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Lecture 4: Historical Developments 312 - 604

Lecture 4: Historical Developments 312 - 604. Dr. Ann T. Orlando. Introduction. Review of Third Century Importance of Constantine Church-State Relations: Emperor Theodosius and St. Ambrose; Empress Eudoxia and St. John Chrysostom Early Church Councils Barbarian Invasions

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Lecture 4: Historical Developments 312 - 604

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  1. Lecture 4:Historical Developments 312 - 604 Dr. Ann T. Orlando Lecture 4 ATO

  2. Introduction • Review of Third Century • Importance of Constantine • Church-State Relations: • Emperor Theodosius and St. Ambrose; • Empress Eudoxia and St. John Chrysostom • Early Church Councils • Barbarian Invasions • Irish Christianity • Historical Situation at Beginning of 7th C • Review Readings Lecture 4 ATO

  3. Review of Third Century • Increased pressure on Rome from Persia and northern barbarians • Political instability; murder and succession of generals as emperors • Empire-wide persecution of Christians • Martyrs • Apologists • Lapsed Lecture 4 ATO

  4. Political Situation at Beginning of Fourth Century • Diocletian becomes emperor in 284. • Very strong ruler • Decides that best way to protect Empire is to divide it between two Augusti (East and West) supported by two Caesars (Augusti in waiting) • Unleashes worst persecution of all • Manages to retire and force his co-Augutus, Maximian, to retire with him(305) • A few problems with Diocletian’s plan: • Both Augusti and both Caesars headed their own armies and areas of influence • Except for Diocletian himself, the three other members of this tetrarchy saw this scheme as a way to take over the Empire when Diocletian died • When Diocletian retires, political intrigues and battles break about among the successors: • Constantius, Augustus, controlled England and Gaul, father of Constantine • Severus, Caesar, ruled Rome • Maximius, Caesar in Greece • Galerius, Augustus, in East • When Constantius dies, his troops proclaim his son, Constantine, Augustus Lecture 4 ATO

  5. Map of Roman Empire During Reign of Diocletian www.biblestudy.org/maps/romandio.html Lecture 4 ATO

  6. Key to Constantine’s take-over of entire Empire was battle of Milvian bridge over Tiber in Rome against Maxentius, son of Maximian in 312. Constantine credits his victory to a vision he had in which he was told to go into battle with the Christian symbol Troops carry chi-rho on their shields By 313 Constantine has captured all of the Empire and officially declared that Christianity was to be tolerated (Edict of Milan) ‘Gives’ most of Rome to the Catholic Church (Vatican, St. Paul outside the Walls, Lateran) Establishes Constantinople (on site of ancient Byzantium) as his new capital Constantine the Great: Political Power Lecture 4 ATO

  7. Constantine the Great: Ecclesial Power • Builds Churches, with his mother Helen, in Holy Land (Church of Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, Church of Nativity in Bethlehem) • Moves against the Donatists in North Africa • Calls Council of Nicea to decide between Athanasius and Arius on relation between Father and Son; Council supports Athanasius and Son as ‘one in being with the Father’: The Nicene Creed • Dies in 337 (after murdering his wife and eldest son); baptized by (an Arian) bishop shortly before he dies • Reaction of Church: • Eusebius of Caesarea: the Christian kingdom has arrived • Also some concern about people entering Church for political, not spiritual, reasons Lecture 4 ATO

  8. Major Social Changes in 4th C Due to Constantine • Christian clergy given tax relief • Churches could receive legacies • Sunday as a day of rest • Bishops could act as judges in their diocese (Roman administrative province) • Christian could not charge another Christian interest on a loan (sin of usury) • Crucifixion prohibited • No branding of prisoners because mars image of God Lecture 4 ATO

  9. Key Historical Events in 4th Century after Constantine • Constantine’s Empire gets divided among his sons; but this only leads to civil war and a weakened Empire • After Constantine, all Emperors except Julian the Apostate (361-363) were Christians • Julian was a Christian, but returned to paganism • Julian tries to revive paganism • Planned to rebuild Jewish Temple • Killed in battle against the Persians • Some of Constantine's successors in 4th C were Arians; sent missionaries to Goths north of Danube (Arian missionary and bishop Wulfila) Lecture 4 ATO

  10. Theodosius the Great (379-393) and St. Ambrose of Milan (374-397) • Theodosius • Becomes Emperor after Emperor Valens (an Arian) is killed at Battle of Adrianople against Goths • Strong ruler who reunites the Empire • Orthodox Catholic ruler; makes Christianity the State religion • Ambrose • Prefect in Milan (Western Capital) • Baptized, Ordained Priest, Bishop in same week • Opposed Arians, in power in West • Politically more important than Pope (Siricius) because Milan more important than Rome • Confrontations, in both Ambrose is successful • Burning of Jewish synagogue in Mesopotamia • Massacre in Thessalonica Lecture 4 ATO

  11. Empress Eudoxia (398-404) and St. John Chrysostom (396-407) • Eudoxia married to Theodosius’ son, Emperor Arcadius (other son, Honorius, Emperor in West) • John Chrysostom (Golden Mouth) • Patriarch of Constantinople, • One of greatest theologians of period, extensive commentary on Scripture in Antiochene tradition • Preaches vehemently against courtly excess, especially targeting Eudoxia • John is exiled from Constantinople (twice) Lecture 4 ATO

