The First Ecumenical Council held in 325 CE was the beginning of a long transition that changed the fate of Christianity throughout time. The series of events leading to this council was caused by years of Christian oppression, which came to an end under the rule of Emperor Constantine the Great. Constantine, in an attempt to keep his empire from being divided, called the council so that the Christians and Arians could end the feud that had been escalating between the two groups. The basis of arguing was on what the true nature of Jesus was, which Constantine attempted to solve by gathering the two oppositions together in order to come to an agreement. This series of events was thrown into motion because of the Diocletian Persecutions, which began in 303 under the rule of Emperor Diocletian. The four edicts of this time period were all part of the last systematic persecution of …show more content…
Through his literal interpretations of scripture, such as Genesis, he believed that Jesus was a creature of God and made from a different, lesser essence than God. He argued that since God was there from the beginning, Jesus, the son, was begotten of him, making him of lesser divinity than God the father. Arius displays his belief in a letter to Alexander of Alexandria by saying, “the Son begotten Timelessly before everything, alone was caused to subsist by the father. For he is not everlasting or co-everlasting or unbegotten with the Father.” (Arius). This excerpt shows that Arius believes only God is timeless, and that Jesus was not eternally begotten of the father. This belief is called Heteroousios and promoted the ideas that Jesus was a creature and of a different essence than God, which was a new interpretation at the time. Arius quickly gained a following and those who believed in his new interpretation were called
Ecumenism, in the sense of Australian Christianity, is the religious initiative towards unity within the Christian church. It is the promotion of co-operation and improved understanding between distinct religious groups or denominations within Christianity and other religions.
Charlemagne began his unification of Christianity by establishing orthodoxy through ecclesiastic synodi.5 Before Charlemagne was born, the Frankish church had not held a council for over 80 years.6 In the period of 80 years, churches began to drift apart in their common practices, creating disunity among the Frankish ...
With the fall of Rome, the world saw the rise of Christianity, specifically the Roman Catholic Church, which was created when a Roman Emperor named Constantine adopted Christianity as his own personal and the Roman Empire's official religion. From that time through the middle ages, Christianity grew in power and influence, the church enjoying a cozy relationship with the state. By the early fifth century, a mere one hundred years after Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, the church and state's power structure were deeply intertwined.
Constantine was the first Roman emperor to stop Christian persecutions and unjust done over the past years and took the step to legalize Christianity along with all other religions and cults in the Roman Empire, setting peace treaties and laws that preferred individual rights to worship and follow their own religion (Carroll, 2002).
Constantine I (February 27, 280 C.E.- May 22, 337 C.E.), also known as Constantine the Great, was the first Roman emperor to not only abolish persecution of Christians, but he was also the first to convert to Christianity in 312 A.D. Around 200 years later, in 496 A.D. Clovis I (466 C.E.- 511 C.E.), the King of the Franks, converted to Christianity, in which he was called a “new Constantine” . Constantine and Clovis’ reign through Christianity were alike in the way that they decided to convert. However, the two emperors were different in their commitment to God and their impacts on the church and state.
In 313 AD the Emperor Constantine formally recognized the Christian religion. Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, this event affected the way people thought and lived their lives. Had a great impact on how rulers viewed their power and used their powers. Such influence was portrayed in Christian art as we know today.
The Great Persecution started during the reign of Diocletian. Diocletian took power in 284 BCE and stepped down from emperor in 305 BCE. Diocletian took power when Rome was in a crisis. In the third century, the Roman Empire was changing. They had trouble with the transformation of the monarchy, the state was instable, the power of the military was increasing, some provinces were becoming more powerful in political and military aspects, there was social change, the empire had economic problems, there was a decrease in population which led to a manpower shortage, there was a religious and moral crisis, and lastly barbarian people were invading Rome . Diocletian came in and set up many reforms to help the Empire. He made reforms in government,
The Council of Jerusalem was around 48 A.D. and many say it is a key part of Christian ethics and had set many standards for future ecumenical councils. It decided whether a Gentile had to become a Jew before turning into a Christian and whether Gentiles
Of Constantine’s major accomplishments, the most important was his recognition of the Christianity. In 311 CE, he ordered the end of the persecution of Christians. On October 28, 312 CE, Constantine faced one of his greatest battles as he tried to consolidate his power. He was greatly outnumbered by the forces of Maxentius, who also wanted to be emperor. In a dream the night before the battle, Constantine saw the initials for the name of Christ as well as the cross and was told, “By this sign you will conquer.” The next morning, he had the initials painted on his helmet and ordered them to be painted on the shields of all his soldiers. Constantine’s forces won the day and he credited the Christian God with the victory. He was closer to his goal of absolute power as sole emperor of Rome was now, for all practical purposes, a Christian.
