Questions: Fill in the blanks to complete the passage below about divisions in early Christianity. As early Christianity grew more successful as an institutionalized religion, it also began to experience divisions over doctrine, called schisms. The first major dispute was over Arianism, which held that Jesus Christ was the son of God but was not a co-equal part of the deity. Another argument revolved around the importance of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Nestorianism argued that church leaders should cease treating Mary as though she were divine by calling her the Mother of God. Another major disagreement came because of Monophysitism, which broke from the Nicene Creed and held that Christ had not three but one, singular divine nature. All these issues threatened to tear the early Church apart and, by extension, the Byzantine Empire. Trinitarianism Catholicism + monasticism + Nestorianism Arianism schisms Monophysitism

To complete the passage about divisions in early Christianity, we need to fill in the blanks with the appropriate terms from the list provided. Here's the completed passage with explanations for each choice:

As early Christianity grew more successful as an institutionalized religion, it also began to experience divisions over doctrine, called schisms. The first major dispute was over Arianism, which held that Jesus Christ was the son of God but was not a co-equal part of the deity. Another argument revolved around the importance of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Nestorianism argued that church leaders should cease treating Mary as though she were divine by calling her the Mother of God. Another major disagreement came because of Monophysitism, which broke from the Nicene Creed and held that Christ had not three but one, singular divine nature. All these issues threatened to tear the early Church apart and, by extension, the Byzantine Empire.

Explanation:

1. Schisms: This term refers to divisions or splits within a religious community, particularly over doctrinal disagreements. In early Christianity, various schisms arose as different groups held differing interpretations of Christian doctrine.

2. Arianism: This was a significant early Christian heresy that denied the full divinity of Jesus Christ, asserting that he was a created being and not co-equal with God the Father. This was one of the first major doctrinal disputes in Christianity.

3. Nestorianism: This doctrine emphasized the disunion between the human and divine natures of Jesus and rejected the title of Theotokos (Mother of God) for Mary, suggesting instead that she should be called Christotokos (Mother of Christ).

4. Monophysitism: This belief held that Jesus Christ had only one nature, which was either divine or a synthesis of divine and human, as opposed to the orthodox position of two natures (divine and human) in one person. This was another major theological controversy in early Christianity.