The document provides an overview of the Early Church from 100-790 CE. It discusses the transition from pagan Roman Empire to a Christian Roman/Byzantine Empire after Constantine legalized Christianity in 313 CE. It also describes key figures like Justin Martyr, Ignatius of Antioch, Augustine of Hippo, and Benedict of Nursia. The document concludes by covering the Second Council of Nicaea in 787 CE which addressed the issue of iconoclasm in the Byzantine Empire.

1. The Early Church
100-790 CE
By: Sam Friess, Jack Wall, Tyler Martin, and
Connor Ridley

2. Roman Empire
Created by Octavius son of Julius Caesar in 27
BCE
He changed his name to Augustus and the
empire flourished until Constantine died in 337
CE and it spiraled down
Constantine was one of the last emperors
The Roman Empire ended in 410 CE from
invasions, economic troubles, and pure chaos

3. Roman and Byzantine
Empires
Constantine made the empire from Paganism to
Christianity in 313
Constantine moved the capital city of Rome to
Constantinople in Byzantium 324
Roman empire split into two empires after
Constantine died: Roman and Byzantine
Western (Roman) had nothing so they fell from
instability in all areas

4. Roman and Byzantine
Empires
The Byzantine empire became the new “Rome”
for the next about 500 years
Byzantine Empire fell in 1416 from Ottomans

5. Byzantine Map at its
highest point

6. Justin Martyr
Also known as Saint Justin in C. 100 AD in Flavia
Neopolis, Palestine (Modern-day Nebula) and Died in
C. 165 AD in Rome
Parents were pagan
First attended a Stoic Philosophy school.
At first, he was drawn to Platonism until he met an old
man in Ephesus who told him about Christianity and
he converted.
He then moved to Rome where he started his own
school
One of his most notable pupils was Tatian.

7. Death and Martyrdom
After disputing
with the Cynic
philosopher
Crescens, he
was
reprimanded by
Roman
authorities and
beheaded.

8. Ignatius Of Antioch
Born C. 35 AD and Died C. 108 AD in Rome
Saint Ignatius was the bishop of Antioch after
Saint Peter died in around 69 AD.
Ignatius also called himself Theophorus which
means “God Bearer”
One of the Apostolic Fathers
Believed he was also an disciple of the Apostle
John.

9. Letters and Martyrdom
Wrote Several letters or epistles
about his travels to Rome and his
arrest.
Wrote six letters to churches in
various regions and one to a fellow
bishop.
Wrote to the Ephesians,
Magnesians, Trallians, Romans,
Philidelphians, Smyrnaeans, and
Polycarp the bishop of Smyrna.
Was Martyred and sentenced to die
in the coliseum by way of being

10. Pictures

11. Augustine: Childhood
Augustine was born in 354, in Roman Africa.
His father was Pagan and his mother was
Catholic.
Despite his origins he grew up among Latin
people causing him to learn Latin.
When he was 11 he went to a school where he
became familiar with Latin literature and pagan
cultures, and beliefs.

12. Priesthood
In 395 he was made Bishop of Hippo, and
remained it until his death.
Augustine worked tirelessly in trying to convince
the people of Hippo to convert to Christianity, just
as he did.
He left his monastery, but continued to lead a
monastic life.

13. St. Benedict of Nursia:
Childhood
Born in Nursia near Spoleto, Italy in 480 A.D
His family was of noble lineage
He had a sister named, Scholastica, who from
childhood, vowed herself to God
She influenced St. Benedict of Nursia to live a
very religious life from a young age
At the age of 14, he left Rome and lived in a cave
near Subiaco

14. Western Monasticism
Monasticism is a religious way of life
characterized by the practice of renouncing
worldly pursuits to fully devote one's self to
spiritual work
He is considered the founder of western
monasticism
In the Christian tradition, males pursuing a
monastic life are usually called monks

15. Nicea II
The Second Council of Nicaea is regarded as the
Seventh Ecumenical Council by various Western
Christian groups
It met in AD 787 in Nicea to restore the importance of
icons, or holy images, which had been forgotten by
Leo III who reigned over the Byzantine Empire
The most common topic of discussion for the Second
Council of Nicea was about Iconoclasm
The reason of the meetings of the Second Council
was to discuss what should be done about the
destruction of icons

16. Iconoclastic Controversy
Iconoclasm is the destruction of religious icons for a
religious motive
It is a major component for political or religious
change
Iconoclasm in the Byzantine Empire began with
Emperor Leo III
Apart from the obvious religious problems, it created
political and economic divisions in the society
The Second Council of Nicea was held in AD 787 to
address the conflict of the growing iconoclasm that
was prevalent in the Byzantine Empire

17. MOSAICS
Mosaics are small pieces or glass, stone, or tile
to create many small pieces look like one larger
image.
Catholic churches usually used stone or tile
Mosaics were floor mosaics, wall mosaics, or
arch mosaics on the ceilings

18. MOSAICS

19. Books
The books were very decorative and had lots of
gold
They also didn’t have any words on the front, just
carvings almost

20. Roman Statues
Romans art in churches and in the cities were
statues usually made of marble or some sort of
stone or tile and were people usually

21. Bibliography
http://www.slidefinder.net/C/Christian_Visual_Art
_100_600/27211491/p4
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04295c.htm
http://www.scaruffi.com/politics/romans.html
http://roman-empire.net/