1.) List THREE facts about Roman Emperor Constantine.
In 312 CE Constantine was about to lead his army in a battle that would change the world. The soldiers of his enemy Maxentius faced him at the Milvian Bridge outside Rome. The winner would become the Roman Emperor.Constantine was a pagan who worshipped the sun, and he was worried about the coming battle. He says he started to pray to the “Supreme God” for help. |
There was a sign in the sky “above the sun” and with it the words “conquer by this”. That night in a dream he said he saw Jesus telling him to use the chi-rho sign “as a safeguard in all battles”. Constantine ordered it to be put on his soldier’s shields – and won the battle. The symbol is made of the first two letters of ‘Christ’ in Greek – chi (X) and rho (P) |
2.) What happened during the council of Nicea? Why do you think this created a great deal of scepticism around the Catholic religion?
When Constantine defeated Emperor Licinius in 323 AD he ended the persecutions against the Christian church. Shortly afterwards Christians faced a trouble from within: the Arian controversy began and threatened to divide the church. The problem began in Alexandria. Arius proposed that if the Father begat the Son, the latter must have had a beginning, that there was a time when he was not, and that his substance was from nothing like the rest of creation. The Council of Nicea, a gathering similar to the one described in condemned the beliefs of Arius and wrote the first version of the now famous creed proclaiming that the Son was “one in being with the Father” by use of the Greek word “homoousius.”
3.) Why did Celtic monks choose to not ride horses and walk on foot during pilgrimages?
Celtic Christians loved books and learning and their monasteries produced beautiful writings like the famous “Book of Kells”. They also believed in “pilgrimage for the love of God”. Monks did not stay all the time in monasteries, and Celtic monks travelled far and wide to spread the Christian faith – even going as far as Iceland and Kiev in Russia.
The Celtic Missionary monks lived simple lives and walked everywhere – they said horses separated them from the people they might meet on the way. Their lives of love, goodness and constant prayer impressed people and through them the Christian faith grew in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Northern England. They started monasteries like those at Iona and Lindisfarne. Celtic missionary monks included St Patrick, St David, St Columba, St Aiden and St Kentigern
4.) List THREE important facts about the Monastery in Iona.
Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland that has an important place in the history of Christianity in Scotland and is renowned for its tranquility and natural beauty.Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland that has an important place in the history of Christianity in Scotland and is renowned for its tranquility and natural beauty.
Prior to the 6th century, Iona may already have been a sacred island in the pre-Christian traditions of the Iron Age inhabitants of the Hebrides.
Though there is no actual physical evidence for this, it would explain why Columba settled on this particular island. In 563 Saint Columba, also known as Colm Cille, was exiled from his native Ireland as a result of his involvement in the Battle of Cul Dreimhne, and founded a monastery on Iona with 12 companions.
5.) What is the book of Kells? Why was it written?
The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was transcribed by Celtic monks ca. 800. The text of the Gospels is largely drawn from the Vulgate, although it also includes several passages drawn from the earlier versions of the Bible known as the Vetus Latina. It is a masterwork of Western calligraphy and represents the pinnacle of Insular illumination. It is also widely regarded as Ireland’s finest national treasure.
6.) Provide an illustration of this book and explain why it is such an important artefact for religion in the middle ages.
The illustrations and is very important of the Book of Kells surpass that of other Insular Gospels . The decoration combines traditional Christian scriptures with the ornate swirling typical of Insular art. Figures of humans, animals and mythical beasts together. Many of these minor decorative elements are imbued with Christian symbolism and so further the themes of the major illustrations.
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