RESEARCH EXERCISE 2 INSTRUCTIONS
Research and locate 1 scholarly journal article on each of the following 3 topics for a total of 3 scholarly journal articles. Scholarly journal articles must be articles from scholarly or academic journals. “Christianity Today” and Bible dictionaries/encyclopedias (in printed form or online) do not count as scholarly articles. Also, books and book reviews cannot be used. Instead, find a scholarly article from an academic journal to use; they will usually be more than 5 pages. If you question if an article is acceptable, contact your professor. Part of the grade derives from your ability to summarize scholarly journal articles.
Using proper, current Turabian format, summarize the main points of each article in your own words in a 1-paragraph summary. Include the bibliographic information for each of the 3 articles. The 3 topics are as follows:
1. The conversion of Constantine.
2. The impact of the fall of the Western Empire on the church.
3. The role of heretical Christianity on the advent of Islam.
Your research findings must be submitted in 1 document via the SafeAssign submission link in the Assignments folder and uploaded to Discussion Board Forum 2.
Submit this assignment to SafeAssign and upload it to Discussion Board Forum 2 by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Wee
Summary
Name:
Course:
October 28, 2016
The conversion of Constantine
Drake, H.A. “Constantine and Consensus”. Church History64, no. 1 (1995): 1-15.
Constantine’s conversion entailed his move from Paganism to Christianity. This event shaped the life of many Christians, including the Constantine. Despite the lack of the actual date of the occurrence of this event, Constantine got an opportunity to inherit the empire depending on his broad protection of Christians. Constantine had open disagreements with the persecution of Christians as he evolved into an emperor who ended all the molestations that were facing Christians through the use of his court making himself a friend of the church. Constantine had a strong desire to leave the throne of the Roman Empire to his son.
How the Collapse of the Western Empire Affected the Church
Hanson, R.P.C. “The Reaction of the Church to the Collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the Fifth Century” Vigiliae Christians 26, no. 1 (1972): 272:287.
The collapse of the Western Empire came as a result of combined factors. The most important external issue was the savage attacks despite the presence of internal forces that attributed to the collapse of this empire. Research suggested that the increased growth of centralized monasticism was another factor that led to this decline. Most of the Christians had to revert to their ancient ways by holding the secular administrative role as those who were highly educated managed the falling empire. They also failed to pay attention to other factors such as justice. The incurred changes were too sporadic for the church making the believers experience a lot of hardships.
The Role of Heretical Christianity on the Advent of Islam
Speel, C.J. “The disappearance of Islam from North North Africa in the Wake of the Rise of Islam”. Church History: Studies in Christianity and Culture 29, no. 4. (1960): 379-397.
The tremendous inception of the Islamic religion in North Africa offers the best illustration for the fundamental duty that Heretical Christianity performed in the initiation of this new religion, Islamic. The north of Africa was regarded as a region of high conversion as Augustine of Hippo and Tertullian; Cyprian of Carthage had a great influence. However, the impact of the two leaders failed to challenge the intruding rule of the Muslims. Most of the people who were practicing Christianity were lured into the new religious teachings of Islamic religion as they converted to become Muslims. The lack of solid religious foundation among people who lived in the North Africa came from disintegrated faiths between the Catholic practices, some Chalcedonian, and Arians. Islam found a wide opportunity to flourish not only in North Africa but the whole world due to these differences.
Bibliography
Drake, H.A. “Constantine and Consensus”. Church History64, no. 1 (1995): 1-15.
Hanson, R.P.C. “The Reaction of the Church to the Collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the Fifth Century” Vigiliae Christians 26, no. 1 (1972): 272:287.
Speel, C.J. “The disappearance of Islam from North North Africa in the Wake of the Rise of Islam”. Church History: Studies in Christianity and Culture 29, no. 4. (1960): 379-397.