Introduction to Church: In-depth Analysis of Church Development

This assignment provides an introduction to the Church, exploring its origins, key concepts, and historical development. It covers the Church as described by New Testament writers, the teachings of the Twelve Apostles (Didache), and the rise of the monastic movement. The assignment also delves into the history of Christianity in Africa, Muslim perspectives on Jesus, and the ecclesiastical centers of the East. Furthermore, it examines the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, highlighting their impact on the Church. Specific topics include coenobitic and eremitic monasticism, the role of figures like Hilda, and the significance of practices like Holy Communion. The assignment also discusses the characteristics of the Early Church, its relationship with Judaism, and the importance of Holy Communion as a worshipping act.

Running head: INTRODUCTION TO CHURCH
INTRODUCTION TO CHURCH
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1INTRODUCTION TO CHURCH
Table of Contents
Task 1...................................................................................................................................3
Question 1.1.....................................................................................................................3
Question 1.2.....................................................................................................................3
Question 1.3.....................................................................................................................3
Question 1.4.....................................................................................................................4
Question 1.5.....................................................................................................................4
Question 1.6.....................................................................................................................4
Question 1.7.....................................................................................................................4
Question 1.8.....................................................................................................................4
Question 1.9.....................................................................................................................5
Task 2...................................................................................................................................6
Question 2.1.....................................................................................................................6
Question 2.2.....................................................................................................................6
Question 2.3.....................................................................................................................7
Question 2.4.....................................................................................................................7
Task 3...................................................................................................................................9
Question 3.1.....................................................................................................................9
Question 3.2...................................................................................................................10
Question 3.3...................................................................................................................11

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Task 4.................................................................................................................................12
Question 4.1...................................................................................................................12
Question 4.2...................................................................................................................12
Question 4.3...................................................................................................................13
Task 5.................................................................................................................................14
Question 5.1...................................................................................................................14
Question 5.2...................................................................................................................14
Question 5.3...................................................................................................................15
References..........................................................................................................................18

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Task 1
Question 1.1
The Church as described by the new testament writers refers to the concerned group of
people who have been brought together on the basis of their faith on Jesus Christ. The New
Testament writers tend to put forth the Church as the collective word that is used to relate to the
various Christian communities that are existent all over the world. These communities are known
to serve each other and as well as display the caring attitude towards each other. The major
activity that is carried out by these communities is the spreading of knowledge about Jesus
Christ, the propounder of Christianity (Extension college 2017).
Question 1.2
The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles is also known as the Didache. The Didache is a
Greek word that is used to refer to teaching. The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles refer to the
concerned brief treatise that is maintained by the concerned Christians (Extension college 2017).
Question 1.3
The major reasons for the advent of the monastic movement are as enlisted below.
 The teachings of Jesus who advised his followers to be different and separated from the
world.
 The spiritual battle that was an integral part of the advent of the monastic movement.
 The monastic movement marked the struggles against the various temptations that are
related to the mortal life and the two different types of martyrdom that was related to the
concerned religion (Extension college 2017).

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 The advent of the processes to gain freedom of the soul and the spirit of the concerned
person.
Question 1.4
The Christianity in Africa might be stated to have dated back to the first century. It is said
that the Christianity was started during the first century when the Gospel was carried within the
territorial boundaries of Africa by Mark the Evangelist (Extension college 2017).
Question 1.5
The two major feelings of Muslims towards Jesus are as enlisted below.
 The people following the Muslim faith feel that the conception of Jesus should be
attributed to God who is responsible for the creation of the Prophet.
 The people who have been following the Muslim faith do not acknowledge Jesus to be
God in any manner. They refer to the Prophet as one of the Messiahs who had been sent
by the Almighty himself in order to spread awareness about Him all across the world
(Extension college 2017).
Question 1.6
The Pope had in 341 C.E. had been known to have sent a letter in support of Athanasius
to the Council of Antioch (Extension college 2017).
Question 1.7
The major ecclesiastical centers of the east included Constantinople, Antioch in Syria,
Alexandria of Egypt and the city of Jerusalem (Extension college 2017).

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Question 1.8
The various historians might use the term Middle Ages to describe the factors that are
related to the time period that was existent from the Roman period and the time that saw the rise
of the Modern Europe. This time period might be considered to be a very rough phase within the
history of Churches. The concerned term, Middle Ages, however might also refer to the time
period of the almost 400 years that spread from the years 1000 C.E. to 1500 C.E (Extension
college 2017).
Question 1.9
The word ‘renaissance’ is a French word that means rebirth. The word is generally used
to describe the factors that pertain to the introduction of the novel artistic, cultural and the
intellectual impetus. The renaissance generally referred to the matches that were established
within the society in the matters that pertained to the social and the economic reforms (Extension
college 2017). The renaissance had affected the various factors that existed within the society of
the time. The renaissance is generally considered to be a movement that aimed to bring about the
positive changes within the society thereby bringing in the equality among the various sections
of the society.

