Worship-15A-2ndTo12thCentury

WANDERING SOUL, LONELY HEART &
THE SIDE-TRACKED CHURCH

Adding To and Taking From Perfection
1st to 12th Centuries

FOR READERS WHO DO NOT WANT TO READ ALL THE DETAILS....

�(a)�� All green passages refer to objections made by "protestors" (protestants) to the changes in doctrine and methods (this includes translations of the Bible into the local common language)

(b)�� All bold and centered passages refer to the INTRODUCTION or the formal ORDAINING of a particular change in doctrine from the 1st century.

(c)�� All brown passages refer to persecutions for protesting.
�

(d)�� All centered poetry are familiar hymns
written during time of persecution.

��
                                                                                                    EXPLANATION

              TO UNDERSTAND HOW ONLY SMALL PROTESTANT MOVEMENTS GAINED POWER ONE NATION AT A TIME DESPITE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HEADQUARTERED IN ROME, IT MUST BE UNDERSTOOD THAT, SINCE THE BEGINNING OF TIME, EVERY NATION HAD ITS OWN SPECIAL GUARDIAN GOD.� THE EGYPTIANS DID, THE BABYLONIANS DID, THE HEBREWS DID, AND SO ON.�

�� CONSTANTINE WAS THE FIRST EMPEROR OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE TO ACCEPT THE GOD OF THE CHRISTIANS AS HIS OFFICIAL GOD.� THEREAFTER, THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HAD NO PROBLEMS ELICITING THE EMPIRE'S TROOPS IN CARRYING OUT ITS BELIEFS.�

�� EVENTUALLY LUTHER CONVINCED THE RULER OF GERMANY, WHO DID NOT LIKE THE POPE, TO DECLARE HIS VERSION OF THE CHRISTIAN'S GOD AS THE OFFICIAL RELIGION OF GERMANY.� CALVIN CONVINCED THE SWISS GOVERNMENT TO DECLARE HIS REFORMED VERSION OF THE CHRISTIAN'S GOD AS THE OFFICIAL RELIGION OF SWITZERLAND.� JOHN KNOX CONVINCED THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT TO DECLARE HIS PRESBYTERIAN VERSION OF THE CHRISTIAN'S GOD AS THE OFFICIAL RELIGION OF SCOTLAND.� AND SO IT WENT AS VARIOUS COUNTRIES BROKE AWAY FROM THE POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS POWER OF ROME, THEY DECLARED YET A DIFFERENT VERSION OF THE CHRISTIAN'S GOD TO BE THEIR OFFICIAL RELIGION.�

First Century

�� During the first century, the gospel was proclaimed by the Twelve Apostles and close associates everywhere:� Philip in Phyrigia, Turkey; Matthew in Parthia, the near Orient, and Ethiopia in Africa; Andrew in Turkey and Russia; Mark in Egypt; Jude in Edessa, Parthia; Bartholomew in India; Thomas in Parthia and India; Luke in Greece; Simon in Africa and Britain; others in Spain. [1]� (Take special note of Simon the Zealot in Britain.)

�� The first change in the church the way Jesus' own apostles set it up occurred with the leadership.� It probably is the greatest problem the church has had from the beginning until now.� It was usually not the average member who caused the problems.� Paul had warned that it would be among the leadership the first apostasy would occur (Acts 20:17, 28-30) and he was right.�

�� It appeared late in the century.� John in Revelation, written about 95 AD, condemned the Nicholaitins.� Nicholas means conqueror or ruler, and laity means the common person.� The Nicholaitins were developing a clergy-laity system within the church.� Jesus was already threatening to take the lampstand of those congregations away (Revelation 1-3).�

�� Every church history written by every denomination recognizes that in the New Testament days, elders, presbyters and bishops were all the same office.� They were called by different names in the same way that preacher and evangelist is the same office.� In III John 9, this apostle warned about someone who was trying to be the exclusive head of a particular congregation saying that he "loved to have the preeminence among them."

INTRODUCED ONE BISHOP BEING OVER

OTHER ELDERS/PRESBYTERS OF A CONGREGATION

NOT WIDELY ACCEPTED

Second Century

�� By now, Christianity had also spread further to the region of Mount Ararat in today's Turkey and Russia, and also to France, particularly around Lyons.

