Week 6 · AD 501–600
Monks, Councils, and Grace
Baptism, monasteries, and the councils that defined Christ and grace
This week
Christ, grace, and the monks
- Augustine brings Baptism to Kent, and Benedict shapes the monk’s day
- Councils address Christ’s two natures, grace, and the Trinity
- Justinian rules the East, and Gregory the Great leads Rome
- The Lord’s Supper and Baptism keep Christ at the center
Christ Pantocrator
Unknown artist, mid-sixth century, Sinai. Christ blesses with his right hand and holds a Gospel book.
Church life
What monks and missionaries did in the sixth century
Christ and the sacraments
The Last Supper in Ravenna
- Glass mosaic, early sixth century, made in the reign of King Theodoric
- Christ sits on the left, with his disciples around a curved table
- Fish and loaves of bread sit in the center of the table
- The meal shows Christ giving the Lord’s Supper
Christ and the sacraments
Baptism reaches the English
- Pope Gregory sent Augustine and his monks to England
- They reached Kent in AD 597, with Gregory’s backing
- King Æthelberht believed and was baptized, and many followed
- Bede does not date the king’s baptism. Later writers say 597.
Church life
A daily Rule for monks
- Benedict’s Rule gives monks a daily mix of prayer, Bible reading, and manual work
- Chapter 48 sets hours for work and hours for sacred reading
- Benedict founded Monte Cassino around 529 and wrote the Rule
Controversy
Disputes over Christ’s natures and over grace
Controversy
The Three Chapters dispute
- Since Chalcedon (451), many in Syria and Egypt rejected its two-natures teaching
- Monophysites: those who say Christ has one nature after the union
- Around 543–544, Justinian condemned writings by Theodore, Theodoret, and Ibas
- Many in the West said this weakened Chalcedon
Christ and the sacraments
Grace before our first step
- Semipelagianism: people begin turning to God by their own power, with God’s help after
- Orange’s canons say even the first step of faith comes from the Holy Spirit’s grace
- Orange ties this grace to Baptism, where sinners are born anew
- Prevenient grace: grace that comes before a person’s response
Councils and events
Three councils, AD 529 to 589
AD 529 · Regional council in southern Gaul
Orange II: grace and free will
- Fourteen bishops met on 3 July 529, with Caesarius of Arles presiding
- The council taught that sin damaged the whole person, body and soul
- It taught that faith begins by the Spirit’s grace
- Lutheran classification: Mixed
AD 553 · Fifth ecumenical council
Constantinople II and the two natures
- Justinian called the council, which met for four weeks, ending 2 June 553
- Most bishops came from the East, and only six were Westerners
- Anathemas 1–10: one person with two natures, born of Mary, the Mother of God
- Lutheran classification: Mixed
AD 589 · Regional council in Spain
Toledo III and the Visigoths
- King Reccared and the Visigoths joined the Catholic Church
- They left Arianism, the teaching that the Son is a lesser, created being
- Sixty-two bishops attended, and eight Arian bishops renounced their view
- The creed says the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son (Filioque: “and the Son”)
- Lutheran classification: Received
Major people
An emperor and a pope who shaped the century
Christ and the sacraments
Justinian, paten in hand
- Justinian I ruled from 527 to 565 and called the council of 553
- The panel shows him in a jeweled crown, a gold halo, and a purple robe
- San Vitale was consecrated in 547, the year this panel was made
- The emperor carries a paten, the dish for the bread of the Lord’s Supper
Major people
Gregory the Great
- Becomes bishop of Rome in 590, while plague strikes the city
- Writes the Pastoral Rule near the start of his time as bishop
- Teaches that feeding God’s flock shows love for Christ, the chief Shepherd
- Sends Augustine’s mission to Kent
Wider world
Wider world
Holy Wisdom rebuilt
- Hagia Sophia (“Holy Wisdom”) was rebuilt as Constantinople’s cathedral after the Nika riots of 532
- It was dedicated in 537, in Justinian’s reign
- Procopius calls it the church of the Christians
- Procopius says “Sophia” is a name for God
Confessional Lutheran connection
Compare the councils with the Lutheran Confessions
Confessional Lutheran connection
Grace, Baptism, and the Supper
- Christology: Constantinople II anathemas 4 and 8 with Formula of Concord VIII
- Grace: compare Orange Canons 1–8 with Formula of Concord II, and find where they differ
- Baptism: Orange ties grace to Baptism. Read Augsburg Confession II, IV, and IX.
- Lord’s Supper: compare Benedict’s Rule with Augsburg Confession XXVII
For discussion
How does Bede’s account of King Æthelberht’s baptism show Christ’s grace at work?