In 285 AD, the Emperor of the Roman Empire, Diocletian, decided that his territory was too large to rule by himself, so he split the empire in two. He maintained his rule in the eastern half and appointed Maximian to rule the western half. Diocletian and Maximian each held the title of Augustus and appointed subordinate rulers, titled Caesars, to assist them. Diocletian named Galerius as his Caesar, and Maximian chose Constantius.
Just before the end of his reign, Diocletian “suddenly ordered the most vicious of all persecutions of the Christians.” The Emperor destroyed churches and Scriptures, prohibited Christian worship, and put many believers to death. Two years later, in 305, he abdicated his throne. Maximian, by Diocletian’s persuasion, did the same, and their two Caesars, Galerius and Constantius, succeeded them as Augusti. Constantius was fairly tolerant of Christianity, but Galerius continued the extreme oppression until right before his death.
Constantius’s death in 306 caused a complex struggle for power in which Constantine, Constantius’ son, and Maxentius, Maximian’s son, began a bitter rivalry. The story goes that on his way to confront Maxentius in Rome, Constantine had a vision of a cross and the words, “In this sign conquer.” Carrying the sign of the cross on his banners, he defeated Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312. In 324 he conquered Licinius, who had managed to take control of the western territory after Galerius’s death, and in doing so Constantine reunited the Eastern and Western halves Roman Empire.
Although it is possible that Constantine converted to Christianity just for political gain, his actions certainly improved the Christian community’s situation. He allowed believers to worship freely through the Edict of Milan in 313 and set apart Sunday as a public holiday in 321. In this way, the Church profited from the political patronage it received from the Roman government. However, the connection of religion and state inflated the community of believers — previously composed of Christians committed enough to withstand heavy persecution — to include half-hearted, half-converted citizens. This secularization of Christianity prompted some believers to resort to monasticism, a movement that began in Egypt. Anthony, who is often considered the first monk, was born around 250, gave away all his possessions at age twenty, and settled in a tomb as a hermit. Many followed his example, living solitary lives and depriving themselves of worldly comfort.
Around 320, some monks transitioned to living in communities when Pachomius, a former soldier, created the first Christian monastery. In 529, a monk named Benedict founded the most famous monastery in Europe on Monte Cassino, located eighty-five miles from Rome, for which he wrote a list of regulations called the Rule. The Rule imposed strict discipline on the monks: they were required to attend seven services every twenty-four hours, to do manual labor and extensive reading, and to unconditionally obey the abbot, the monastery’s leader. They took a vow of poverty, chastity, and obedience to keep themselves on a straight and narrow path towards God with minimal distractions.
As people sought to reach God in the age of the Christian Empire, some Christians merged their faith with pagan lifestyles, and some completely separated themselves from the rest of the world. This month as we give thanks, we should recognize with gratitude the fact that Jesus has not left us to create our own path to God, which can lead to extremes, but has provided us with the one true Way.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6 (ESV)
Works Cited:
Cairns, Earle E. Christianity Through the Centuries: A History of the Christian Church. Third ed., Zondervan, 1996.
ESV Study Bible: English Standard Version. 2011 ed., Crossway, 2008.
Shelley, Bruce L. Church History in Plain Language. Updated Third ed., Thomas Nelson, 2008.
Wasson, Donald L. “Constantine I.” World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 19 Apr 2013. Accessed 17 Oct 2021. https://www.worldhistory.org/Constantine_I/.
Wasson, Donald L. “Diocletian.” World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 02 Feb 2014. Accessed 17 Oct 2021. https://www.worldhistory.org/Diocletian/.
Image Credit:
Faccini, Marcoantonio. “Abbazia Di Montecassino (Montecassino’s Abbey).” Unsplash, 5 Sept. 2021, https://unsplash.com/photos/7R3CDG96UXI. Accessed 26 Oct. 2021.