New
New
Year 4

Christianity in Western Europe

I can describe some features of the Western Christian Church.

New
New
Year 4

Christianity in Western Europe

I can describe some features of the Western Christian Church.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The early Christian Church that Constantine allowed was organised into Bishops, Presbyters and Deacons.
  2. Various councils were held over the years to agree on core beliefs like the three forms of God.
  3. After the establishment of Constantinople, Christianity in the Western Roman Empire developed in its own way.
  4. The Bishop of Rome, the Pope, was believed to have supremacy over the Christian Church as a whole.
  5. In Western Europe various monastic orders developed where the members devoted their life to God.

Keywords

  • Council - a council is a group of people that meet to give advice or make decisions

  • Constantinople - Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire

  • Supremacy - to have supremacy is to have ultimate power and authority

  • Monk - a monk is a man who devotes his life to a religion and gives up regular, worldly life

  • Nun - a nun is a woman who devotes her life to a religion and gives up regular, worldly life

Common misconception

The early Christian councils selected the books of the New Testament.

Though various local regional councils published lists of Old and New Testament books, there is no evidence of councils meeting to vote on the New Testament canon.

For learning cycle 2, explore the structure, role and impact of various councils in the school, such as the school and eco council, and in the local area, such as the county or city council.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Place the events in the correct order, starting with the earliest.
1 - Jesus dies.
2 - The religion of Christianity starts.
3 - Christians are persecuted in the Roman Empire.
4 - Emperor Constantine legalises freedom of religion.
Q2.
Many Christians would rather be punished or even die than give up their religious beliefs, making them __________.
followers
Correct answer: martyrs
emperors
scapegoats
Q3.
Match the word to its meaning.
Correct Answer:Jesus,religious leader and, according to Christians, a divine person

religious leader and, according to Christians, a divine person

Correct Answer:Constantine,first Christian emperor

first Christian emperor

Correct Answer:bishop, a religious leader in some Christian churches

a religious leader in some Christian churches

Q4.
The Roman Empire was split in two in 395 CE and became the Western and __________ Roman Empires.
Northern
Southern
Correct answer: Eastern
Greek
Q5.
The capital of the Western Roman Empire was __________.
Correct answer: Rome
London
Judea
Athens
Q6.
The capital of the Eastern Roman Empire was __________ named in honour of Emperor Constantine.
Rome
Byzantium
London
Correct answer: Constantinople

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the person to their job.
Correct Answer:bishop,leader of the presbyters and deacons

leader of the presbyters and deacons

Correct Answer:presbyter,priest who delivers sermons and has their own congregation

priest who delivers sermons and has their own congregation

Correct Answer:deacon,supports the presbyter and does charitable work

supports the presbyter and does charitable work

Correct Answer:Pope,supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church

supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church

Correct Answer:monks and nuns,live in a religious community and dedicate their life to God

live in a religious community and dedicate their life to God

Q2.
What was the goal of the early Christian councils?
to decide which books to include in the Bible
Correct answer: to agree on a set of core Christian beliefs
to take their vows as monks
to elect a new Pope
Q3.
A monk lived and worked in a .
Correct Answer: monastery, Monastery
Q4.
Match the city to its Church.
Correct Answer:Constantinople,Eastern Orthodox Church

Eastern Orthodox Church

Correct Answer:Rome,Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

Q5.
Which of these was not a job that monks were expected to do?
copy religious manuscripts
feed the poor
look after the sick
Correct answer: choose which parts of the Bible to leave out
Q6.
Is the following statement true or false? Many Christian churches still use the organisational structure of bishop, presbyter (priest) and deacon.
Correct answer: True
False

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