�� About AD 110, Ignatius resurrected the teaching that there was one bishop over the elders of the church, although bishop and elder were the same office in I Timothy and Titus, just like congressman and senator is the same office.�

�� Soon after, Ignatius said there should be a bishop over each city, not just his own congregation.� In his Epistle to the Ephesians, 11, he said the bishop was in charge of the Lord's Supper, or he could allow an elder to do it.� This was not accepted in Rome, even in AD 140.� It took a hundred years for this system to be universally accepted.

�� It is interesting that the Apostle John wrote II and III John and Revelation around 95.� Yet in his short letters he identified himself only as "the elder."� In Revelation 1:9 he identified himself as merely "brother."� Since he was believed to be in Ephesus during his latter years, why did he not call himself the bishop of Ephesus?

INTRODUCED ONE BISHOP PRESIDING OVER ENTIRE

CHURCH OR METROPOLITAN AREA

NOT WIDELY ACCEPTED

�� About AD 150, the first creed was developed.� It was a single sentence which expanded on Jesus' statement that people should be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).� But about 200 it was expanded to include affirmations of Jesus' virgin birth and resurrection from the dead.

�� The creed was developed because of a second-century group of Christians called Arians who believed that, since Jesus was the created Son of God, he was a lesser God than Jehovah his Father.� These people were mostly from northern Africa, especially Egypt and Lybia.

�� Because differences of opinion began to arise and the Apostles were now dead, various people began creating lists of writings (which we today call the New Testament) which were known to be authored by the apostles personally.� These individual writings, though actually letters, we today call books.

�� A generation after the last apostle died, Marcion from northern Turkey compiled a list of 15 apostolic books.� Twenty years later another list was compiled that included 23 apostolic books.� About 250 Origen in Egypt compiled a list of 21 books which all churches he had interviewed had accepted, and another list of some they weren't sure about.� In 397 a list of 27 book was compiled at a council in Carthage, North Africa - the same 27 we today call the New Testament.

�� 180 is the first mention of baptizing babies.� It was not widely accepted by the churches, though some began to practice it.

INTRODUCED INFANT BAPTISM

NOT WIDELY ACCEPTED

�� In 187, Victor, the Bishop of Rome, wanted to make that city - the center of the Roman Empire - the central place for celebrating Easter.� Irenaeus wrote in the name of the Gallic churches chastising him for his arrogance.

Third Century

�� Although evangelized by the Apostle Simon the Zealot in the first century, this century saw the spread of Roman Christianity to Great Britain whose king was converted by Amphibalus.

�� The Bishop of Rome put more pressure on other bishops to fall in line under him because, since Rome was the head of the Roman Empire, Rome should also be head of the church.� He continued to meet with a great deal of resistance.�

�� Most often the Bishop of Carthage in North Africa stood as spokesman for the others to maintain independence of each other.� And it was to the Bishop of Carthage that many other bishops of other areas appealed to be a spokesman for them in resisting Rome's arrogance.

�� In 218, Calixtis I, Bishop of Rome, claimed he was Peter's successor.� Tertullian, Bishop of Carthage in North Africa and noted Christian writer, called him a usurper in speaking as if he were bishop of bishops.

�� John Fox who wrote his BOOK OF MARTYRS said in chapter 2, "It was unfortunate for the Gospel, that many errors had, about this time, crept into the Church: the Christians were at variance with each other; self-interest divided those whom social love ought to have united; and the virulence of pride occasioned a variety of factions." [2]

�� Later he wrote of this same period, ";Most of the errors which crept into the Church at this time arose from placing human reason in competition with revelation; but the fallacy of such arguments being proved by the most able divines, the opinions they had created vanished away like the stars before the sun" [3]

�� In 250 when Novatian was voted in as the new Bishop of Rome, many would not accept him, including the powerful Bishop of Carthage, Cyprian.� So Novatian tried to get him out of office to put in a new Bishop of Carthage, even though all church offices were considered for life except for voluntary resignations.

�� Also at this time, substitutes for the form of baptism were introduced, as well as what happened after baptism.� The Bishop of Carthage said that people wishing to be baptized where there was insufficient water could, rather than be immersed, have abundant water poured over them three times.� Related to that, he also said that a person who was too sick or weak could be baptized by pouring or sprinkling rather than immersion.

INTRODUCED POURING OR SPRINKLING BAPTISM

FOR THE SICK AND WEAK ONLY

NOT WIDELY ACCEPTED

�� Soon after, people began calling the bishop father, which in the Latin of Rome sounded like papa, and in the Armenian language of Constantinople sounded like patriarch.

