Western Civilization IHIS-101

Unit 7 – Late Antiquity

Diocletian (284-305)

The Late Empire While the Empire was on the verge of collapse

during the 3rd century, it rebounded during the 4th century

This was due to two very strong emperors: Diocletian and Constantine Both of them brought order and stability back to

the Empire However, this was done at the expense of the

freedom of the citizenry It is a period of a new government, economic, and

social systems It is also a period of a new religion: Christianity

Diocletian (284-305) Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus (284-305)

Born into a lower class family Rose up in status in the army In 284, the army chose him as the new emperor

Major change was in restructuring of the Empire Reorganized into a much more efficient bureaucracy Tetrarchy

The empire was divided into two parts, each with two prefectures (total of four)

Those prefectures were divided into a total of twelve dioceses The total number of provinces was increased to almost

100 All of this was designed as a way of keeping greater

control

Diocletian (284-305) Economic problems

One of the largest problems was inflation Stabilized the currency and new system of taxation

He “locked” people into certain key professions The population was stagnating and there were not

enough men able to work in certain jobs Workers were not allowed to leave certain

professions (e.g., baker, shipper, tax collector, farmer, soldier, etc.)

The positions also became hereditary Sets the stage for serfdom

Small farmers begin working on the large estates due to the economic downturn

Constantine I (306-337)

Constantine I (306-337) Constantine I (306-337)

Born into a military family in Illyricum Unfortunately, not much is known about his early life

Continued Diocletian’s military and economic policies The army’s size was increased to 500,000 He focused on numerous building projects in the

provinces These put a heavy strain on the empire’s finances

In 330, built the new capital city of Byzantium By this point Rome was no longer the center of power

of the Empire as it was not centrally located The location was perfect because it was easily

defendable and located along the eastern trade routes

Mosaic of Constantine c. 1000 CE

Religion in the Roman Empire The official religion in the Empire was the

worship of a pantheon of gods Religious worship was done on both the state and

personal level Rituals were a key aspect to this religion It was also a very tolerant religion that incorporated

the worship of gods from other territories Household cults were popular with the

commoners It gave them a greater sense of spiritualism Also gave them closer contact to the gods than the

official religion

Religion in the Roman Empire Mystery cults were focused on the belief in a

guaranteed afterlife Coming over from Greek religion, Mithraism was

very popular in the empire, especially among soldiers

In Rome, Mithras was known as the Unconquered Sun and would be worshipped on Sundays

Rome and the Jews Romans first got involved with the Jews around 63

BCE By 6 CE, Judaea was a Roman province During this time period, there was unrest among

the different Jewish groups

Judaism Sadducees

Were the conservative group Strictly followed Hebrew law and did not believe in

immortality Their worship focused around the Temple Politically, they wanted cooperation with the Romans

Pharisees Were strict on following Jewish ritual Specifically emphasized the purity laws, including

dietary rules Unlike the Sadducees, they believed in expanding the

Torah They also focused more on private worship They wanted to get away from Roman control but did

not want to do so violently

Judaism Essenes

Small Jewish sect near the Dead Sea They too wanted to get away from Roman control Did so by withdrawing themselves from society

Zealots They were the militant extremists They promoted a violent overthrow of Roman rule

What did they have in common? The belief that a savior would come to liberate the

Jewish people The first three saw him as a spiritual leader while

the zealots a political leader

Madonna and Child

Jesus of Nazareth Jesus of Nazareth (c. 7-2 BCE – c. 26-36 CE) Most of what historians know of Jesus is through

the New Testament These gospels were written quite some time after his

death and by people who did not know him directly Scholars disagree on most of the chronology of his life

Scholars do not know a lot about his first thirty years His parents were Joseph, a carpenter, and Mary He was born in Bethlehem and grew up in Galilee Galilee at the time was a hot bed of militant Zealots

Jesus of Nazareth Unlike the Zealots, Jesus did not believe in a

violent revolution Instead he believed in a heavenly kingdom This attracted a large following

