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49
Council Of Jerusalem
According to Acts of the Apostles, the Council of Jerusalem was a meeting held to decide on the rules to be applied to gentiles converts by the leaders of the Jerusalem Church around 49 AD.
Some people doubt the accuracy of Acts of the Apostles, and note that this account is similar to Paul's account of a private meeting that he had with the leaders of the Jerusalem Church. -
105
The Great Schism
The Great Schism was a split in the Catholic Church that
resulted in two popes holding office at the same time. This occurred in the 14th century, and was NOT the Schism of the East, although there seems to be considerable confusion over that today. The Schism of the East happened in the 11th century and resulted in the split of the Eastern Rites of the Church into 2. To this day there is a Greek Uniate Rite and a Greek Orthodox Church, etc. -
313
Edict Of Milan
The Edict of Milan was granted by Emperor Constantine the Great in the West and Licinius Augustus in the East in 313 granting religious freedom throughout the Roman Empire. In other words it stopped religious persecution in Europe. In addition, the Edict of Milan ordered the restitution of property confiscated from Christians. -
380
Official State Religion
Emperor Theodosius I, who made mainstream Christianity the official faith of the Roman Empire. Nicene Christianity became the official church of the Roman Empire with the Edict of Thessalonica in AD 380, when Emperor Theodosius I made it the Empire's only authorised religion. -
451
The Council Of Chalcedon
The major topic discussed at the council was how to think of the incarnation of Christ, and the nature of his existence afterward. Prior to the incarnation, Christ was already the eternal Son of God. Most of the council taught that Christ had a completely different nature than humans, and should only be thought of as this new nature, not as both God and man. The others taught that Christ was indeed a man, and was also God, and could be referred to by both natures. -
Dec 24, 1347
The Black Death / Plague
Many people believed that the Black Death was a curse from God and began to lose faith in the church while questioning their religion. Many priests, bishops and other church members lost their lives to the plague often by visiting the sick and catching the plague. Once the plague was over, the church began promoting inexperienced priests (who were usually corrupt) to fill in the missing positions to grow the church's power again, this weakened the church's reputation in the public's eyes. -
Dec 24, 1517
THE REFORMATION: Martin Luther’s Publication of 95 Theses
Martin Luther's 95 theses was a series of arguments written against the Catholic Church. In particular, he did not like the sale of indulgences (Indulgences were sold by the Church as, essentially, a get out of Purgatory Free card) Basically, you could pay so much money to the church and the church would absolve you of your sins. The greater the sin, the greater the cost. Luther did not feel this practice was terribly honest or terribly Christian. -
Dec 13, 1545
The Council Of Trent
The Council of Trent held in response to the Reformation. It clearly specified Catholic beliefs on salvation & the sacraments, in opposition to the Protestants, and made Mass consistent throughout the church, largely abolishing small splinter religions. This became known as the Tridentine Mass. The Council of Trent takes its name from the city where it was held, Tyrol (73 miles north-west of Venice), and spanned, with interruptions, from Dec. 13, 1545, to Dec. 4, 1563. -
Dec 24, 1555
THE REFORMATION: Peace Of Augsburg
The Peace of Augsburg, which was a part of the Reformation, was signed in 1555 and categorised Europe into the Roman Catholic Church and the new Lutheran Church. Charles V, the Holy Roman emperor, wished to end the religious divides in the empire. Princes had converted to Lutheranism, and they convinced Charles to allow each prince to choose between the two faiths for his own land. The Peace of Augsburg officially recognised the Lutheran Church and the right of people to worship as Protestants. -
The First Vatican Council
The First Vatican Council was held between 1869 - 1870. The council was held due to Rationalism, Liberalism & Materialism, the other issue debated was the authority of the pope. In attendance was Pope Pius IX & 744 bishops. The council aimed to review and summarise the Catholic Faith, to deal with the authority of the Pope & define the immaculate conception. At the end of the council they had all agreed that the pope was infallible as the pope is considered to be the Successor of St. Peter. -
The Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican council was held between 1962 - 1965 to continue the work of Vatican I, obey the holy spirit but most importantly adapting to the modern world. In attendance at the council was Pope John Paul XXIII, Pope Paul VI, 2600 bishops, 63 observers & 52 lay-men and women. The outcome of the council was to focus less on Mary & Saints, Translated language from Latin to the language of the country & Priests face the people during mass.