Constantine’s conversion made him more tolerant of Christianity in Rome, allowing the Church to spread to other parts of his empire and to preach in public society. Constantine is praised as the emperor who made Christianity no longer anti-Roman. Had Constantine not converted and reformed Rome, the Church would have never been able to gain as much of a foothold in Rome and the West. His conversion ended the widespread persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire and greatly increased Christian power and influence in Rome. Additionally, his conversion contributed Roman law to the Catholic Heritage of the West, forming a basis of Western thought on law and justice. The time frame significant to Constantine and the Church stretches back to as early as Nero’s persecution in AD 64 all the way to after the death of Constantine in ca. AD 400, when paganism in Rome finally fell.
Constantine the Great, first Christian Emperor, originator of Constantinople, creator of the Byzantine Empire, military conqueror, and honored saint, has been labeled by many the most instrumental emperor of the Roman Empire. Constantine played a crucial role in the development of Europe during the Middle Ages, and founded Christianity as the formal religion of the Roman Empire. His dynamic yet effective predominance laid the infrastructure of European development. From his humble beginnings, to his command of the Roman Empire, to his final days, Constantine’s impact on world history and Christianity has left behind an unforgettable legacy. He was described by Eusebius as “such an emperor as all history records not.” Ware compared him to, “a watershed in the history of the Church.” Additionally, Meyendorff states, “No single human being in history has contributed to the conversion of so many to the Christian faith.” Norwich declared that “No ruler in all of history has ever more fully merited his title of ‘the Great’…Constantine has serious claim to be considered the most influential man in all of history.” Some of Constantine’s notable acts in the history of Christianity was his calling of the first Ecumenical Council at Nicaea, his institution of freedom for Christianity with the Edict of Milan, and the relocation of the capital of empire from Rome to Constantinople.
In the first half of the third century, Christian persecution was fragmented and while Christianity was illegal, there is not evidence that it was widely persecuted. It also grew enormously during this time. Mostly, very outspoken Christian leaders were persecuted. In 249, the emperor, Trajan Decius, issued an edict that required all citizens to sacrifice to the gods. After this edict, there are numerous reports of Christian martyrdom in Alexandria, Smyrna and parts of Egypt. In 257, persecution was renewed under Valerian. After his reign, Galienus issued an edict ending the persecution of Christians, and peace in regards to religion was maintained throughout his rule . During this time, Christians became part of many Roman institutions, including the Senate and the Roman Army. It remained relatively stable until 303 under Diocletian and the tetrarchy. This period, called the Great Persecution, lasted until 312. Essentially, these persecutions led to an even greater spread of Christianity, and the cruelty of the Roman emperors’ in their treatment of Christians helped to quicken it.
When it comes to the topics of Rome, Christianity, and the problem of the sources and perspective, it is important to understand the relationship between the Roman Empire and Christianity. Christianity did not have a well respected first impression to the people of the Roman Empire, but as the hostility and confusion of the Romans grew as they tried to understand the role and relationship of Christianity in the Empire. Aside from the lack for first impressions and confusion, the Roman Empire moved from the oppression of the Christians to embracing them under the motives of the ruler Constantine, a Roman soldier and follower of the Christianity faith, whom made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire in 313 AD (Tristano). The
The ideal of unity seems to be of great importance in the religious world, but rarely is it ever achieved among professed Christians. However, it is vitally important to comprehend unity in its Biblical light. Jesus prayed in John 17:21, “That they all may be one, as thou, Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” By definition, unity is the state of being one. In order to have a unified church every member must be one one with the Father and the Son. Subsequently, to achieve such an oneness, each member must be perfectly holy, because God is holy. Unfortunately, this is where a clear contrast is made between the saints and mere religious professors.
Electronic devices shook the developed world with the development, expansion, and recent advancement of such devices. The use of electronic devices strengthens the most important aspects of our experiences and relationships. This idea is best supported by many uses of electronic devices, predominantly communication. The reason communication, the fundamental feature of electronic devices, is so beneficial to our most important aspects of our experiences and relationships is that communication is a central aspect to those same experiences and relationships. The benefits electronic devices provides, through communication, is greatly expanded when looking to the extremely wide numbers of users of these electronic devices. Electronic devices have become so easily accessible, it has become a part of many people’s identities and takes part in almost everybody’s life, so that the specific benefits of communication become exponentially strengthened by how much more communication can take place. Communication, along with the conventional use of the term, can mean the communication of information, and the use of electronic devices further allow individuals to attain information much easier and thus can make experiences much more ideal when there can be a clear understanding of what is truly going on in the world. This use of electronic devices to expand knowledge and education, coupled with the already prevailing understanding communication already is – and how electronic devices allow for communication to be strengthened that way – makes it clear that the use of electronic devices reinforce our most important aspects of our experiences and relationships.