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Task 2
Question 2.1
a. Yes, the chapter discusses coenobitic and eremitic monasticism (Extension college 2017).
b. Yes, the chapter discusses Hilda (Extension college 2017).
c. No, the chapter does not discuss Christological controversies.
d. Yes, the chapter discusses opus Dei (Extension college 2017).
e. No, the chapter does not discuss Coptic Christianity.
Question 2.2
The word ‘coenobite’ is generally used by the various authors in order to describe the
various factors that are related to the maters that are opposite to the hermits. The Cenobite
Christians are the Christians who tend to o apart, almost like the hermits in order to lead a life
that is disciplined and majorly deals with the prayers and the work activities that are entrusted to
them. The cenobites are known to be going out in groups, in the company of each other. The
word in itself refers to the people who might have been eating together. There are various similar
words that are used to describe these people. The most common among the words are monks,
nuns, friars, and most importantly ‘religious’. The cenobites are generally observed to have been
living in the various monasteries that are present within the territories (Extension college 2017).
On the other hand, the eremitic beliefs refer to the various believes of the Christianity that
are related to the solitary existence of the concerned person. The eremites might refer to the
people who have been living in the isolated manner. The eremites, as compared to the hermits
tend to put forth the habits that relate to the solitary existence of the concerned person. The
eremites, also known as the hermits tend to devote themselves to the work and the prayer

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activities in a solitary manner. The eremites are generally found in the wild areas like the various
deserts and the mountain tops and are known to choose the solitary existence for themselves. The
eremites are generally observed to be the teachers and those members of the society who can be
looked up to in order to seek various spiritual advices (Extension college 2017).
Question 2.3
The great double monastery of Whitby, located on the Northeastern coast is known to be
one of the most famous monasteries that existed in the country of England during the seventh
century. The monastery was founded as well as presided over by Hilda. The foundation story
related to the concerned monastery of Whitby was documented by Bede, a contemporary of the
founder of the monastery. The stories that are related to the foundation of the great double
monastery of Whitby are documented in the composition of Bede entitled The Ecclesiastical
History of the English People. The composition states that the founder of the monastery was of
noble origin and had embraced the Christian faith along with King Edwin. Hilda has resided in a
monastery along with her sister at one of the French monasteries until she was granted the land
and the rights to establish a monastery in the north eastern part of the country. The monastery
that was set up by Hilda consisted of two separate houses for the male and the female members.
These houses were ruled over by Hilda who assumed the role of the abbess (Extension
college 2017).
Question 2.4
The monasticism refers to the matter of the Christian faith that are related to the various
factors that are related practices that are undertaken by the monks, the nuns and the hermits that
abide by the Christian faith. The following article attempts to shed some light on the various

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factors that are related to the contribution of monasticism on the Christianity as well as the world
at large (Extension college 2017).
The monasticism introduced the concept of martyrdom in Christianity. The concept stated
that the people who faced death due to blood shed attained red martyrdom while those that
renounced their lives to purity and the holiness and aimed to serve the Almighty were known to
accept the white martyrdom. The monasticism depends on the rule that was set by the Bishop
Basil of Caeserea and might be summed up in three simple words, community, obedience and
work. The propounders of monasticism stated that the monks should spend a certain part of their
own time in educating and training the various children in the educational aspects and this helped
in turning the monasteries into educational centers. The monasteries served the purpose of the
various centers that are dedicated to the prayer and the worship, education, hospitality and the
healing of the ailing members of the society as well as took into consideration the aspects of
agriculture as well as the commercial aspects within the concern (Extension college 2017).

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Task 3
Question 3.1
a. The various characteristics of the Early Church as discussed within the New testament
are as enlisted below.
 The church was referred to as God’s people and consisted of majorly the Jews as well as
the Gentiles.
 The people were divide into two groups, the Jews and the non-Jews, also known as the
Gentiles. The Gentiles refer to the various people who do not belong to the Jewish cult
and are thereby coercing them to join the Christian.
 The New Testament stated that there should exist only one Church which would be
accessible for people who have been living all over the world. This helped in the
origination of the four Gospels.
 The churches were divided into various types on the basis of the services that they
provided towards the concerned society. The major classification of the churches might
be inclusive of the believing churches, the sharing churches, the worshipping churches
and the missionary churches.
 The early Christians consisted of the Jews who were joined by the Gentiles. They were
similar to the Jews who were not followers of the Jesus. The early church also consisted
of the various people who believed and followed the footsteps of Jesus Christ as their
God (Extension college 2017).
b. The Christians of the early Church and the Jews shared a very close relationship in the
broader sense of the term. The early church Christians and the Jews believed the fact that
the Jews were the privileged section of the population of the Erath who were termed as

