Upload
garrison-tillman
View
23
Download
0
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Western Civilization I HIS-101. Unit 7 – Late Antiquity. Diocletian (284-305). The Late Empire. While the Empire was on the verge of collapse during the 3 rd century, it rebounded during the 4 th century This was due to two very strong emperors: Diocletian and Constantine - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Citation preview
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)
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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