The Imperial Church
The Imperial Church spans from Constantine's reign in 306AD through the reign of Theodosius II in 450AD. This time was significantly different from the early church period. The stark difference was the overwhelming acceptance and push for Christianity in society. Under the reign of Constantine, Christianity was widely accepted and flourished. Christians outgrew the normalcy and admiration of martyrdom. Persecution was experienced less frequently under this period. However, the stillness and peace did not last for long, nor did it prevent conflicts within the church. The Imperial time era of the church saw much development in theology and doctrine that continues to affect the church today.
Doctrinal implications of the timeThe New Order:
After encountering great levels of persecution and martyr, the reign of Constantine brought a very new environment to Christianity. Because Constantine sought after the favor of the Christian God, he showed favor to the Christian people. For the first time, Christians began to experience dominance in society. As the old generation passed away, a new generation of Christians lived on without the experiences of the great persecution of the past. This led to new privileges to the church and its leaders. One privilege was that church property was tax exempted. This led to the church coming to own vast lands and other riches. Additionally, bishops and other clergy were also granted exemption from taxes and from military conscription. This led to bishops having judicial powers which then led to bribes and corruption within the church. Additionally, as the church grew in dominance and resources, conversion became less dramatic and fateful. Instead, the church became filled with peoples who were not wholeheartedly devoted to the faith (Gonzales I: 137-148). Trinitarian Controversy: The Trinitarian Controversy questioned the nature of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. In regards to Jesus, the question was of Jesus' nature: is Jesus equal to the Father? The unorthodox view was held by the Arians. Arianism believed that Jesus was a part of creation. Therefore, there was a time when Jesus "was not." This however led to the question of Jesus' nature. If he is not fully God, how could he redeem creation? Alexander of Alexandria held the orthodoxy that Jesus was both fully divine in his human body. This debate culminated at the Council of Nicea where Arianism was banished and the Nicene Creed was established. It made clear that Jesus is of the same substance as the Father. Therefore, he is divine. Likewise, this principle was applied to the Holy Spirit at the Council of Constantinople 381, upholding the divinity of the Trinity (Gonzales I: 182-191, 217). Christological Controversy: The Christological Controversy dealt solely with the implications of Jesus' nature. After Nicea, the questions of Jesus' nature did not go away. Questions were probed about how Jesus could be fully human and God. This Christological controversy took place in Eastern Christianity. The two sides each emphasized one side of Jesus' nature over the other. The Antiochene Position believed that Jesus needed to be fully human. Therefore, his divinity and humanity were not joined together, resulting in two distinct natures. The other side, the Alexandrian position believed that his divinity was to be asserted at the expense of his humanity. This was because Jesus' divinity overwhelms the humanity. This would lead to the Council of Ephesus in 431 and the Council of Chalcedon in 451. At Chalcedon it was determined that Jesus had two natures but that they are united in one person, or one hypostasis (Gonzales I: 296-302). |
Important VoicesAugustine of Hippo
Augustine was born in 354 CE. He is best known for his theological work in the idea of freedom of the will. According to Augustine, the power of sin is that it takes over the will. Therefore, redemption is the freedom to not sin. Augustine went against the Pelagius who believed that there was no such thing as original sin. Augustine's work were extremely influential, especially to the future workings of the reformation (Gonzales I: 241-252).
Athanasius
Athanasius was Alexander's secretary and also become the bishop of Alexandria after Alexander's death. Athanasius was a central voice for the divinity of Christ's nature as well as the biblical soundness of the church doctrines. He was known of his "monastic discipline, hi sroots among the people, his fiery spirit, and his profound and unshakeable conviction." Athanasius was banned multiple times, but he never gave up his faith or his fight for the truth (Gonzales I: 199-207).
Constantine
After Constantine defeated Maxentius at the Milvian bridge, he became the ruler of the Roman Empire. He is extremely influential for the Imperial Church because he ordered the end of persecution against Christianity. In fact, Constantine himself was known for his conversion to Christianity. Because of Constantine's favor on Christianity, the church grew not only in numbers but also in wealth and political influence. Persecution and martyr, both of which had been highly valued in the Early Church, ceased dramatically during Constantine's reign. Some question Constantine's sincerity in faith, but the influence his reign had on the development of the church is without question. He would reign for thirteen years, until his death in 337 (Gonzalez 1: 131).
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