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NOVA ROMA

ROMAN TRANSFORMATION INTHE FOURTH & FIFTH

CENTURY

NOVA ROMA

• New capital at Byzantium– renamed as New Rome– renamed after his death as Constantinople

• Secured borders• Good administrators (Christians and pagans)• Reformed laws

– Crucifixion abolished• Administrative Division: DIOCESE

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After Constantine

• CONSTANTINIAN DYNASTY– Empire divided again into East and West– Constantius II (East) and Constans (West)– Period of frequent revolts and turbulence– Last pagan emperor: Julian the Apostate

• One of the only constants was thecontinuing growth of Christianity

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THEODOSIUS

• 391 made ChristianitySTATE RELIGION ofEmpire– Armenia – 306– Ethiopia – early 300s

• Last emperor to rulewhole empire

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Early & 5th c. Christianity

• PROSLETYZING• PERSECUTED &

SECRET• ORGANIZATION:

– concentrated in East– equal bishoprics

• One church, manybeliefs

• PROSLETYZING• LEGAL &

PROMOTED (and395 on, OFFICIAL)

• ORGANIZATION– dioceses throughout

Empire– Hierarchical

• DIVIDED

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ORTHODOXY & HERESY

• ECUMENICAL COUNCILS– MECHANISM for determining ORTHODOXY– Assemblies to which all bishops were invited– Covered the entire Roman world

• Theologians = “Doctors of the Church”• HERESIES or the TRUE CHURCH?

– Monophysites, Nestorians, Arians– Assyrian and Oriental Orthodox Traditions

The Doctors of the Church

• Saints of great learning and piety whohelped define orthodox theology andpractice– St Ambrose– St Jerome– St Augustine of Hippo– St Gregory I “the Great”

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St Augustine of Hippo

• A.D. 354 – 430• Born in Roman North Africa• Mother Monica was a Catholic• He joined the Manichaean faith• Hedonistic early life in Carthage• Trained in rhetoric and philosophy• Moved to Rome in A.D. 383• Moved to Milan in A.D. 384

Augustine the Christian

• St Ambrose, St Monica, Neo-Platonism• “da mihi castitatem et continentiam, sed noli

modo”• A.D. 386 – the spiritual crisis• Appointed Bishop of Hippo

– City was under siege by Vandals– Strongly opposed heretics

• especially Arians, Donatists and Pelagians

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Augustine the Theologian

• Influences: Stoicism & Neoplatonism– Brought Greek thought into the Christian tradition

• Strongly influenced St Thomas Aquinas– Even influenced Protestant thought

• Works include:– The Confessions, A.D. 397 - 398– The City of God, A.D. 413 - 426– Enchiridion, ca. A.D. 420

Augustine’s Theology

• Salvation and Grace– Doctrine of Original Sin– Predestination– “There is no salvation outside the church”– Infant baptism

• Allegorical Nature of the Bible• Just War• Separation of Church and State

“Love the sinner and hate the sin”

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AN EMPIRE DIVIDED

EASTERN• Constantinople• Stable bureaucracy• Prosperous, urban• Enough good

emperors• More security

WESTERN• Ravenna• Stable bureaucracy• Poor, rural• Many weak

emperors• External threats

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“BARBARIANS”

• To the Romans, if someone didn’t haveROMAN CULTURE, they were BARBARIANS

• Indo-European peoples– settled in N. Europe in the Bronze Age

• Organized as TRIBES– Settled, rural cultures– Traders, crafters, etc– Pagans Christians (many Arians)

Romans & Barbarians

• As Rome expanded, came into contactwith these peoples:

• Absorbed many, e.g. Celts/Gauls– Adopted Roman culture: synchretism– Became Roman citizens

• Many along border adopted aspects ofroman culture, e.g. Goths

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Early Migrations

• From 3rd century onwards– Smaller groups immigrated– Army repelled larger groups

• Immigrants:– Changed to be more Roman– Changed Rome

• Clothing• Architecture• Language

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Barbarian “Tribes”

• Germanic language family– Romans called them “Germans”

Included:– Goths

• Visigoths (Western Goths)• Ostrogoths (Eastern Goths)

– Vandals– Franks– Burgundi– Alamanni