City, Church, And The Empire

The Libyan born Presbyter and theologian, Arius (d. 336), believed that Jesus was created by god and therefore not eternal. He taught many things in his church in Alexandria and he attempted to address complexities such as the divinity of Christ in relation to God according to monotheism. Perhaps God had a reason for the work of Arius in the Empire. Until now the church hadn’t resolved an issue of this magnitude and Arius brought it to the main stage. Perhaps Arius was meant to argue for the sake of change within the church according to God’s ultimate design, saving the dissolution of the Roman Empire. In this paper I will describe the beliefs held by Arius on eternity and the divinity of Jesus, as well as the issue of Monotheism in both points of view and the controversy that enveloped. I will then talk about the views and response of the church to Arius’ teachings and the reasoning behind the formation of the Council of Nicaea, as well as attempt to prove that Arius was wrong in his belief. Lastly I will discuss the influence of Emperor Constantine in the formation of the council and the politics within the church in regards to the growing issue that Arius started, as well as explain the role of argumentation that Arius had (knowingly or unknowingly) in the preservation of the church according to God’s ultimate plan for Christianity.

In an award winning fictitious novel, Julie Asuka explores the lives of some Japanese immigrants living in the Southern part of America during the Second World War. In about four months following the Pearl Habour, Japanese Americans received instructions through signs all over the streets of the Unites States of America, to report to incarceration camps during the war period.1The writer describes this situation as a form of alienation and oppression through the use of one family. This family’s nightmare is explored from various points of view which ultimately lead to an experience that alters their lives forever . This order led to the splitting of the family, from when the mother receives an evacuation letter, followed by the long train journey experience of the daughter, the son living in the desert military camp, the return home of the family members, as well as the release and homecoming of their father from a bitter four year captivity. The novel tells of a forgotten ancient American wartime episode from history.

The fall of the Roman Empire is the most interesting thing we went over this semester. There were several reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire. Each one interweaves with the other. One of the most problematic difficulties was selecting a new emperor. Unlike Greece, where transition may not have been smooth but was at least dependable, the Romans never produced an actual structure to regulate how new emperors would be chosen. The choice was always open to dispute between the old emperor, the Senate, the Praetorian Guard (the emperor’s private army), and the army. Slowly, the Praetorian Guard gained the power to choose the new emperor, who rewarded the guard who then became more significant, maintaining the cycle. The Roman economy underwent

Stigma and myth have surrounded modern perception of the Medieval era for many years. Popular culture often depicts this time in history as uncivilized and ignorant, and uniformly so for the entire period. Historical fact shows, however, that this era was fluid, and introduced many changes that shaped European culture and society for the next five centuries. Distinct evolution can be observed in the societies of the Germanic and Anglo-Saxon people, as well as in the Eastern Empire. As well as this, a large scale of general changes occurred in this time period to political systems, religion, and economies in Europe as a whole.

Two thousand years ago, in the land surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, the Roman Empire stood strong. Grand cities filled with magnificent buildings and riches of every kind. Rich emperors lived in palaces and beggars lived on the street. The city streets of the Roman Empire were filled with crowds of people making their way to work, school, or play. “Before it gets light, we have the bakers. Then it’s the hammering of the artisans all day. There’s no peace or quiet in this city!” The overpopulated cities sat upon irregular hills with narrow lanes and congested traffic. Inhabited by Greeks, Syrians, Jews, Africans, Spaniards, and more, Roman society was made up of few rich people, many poor people, and the slaves. Ironically enough, these muddled streets of chaos were held together by social class and order. What would a day in the Roman Empire be like? The answer to this question would be completely different coming from a knight than from a slave. Whilst comprehending what daily life might look like in the Ancient Roman Empire, it’s imperative to understand the foundation on which it was grounded.

Christianity helped lead to the fall of the Roman Empire because there was a change in religion. The Roman Empire through all of its ages was pagan. This religion was polytheistic which means more than one god. Therefore the pagan religion was focused on many gods. Most of these gods are widely known, such as, Jupiter, Pluto, Neptune, Juno and Mars. Christianity is monotheistic which means one god. Christianity is based on Jesus Christ. The change from worshipping many gods to one god created many conflicts and difficulties.