Theology His message was simple: love God and love your

neighbor He did not call for strict adherence to Jewish laws Instead, he believed in the interpretation of them He focused on three concepts: humility, brotherly

love, and charity These ideas were new to the time period and very

different from the Greco-Roman value systems It was not his goal to undermine traditional Judaism

Jesus of Nazareth For three years he preached his ideas in Judea

and Galilee, gaining a large following While some believed he was the Messiah, not

everybody was a fan Radical Jews denounced him for the idea of a

heavenly kingdom rather than an earthly one Conservative Jews believed he was just another

false messiah who was undermining traditional Judaism

Roman authorities in Palestine saw Jesus as a potential revolutionary His idea of a heavenly kingdom might somehow be

used as a means to start a revolt against Rome He was arrested by Roman authorities

Jesus of Nazareth According to the Gospel of Mark, the Roman

Prefect of Judaea, Pontius Pilate, did not want to execute him He told the crowd to chose between Jesus and another

insurrectionist named Barabbas The crowd chose Barabbas

Did not end the threat of insurrection Jesus was seen as a martyr According to his followers, Jesus was resurrected three

days after his death and then ascended into heaven Jesus was named Christ (“anointed one” in Greek)

Many believed he would return and bring in the kingdom of God on Earth

Birth of Christianity Christianity began as a movement inside of

Judaism For many decades, the Romans viewed them as a

sect of Judaism Paul of Tarsus (c.5-c.64 CE)

One of the most important figures to the birth of Christianity

While he never knew Jesus in life, he had a vision of his resurrection and became a follower

He spread the idea of Christianity to the non-Jews (the Gentiles)

This helped to transform it from a Jewish sect to a more broad based religion

Birth of Christianity Many refer to Paul of Tarsus as the “second

founder of Christianity” because of his work It was Paul who identified Jesus as the Son of

God He also said that Jesus had come to cleanse all men

of Original Sin, which was done through his death He believed that salvation was available only to

those who accepted Jesus as their savior He created Christian communities throughout

Asia Minor He also wrote a series of letters that outlined

Christian beliefs for the different communities

Birth of Christianity Jerusalem had been the center of Christianity

The city was destroyed in 70 CE This left many churches with considerable

independence By 100 CE, there were Christian churches in

most of the major cities in the east There were also some in the western part of the

empire Communities were loosely organized

Both men and women played significant roles Women even held high positions including preachers Christians were meet in private homes and share an

agape to celebrate the Lord’s Supper

Birth of Christianity Christians also used missionaries to spread the

“good news” Roman officials treated early appearance of

Christianity with indifference However, they began to view them as a threat to

the state Why were the Christians a threat?

Practice of Lord’s Supper led to rumors of ritualistic murder of children

Held secret meetings that were deemed “dangerous”

Were overly exclusive and did not participate in Roman state festivals or worship of Roman gods

This constituted atheism and an act of treason

Birth of Christianity Persecution of the Christians

Persecutions were intermittent and short-lived Started during the reign of Nero

Persecution actually helped strengthen the church Helped make it a more centralized organization The position of bishop was created as leaders to the

church Saw their power descended from the original Twelve

Apostles Created a new hierarchical structure By 300, 1-5% of total Roman population were

possibly Christians

Birth of Christianity What was the appeal of Christianity?

By 3rd century, it had spread throughout the empire

Offered a lot Gave meaning to the everyday mundane things Gave a personal relationship with the God Promise of salvation

Not entirely unfamiliar Similar to the other mystery religions of the east However, it actually had a human figure instead of

a mythological one Did not involved difficult or expensive rituals

Birth of Christianity Fulfilled the human need to belong

Created communities Helped with assisting the poor, sick, widows, and

orphans Was not sterile or impersonal like the Roman

religion Attractive to all classes

Appealed to broad range of social classes Offered new roles to women Starting in the 2nd century, church started

believing women should be subject to men

Birth of Christianity During the Terrible Third Century, the

Christians were heavily persecuted Decius (249-251) blamed the disasters of the

time on the Christians As they failed to worship the state gods, the gods

were retaliating Forced Christians to make sacrifices to the Roman

gods When they refused, they were executed

There was also heavy persecution under the reign of Diocletian By this point, Christianity had gotten too powerful

