hence their bodies retained the marks of mortality • Jesus will not die again. • His body possesses new properties that reflect the glory of his divinity and is not limited to time and space

24. Participation • Our participation in Christ’s holiness begins with our baptism • In baptism, we were buried in Christ’s death and raised in His resurrection • Romans 6.1-12 • This means that our bodies are now capable of transformation • This transformation is also known as sanctification—being made holy • But our commonwealth is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change [transform] our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself. • Our participation in Christ’s holiness culminates in our resurrection • They will not be like Lazarus’ body, which died again, but like Christ’s, which is indestructible and capable of dwelling in Heaven. 

25. Qualities • What three qualities does the Church possess because of her holiness? • The Church is immutable • The Church is indefectible • The Church is perennial

26. The Third & Fourth Marks: Catholic & Apostolic

27. Catholic • What does the word “Catholic” typically mean as used today? • Denomination • What does the word “catholic” mean? • It comes from the Greek katholikos, meaning “universal,” or “pertaining to the whole.” • All times and all places • What are the two meanings of the word “catholic” as it pertain to the Church? • She is whole and complete, • She has received universal authority from Christ to fulfill her universal mission.

28. Universal & Local • What are local Churches called today? • Dioceses or Eparchies • Particular churches • How can a Church in a particular place be universal? • Apostolic Succession of bishop and priests • Preserves Catholic • Teaching • Worship • Leadership • To what extent does each local Church possess the presence of Christ? • Each possesses it fully.

29. Universal? • Why does “catholic” mean more than universal? • Christ is located in all time and space • Therefore, the Church fills both time and space, • including Faithful living and Faithful departed in Purgatory & Heaven • What diversity exists within the universality of the Church? • The Church possesses a rich diversity of external expressions of faith and worship according to the culture in which she has taken root.

30. Different Rites • Why are there different rites in the Church? • From the earliest years the Catholic Faith has found expressions and ways of worship that are distinctive to individual cultures. • What does every Rite of the Church have in common? • Each shares the same Apostolic origin and Sacraments.  • How do the Rites differ? • Each rite preserves its own linguistic, artistic, architectural, spiritual, and cultural heritage.

31. Apostolic

32. Apostolic