Lecture 17: The Emergence of Patriarchal Centers

The Emergence of Patriarchal Centers

Lecture 17

I

n the last lecture, we saw that monasticism provided an outlet for

those Christians in the 4th century who rejected the new comfortable

circumstances of the church and sought a more rigorous mode of

discipleship. Now, we return to those less heroically inclined, indeed, to

those deeply enmeshed in the new cultural reality that was an established

Christianity. In this lecture, we consider the organization of the Christian

religion and its tendency to mimic patterns of state administration.

The Growth of “First Cities”

•    Rule by such emperors as Augustus or Tiberius in the early Roman

Empire was always absolute but was exercised in part directly and

in part indirectly.

o The emperor was the supreme authority and the last resort for

all decisions. His court and his power were centered in the

city of Rome. In this sense, the principate was, from the start,

profoundly centralized and personal.

o The consultative and administrative power of the Senate, which

during the republic had been considerable and important, was

only vestigial once the principate took hold.

o Power over the vast geographical expanse of the imperium,

however, had to make use of representatives. In safer provinces,

such as those in Italy, Asia, and Cilicia, administration could be

carried out by a governor, perhaps a current or former member

of the Senate. In more dangerous provinces, including those

on the borders, the emperor kept more direct control through

military administrators, such as prefects or procurators (Pontius

Pilate in Palestine).