The Christian Martyr’s Last Prayer (1883)

Rise of Christianity Under Constantine, Christianity flourished Constantine converted to Christianity

After the Battle of Milvian Bridge (312) Saw a vision of a Christian cross and the words “In this

sign you will conquer” Won the battle and began believing in the Christian

god Edict of Milan (313)

Signed by the two emperors Granted religious tolerance to all religions in the

Empire Legally recognized the Christian religion Call for a restoration of property seized by Diocletian

Rise of Christianity Post-Constantine Empire

Almost all of the emperors were Christians Only exception was Julian (360-363) who tried to

restore the old state religion Theodosius (378-395) made Christianity the

official religion of the Empire With state support, the Christian church was

able to push for a monopoly Used their influence to outlaw pagan religious

practices

Development of the Christian Church By the end of the 4th century, Christianity was the

predominant religion in the empire Organization

Went through significant organizational and structural changes

Based these on the Roman territorial plans Diocese

Territories were divided up into dioceses Each was headed by a bishop Bishops of Rome, Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch

held special positions Claimed their churches were founded by original

apostles

Development of the Christian Church Need for formal organization due to rise in heresy Problem of heresy

Different, sometimes contradictory, interpretations emerged

Heresy – Teaching different theology than official beliefs of the church

Donatism Donatus was a priest in North Africa Argued that sacraments should not be given by priests

who were either immoral or denied their faith under persecution

Constantine forced to call a council to denounce this Was not until 411 that the church stated that the moral

standing of the priest did not affect the efficacy of the sacraments

Development of the Christian Church Arianism

Founded by Arius, a priest from Alexandria Stated that Jesus was human and therefore not truly

God Bishop of Alexandria, Athanasius, argued Jesus was

both Constantine was forced to call the Council of Nicaea

(325) in response Stated that Jesus was of “the same substance of God”

Impact Forced the emperor to become more involved in

church affairs Also called for one specific leader for the church

Development of the Christian Church Rise of the pope

In the original church, bishops held most of the influence and power

It would be the Bishop of Rome that emerged as the true leader

Petrine Supremacy Stated that the Bishop of Rome held the most

important position in the church and this was founded in the Scriptures

According to Gospel of Matthew, “I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church”

Peter was considered the first Bishop of Rome All of his successors were considered the “vicars of

Christ” on earth

Development of the Christian Church During the 4th and 5th centuries, the Bishops of

Rome began to solidify their power St. Damasus (366-384)

Addressed other bishops as “sons” rather than “brothers”

By the end of the 4th century, bishops of Rome were using the title of papa

St. Leo I (440-461) Pushed the doctrine of Petrine supremacy Jesus chose Peter to be the head of the Christian

church Stated he was the heir to Peter

Supremacy of the bishops of Rome was established by the end of the 5th cnetury

St. Leo I Bishop of

Rome (440-461)

Roles of Church and State Church and the Emperors

Once the emperors converted to Christianity, they saw themselves as God’s representatives on earth

Built churches and played an active role in church’s organization

Also became involved in church government and doctrinal controversies

Role of Bishops With the fall of the Empire, bishops were able to

play a more active role in government Served as advisors to Emperors Started playing independent political roles as the

power vacuums were created

Roles of Church and State St. Ambrose (339-397)

Bishop of Milan (374-397) Was not even baptized when he was elected for the

position City population proclaimed him to be the Bishop He created the ideal image of a bishop through his

writings Wanted to keep the independence of the church

away from Imperial authorities Conflict with Emperor Theodosius I

Ambrose wanted harsher actions against pagans Theodosius refused In 390, Theodosius massacred the people of

Thessalonica for refusing to obey his commands

Roles of Church and State Ambrose responded with a temporary

excommunication Made Theodosius take part in public penance in

Milan After this, Ambrose had greater influence over

Theodosius Creation of a dual power structure

With the bishops retaining their independence, emerges two ruling powers: temporal and spiritual

Church will become the higher authority as it provided the means to salvation

Temporal authorities would have to show subservience to the church

St. Ambrose (339-397)

