31 - towards a christian empire[1]

7/30/2019 31 - Towards a Christian Empire[1]

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31. Towards a Christian Empire

Towards a Christian Em ire

Early Christianity and the Classical Tradition; New

Tradition and a Canon; The Post Apostolic Church; The

Postapostolic Church and Increasing Persecution; Riseof Constantine and the Triumph of Christianity

Early Christianity and the Classical Tradition Christianity started out as a movement within Judaism: Jesus and the

apostles ministered primarily among Jews

The Book of Acts chronicles the geographic and ethnic expansion of

Christianity

Early Christianity spread through the Greco-Roman world largely through themedium of Classical languages and the cultural and political unity providedby the Roman state.

At this phase the Roman government was neutral, even benign in its treatment ofChristians

The pressures of Roman opposition to Christianityboth official and unofficialhelped strengthen the new movement


os -apos o c r s an y can e seen as a syn es s e ween a u eo- Christian ethical and theological legacyand the Classical Tradition

Christian teachings were increasingly understood and explained with philosophical

languagejust articulating existing doctrines or perhaps modifying them?


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Early Christian Congregations


New Testament and Classical Culture: Acts 6, 928Luke, a Greek Christian writing about the early Church

Stephen and the seven Grecian or Hellenist deacons (Acts 6, all Greeknames)

Aeneas of Lydda (Acts 9:3235, a Roman name!)

,

The centurion Cornelius of the Italian band (Acts 10)

Paul, apostle to the Gentiles

Pharisaic Jew, cultural Greek, Roman citizen!

His missionary techniques

Pauls Speech about the Unknown God at Athens (17:2231)

Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walkedaround and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar withthis inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something


unknown I am going to proclaim to you. (18:23-24 NIV; KJV too superstitious) For In him we live and move and have our being [quote from Epimenides

Cretica, c. 600 B.C.]; as even some of your own poets have said, For we too arehis offspring. [quote from Aratus Phaenomina, c. 325-240. B.C.] (17:28 NRSV)


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New Testament and Classical Culture:

1 Thessalonians

Ethical admonitions (4:112)

Leading a life pleasing to God good public morality

Pauls use of Stoicism, Epicureanism, etc.

These injunctions echo common Stoic and Epicurean slogans

taught of God, a common Stoic notion

work with your hands and lack nothing stress Stoic self-sufficiency (autarkeia)

brotherly love, Epicurean ideal

stud to be uiet/as ire to live uietl and do our own


business/mind your own affairs reflect the Epicurean maximescape notice as you live

Development of a Tradition and a Canon Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ (c. 5 B.C.A.D. 30) Oral and Early Written Traditions

Krygmathe preaching tradition or proclamation of who Jesus is andwhat he did

Early Christian Hymns and Prayers

Ministry of the Apostles, especially Peter and Paul (c. A.D. 3064/68) Letters of Paul Letters of Peter, James, Jude

Gospels written (c. A.D. 6090) Mark; Matthew and Luke; John

Late Ministry of John 1-3 John, Revelation


Early copying and circulation (c. AD 100250) Persecutions of Emperor Decius (A.D. 349Persecutions of Emperor Decius (A.D. 34951) destroyed most copies51) destroyed most copies

of the scripturesof the scriptures

New copying, circulation, and collection Athanasius of Alexandria makes a list of 27 official NT books (A.D. 367) Third Council of Carthage sets final canon (A.D. 397)


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The Post Apostolic Church

Increasingly a Gentile church Jesus is often interpreted, and depicted, as a Greek or Roman

Apostolic Fathers: leaders who knew apostles

o ycarp, sc p e o o n

Clemens, successor to Peter?