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the closest people to the Almighty. The Old Testament reveals that the people of God
were known by many terms like the ‘people of Israel’, ‘my people’, ‘house of Jacob’ and
‘daughter Zion’. The Jews possessed the view that they were the people of God and they
were placed within the world in order to deal with the spread of the word of God all over
the world. The Christians of the early church however state that the four Gospels might
be termed to be the four directions that are placed on the compass. The early church
Christians tend to compare the four directions to the four points of view. The early church
Christians as opposed to the Jews tend to present different opinions on the life of the
Prophet, Jesus Christ. The early church Christians further argue on the relationships that
exist within the four gospels that are considered to be the pillars of the Christian belief
(Extension college 2017).
Question 3.2
The Holy Communion refers to one of the most important worshipping act that was
earlier known as ‘breaking the bread’. The Holy Communion was celebrated with great devotion
during the times of the early Christian philosopher, Justin Martyr who had been alive from 103
and 165 C.E. The baptized person is convinced and then brought to the Church. The brethren
present in the Church then offer their prayers on behalf of the person who is to be baptized. The
prayers are concluded with a salute and kisses towards each other. The presiding person of the
brethren is then presented with bread and a cup of wine that is diluted with water. The president
accepts the materials with the praises and the glories to the Almighty by mentioning the name of
the Son as well as the Holy Spirit. The president also offers his thanks to for being considered
worthy of receiving the various things from the hands of the Almighty Himself. On completion
of the prayers and the thanksgivings the brethren are offered a piece of the bread and a share of

11INTRODUCTION TO CHURCH
the wine. The people who have been absent from the meeting are allowed to carry away a portion
of the bread and the wine (Extension college 2017).
Question 3.3
The Holy Communion or the Eucharist is considered to be one of the rituals that has been
accepted by the followers of the Christian faith all over the world. The followers of the Christian
faith consider the Holy Communion to be one of the celebratory activities. The Holy
Communion celebrations might be considered to have remained similar over the years. The
baptized person is convinced and then brought to the Church. The brethren present in the Church
then offer their prayers on behalf of the person who is to be baptized. The prayers are concluded
with a salute and kisses towards each other. The presiding person of the brethren is then
presented with bread and a cup of wine that is diluted with water. The president accepts the
materials with the praises and the glories to the Almighty by mentioning the name of the Son as
well as the Holy Spirit. The president also offers his thanks to for being considered worthy of
receiving the various things from the hands of the Almighty Himself. On completion of the
prayers and the thanksgivings the brethren are offered a piece of the bread and a share of the
wine. The people who have been absent from the meeting are allowed to carry away a portion of
the bread and the wine (Extension college 2017).

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Task 4
Question 4.1
The Islamic religion should be studied in order to understand the various similarities that
exist among the two religious cults that are present within the world. The Islamic religion tends
to acknowledge the various factors that are related to the facts that have been presented in the
Old Testament. The various prophets and patriarchs who have been mentioned in the Old
Testament, an important religious scripture for the believers of the Christian faith are also
recognized in the Islamic religious text, the holy Qur’an. The Islamic faith draws a huge
significance to Jesus Christ and the holy Mother Mary in the holy Qur’an. The religious factors
that bear similarity among both the faiths tend to help in the realization that the faiths might have
a common origin (Extension college 2017).
Question 4.2
The five pillars on which the Islamic faith rest are enlisted below.
 Shahada – This refers to the profession of the orthodoxy or the faith. In order to proclaim
himself as a Muslim, one might simply need to profess the orthodoxy (Extension
college 2017).
 Salah – This refers to the prayers that should be offered by the followers of the Islamic
faith. The holy Qur’an states that the followers need to offer their prayers at least 3 times
a day. However, the modern-day customs that are followed by the Muslims tend to state
that the concerned person should offer prayers five times a day on a mandatory basis. The
Muslim day is known to begin during the evening and the prayers should be said during

13INTRODUCTION TO CHURCH
five times of the day starting with the sunset, the night, the dawn, the midday and the
afternoon (Extension college 2017).
 Zakat – This refers to the acts of charity or giving alms to the needy and the poor. The
religion promotes the donation activities in order to help the poor sections of the society
to get uplifted (Extension college 2017).
 Sawm – This refers to the mandatory fast that the Muslims need to maintain in the month
of Ramadan (Extension college 2017).
 Hajj – This refers to the pilgrimage that the Muslims are expected to undertake at least
once in their entire lifetime (Extension college 2017).
Question 4.3
The responses that were provided by the Christians to the people abiding by the Islamic
religious cult might be discussed in the following manner.
 The constant resistance that was depicted by the Christians to the Muslim activity of
Jihad turned the former to be more warlike. The Christians started to go on ‘crusades’ in
order to recover their lands that were taken away by the Muslims.
 The majority of the Christians were compelled to live in the oppressive conditions under
the reign of the Muslims.
 The Christians who had been under the rule of the Arabic Muslims and the Turkish
Muslims were observed to be comparatively happier. This was due to the fact that the
Arabic Muslims and the Turkish Muslims were known to treat the Christians with
gentleness and generosity (Extension college 2017).

