Will Browning’s Reviews > The First Thousand Years: A Global History of Christianity > Status Update

Today’s chapter: should Mary be referred to as theotokos, Mother of God, or Christokos, Mother of Christ (God have a mother)?
Also, Cyril of Alexandria condemns Nestorius of Constantinople for preaching that Christ was “united with God but “not the Divine Son of God.” There were many councils and basically Nestorius took the L, but some of his ideas persisted in the Eastern church in some form or another.

The man, the myth, the legend:
Augustine of Hippo and his many conflicts with heretical and non-Christian religions, such as Augustine’s own former religion Manichaeism (existence is a battle between literal light and dark, drew ideas from lots of religions), Donatists (people in the church can AND should be faultless) and Pelagians (human beings aren’t inherently sinful).
All very interesting and very wrong!

Chapter on how canonical law came to be and how ecumenical councils generally decide on what would be included in canon law. Also touched on the level of nuance between churches of different regions. Pretty interesting but very in the weeds.

Read that the Bishop of Rome essentially just started telling other churches around the Mediterranean what to do in the 4th century, using what Jesus says to Peter in Matthew 16:18-19, and because both Peter and Paul were martyred there.

Now, there are Popes. One of the Bishops even said that all should consider his words to be from Peter himself. Rather surprising stuff.
Shoutout Martin Luther though

On medicine and the construction of the first hospital as ordained by THE Basil:

“Just as we would have no need of the labor and toil of the farmer, if we were living among the delights of paradise, so we would not require the art of medicine for healing if we were immune to disease. The work of the physician who heals bodies redounds to the glory of God, no less than the work of those who care for the soul.”

Today’s chapter: Early Music and Worship
Here follows a hymn from early Coptic Christians in Egypt:

Let there be silence.
Let the luminous stars not shine,
Let the winds and all the noisy rivers die down;
And as we hymn the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
Let all the powers add “Amen Amen”
Dominion, praise, always, and glory to God,
The soul, giver of good things, Amen Amen.

Hillsong who?

Ambrose of Milan was a bit of a dog 🐶

Some Christian-Jew tension in the 3rd century Roman Empire courtesy of Emperor Julian (the Apostate)

The Council of Nicaea, the birth of Monasticism, and the Christianization of Jerusalem :)

Learned some about Cyprian and Constantine today.
“You cannot have God as your Father without having the Church as your Mother.” - Cyprian