New Patterns of Thought Embracing pagan heritage

Some in the Christian church were outwardly hostile to the pagan world

Others encouraged the church to absorb pagan history and culture

Influence of Greek culture Church adopted Greek as its language New Testament was written in Greek Rise of Neoplatonism

Believed that a person could use reason to achieve a union with God

Helped to explain the difference between Jesus’ divine and human natures

New Patterns of Thought St. Jerome (345-420)

Translated the Old and New Testaments into the vulgate (Latin)

His version of the Scriptures became known as the Latin Vulgate

This was the prominent edition for the church throughout the Middle Ages

St. Ambrose (c. 340-397) Believed that human conduct should be based on

reverence for God God helps some Christians and not others (the

“gift of grace”)

New Patterns of Thought St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430)

Traveled to Milan and was influenced by St. Ambrose Believed that divine revelation was necessary for

understanding the complete truth Writings had a major impact on the development of

such concepts of free will, grace, and predestination Confessions (397)

An account of his own personal and spiritual experiences Designed as a guide to help others with their own search

City of God (410) There was the City of God in heaven City of the World was still necessary to keep people from

falling to their primitive and sinful instincts

St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430)

Rise of Monasticism The growth of Christianity was greatly helped by

the development of monasticism Monachus - Latin word for “someone who lives

alone” Monk was a person who was divorced from the world Lived outside of human society in order to pursue an

ideal of godliness or total dedication to the will of God

Developed in Egypt Eremitical Monasticism

First form of monasticism Purpose was living a solitary life and forsaking all

civilized society to pursue spirituality

Rise of Monasticism St. Anthony (c.251-356)

Was the “father of eremitical monasticism” Was a prosperous Egyptian peasant Followed Gospel of Mark “Go, sell everything you have

and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Gave away all of his possessions, including 300 acres of land

Spent the rest of his life in the desert Impact

Changed the ideal Christian model from one of martyr to monk as they were no longer being persecuted

Goal was to achieve spiritual life through denial and solitude

St. Anthony (c.251-356)

Rise of Monasticism Cenobitic Monasticism

Not everyone was willing to live a life of solitude Development of monasticism based upon communal life

St. Pachomius (c.290-346) Organized communities of monks Wrote the first monastic rules for living in communities Stressed obedience and manual labor

St. Basil (329-379) Founder of eastern monasticism Believed communities were necessary for fellowship and

work Communal societies became ideal Christian

societies

Rise of Monasticism St. Benedict of Nursia (c.480-c.543)

Established the fundamental form of monasticism in the west

First attempted to hermetic solitude but was surrounded by followers

Set up a monastic house in Monte Cassino in 529 Became the foundation of other monastic groups

Benedict’s rules of monasticism Did not follow the eastern practices (e.g., extended

fasting and self-inflicting torments) Believed in the ideal of moderation Still included a hard and disciplined existence based

on poverty, chastity, and obedience

Rise of Monasticism Division of the day

Each day was to be divided up into a series of activities

Focused mainly on prayer and physical labor Believed that “idleness is the enemy of the soul” Prayer included private meditations and reading Monks would meet seven times a day for common

prayer and psalms Abbots

Each monastery was ruled by an abbot (“father” of the monastery)

Elected by fellow monks Had complete authority over them

St. Benedict of Nursia (c.480-c.543)

Rise of Monasticism Women also sought religious lives as well

They too wanted to dedicate their lives to God Started organizing religious communities in the 3rd

century St. Pachomius

Organized cenobitic communities for women after 320 Brothers took care of the material needs of the convent Kept a close eye on the relations between the monks

and nuns St. Caesarius of Arles (c. 468-542)

Set up the first monastic rule for women in the west Emphasized rigid cloistering of women to safeguard

them

Rise of Monasticism Some women set up religious communities in

their houses St. Marcella (325–410)

