Lecture 15: The Extension of Christian Culture
o The sacrament of repentance (or “penance”) sanctified the turn
from sin during the course of adult life.o Ordination to the priesthood was preceded by a number of
“lesser” orders (porter, lector, acolyte, exorcist) and two “major
orders” (subdeacon and deacon), representing multiple levels
of initiation.o The last sacraments reaching official status were matrimony
and final anointing (for the terminally ill).• Time itself was sanctified by an ever-more elaborate liturgical year
that served to bring the biblical past into the present by celebrating
moments in the history of salvation and the life of Christ.
o Sunday, the traditional Christian celebration of the Resurrection
of Jesus, was declared a public holiday by Constantine.o Over time, a seasonal liturgical cycle contemporized the events
of the sacred past. The oldest cycle revolved around Easter, the
celebration of the Resurrection: It was preceded by the 40-day
period of Lent, followed by an “Easter season,” and concluding
with the feast of Pentecost.o A similar cycle centered on Christmas, the celebration of the
birth of Christ. It was preceded by the season called Advent
(“arrival”) and followed by a “Christmas season,” concluding
with the feast of Epiphany.o The time outside these cycles was designated as “ordinary
time.” In the liturgy, the Gospel stories concerning Jesus’s
words and deeds were read.o Another liturgical cycle began to develop, centered on the
celebration of the saints: first the martyrs, then the “confessors”
(those who did not capitulate to persecution though they were
not killed), and then virgins and widows. The sanctoral cycle
celebrated the “communion of saints,” linking the church