Abrahamic Faiths: The Holy Roman Empire

In The Theodosian Code, it was stated that Christianity should be the main religion of the Roman Empire; this was established by Theodosius I, the emperor who declared Christianity as the state religion in 395 C.E. 9 Christianity as a state religion means that any person who lived within the Roman boundaries must declare themselves as Catholic Christians. 10 The code then stated that anyone who did not practice religion as a Catholic Christian would be considered demented and insane and be referred to as a heretic. They would be shunned from society and treated as though they were a spreading virus, being driven from cities, villages, and communities.11 Christianity was declared the religion of the empire because most of the laws within the Code were created by dedicated Christian Emperors. This Christian influence on the Code is omnipresent throughout the whole document and can be seen in a number of the Code’s 16 books.12

For example, in Document 3, it includes,"Because of the inseparable relationship between the church and politics, many of the clergy had became as corrupt as noble families paid for church offices...People were also upset by the high taxes charged by the bishops to support the Pope and his projects." This means that because of clergy wanting money, the bishops and other clergy members raised taxes to get people to pay the Pope and the other clergy. The church addressed this problem by putting it aside for later examination. The church attempted to fix the problem but it kind of got forgotten. The clergy just went on abusing their power like Nero or Caligula in the Roman Empire. The clergy kept thinking they could get away with anything just because the Pope had the power of excommunication: he had the power to not let other human's souls go to heaven and banish them from the Church. The bishop or parish priest were very important. The priest baptized you and the few people who can actually read the bible were the parish priests. They could only read it because the Bible at that time was written in Latin. That was until Martin Luther copied it into the language the others knew: a form of German. The people of the church were so important that the others paid the high taxes until they had enough of paying them so much. Then Martin Luther came along

In the Edict of Milan when it talks about how emperor Constantine tells his empire that they have finally reached a decision to uplift all the rules that was made to stop the growing of the religion Christianity (Dutton 1). This shows that the Christian religion had enough influence and power

Many had issues with Christianity and believed that those who supported or practiced it should be killed. The most known case is the emperor

Due to Christianity’s importance, the Church consequently held significant power during the Medieval times. In a decree titled the “Unam Sanctam,” Pope Boniface VIII wrote, “URGED BY FAITH, we are obliged to believe and to maintain that the Church is one, holy, catholic, and also apostolic. We believe in her firmly and we confess with simplicity that outside of her there is neither salvation nor the remission of sins” (Dennis). In other words, the Pope established that all answers to Christianity exist solely in the Church, including on the basis of salvation and the forgiveness of sins. Further on in the “Unam Sanctum,” he proclaimed his part in the equation: “Furthermore, we declare, we proclaim, we define that it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff” (Dennis). In this instance, the Pope arguably assumes the role of God on earth, defining that he is absolutely necessary for salvation, not solely Jesus Christ. His assertion provides further evidence for the

During the time the Black Death swept Western Europe, questions of who’s authority was supreme to the land arouse. “Disaffection with the church, or the thought that it might be not be true or the only way to salvation, spread in all ranks of society. It was not only kings who disputed the claims of the clergy. Obscure parish priests, close to the distress of ordinary people, began to doubt the power of their ecclesiastical superiors” (p. 47 of “Disasters of the Fourteenth Century” Handout). Theologians across Europe set forth ideals for a church to hold councils to in order to constitute the ideals of the entire Christian population. “John of Paris in his (On Royal and Papal Power) agreed that a general council could depose the pope on the grounds that it

Throughout the Middle Ages, the relationship between the Church and the State was an unpredictable one in which each were was either supporting

World today shares many religions and beliefs with tracing back to different historical events, however, three most important monotheistic religions known as the Abrahamic religions share remarkably similarities and could be trace through similar historical events. They are known as Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

In the early, 300’s A.D, Christians were severely persecuted for abandoning their ancestral faith. Many Christians were tortured and killed for continuing to practice their faith when Roman laws forbid them. However, under the leadership of Emperor Constantine and his successor Theodosius, Christians were free to practice without persecution. The strengthening relationship between church and state resulted in the end of religious persecution of Christians and the acceptance of Christianity. This essay will show how Roman laws changed the placement of Christian in society and ultimately the future of Christianity.

Section 1: Evaluation of sources This investigation will explore the question, ‘To what extent did the Roman Emperor, Constantine the Great, adopt and impose Christianity as a political strategy?'. This investigation will focus on the rise of Christianity, Constantine's role, the effect it had, and examining the impact and relationship of Constantine and Christianity. The two sources that will be examined in depth are, the Swiss historian, Jacob Burckhardt's book: ‘The age of Constantine the Great', 185, argues that Constantine was a scheming Emperor who exploited the numerous conflicting religions to maintain control and recover the economy after Civil War with Licinius had, whereas, the British historian, A.H.M Jones' book: ‘Constantine and the conversion of Europe', 1948, argues that Constantine

Christians have been persecuted around the world for their faith during varying periods of time since the birth of the religion. Even today there are stories of Christians being killed or beaten severely at the hands of Hindu extremists in India or in places like China and North Korea. Yet Christianity thrives as the world’s largest religion. Persecution of Christians was especially brutal and widespread during the fourth century in the Roman Empire. Christians were tortured until they denied Christ or killed if they refused, their possessions, houses and buildings were confiscated and they were forced to observe pagan sacrificial traditions. Constantine the Great’s rise to power brought about tremendous change in Roman attitudes and laws from absolutely destroying Christians to accepting, protecting and even supporting the furthering of Christianity.

Christian Studies Research Paper- Constantine Constantine was Roman Emperor from 303 to 337 and has become an important historical figure, as he was the first ever-Christian emperor. It is unsure what motivated him to be a Christian. Many argue that his mother, Helena, had influenced him. On the other hand, others say that Christianity came to him gradually as he only declared to be a Christian after he was 42.

Second, the church was a major political force. Therefore kings and queens wanted/needed papal approval like when they were somewhat weak, as in times of conflict. This allowed the Church to exercise political power as it could help to determine which claimants to a throne would be deemed acceptable.

expense of the other religions. The Church's influence over the state also led to the large

The early church was hated by the society and government of the Roman Empire for various reasons, such as the refusal of Christians to sacrifice to the gods. The Empire went through many phases of demanding that the Christians sacrifice which meant denying their faith or be killed. The earliest attacks claimed the lives of many of the apostles.This text is the story, from around 160 AD, of the martyrdom of Polycarp, the Bishop of the church in Smyrna, a city in Asia Minor (modern Izmir in Turkey) devoted to Roman worship. The account is in the form of a letter from eye-witnesses to other churches in the area. It is the earliest chronicle of a martyrdom outside the New Testament.Polycarp was an old man, at least 86, and probably the last surviving person to have known an apostle, having been a disciple of St. John. This was one reason he was greatly revered as a teacher and church leader. One interesting feature of the letter is that the writer is very conscious of how Polycarp’s death followed the pattern of Christ’s. As you read it, look for parallels between this story and the Easter story in the gospels. We are writing to you, brothers, with an account of the martyrs, especially the blessed Polycarp, whose death brought to the persecution to a close. Almost all the events that led up to it reveal it to be another martyrdom in the divine pattern that we see in the Gospel. For he waited for his betrayal, just like the Lord did, so that we might follow him, in looking out