Transcript Document

The American University of Rome
HST 201 - Survey of Western Civilization
Session 10
The Rise of Christianity in the
Mediterranean World…
Collapse of the Western empire and
Florescence of the East
I
The fall of Rome, the Western part…
Q of chapter 6
> What where the principles by which Diocletian reformed the
Roman empire?
> Why did the Germanic invasions succeed?
Other Qs
> How many stages can you establish in the management
strategies of the Roman empire?
> An overview of the relations of the Roman Republic and
Empire with its neighbors: internal relations and
“international” relations.
Hellenism…the historical context to the
development of Monotheistic religions
> Cosmopolitanism…
> Modernity…
> Degenerate Greek?
> Model for Rome (transition period)?
> Syncretism with Persia and other peoples?
> Globalization…
> Common language…
> Joining in a single city diverse traditions and
cultures
> The liberties and advantages of the cities
The Greek influence on Israel (p. 151)
> Maccabees revolt for traditions
Multi-religious societies and the Mystery Cults of
Hellenistic times (p. 162)
> times of decline of the polis and rise of
cosmopolitism
> Demeter, Isis, Mithras, Eleusis, Magna Mater
> Secret / restricted religious groups / revelations
& hierarchies, initiations
> Related to nature, fertility, war…role of women
> Christianity fits well within the world of
secret religious societies
Qs
> Role of women in the formation of ancient
mystery religions?
> In what ways did the image and idea of the
Magna Mater influence the development of
mystery cults?
> What effect did mystery cults have on the
practice of early Christianity? Did the belief in the
Magna Mater influence Roman women?
> How was paganism necessary to the
development of Christianity?
Emergence and Domination of Christianity
> How did Christianity become the majority
religion within the Roman empire?
> Success predictable or inevitable, within the
context of the Roman empire?
> Persecutions aimed at taming it…
> St Paul… confronts Jewish religious law… some
Christian would still follow Jrl, but future on nonJewish converts.
> Who were they? Hellenism cultural context…
> Interesting role of women…social origin vs other
> Developing hostility Jewish vs Christian…
defining their audiences… maintaining (Jewish)
roots with Bible and Jesus as Messiah
Persecutions…Christians and pagan rites
> Very low rates. By 300 AD 1-5%, East, 10%...
In The Early Christian
World
Ed. Philip Francis Esler
2000
p. 296
> Constantine and Christianity in the Imperial
family… “prestigious and potentially profitable
religion for ruling classes to adopt…”
> Role of bishops and great conversion by 400 AD
> Then becomes official.
> Philosophies / confrontations within Christianism
Important events in the history of the papacy
29 - Beginning of St. Peter's ministry as head of the Church
36 - St. Peter comes to Rome
64 - St. Peter martyred under Nero
89-97 - Pontificate of St. Clement I (letter to the church of
Corinth)
110 - Martyrdom of St. Ignatius of Antioch in Rome (letter to
the church of Rome)
155-67 - Pontificate of St. Anicetus: 1st Paschal controversy
189-99 - Pontificate of St. Victor I: 2nd Paschal controversy
202-3 - Death of St. Irenaeus of Lyon ("Against the Heresies")
230 - Martyrdom of Pope St. Pontian; building of the Crypt of
the Popes in Catacomb of St. Callixtus, where seven martyred
Popes of the 3rd century were buried.
313 - Constantine's Edict of Milan, the Peace of the Church;
grant of the property of the Lateran to the Church; building of
the Arch basilica of the Most Holy Savior.
325 - First Ecumenical Council at Nicea; response to the Arian
heresy, then Arianism prevails, Constantius II.
(Consubstantiation, Son of a different essence...very popular
with newly converted Barbarians)
326 - Consecration of the Basilica of St. Peter by Pope St.
Sylvester I
337 - Constantine dies, shortly before baptized
451 - Fourth Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon (pope St. Leo
I's 'Tomus ad Flavianum'); end of the major Christological
controversies (i.e., the role of Jesus as Son/Prophet/God/
Savior).
476 - Fall of Rome
590-604 - Reign of Pope St. Gregory I "the Great".
654 - Martyrdom of Pope St. Martin I by the Emperor Constans
II (last martyred Pope)
The Roman revival of Justinian, 527-568 AD
Reign of Justinian
Publication of the Corpus Juris Civilis
J conquers the Vandal kingdom
of northwest Africa
J conquers the Italian peninsula
J defeats the last Gothic outposts
J dominates the Mediterranean Basin
Death of J
Germanic Lombards conquer the Italian
peninsula
527-565
529-534
533
536
563
565
565
568
The remaining Qs of chapter 6
> How did Christianity become the majority religion within the
Roman empire?
> What major changes did Christianity undergo during the
fourth century?
> What distinctive themes of western Christian thought were
emerging during the 4th and 5th centuries?
> How was classical culture Christianized?
> Why did Justinian's plan to reunite the Roman empire fail?
Structure of the paper
Introduction: presentation of the idea, hypothesis;
why the idea is important and relevant in this
course; the means that will be used to study it.
Body: developing the arguments, evidence to
support or reject hypothesis
Conclusions: remind us of the starting point; a
brief note on the facts and the conclusions
reached
References
> Athenian plague (1)
> Phoenician Palermo (1)
> Judaism and Monotheism (3)
> Evolution of educational institutes in complex civilizations (1)
> Athens vs. Sparta (2)
> The Persian Wars (3)
> Agriculture in Mesopotamia (1)
> Art, early societies, politics (2)
> State and hierarchies? Democracy and state? (1)
> Persia and international relations… religion, administration (1)
> Hellenism (1)
> Neolithic Agricultural Revolution (1)
> Modes of production in political evolution (1)
> Athenian politics (1)
> How does the depiction of the human body in Greek art reflect
the social-political culture of the Greeks?