INTRODUCED BISHOPS BEING CALLED PAPA/POPE/PATRIARCH

NOT WIDELY ACCEPTED

�� Further, it was decided the Holy Spirit was not received in baptism, but rather afterwards by the apostles laying on their hands.� Since there were no more apostles, but they decided the bishops were their successors, it was expected of bishops to lay their hands on people after baptism to deliver the Holy Spirit.� This is what they termed "confirmation."

INTRODUCED GIFT OF HOLY SPIRIT CONFERRED

BY LAYING ON OF HANDS ("CONFIRMATION")

NOT WIDELY ACCEPTED

�� Also, with so much pre-eminence, all the bishops over each territory began to be called Papa or Patriarch or Pope, whichever fit their language.�

INTRODUCED CALLING ALL BISHOPS POPE

NOT WIDELY ACCEPTED

�� During this time, a few began saying that the bread and wine of the Lord's Supper was actually the body and blood of Jesus.� Because of that, people began bowing to the bread and wine as though bowing to Jesus.

INTRODUCED BREAD & WINE ACTUALLY JESUS

NOT WIDELY ACCEPTED

�� In the mean time in Paris, France, a man named Almericus and six of his disciples were ordered burned at the stake for asserting that Jesus was not present in the sacramental bread of the Lord's Supper, that it was idolatry to build altars and shrines to saints and to offer incense to them.

�� The church leadership feud was interrupted in 257 AD when the pagan emperor in Rome, Valerian, made Christian meetings illegal, the first edict of its kind in Rome.� After an interlude of peace, under Roman law about 305 AD, copies of scriptures were ordered destroyed and the few church buildings there were, were confiscated by the government.�

Fourth Century

�� Around 300, the bishops decided the church universal should be run like the Roman Empire which had an emperor, then a senate, then representatives.� Therefore, they began what was to be known as the college of cardinals, which was the church's "senate."

INTRODUCED CHURCH ORGANIZATION TO FOLLOW

POLITICAL SYSTEM OF ROMAN EMPIRE

�� Also they made it official that the bishop would be in charge of priests and deacons in various congregations in the surrounding territory around the "mother city."

ORDAINED BISHOP IN CHARGE OF ALL CONGREGATIONS OF A TERRITORY

�� The following year, Constantine, whose mother was a Christian, was made co-emperor, then emperor of the Roman Empire. �Around 304, the gospel was taken to Hungary, then called Pannonia, through Quirinus who had been sent there to be martyred.

�� In 313 a dispute arose between bishops in North Africa over Arianism (the degree of Jesus' divinity), so Constantine called a meeting of the church there in Rome where he had settled.� At this time the term "Roman Catholic" started being used, referring to the universal belief of all Christians in the Roman Empire, not the city of Rome, that Jesus was fully God.

�� A few years later, Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire to Istanbul on the border between Italy and Turkey, and renamed the city after himself - Constantinople.� At that time, he gave the Bishop of Rome, Silvester I, all of southern Italy to rule over as its governor.� Thus began the union of church and state.� He presented the Lateran Palace that his wife had inherited to the Bishop of Rome.� He also gave the Bishop of Rome "all provinces, palaces, and districts of the City of Rome and Italy and of the regions of the West."� And he donated a lot of money around the empire for building church buildings.�

�� Now the capital of the Roman Empire was not longer Rome in Italy, but Constantinople in Turkey. ��

�� In 318, Arius began preaching that the world was created by an evil god, and only spirit was created by the good God.� They also said that, since Jesus was created and in the flesh, he was a lessor God to Jehovah.� Other variations of the divine and human nature of Christ continued until about the 8th century.� Also confusing was the relationship of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit and the degree of their separateness since God is supposed to be one.

�� In response to this, Constantine called a Council meeting in the city of Nicea, Turkey, where they attending bishops formed the Nicean Creed, an expanded version of Matthew 28:19 where Jesus said people were to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.� (In 281 they expanded it once more to emphasize the divinity of the Holy Spirit.)� People then had to declare their belief in the creed before being baptized.

INTRODUCED THE FIRST CHURCH CREED

�� For the rest of the 4th century, it became politically expedient to convert to Christianity because the emperor had.� Christians grew then from 10% of the Roman Empire to 90%.� Growth was almost too fast to handle.� Therefore, bishops of whatever city was the "mother city" (the capital) of each province, became guides to the other bishops of the smaller cities of their province, and they began to be called archbishops.