She set up her home in Rome as a center point of Christian worship

Promoted the ideals of asceticism and virginity as spiritual disciplines

Died at the hands of the Goths during sack of Rome Impact of monasticism

Monks and nuns became the new heroes of Christianity

Their dedication was seen as the highest ideal of Christian life

Played a significant role in spreading Christianity

Barbarian Invasions of the Roman Empire

Fall of the Western Roman Empire Diocletian and Constantine were only able to

keep the empire going for another 100 years After Constantine, the empire continued to divide Clear division between east and west by 395 There were two independent state: western

empire and the eastern one Barbarian invasions

Beginning in the 4th century, western Rome was attacked by a series of barbarian tribes

Continued until 476 when the last western Roman emperor was deposed

In the east, the Empire continued to flourish

Rise of the Germanic People The Germanic people first moved from northern

Scandinavia into eastern Europe c. 500 BCE During the Roman Empire, they developed

relations with the Romans Romans even hired Germanic tribes to fight other

Germanic tribes who were seen as a threat to Rome Visigoths

These were the western Goths Converted to Arian Christianity c. 4th century Were forced to cross the Danube in 376 due to the

westward movement of the Huns Sacked Rome in 410

Rise of the Germanic People Emperor Honorius (395-423) encouraged the

Visigoths to settle in Gaul Set a precedent where Roman emperors made

alliances with large groups of Germanic people Vandals

Remained continuously hostile to Rome Overran western Roman Empire throughout 5th and

6th centuries Crossed the Rhine in 406 and eventually moved

into Spain Pushed out by the Visigoths and then settled in

North Africa Captured Hippo (531) and Carthage (439) Eventually sacked Rome in 455

Rise of the Germanic People Overthrow of the Western Emperor

In 476, Odoacer deposed Emperor Romulus Augustulus

Returned the imperial regalia to eastern Emperor Zeno at Constantinople

Odoacer claimed he would rule as the emperor’s regent

In reality, he put himself in power Zeno responded by sending the Ostrogoths into Italy

Ostrogoths These were the eastern Goths Were subjugated by the Huns in the late 3rd century Settled in the eastern Empire

Rise of the Germanic People Theodoric (471-526)

Leader of the Ostrogoths Zeno made a deal with Theodoric to get Odoacer out

of Italy Marched into Italy in 493 and killed Odoacer Set up the Kingdom of Italy in spite of Zeno’s wishes

Emergence of new Germanic kingdoms By 500, the western Roman Empire was being

replaced There was the creation of new political kingdoms set

up by German kings Became a fusion of Roman and German politics and

cultures

Europe (c. 500)

Justinian I (527-565)

Justinian I (527-565) By the 5th century, the Eastern Roman Empire

was continuing to flourish Empire is later referred to as the Byzantine Empire

Justinian I (527-565) The “last Roman and the first Byzantine emperor” Main goal was to reunite the old Roman Empire

Expansion to the West Invaded Vandal kingdom of North Africa in 533 Went on to Italy in 540 to “reconquer” it Weakened Italy opening it up to later conquest by

the Lombards Successors were not able to hold most of the

territory

Justinian I (527-565) War in the east

Persian forces invaded from the east in 540 Sacked Antioch in 540 Justinian was able to keep the integrity of the

eastern borders with small territorial gain Very costly war

Centralization of government Worked to centralize the imperial government by

bringing all aspects (military, government, religion) into one system

This was the biggest success of his reign

Justinian I (527-565) Corpus Iuris Civilis (Body of Civil Law)

His attempt to codify Roman law Also included a compilation of imperial edicts Became the basis of imperial law until the end of the

empire in 1453 It would later be adopted in the west as it was

written in Latin Building Programs

Rebuilt Constantinople after riots destroyed the city in 532

Became an important religious and political center Pushed through numerous public works projects

including underground reservoirs One of his significant buildings was the Hagia Sophia

Justinian I (527-565) Ecclesiastical policy

Promoted good church government and orthodox beliefs

Worked hard to bring an end to numerous heresies Council of Constantinople (553) confirmed that the

dual nature of Jesus (human and divine) Imperial control over church would start a divide

between western and eastern Christianity Problems during his reign

Growth of Monophysite heresy (Jesus was solely divine)

Extreme weather issues in 535-536 due possibly to volcanic activity

Justinian Plague (541-542) which was either bubonic plague or viral hemorrhagic plague

Byzantine Empire (527-565)