The Church and Empire F R O M H O M E T O B A S I L I C A Last week Dialogue of the proto-christianity with it Jewish origins Is this the future of Judaism? Messianic Judaism? Or something new? Tension and fracture lines Jerusalem vs. Diaspora Traditional Judaism and Jerusalem Christians Tradition Jews and Jerusalem Christians Temple, the Law, and Tradition Diaspora Jews and Gentile Christians Pauline grace, faith and eschatology Background: The Ages of Rome The Monarchy 753 BC and the founding of the city Romulus first king Roman Republic 509 BC and the overthrow of the kings 2 Counsels and a Senate Triumvirate Emperor Judea and Jerusalem conquered (64 BC) Roman Empire 27 BC Augustus Caesar 2 nd century the great Pax Romana eventually East and West Roman Empires in the 4 th century, after Constantine 1
Odds and Ends: some key historical events Julius Caesar (27 BCE) grants Judaism status as an ancient religion Jewish-Roman War (67-70 CE) Destruction of 2 nd Temple and the city Pharisaic Judaism and rabbis in post-temple world Council of Jamnia (ca. 90 CE) Christians expelled from synagogue 18 th benediction curses followers of the Nazarene and other heresies Christianity in a Roman World Christianity was Rather small, located largely in the cities, and often thought as being just a sect of Judaism, or a new cult (and hence not ancient ) Its members included more than just one ethnic group It was not limited to a specific region It was ambivalent to secular society in general The members often refused military service Steadfastly refused to offer sacrifice to the Roman gods And yet the cult keep advancing in membership and location Centers of Early Christianity Jerusalem James as leader ; martyred in 63 CE Destroyed in 70 CE and again in 135 bar Kochba revolt E. Hadrian rebuilds as Aelia Capitolina Covering all the holy places and expelling the Jews Diminished importance in Christianity until pilgrimage of St. Helena (mother of E. Constantine) in 326-38 CE Antioch Large Jewish diaspora center first church by St. Peter Later evangelized by St. Paul Where name Christians is coined Gospel of Matthew, St. Ignatius of Antioch, important center 2
Centers of Early Christianity (2) Alexandria Largest Diaspora community, center of learning and study St. Mark credited with evangelizing Clement, Origen, Athanasius, Cyril, Desert Fathers, but also Arius and center of Christian Gnosticism Asia Minor / Anatolia Many early communities mentioned in Acts, Epistles and Book of Revelation St. John, Polycarp, Papias Place of the first seven (7) ecumenical councils but also home to Marcion and Montanism 2 nd Century Christianity Centers of Early Christianity (3) Caesarea Maritima After 135 was the metropolitan for Jerusalem Home to Basil, Jerome, Eusebius And many other areas in the East: Greece, Cyprus and notably, Damascus Areas in the West include: Rome (Sts. Peter and Paul) Lyon (St. Irenaeus, later 2 nd century) Carthage (St. Augustine, later 4 th century) Milan (St. Barnabas) 3
Centers of Early Christianity (4) Centers away from the core of the Empire Brittan Armenia and Georgia modern-day Iraq and Iran Mesopotamia and Parthia southern Arabian peninsula, Yemen and cities of the gulf Ethiopia and Nubia India and the Malomar coast region (St. Thomas) A note: the five patriarchies: Rome, Constantinople, Antioch, Alexandria and Jerusalem stems from the 6 th century How was the spread of Christianity possible? Pax Romana 2 nd Century was an era of extended peace, ease of travel and merchant prosperity Changes in world view Greek-barbarian replaced by Roman and non- Roman Testimony in secular and Christian writings Emphasis on loyalty to the provider of the peace Emperor The Empire 2 nd Century Equilibrium Roman View of Things Unity and order were the desired goals of civic life Diversity was tolerated as long as it was loyal to the Empire and person of the Emperor And was either regional, ancient,.. and loyal Christianity s View Secular order was transitory; aimed at an eternal order Diversity, except in belief. There was one Lord, one Faith, and one Baptism and one loyalty 4
Roman View of Christianity Christians were sojourners in our cities but are not of it (Celsus) Justin the Martyr (Apologia) His arguments reveal what was at question is the loyalty to the state, this mystery cult as a source of division, and the shadow of rebellion lead by the soon-to-come Messiah Tatian (Christian; Address to the Greeks) Reveals an intolerance to the philosophers and other religions Threaten divine punishment upon the Emperor and Empire Celsus Christianity is new-fangled cult Revolutionary sect internally bound by oaths They were Jews but were a disruptive movement against them They did not respect the protective deities and Roman order Christianity was a threat to order and peace and to be watched The blood of the martyrs as the seed of the church? Martyr: from the Greek word meaning to witness. Early Persecutions: Local and Irregular Emperor Dates Description Before 64 Intramural hostility within Jewish-Christian sphere. Aquila, Priscilla, and all Jews exiled from Rome (Acts 18:2-3) Nero 54-68 Great fire of Rome; poem of the mystery cult from >100 years prior still active. Persecutions local to Rome. Wide spread executions (Tactius Annals XV.44-45) Domitian 81-96 Persecutions as background to Book of Revelation. There is no clear evidence to widespread action, but the degree and severity were always controlled by local governor. Majority of persecutions were local and personal involved bringing charges, generally of sedition, that were handled at civil trial before magistrate Trajan 98-117 Pliny the Younger, governor of Bithynia series of letters to Emperor (ca. 110-112) 5