Roman Empire began under the Roman Republic was formed by the Roman emperor of the Italian Peninsula. Rome fought to establish itself belonging to Mediterranean and territories of rivals. This way Rome acquired Sicily (241 BC), the two provinces of sardine and Corsica (238 BC); most of the Spain (197 BC); Macedonia and parts of northern Africa (146 BC). In early years of Rome Empire, each province was given its constitution, agreed and loosely surprised by the senate in Rome. For each region, a separate governor is appointed. By the time Augustus, a hierarchy of provinces had developed some considered it as a “public-provinces.” From the beginning of the economic benefits of the empire made, they felt in Rome, and the city soon grew

The revival of Christianity during the late Roman period was set into motion in 313 CE with the Edict of Milan, which legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire. Emperor Constantine helped move the revival along by ordering the construction of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which started around 326 CE, and was completed in 335 CE. Throughout its existence, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher has been destroyed and reconstructed numerous times, which means that the current Church in Jerusalem is not the original building. However, the significance behind the building remains. When the first iteration of the Church was built, it strengthened the legitimacy of Christianity in Jerusalem. Emperor Constantine ordered the Church to be built upon

Whenever the word “Roman” is uttered my brain quickly references the many history books and movies that depict the mighty Romans one dimensionally. They commonly portray the Roman as bronze, muscular, overly macho men who are quick to the sword. In part, the literature we have read in this course has reinforced this idea. The stories in texts like Plutarch 's Lives, Suetonius’s The Twelve Caesars, and Connolly’s Ancient City to some extent help perpetuate this idea of the Roman character. The Roman qualities highlighted in these books are: their military superiority, sympathetic nature (to their conquest), piousness, and their intellect. Although these texts help to fortify the importance of the Romans military they also help to round out the Roman character by showing that they are much more than just skilled soldiers.

These documents which were written in 1480 and 1503, reveal the resentful sentiments of the Germans and their criticism of the Roman church for profligacy and constant exploitation of the German people. Since long, the Roman church had extracted money from the Germans in the name of salvation and filled their treasury for their own benefits. For years, the church had deluded the people by declaring that Christians can only gain forgiveness for their sins through their “pious” acts and by willingly making monetary contributions to the church. The church leaders urged people to purchase grace from God and proclaimed that by contributing wealth to the church in the name of the deceased could only allow the soul to enter into heaven and free them from the sufferings of the purgatory. To accelerate the declining reputation of the church, in 1517, pope Leo X issued the custom of “indulgences” for people to gain remission for their sins without any penance or repentance. These remissions were usually sold to people by the pope in return of their “good deeds.”

Through the modern eyes, history of Western civilization, from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Age of Discovery, is seen through Medieval literature. Ten centuries of history are noticed, involving individual products of heroic periods and their unique era of culture. Acknowledging Medieval literature illustrates a society of heroic knights, led by a luxurious king, charging into battle, romantic connections between royalty and a common person, and new discoveries being found. As well as times characterized by feudal activity, along with the Catholic Church holding an influencing control of society, and placing heavily on the laws they laid. The Church ruled simultaneously with the government, controlling every aspect of the Medieval

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

Western European people had endured a series of changes during the late medieval period. Changes can be categorized into two aspects: politically and socially. On politics, Popes were not as strong as they were due to conflicts between the state and the church. Socially, people began to live a religion- dominated life, and experienced active sexism towards women. These changes, either positive or negative, have become an undivided part of European History.

I propose a detailed analysis about the Middle Ages and the events that has taken place during that time period. I will talk about the wars and more important events that have occurred. I will find my research through primary and secondary resources. I have picked my first two resources to start off my research. First I will be using http://www.lordsandladies.org/. Secondly I will be using http://history-world.org/midbritain.htm.

After the classical period the structure of society was a mess. After the trojan war the Medieval period was the one to bring in the more civilized society. Having a more civilized structure brought in new ideas and a more structured government. The base of the Medieval period was Italian scholars and academics on the base of academics was only making slow progress across the world. The most horrific event of the Medieval period would be the Dark Ages. In the article Dark Ages the author states, “Dark Ages,;the early medieval period of western European history. Specifically, the term refers to the time when there was no Roman or Holy Roman emperor in the West... disappearance of urban life” (Britannica 1). Dark Ages could affect the poetry by making the poetry very dark because there was no established government or established religion until after the Dark Ages. There were many defining characteristics of the medieval period the biggest one of the characteristics were; the building of the Feudalism and Manorial system of Government. . After the classical period there was not actual government but the the medieval period brought in the start of feudalism and manorial. In the article, The Medieval Period: Some Important Points by Rich Larson, for Larson states, “ This was also the time of feudalism and the manorial system. Kings and lords granted their vassals land (called fiefs) in order to secure service and a form of respect called homage” (Larson 1).