  12. The Ecumenical Councils • Nicea I, 325, called by Constantine the Great • Condemned Arianism • Son of one substance with the Father • Nicene Creed • Constantinople I, 381, Called by Theodosius the Great • Affirmed divinity of Holy Spirit • Modified Creed; what we have now • Ephesus, 431, called by Valentinian III • Condemned Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople • Jesus was not two separate persons, but one person both human and divine • Mary as ‘Theotokos’ Mother of God • Chalcedon, 450, called by Empress Pulcheria (saint) at request of Pope St. Leo I (the Great) • Condemned monophysites: single nature • Christ has two natures: human and divine (Leo’s Tome) • Note: Both Nestorianism and Monophysitism are still present in a few Eastern churches; consider themselves ‘orthodox’ because they subscribe to Nicene Council Lecture 4 ATO

  13. Key Historical Events 5th Century • Increasingly West was under pressure from northern tribes (Goths, Visigoths, Vandals) who in turn under pressure from Huns • Some of those Goths led by Alaric sacked Rome in 410 • Effect of Julian’s apostasy and sack of Rome caused Christian theologians to rethink the initial triumphal historical view of Constantine: Augustine The City of God • Augustine dies in 430 as Hippos is besieged by Vandals • Center of power in Empire is only in Constantinople • Attila the Hun reaches Rome in 452, persuaded by Pope St. Leo the Great not to sack Rome (probably because there was nothing of value to sack) • Last Roman emperor in West abdicated in 476 • Pope Gelasius writes to Emperor Anastasius saying that spiritual power superior to temporal, 494 • Note Emperor Justinian tries but fails to reunite West and East in early 6th C Lecture 4 ATO

  14. 5th Century Invasions Lecture 4 ATO

  15. Irish Church • Parallel development of Catholic Christianity for two centuries • Ireland never part of Roman Empire; • not affected by 5th, 6th C barbarian invasions • St. Patrick (d. 490) returned to Ireland from England after having been a slave in Ireland to preach Christianity • Organizes parishes around monasteries • Makes Latin the scholarly language in Ireland • Irish monasteries are cutoff from Roman world due to barbarian invasions, develop different customs • Different calculation for Easter • Discipline (penance, private confession) • Organization: abbots rather than bishops • In early Sixth Century Irish monks led by St. Columba establish a monastery at Iona, Scotland Lecture 4 ATO

  16. 6th Century Missionary Activities in Western Europe • Parallel, independent missionary activities from Rome and Ireland (Iona) • Irish monks in 6th Century go to France, Germany, Holland to preach Christianity • St. Columban(us) travels extensively through Europe establishing Irish style monasteries, including one in Northern Italy (d. 615) • Meanwhile, missionaries from Rome are also trying to convert Arian and Pagan Germanic tribes • Conversion of Chlodwech (Clovis) 496 • Pope St. Gregory the Great sends Augustine to England 597 • Differences between Irish and Roman Churches resolved at Synod of Whitby, 664, in favor or Roman customs Lecture 4 ATO

  17. Historical Situation in Early 7th Cin West • City of Rome is a desolate ruin with poor sanitation and filled with very poor people; under direct authority of Pope • Pope St. Gregory the Great rebuilds sanitation and water supply • Feeds the hungry • Bishops are often the only real source of learning, administration and civil justice • Irish and Roman missionaries have some success in converting pagan and Arian tribes • Visigoths rule Spain; Vandals rule North Africa; Lombards rule northern Italy; Byzantine control of Southern Italy and Sicily, Franks rule Western France; Anglo-Saxons in England; Alamani in Germany Lecture 4 ATO

  18. Historical Situation in Early 7th Cin East • Unified Eastern Empire firmly under control of Byzantine Emperor from Egypt to Danube • Primary contact between East and West is through the Pope • Ecclesial authorities are subordinate to civil • Eastern Empire will see itself as the continuation of ancient Roman Empire until the fall of Constantinople in 1453 Lecture 4 ATO

  19. So When Did Rome (Western Roman Empire) Fall? • When Constantine founded Constantinople as New Rome, c. 330? • When Western capitol moved to Milan in c. 375? • When Alaric sacked Rome in 410? • When the last Roman Emperor of West abdicated in 476? • When Clovis crowned was King of Franks by Catholic bishop in Rheims in 496? • With the failure of Eastern Emperor Justinian to recapture West in early 6th C? • Arguably this lecture covered the greatest historical and social changes in history of West • Conversion of Constantine • Sunset of Roman Empire in West and Rise of Europe Lecture 4 ATO

  20. Review Readings • Vidmar, 46 -86 • Edict (Rescript) of Milan, all of it • Eusebius, Conversion of Constantine, Chapters XXVII – XXXII • Augustine, The City of God, • Not easy reading; try to follow his arguments • Great treatise exploring Church and history, i.e., God’s plan • The relation between the Church and civil society • Immediate reason why Augustine write the CoG • Explain why this devastation (sack of Rome) now that Rome is Christian • Remember that invaders were Arian Christians • Book I: Preface, 1, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 33, 34, 35 • Book V: 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 Lecture 4 ATO

  21. Readings • Pope Gelasius, all of it • The basis for ‘church-state’ relations for the next 1300 years in the West • St. Columban, Boat Song, all • CCC 1886-1889 • The Church’s current understanding of conversion and society Lecture 4 ATO

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