Christianity and Late Roman Empire
• Diocletian (245-316) divided Empire into West
and East in 286
• Constantine (ca. 274-337) moved the capital in
330 from Rome (West) to Byzantium (East),
renaming it Constantinople (today, Istanbul), a.k.a.
the “New Rome”
• Rome falls in 476 (no more Roman emperors)
• Byzantine Empire survives until 1453, when it is
overthrown by the Turks
Constantine
Council of Nicaea, 325
• Ecumenical (world-wide) meeting called by
Constantine
• Purpose: to establish Christian doctrine
• One major conclusion: that Jesus is “of one
substance with the Father” (see 192)
Christianity and Late Roman Empire
• Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian (481565) reunited the Empire briefly, but unity
did not last
• In the West, the Church (Roman Catholic)
centered in Rome filled the power vacuum
left by the decline of political authority
• In the East, emperors worked in alliance
with the Eastern (Orthodox) Church
Christianity West & East
• Roman Catholic
– Pope (Rome)
– Church authority in
absence of stable
government
– Uniform/universal
– Latin
– Legal theological
language
• Eastern Orthodox
– Patriarch
(Constantinople)
– Church authority
connected to
government
– National churches
– National languages
– Mystical theological
language
Christianity West & East: Issues
• Icons (Gr. images): representations of God,
Jesus, the Virgin, the saints.
– Roman Catholic Church approved of icons
– Some Orthodox Christians—iconoclasts—did
not approve, and they destroyed icons.
– Orthodox churches generally have only twodimensional icons, not statues as in Roman
Catholicism
• Marriage of Clergy: Orthodox: OK; Rome:
No
Christianity: West and East
• 1054: Roman Catholic and Eastern
Orthodox churches split
• John Paul II worked to bridge the divide
between these two sides of Christendom
Roman Church: Petrine Succession
• Formulated by Leo the Great (c. 400-461),
bishop of Rome
• The bishop of Rome, the pope (pontiff) is
the successor of St. Peter, who was given
authority by Jesus
Monasticism
• Ascetic lifestyle followed by certain
Christians who wanted to devote themselves
to their faith
• Monasticism originated in the East (Egypt),
from Gr. monas meaning “alone”
Monasticism
• Monks practiced asceticism: self-control
and self-denial
• Asceticism is from Gr. askein: athletic
training or exercise. Monks were called the
“desert athletes for Christ”
• Early monastics sought extremes of selfdenial, even self-torture: self-caging,
standing on one leg for hours, etc.
Monasticism: Causes
• Martyrdom and persecution in decline;
some Christians looking for test of faith
• Church becoming more worldly and
authoritative; some Christians wanted to
escape to a simpler, severe religious
practice
Communal Monasticism
• East: St. Basil (c. 329-379)
– Stressed labor and prayer over self-torture: selflaceration and prolonged fasts prohibited
• West: St. Benedict (c. 480-547)
– Poverty, chastity, obedience (to abbot)
– Liberal in some respects: allowed for wine
St. Benedict
St. Scholastica
Benedictines: Significance
• Missionaries: Benedictines converted
England and most of Germany
• Manual labor: contrasted with classical
ideal of pure contemplation
Benedictines: Significance
• Learning: Benedictines copied and studied
classical texts, preserving them through the
Middle Ages
• Fu Jen Catholic University was originally
operated by the Benedictines when it was
established in 1925
Famous Benedictines
• Dionysius Exiguus (Denis the Little, fl.
525), established the Western calendar used
today
• Venerable Bede (673-735) wrote a
monumental history of England
• Brother Nicholas Koss, Dean of College of
Foreign Languages, Fu Jen University
Women and Men in the Church
• Paul wrote, “there is neither male nor female”
after Baptism
• However, women were also associated with sexual
temptation, with the flesh
• Sex in marriage for procreation, not for pleasure
• Virginity became a requirement for the priesthood,
but it was not originally so
– Some of Jesus’ disciples were married, it is thought
Women and Men in the Church
• Women were not allowed to hold authority
in the Church or to be priests
• However, women could participate in
monastic life as nuns
– In Egypt, 20,000 women joined monasteries,
vs. only 10,000 men
– In West, Benedictine nunneries became centers
of learning for women, an alternative to
marriage
Latin Church Fathers: Jerome
• C. 347-420
• Translated the Bible
into Latin from
Hebrew (Old
Testament) and Greek
(New Testament): the
Vulgate
Latin Church Fathers: Ambrose
• C. 339-397
• Archbishop of Milan
• Wrote On the Duties
of Ministers,
influenced by Cicero’s
On Duty
• He said God’s grace
goes to some, but not
others
Latin Church Fathers: Gregory the Great
• C. 540-604; became
pope in 590
• Increased power of
Roman Church
• Sent Benedictines to
England (he had been
one)
• Latin liturgy:
Gregorian chant
Latin Church Fathers: Augustine
• 354-430
• Bishop of Hippo,
North Africa
• Confessions: struggle
between higher and
lower nature
• City of God: heavenly
city vs. earthly city
Significance of Augustine
• Founded the genre of spiritual
autobiography: The Confessions (c. 400)
• Established the concept of linear history
with a direction: City of God (413-426)
• Common theme: salvation through Christ
gives meaning to history
Christian symbols
Sarcophagus, Theodorus,
th
6
c.
Gospel Writers: Matching
• Matthew
• Mark
• Luke
• John
• Lion
• Eagle
• Man
• Ox
Gospel Writers
• Matthew (man)
• Mark (lion)
• Luke (ox)
• John (eagle)
Mosaic, Santa Pudenziana, Rome,
c. 401-417
Orans (Rome,
th
catacombs,4
c.)
The Good Shepherd, c. 300 C.E.
Jesus: Good Shepherd
(Rome, catacombs, 4th c.)
Jesus, The Good Shepherd,
Ravenna, c. 425-450
Jesus: Majestic Roman Leader
(Rome, catacombs, 4th c.)
Basilica: St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, Rome
St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, Rome
Basilica: St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, Rome
The Mass
•
•
•
•
Kyrie eleison (Lord have mercy)
Gloria (Glory to God)
Credo (Creed/statement of belief)
Sanctus and Benedictus (Holy, Holy Holy;
Blessed is He that cometh in the name of
the Lord)
• Agnus Dei (Lamb of God)