One Governor s Approach Pliny the Younger letter to Emperor Trajan I interrogated them whether they were Christians; if they confessed it I repeated the question twice again, adding the threat of capital punishment; if they still persevered, I ordered them to be executed. For whatever the nature of their creed might be, I could at least feel not doubt that contumacy and inflexible obstinacy deserved chastisement. There were others possessed of the same folly; but because they were Roman citizens, I signed an order for them to be transferred to Rome But this seems to be the exception rather than the rule but does reflect a standard view of Christianity s loyalty to the Empire Later Persecutions Emperor Dates Descriptions Marcus Aurelius Septimus Servus 165-180 Issued an edict exiling believers to islands but no record of such banishments. In Lyon there was a local persecution based on charges of sexual perversion and human sacrifice by the Christian mystery cult 193-211 First empire-wide edict against Christians: closing school of Alexandria and forbidding conversion to Christianity. This edict was the cause of Tertullian s defense of the faith as no danger to the empire in fact Christian s were useful. Caracalla 211-217 After finishing a war with the Parthians and their Jewish alliance, there was a general get tough policy on the Jews that caught up the Christians too. Maximus the Thrace 235-238 First empire-wide action for loyalty from all citizens only Jews were exempt. Required public sacrifice to the gods and allegiance above all to Emperor. Refusal meant trial and likely death. First use of libellus. Celebration of the Millennium: 247 CE Pax Romana the glory years were behind Celebration needed to revive the Empire Christians were noticeably absent from events Repercussions: 248 CE was a year of mob violence against Christians in many places Signs of change of chaos and instability Goth invasions 238-249 CE Military mutinies becoming common Major economic downturn was beginning Citizens need to be loyal! 6
Persecutions in the Memory of the Church Emperor Dates Description Decius 249-251 Edict of Decius (250) 18 month persecution more widely enforced than Maximus. This lead to wide spread response: martyrs, apostates, pseudo-apostates, and those who went in to hiding. This gave rise to the Donatist movement. Valerian 253-260 But he was off fighting a war only here and there local enforcement Edict in 257 ordering all clergy to perform sacrifice and loyalty oath * and meeting no longer allowed in catacombs or cemeteries. In 258 ordered all bishops put to death, Senators stripped of land and titles then * or death. Matrons, dispossessed then * or banished, Emperors staff sent in to slavery. Shows degree to which Christianity permeated society. Also the edict list Christianity as organized crime. A Change in Roman Leadership Diocletian reformed the leadership in to a tetarchy of an Imperial College Co-Emperors (Augustus) Junior co-emperors (Caesars) The East-West orientation is introduced Augustus (Rome) with Caesar (north of the Alps) Augustus (Anatoly) with Caesar (Egypt-Syria) From c. 284 onward there are lots of differing names all having power and most supported by the armies. Diocletian and Galerius Augustus Diocletian is focused on restoring the glory of Rome and than means the gods Christians purged from army (284-294); Manicheans put to death In 302 Caesar Galerius urges empire-wide persecutions of Christians supported by Oracle of Apollo. Edict issued Feb 24, 303 But Augustus Maximan and Caesar Constantinus did not enforce Constantine (son of Constantinus) restored Christians in his area of control in 306 311 Galerius issued Edit of Toleration (ignored in Egypt and Palestine) 313 Constantine and Licinus issue Edit of Milan which ended the persecutions empire wide 7
Christianity and the Empire 312 Battle of Milvian Bridge 313 Edict of Milan Christians may practice faith without oppression Returned church property and restored people as best as possible Reign of Constantine (312-337) Great sponsor and supporter of Christianity (and others) Age of the basilicas grant of the Lateran palace Arbitrator of Christian disputes Donatists Arianism Official religion of the Empire (380 Theodosius the Great) Continued imperial interventions: Council of Constantinople to affirm Nicene orthodoxy The Constantinian Effect Establishing a donor climate to endow the Church genesis of the public church as landmark currying favor with Emperor = lavishing riches on the Church Status of clergy Immunity from taxes and levies Afforded imperial privileges when traveling Status of Bishops Given same juridical authority as magistrates Supported by public funds Conversion in unimagined numbers Est. 300 ~ well less than 1 million Christians Est. 360 ~ 30 million Christians and Emperors in the middle of church matters. Next Time We will back up a little into the 2 nd century The Apologists The articulation of faith and doctrine Early heresies Gnosticism and Manichaeism And what about The Donatists and the Montanist and then there are the Arians, Sabellians, Docetists, and on Emperor Constantine and The Council of Nicea Who do you say that I am There was more than one answer 8