THE According to The

Moody Handbook of
CATHOLICISM
Theology
ORIGIN the formal consecration of the
Roman Catholic Church by Pope
Gregory I in 590 AD marked the
consolidation of Papal Authority. Saint
Peter was one of the 12 disciples of
Jesus Christ and became an influential
leader of the Christian movement. The
disciples of Christ consider themselves
a Jewish reform movement, but admit to
following many Jewish laws.

The Roman Catholic

Church
based in the Vatican and headed
by the Pope, is the largest of all
branches of Christianity with
approximately 1.3 billion adherents
worldwide. Roman Catholics believe
that the Catholic Church was founded
Saul, one of the
by Jesus Christ when he commissioned most powerful
the Apostle Peter to be the head of the
church. This belief is based on the persecutors of the
Gospel of Matthew, when Jesus Christ
said to Peter in Mateo 16:18 "At early Christian Jews
sinasabi ko naman sa iyo na ikaw ay
Pedro at sa ibabaw ng batong ito ay became a Christian after seeing a
itatayo ko ang aking iglesia at ang mga miraculous vision of Jesus Christ on the
Pintuan ng Hades ay hindi road to Damascus. He took the name
magsisipanaig laban sa kaniya" Pablo, a member of the early Christian
church and one of its greatest
evangelists. Also known as "Pauline
Christianity," Pauline ministry
focused on the Gentiles and slowly
divided the church. During this period,
Gnostic Christianity taught that Jesus
Christ was a spirit sent by God to
provide knowledge and salvation from
the evils of earthly life.
After the fall of
Jerusalem in 70 AD
the Judeo-Christian movement
spread, Pauline and Gnostic Christianity
became the dominant groups. The
Roman Empire legally recognized
Pauline Christianity in 313 AD, and
Roman Catholicism became the state
religion of the Roman Empire in 380 AD.
The First Council of
Nicaea
was convened by the Roman
Emperor Constantine I. The council
sought to consolidate the leadership of
the Church on a model similar to the
Roman system and formalized the main
articles of faith.
In 1054 AD, the
Roman Catholic
Church and the
Eastern Orthodox
Church
were officially separated again
and that separation continues today.
The next division occurred during the
Protestant Reformation in the 16th
Century. Those who remained loyal to
Roman Catholicism believed that
centralized control of doctrine by church
leaders was necessary to prevent
confusion and division in the Church
and to corrupt its faith. During the period
from 33 to 100 CE, known as the
Apostolic Age, the early church was led
by his 12 apostles of Jesus and began a
mission leading Jews in various parts of
the Mediterranean and the Middle East
to Christianity. In 60 CE, Apostle Pablo
returns to Rome after being persecuted
for trying to convert the Jews to
Christianity. From 100 CE to 325 CE,
known as the Anti-Nicene period, which
preceded the Council of Nicaea, this
period marked the growing separation of
the Christian church from Jewish culture
and the gradual spread of Christianity
into Western Europe, the Mediterranean
region and the Middle East. 313 CE The
Roman Emperor Constantine legalized
Christianity and in the year 330 CE
moved the Roman capital to
Constantinople, making the Christian
church the central authority in Rome.
 doctrines and practices of the Roman
Pope Gregory l Catholic churches. 1534 CE, King Henry
VIII of England declared himself to be
began his pontificate where the
supreme leader of the Church of
Catholic Church engaged in a massive
England separating the Anglican Church
effort to encourage new people to
from the Roman Catholic Church. 1545-
Catholicism. This begins a period of
1563 CE begins the Catholic Counter
enormous political and military power
Reformation a period of revival of
controlled by the Catholic Popes this
Catholic influence in response to the
date is marked by some as the
Protestant Reformation.
beginning of the Catholic Church as we
know it today. 632 CE the prophet of
Islam Muhammad died in the following
years the rise of Islam and extensive
conquest of much of Europe led to the
brutal persecution of Christians and the
removal of all the leaders of Catholic
Church except those in Rome and
Constantinople. 1250 CE the inquisition
began in the Catholic Church. It was an
attempt to suppress religious heretics
and encourage non-Christians, the In 551 CE at The
various forms of which intensified the
persecution persisted for several Council of
hundred years.
Chalcedon
the head of the Constantinople
church was declared to be the head of
the Eastern branch equal to the
Authority of the Pope. This effectively
began the division of the church into
Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic
branches.

1870 CE, The First

1517 CE, Marthin
Vatican Council
Luther
declared the policy of Papal
published the 95 Theses
formalizing the arguments against the infallibility which is believed to be the
decisions of the Holy Pope and cannot
be blamed and considered the word of
God. The Second Vatican Council in a
series of meetings reaffirmed church
policy and initiated several measures
aimed at modernizing Roman
Catholicism.