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Task 5
Question 5.1
The bishops tended to serve as the feudal lord during the Middle Ages in Europe. This
had led to the conditions wherein the Bishops had started to consider themselves to be more
important than the ruler of the state. This condition of feudalism had been founded after the
death of the able ruler Charlemagne. The feudal system put forth the conditions wherein the
members of the system were answerable to the immediate person who is present in the hierarchy.
The chain that ensured this activity was the chain of duty. The feudal system was generally
reported to be a military society and had to involve the Bishops since they were known to be the
lords of the lands that were owned by the various churches. This led to the bishops to gain the
power on raising the troops, the collection of the taxes from the concerned serfs, the power to
hold courts and even award the death penalties in the various situations. This left the Bishops
with a huge amount of power and led to the various unworthy men to seek out for the role of the
Bishop so as to gain the enormous power that they were bestowed with by the rulers of the state.
This led to the various instances wherein there has been noted corruption among the bishops and
the other sections of the papacy. This had been majorly observed during the tenth century when
there had been indecisiveness on the matters that pertained to the selection of the Bishops as well
as the other higher posts within the papacy (Extension college 2017).
Question 5.2
The country of England had faced a lot of developments during the time that had elapsed
between the 12th and the 14th centuries CE. The following essay attempts to shed light on the
various developments that has taken place during the 12th – 14th centuries CE and the role of John
Wycliff in the developments.

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The various developments that were faced by England during the 12th – 14th centuries CE
were majorly related to the increase in the powers of the Bishops as well as the introduction of
the parliamentary system within the legislature of the country. The parliamentary system that
was introduced in the country involved the presence of the two houses which included the
selected and the elected members. This led to the conditions wherein the concerned people
residing within the political territories of the country tended to have a say in the matters that
pertained to the selection of the rulers of the land. The people of the country tended to display
protests in the matters that pertained to the matters that were related to the Church being ruled by
a different country (Extension college 2017).
Wycliff suggested that the ultimate ruler of the world was the Almighty God. He further
addressed to the rulers of the land as well as the churches to be the stewards who were granted
the authority by God to rule over the other resident members of the world. He denied the
ownership of the rulers on the matters that pertained to the power of ruling over the residents of
the concerned territorial barrier. Wycliff had also pointed out the fact that the rulers, even the
Pope, might be corrected by the Almighty if they tend to misuse the power that has been
bestowed upon them by the Almighty God (Extension college 2017).
Thus, from the above discussion it might be pointed out that the English society had
undergone a huge number of developments during the 12th – 14th centuries CE which included
the introduction of the parliament and the process of election of the rulers of the land by voting
for the concerned ruler.
Question 5.3 Agricultural growth

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- The growth in the field of agriculture referred to the recovery of the land through the
various activities that pertain to the clearing up of the forests, the draining of the marshes
and the movement upwards on the sides of the mountains. The population growth might
be held responsible for the growth in the agricultural matters (Extension college 2017).
- The introduction of the farming of the cash crops.
- Import of the food grains from the other parts of the world tended to fill the pockets of a
certain section of farmers. Industrial growth
- Producing saleable goods.
- Rise of the group known as artisans.
- Introduction of a chain of members who were involved in the manufacture of the
products and the various steps that helped the product reach the final client with the profit
being distributed among all the agents involved in the activity (Extension college 2017). Trade growth
- Introduction of the overseas trade through the waterways.
- The distribution of the various goods all over the European continent.
- The ways to gain profit from the concerned activity of trade leading to the increase in the
wealth of a certain section of the society (Extension college 2017).
 Social Awareness and Town growth
- Development of the labor class.
- Substitution of renting for the serfdom that seemed to have low tolerance among the
various members of the workforce within the concerned area.
- Rising thoughts of freedom and independence among the poorer sections of the society.

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- Development of various organizations and guilds that worked in favor of the various
craftsmen, students as well as the religious orders present in the society (Extension
college 2017).

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References
Extension college 2017. Introduction to Church History 45131 Workbook 1 of 2. Theological
Education by Extension College of Southern Africa.