�� Soon, four "mother cities" were recognized as the most significant Christian centers in the eastern empire, the most honored being Jerusalem.� Two others were Alexandria in Egypt and Antioch in Syria, both of which also had connections from the beginning with the apostles.� Constantinople, Turkey, the new capital of the Roman Empire, was the fourth "mother city" of the church, but for political reasons.�

�� This escalated the battle between the archbishops/archpopes to see who was most powerful. �The two "mother cities" with the most opinionated archbishops were in Rome in Italy and Carthage in northern Africa.� But since Carthage had no connection with the apostles, Rome soon won the distinction as "mother city" of the entire western empire.

�� GOTHIC TRANSLATION OF THE BIBLE:� In 380, Ulifas created the Gothic alphabet.� Then he translated the Bible from the Septuagint Greek O.T. and the Greek N.T.� Goth is the earliest known Germanic language, and the only east Germanic language.� This laid the basis for centuries to come for restoration movements among people who wanted to revert to the simple first-century pattern of the church as opposed to the controlling centralized-government type of church now appearing.

�� Late in that century, a second Council of Bishops was called to Constantinople.� At that time, they declared that the Bishop of Constantinople (the new capitol of the Roman Empire) was to be second in importance in the church only to the Bishop of Rome (the original capitol of the Roman Empire).�

�� Also in 393 it was decided that all bishops and archbishops had to be unmarried.� However, it was limited only to bishops, not to priests or deacons.

INTRODUCED CELIBACY OF BISHOPS

NOT WIDELY ACCEPTED

Fifth Century

�� In the previous century when torture and unendurable executions of Christians by the pagans ceased, those who had wanted to prove their dedication to God turned to other means of self-destruction.� At that time a few in North Africa became self-deprecating hermits with no valuables and no families.� This monastery movement gradually spread to others in the Roman Empire, often with several hermits living in the same area but not talking to each other.� This was the beginning of monks.

�� In 418, some bishops began to baptize infants, declaring they were born in sin.

REINTRODUCED INFANT BAPTISM

NOT WIDELY ACCEPTED

�� ARMENIAN TRANSLATION OF THE BIBLE:� As a result of developing an Armenian (NE Turkish) alphabet, in 422, the New Testament and Proverbs were translated in Armenian.� Because they could read the Bible for themselves, this eventually led to them not agreeing with the Roman church on many things for centuries to come.

�� In 431 at another Council, the bishops and archbishops officially declared that Mary was and still is the Mother of God.

INTRODUCED MARY VENERATION

NOT WIDELY ACCEPTED

�� During the 5th century, the Roman Empire could no longer defend Britain and northern areas (today's western Europe) from invading Germans, so deserted them.� Christians there were left isolated from the rest of the church.�

�� By now the church had spread to Scotland and Ireland, probably as a result of missionary work done by the students of the Apostle Simon in Britain.� It is said that Patrick, a Scotsman, established some 250 congregations in Ireland before his death in 493.�

�� In 430, Ninian who had been educated in Rome tried to set up congregations, of course with Roman church beliefs, but met with resistance.� Both the Irish and Scottish churches were distinct from the Roman church in many things until they coerced them to live a Catholic or face severe persecutions, tortures and deaths.

�� The practice of book copying (no printing presses yet) was added to the activities of monks in western Europe.� This helped with maintaining the Latin translation of the Bible, though it was only available to the clergy.

�� The Goths, who had never actually been a part of the Roman Empire and who had the Bible translated into their own language, were forced out of their land around the Black Sea by the oriental Huns.� Taking their Bible with them, they moved to southern Europe and were the first to sack Rome in 790 years.

�� As a result of conquering Rome, Augustine in northern Africa wrote his famous CITY OF GOD wherein he tried to build up the wounded egos of the Rome's citizens, saying that Rome, as head of the Roman Empire, is the City of Earth.� Therefore Rome, if head of the Church, should also be called the City of God.

�� The displaced Goths moved on into western Europe and finally settled in Gaul, today's France, taking their Bible and first-century Christian views with them.� They also invaded and settled in what today is Spain and Switzerland, also taking their Bible with them.

�� Such spread of the Scriptures in the hands of the people was beginning to alarm the Roman and Constantinople church.� Therefore, another Council was called, and in 451 it decreed that no one was allowed to read the Bible for themselves and interpret for themselves.� They must accept the interpretation of the church only or they would be excommunicated.

