The Church: Body of Christ, People of God
Chapter I: Understanding the Church
1. Stages of the Church
- Incarnation: Jesus became man.
- Baptism of Jesus: The Church is born through baptism.
- Preaching the Kingdom: Jesus taught the apostles about the Kingdom and sent them to preach.
- Easter: Jesus proclaims the “new covenant” sealed with his new people.
- Death on the Cross: Death to the old regime of Israel.
- Resurrection of Christ
- Pentecost: 50 days after, the Holy Spirit comes.
- Ascension: Christ ascends to His Father, the Church is glorified.
2. The Mystical
Read MoreFeuerbach’s Anthropological Philosophy
Early Life and Influences
Ludwig Feuerbach was born in Landshut, Bavaria, in 1804. Initially a disciple of Hegel, he gradually developed an anthropological approach to philosophy. His 1839 work, Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy, offered a materialist interpretation of Hegel’s ideas.
Essence of Christianity and the Critique of Religion
In his seminal work, The Essence of Christianity (1841), Feuerbach argued that the sole purpose of religion is man, and that God is merely an idealized projection of human
Read MoreMedieval Christianity: From Charlemagne to the Western Schism
Key Figures and Concepts
Early Middle Ages (c. 800-1050)
Leo III:
Pope who assumed the papacy in 795 and crowned Charlemagne on December 25, 800, restoring the Holy Roman Empire of the West.
Charlemagne:
Holy Roman Emperor of the West in the 9th century, who consolidated political authority within the empire.
Christian Politics:
Policy based on the good order of the Church and society.
Religious Institutions:
Institutions that included monasticism, cathedral and convent schools, and assistance to the faithful.
Read MoreThe Enlightenment and Religion: Disenchantment and Secularization
The Enlightenment and Religion
Introduction: The Disenchantment of the World
The Weberian expression “disenchantment of the world” seems particularly appropriate to describe the goal pursued by the Enlightenment. Religious tradition, presented as the ultimate source of legitimacy for virtually everything, sparked a radical debate during the Enlightenment. The French Enlightenment, in particular, reached unprecedented levels of radicalism in Western culture, engaging in an intense debate against the
Read MoreSt. Augustine: Faith, Reason, and the Two Cities
Reason and Faith
St. Augustine explored how humans come to know profound truths. He found Manichaeism unsatisfactory and skepticism self-defeating, as doubt implies the existence of at least doubt itself. This led him to accept minimal truths. Influenced by Christianity, he considered the possibility of sense-based knowledge about the world. St. Augustine, a thinking believer, recognized that faith and reason, while distinct, both contribute to humanity’s pursuit of divine truth. Reason supports
Read MoreLife and Teachings of Saint Augustine
Life of Saint Augustine
Early Life and Conversion
Augustine was born in Tagaste on November 13, 354. He attended school until he was sent to Madaura and then to Carthage for further studies. At 19, he began writing poetry, and at 26, he published a book. In 383, he traveled to Rome and opened a school, but later moved to Milan with his mother, seeking a Christian community. He was baptized in 387 and returned to Tagaste, where he divided his inheritance and founded a monastery. Three years later,
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