The History of Christianity: From the Disciples to the Dawn of the Reformation

Lecture 17: The Emergence of Patriarchal Centers

Constantinople

•    Finally, there was the patriarchate of Constantinople, the last to

appear but ambitious to assert its place quickly and decisively.

•    Constantinople had no “apostolic” founding, but it claimed to

be founded by the “thirteenth apostle,” Constantine. Unlike the

other three cities, it was never pagan, being founded as a new

Christian metropolis.

•    Although it would eventually be a center of Greek learning,

with the world’s first true university, in the 4th and 5th centuries,

Constantinople was not intellectually at the level of Antioch

or Alexandria.

•    Its claim was grounded in its status as the “New Rome.” Under

Constantine, it was the praefectural city and the seat of government.

From the start, then, its bishop wanted equality with the bishop

of Rome and, as the power of the old Rome faded, desired

complete primacy.

Daniélou and Marrou (Cronin, trans.), The First Six Hundred Years (The

Christian Centuries, vol. 1).

Giles, Documents Illustrating Papal Authority, AD 96–454.

1. How does the rivalry between patriarchal centers derive both from
   distinctive Christian traditions and the culture of Greco-Roman
   urban competition?


2. Discuss the ways in which the administrative structure of the Roman
   Empire helped shape the empire-wide governance of the church.

Suggested Reading

Questions to Consider