INTRODUCED BAN ON INTERPRETING SCRIPTURES

�� Also, gradually during this century, the clergy began distinguishing their offices from the common Christians by wearing distinctive vestments.

�� INTRODUCED CLERGY WEARING HOLY VESTMENTS

�� NOT WIDELY ACCEPTED

�� One other group of Goths moved into modern Netherlands that had closer ties to the Roman church.�

Sixth Century

�� During the next century, the collapsing Roman Empire was ruled primarily by invading eastern Europeans.� Gradually the people of the eastern empire around Constantinople called themselves Byzantine citizens instead of Roman citizens.� Each appointed their own bishops who would back their own political power.� In 553, the Bishop of Constantinople went against the Bishop of Rome, Justinian, and condemned certain recent actions.

�� In 573, a rich Italian, Gregory I, was made the mayor of Rome and later Bishop of Rome and called "Gregory the Great."
By this time, people all over the Roman Empire had bequeathed farms, vineyards, timber tracks, orchards and so on to the church, but no one had ever done much with them.� Subtly he began building his church empire.

�� With his previous experience as mayor of Rome, Gregory developed all this property to finance the church.� When potential invaders approached some of these lands, Gregory took it upon himself to defend the Christians in these areas, thus winning their allegiance.� Gradually, he arranged for local church officials to fill in for political officials who had abused the local people.

�� Then Gregory began writing the archbishops in Spain, northern Africa, and Greece offering advice and being a friend, and subtly advancing the claim of Rome to supremacy.� By this time, Gregory had decided the Bishop of Rome was responsible for all "orthodox" churches, and that all bishops must answer to Rome because this was the seat of the Roman Empire.

�� When the Bishop of Constantinople announced he was the "Patriarch" of the church, the Bishop of Rome and Gregory both complained it sounded like Constantinople considered itself the most important bishopric in the entire church.� However, Rome liked the term Patriarch, and eventually called itself the Patriarch/Pope of the church.�

INTRODUCED OFFICE OF POPE

�� During this time of rising power, Gregory handed over more power to the priests to keep their allegiance by declaring to the people that they must confess their sins in private only to a priest.

�� He also fed the people with a new symbol of belonging.� They were now to make the sign of a cross, either on their forehead or their chest, depending on the occasion.

INTRODUCED CONFESSION TO PRIEST

INTRODUCED SIGN OF CROSS

NOT WIDELY ACCEPTED

�� There was also a growing veneration of Mary and martyrs which were also called saints.� Further, they were more and more represented in images.� Church leaders assured the people that the images were just to be reminders, not deities, but many people did not make this distinction.

�� The Bishop of Syria objected to all the bowing down to paintings and statues of Christ, the virgin Mary, apostles and various saints.� For the simple people, these representations had become a sort of magic talisman.� People bowed before them, burned candles before them, crowned them with flowers, sought miracles from them, and worshipped them.�

�� Late in this century, Boniface of England took the gospel to Germany.

Seventh Century

�� In 600 another "Ecumenical Council" was held and it was declared that all edicts of the church carried the same weight as the Four Gospels of the Bible.�

ORDAINED CHURCH RULES AS AUTHORITATIVE AS GOSPELS

�� One of their edicts at this time was to define exactly what was to be said at the Mass (Lord's Supper), including reciting the Lord's Prayer.

ORDAINED MASS DIALOGUE

�� In the mean time, gradually the kings of the various countries in western Europe that Gregory had helped, submitted themselves to the church in Rome except the Christians in the British Isles.�

�� The church in Britain had been founded personally by the Apostle Simon (the Zealot) ~ see endnote one again.� They had stayed true to his teachings all this time.� So when the Roman church arrived, they refused to submit to celibacy of the clergy, confession to priests, purgatory.

�� At the beginning of the 7th Century, Gregory sent missionaries to the British Isles to represent him.� The Christians in the British Isles did not take kindly to Gregory's presumptuousness.� However, gradually the Christians in England agreed to follow the direction of the church in Rome.

�� Back in earlier centuries, the Franks (former Germans) in the Netherlands, helped Rome to fight off the Huns from the Orient, and later the Muslims from the Middle East.� So, although the kings declared allegiance to Rome, they were so lazy that the Franks were able to move in and run the countries for them.� So by the middle of the 7th century there was once again a division as to whether to submit to the Roman church or not.