Questions of authority and government

Developing liturgies and iconography

Greek and Latin Fathers Increasingly well-educated thinkers become leaders of the church

The issue of the synthesis with Neoplatonism


Increasing persecution

Increasing penetration of all classes, groups

Christians and the Roman Empire Early Roman view of Christiansinitially just Jews Later problems with Christians

Christian eschatologylooked for the destruction of the world (andRome)

r s an assoc a ons oo e co eg a, anne assoc a ons Christian monotheismthe demands of the Imperial Cult Christian world viewcity of God above all, even state

Roman persecutions: At first not systematic or empire-wide Neronian: The Burning of Rome

Christians scapegoats for arsonpersecution local and temporary Tacitus bias limited understanding of the movement

Annales 15.37-44, esp. 44 (packet, 125-128)


Domitianic (cf. Revelation) Imperial Policy, Trajan and Pliny correspondence: dont ask, dont

tell Not until Decius, A.D. 29451, was there a widespread,

methodical persecution of Christians


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Early Christian Art Early Church fathers discouraged

figurative art Nevertheless, evidence of

Christian use of the visual arts

appears ear y n r s an ura s

Frescoes in underground

burials called catacombs

Elaborately carved marble

sarcophagi

Developing iconography

Christ as the Good Shepherda Greek as well as Jewish


motif)

Fish symbolism

ICHTHYS: Jesus Christ sonof God, Savior

The Cross Mosaic including sacramental chalice and fish

Catacombs and Tomb Art

Catacombs: used for Christian burialsand some remembrance services butnotas secret places of worship.Left: Christ Teaching the Apostles,c. A.D. 300, Tomb of Domitilla, Rome



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Christ as the Good Shepherd, second century A.D. Christ depicted as a young, beardless Roman

youth Compare to the Archaic Calf Bearer below

Influenced b the contra osto of Praxiteles


Diocletian Diocletian gained

control of the entireempire

constitutionalfictions ofAugustus andprevious emperors,Diocletian initiatedof absolutismdominus et deus

Tetrarchy: empire

11/17/2009 31b. Constantine and the Triumph of Christianity 12

with an emperorin each section(ultimately failed)


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Rise of Constantine

Constantine began as Caesar, or junior emperor in Britain Defeated the other emperor in the West at the Battle of

the Milvian Bridge in A.D. 312

After temporarily allying himself with the senior emperor inthe East, Constantine fought and won another civil war,reunited the empire, and moved the capital toConstantinople (A.D. 324)

Constantines new capital shifts the empires focus to the

more prosperous and secure East, away from the West that


The Triumph of Christianity Did Christianity Truly Triumph?

Christianity over paganism, empire over church, philosophy infiltratesreligion?

. .

See Eusebius (online)

After bitterly persecuting the Church, one of Diocletians successors inthe tetrarchy, Galerius, reversed himself and issued the first edict oftoleration(A.D. 311)

Constantine and Christianity

Battle of the Milvian Bridge (A.D. 312): Under this sign, conquer!

Edict of Milan (favorable toleration, A.D. 313)


Moved capital to Constantinople, a new, Christian city in the East


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Christianity: the Official Religion

Once external opposition was removed, internaldivisions raged

Heresies and Orthodoxy ArianismChrist Created

Athanasiusthe Father and the Son are coequal

Constantine calls the Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325)

Constantine tried to end Christian infighting After assembling a congress of bishops, Constantine

encouraged them to define what was orthodoxy

The Nicaean Creed re ected Arianism and used


philosophical language to describe the Trinity

Theodosius banned pagan cult (A.D. 391); Christianity

the officialstate religion

Constantine in

council withChristian

s ops, frescofrom Galata, Cyprus,

1513

11/17/2009 1631b. Constantine and the Triumph of Christianity


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Church Fathers, Theologians, Writers

Apostles > Apostolic Fathers > Greek and Latin Fathers Polycarp (John), St. Clement (Peter), etc.

Eusebius (A.D. c. 260340), bishop of Caesarea,cc es as ca s ory

Ambrose (A.D. 34097), bishop of Milan: treatises onChurch government, hymns

Jerome (A.D. 340420), translated the Latin VulgateBible

Augustine (A.D. 354430), bishop of Hippo

Synthesis with Neoplatonism


philosophical terms

Post-apostolic Christianity and the creeds

The Christian Basilicanote nave, aisles, transept, and apse



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Christian Basilica, cross section


St. Maria Maggiore, Rome, 432-440



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31 Towards a Christian Empire

Christ the Good Shepherd, mausoleum of Galla Placidia,Ravenna11/17/2009 2131b. Constantine and the Triumph of Christianity

Sarcophaguscarvings

Above: Carved frieze(relief) from Christ-Peter

Sarcophagus, A.D. 320-

330.

Left: Chi-Rho emblem,from the first letters ofChrist in Greek.


31 - towards a christian empire[1]

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