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Constantine effect on Christianity
The influence of Constantine's conversion to Christianity
Religion in the Roman world
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During the third century, Emperor Constantine made Christianity popular, however, his version was a mix of Christianity and paganism that became a State religion and the foundation for the Catholic church. During this time there were several Christian groups that were separate from this State religion, and suffered for it. One of these groups was called the Donatists. “The Donatists were the strongest and most widespread group that arose in protest against the unholy union of the church and state under Constantine. They were named after their leader Donatus. The movement had its start in North Africa in 311 A.D.” (Wallace, R., Baptist Church History, pg. 59) They held a strong stand against the lack of morals and discipline in both the …show more content…
He encouraged the imperial court to legislate against the Donatist.” (Wallace, R., Baptist Church History, pg. 62) As a result Donatist’s properties were ceased and other severe penalties placed upon those who showed support for them. “The Donatist movement was crippled, and many of its adherents were restored to the Catholic body, but it survived nonetheless.” (Wallace, R., Baptist Church History, pg. 62) Despite many “Christians” returning to the State church, the persecution against groups like the Donatists, had a positive affect upon these believers in these groups too. These affects included a purification of the churches, as believers knew their lives were at risk by being a part of these groups, it caused a more serious dedication, and deterred some who were looking to attend for other reasons, whether social or economic. Another major affect was the spreading of the gospel, as the persecution caused many to move to other parts of the world, and they took the gospel message with them, wherever they
The Catholic Church referred to most groups that attempted to improve the Church and failed as ‘heretics;’ heresy could include “resistance to or rejection of Catholic sexual belief” (Crawford 73). Through use of this term, Catholics attempted to discredit these groups by categorizing them as counters to Catholic morality. Catholics previously had used this method to discredit groups like the Cathars, Waldensians, and Albigensians; all three of which rejected Catholic hierarchies regarding sex (Crawford 74). Like the Catholic Church, throughout the chronicle, Jeanne de Jussie continuously referred to Protestants as ‘heretics.’ Jeanne de Jussie too used the term to discredit the Protestants and to create a division between them and those who she considered to be true Christians: the
From 300-600 CE The Roman Empire allowed new religions to be formed and universalized. The Religion that was associated with The Roman empire was Christianity. Christianity became the religion of Rome because of a man named Constantine who allowed Christianity to spread and flow throughout the empire create a harmony throughout the people. Constantine allowed for the Roman officials to adopt Christianity and this led to the building of the Constantinople. Christianity had basilicas which were opulent churches that were open to all which meant any person could go there allowing Christianity to be very universal. Christianity was also very appealing because the worshiped deity walked on land with the people. Christianity split and became the Roman Catholic church which consisted
Constantine’s departure from Rome took with him the political seat of power. With the removal of the political head a power vacuum was created. The body that remained in Rome was that of the Christian church, feeble though it may have been. Rome’s identity was so deeply rooted in the pagan tradition that despite his best efforts Constantine was unable to convert it entirely. The former capital was still home to a powerful group of aristocrats which held on firmly to the roots of paganism. Gradually, with the support of the imperial court and the city’s urban masses, the church was able to gain a foothold in the fifth century (Krautheimer 33).
This loss of power was a direct result of several factors: the patriarchal canons of early Eastern and Western Church councils, the conversion of the Emperor Constantine, and the decree of Emperor Theodosius that made Christianity the state religion of Rome (Lynch,10). These events led to positions in the Church such as presbyter, deacon, and bishop being held in high regard, and also hi...
Christianity developed with Jesus of Nazareth (6 BCE- 29 CE). He was born during the reign of Augustus Caesar. He practiced Christianity from 26 CE to 29 CE. He was the Son of God and the Redeemer of all Mankind. The Romans viewed him as someone “rocking the boat” with what was already a nation of the religiously obsessed. Eventually h...
Eusebius’ account of Constantine’s conversion is comparable to Gregory of Tours’ accounts of Clovis’ and Gundobad’s conversions to Christianity, in the sense that they all initially called upon the “Christ-God” (albeit Gundobad perhaps indirectly) to come to their aid, which he did, during periods of military crisis. The si...
Constantine’s conversion of the Roman Empire had a lasting effect on Christianity. Eusebius represents the conversion as a noble and respectable event for Christianity; however, early Christians know that the true beliefs of Christianity were heavily undermined. Because Christianity lost its true foundation, Christians were forced to find new ways to practice their beliefs and express their devotion. This watered-down version of Christianity opened the door to various divisions in the Church that still exist to this day. Although Constantine’s conquest of the Roman Empire appeared to be a positive event for Christianity, the original biblical canon of Christianity manifested into a liberal religion that lacked the true devotion of a real disciple.
Riley-Smith, Jonathan. The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading. The United States of America: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1986.
First, the rise of Christianity was a major event that affected many cultures, customs, and especially politics. In the
...tled in Italy and Judea. Many Roman rulers persecuted Christians, under Diocletian they weren’t even considered human, and outlawed from the Roman Empire. Diocletian claimed Christians as reprehensible for the fall of the Roman Empire. When Diocletian retired, Constantine took power and legalized Christianity, then became one himself. Christianity remained perennial even after the Empire fell because once it became widely accepted, due to its teachings on equality, forgiveness, and eternal happiness, many people enjoyed the idea that Jesus accepted sinners, and forgive them for their actions. This led many people to switch from polytheism to monotheism. Many people switched because they no longer believed in relying on pleasing the Gods to make their lives happier, but to figure out to make it better on their own. Christianity gave followers a sense of community.
•The execution of “this Christ” suppressed the “dangerous religious movement” of the Christians for a time, but then it quickly broke out again, first in Judea, but then spreading rapidly as far as Rome
Nearly 300 years separated Ignatius of Antioch and Augustine of Hippo, during that time a lot changed for Christians in the Roman Empire. The church moved from being a criminal religious organization, to a legal religious organization, to the only legal public religion. Christians during this time were always engaging the culture around them—religion, politics, literature, education, etc. This paper will describe the Christian Roman religion before Constantine and after Constantine.
The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved February 21, 2010 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org
After Jesus’ death the Church of the early years saw many increase in followers and it was then that the name “Christians” started becoming more and more common. Though, due in large to the fact that Christianity was not as wide spread, these next few years following held with them many persecutions from those whom did not
By the year 323, Constantine had brought the entire Roman Empire under his rule. At this time, a quarrel threatened the division of Christi...