�� In the late 7th century, the Franks began sending out missionaries to convert the pagans in western Europe.� Boniface of England was their most influential missionary.� He traveled into Germany and parts of central Europe, and finally France.� He was so effective that Rome claimed him as an ally and representative also.� As he did, the Franks claimed much of the land previously donated to the church to be now under their control.�

�� Also during this time down in Italy, the Lombards were trying to unite and take over the now-splintered country.� Pope Gregory III was unwilling to cooperate so asked the Byzantines in Constantinople to help.� They wouldn't because they did not want to give up the power they already had in Italy.� He also asked the Franks for help, and they, too declined.�

�� The next generation of Franks decided they did not want to be rulers just in act, but also in name.� They appealed to the patriarch of Rome, the pope, for endorsement and got it.� The first Frankish king - Pepin - was crowned and anointed in a religious ceremony.�

�� At that same time the Lombards took over land in Italy, claiming Rome also.� Pope Stephen went to France for help which he obtained from Pepin.� They became allies when the pope recrowned King Pepin himself.

�� When that king died, his son succeeded him - Charles the Great, also known as Charlemagne.� He helped the pope regain control of Italy and gave back much of the church land to Rome.� When the Lombards tried one last time to take over Rome, King Charles/Charlemagne came down and got rid of the Lombards and made himself king of Italy, but left control of Rome to the pope.

�� Charlemagne also sent missionaries into the British Isles (Saxony) which they resisted.� For resisting him, he finally had 4500 Saxon warriors beheaded in one day.

�� In 666, Pope St. Vitalian introduced the use of the organ in worship in Rome to improve on congregational singing.� A second organ was placed in France in 757, and a third one also in France in 812.� About that same time, a fourth one was placed in Germany.

INTRODUCED INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

NOT WIDELY ACCEPTED

�� In 692, the church in Rome officially declared that priests who were promoted to bishop had to leave their wives to become celibate, but their wives could become deaconesses and live elsewhere.

ORDAINED FORMER WIVES OF BISHOPS MADE DEACONESSES

Eighth Century

�� OLD ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE BIBLE:� In Great Britain, Caedmon, referring to the Latin translation of the Bible, paraphrased the Bible in poetry form in the common language of the people.� Also near this time, Bede made an actual translation of the Bible based on the Latin translation.

�� In the year 700, the western church in Rome declared that Mary was the mediator between man and her Son, Jesus.� This view was adopted thirty years later by the eastern church in Constantinople.

ORDAINED MARY IS THE MEDIATOR BETWEEN MAN AND JESUS

�� Also in this century, it was decreed that only the Bishop of Rome was to be called Pope.� This, of course, made the powerful Bishop of Constantinople in Turkey angry.� The rift between them grew.

ORDAINED PAPACY EXCLUSIVELY IN ROME

�� In the mean time, Leo III became Emperor of the Roman Empire in Constantinople in 717.� He successfully drove the Muslims back out of Europe, though they had succeeded in taking the Middle East.

�� However, the Muslims continually accused the Christians of idol worship, referring to paintings and carvings of Christ and the saints.� In 726 Leo III called a council of bishops and senators demanding their complete removal from church buildings, and church murals be covered with plaster.

�� Horrified worshippers attacked soldiers trying to enforce the edict.� The Patriarch of Constantinople did not want the pictures and carvings removed either, so Emperor Leo deposed him.� At the same time, Pope Gregory II in Rome anathematized (cursed) Leo.� Those who refused the use of pictures and carvings were accused of denying the incarnation of Jesus as a human.�

�� In 757, having lost control of Italy in earlier centuries, King Pepin and his son, Charlemagne, gave control of Italy back to the pope.

�� In 767 the next Patriarch of Constantinople was beheaded for favoring the pictures and carvings.� Monasteries were confiscated by the government and resisting monks were imprisoned and tortured, eyes or tongues torn out, and noses cut off.� At Ephesis the governor ordered monks and nuns to marry each other or be killed.

�� But in 787 the edict was reversed at Nicea and the veneration - though not the worship - of pictures and carvings was restored.� They officially approved bowing down to statues of saints, holy men, the cross, Jesus, Mary, and angels. �

ORDAINED BOWING TO IMAGES

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Endnotes for This Page

[1].� Cruse, Christian F., Translator, The Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius Pamphilus, Baker Book House, 1955, pg. 42-43, 48-51, 58, 63-65, 82, 101-107, 116-117;

Forbush, William B., editor, Fox's Book of Martyrs, Zondervan Publishing House, 1968, pg. 1-5

[2].� Fox, pg. 14

[3].� Fox, pg. 18

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