Lecture 14: Constantine and the Established Church
o Above all, the opportunity was opened to expand the religion
into a genuinely Christian culture.• The negative effects of establishment were less obvious but no
less real.
o As bishop of external affairs, the emperor involved himself
directly in religious matters: The calling of councils was
as much a matter of political prudence as it was of religious
concern. The overriding issue for the emperor was the unity of
the empire; religious divisiveness had to be resolved at all costs
in order to secure political stability.o Thus, as early as 314, Constantine called the Council of Arles
so that the bishops could respond to the Donatist schismatics’
appeal from their condemnation by the bishop of Rome. The
council rejected the Donatists’ petition and condemned the
North African movement.o In 325, Constantine not only summoned the first ecumenical
(“empire-wide”) council at Nicaea (in Asia Minor) to decide
the Arian controversy, but he actually presided at the opening
of the council and provided its agenda.o Subsequent emperors aligned themselves with one party to a
theological dispute or another and used the power of the state
to enforce their will. Bishops, in turn, were all too willing to
seek the imperial power in their support.o During the complex Arian controversy of the 4th century, the
bishop of Alexandria (Athanasius) was repeatedly exiled and
restored according to the doctrinal allegiances of Constantine
II (337) and Constantius (339), neither of whom had any real
conviction in the matter but tried to put their weight behind
who they saw as the most likely winner.