The Influence of Early Christianity PDF

# The Influence of Early Christianity ## Introductory - Christianity was a new element added to the political thought of the West, very different from what had been contributed by the ancient Greeks or the Romans. - To understand Christianity, we need to look back at the contributions of the Gre...

# The Influence of Early Christianity ## Introductory - Christianity was a new element added to the political thought of the West, very different from what had been contributed by the ancient Greeks or the Romans. - To understand Christianity, we need to look back at the contributions of the Greeks and Romans. ## The Legacy of Greece and Roman - The ancient Greeks contributed the idea of free-citizenship, which meant participation in the political life of the community and the enjoyment of equal political rights. - They also stated the truth that man is a political being, inconceivable without membership of the state. - They then contributed the idea of constitutional government and government by rational discussion. - Finally, they promoted the idea of law as the expression of passionless reason. - However, the ancient Greeks suffered from many drawbacks. - Devotion to the ideal of the city-state stood in the way of achieving national unity. - Their statesmen and political philosophers could not solve the problems created by internal dissensions and inter-state rivalry. - They ultimately succumbed to the might of Macedon, and later to Rome. ## Under the Changed Political Conditions - Under the altered political conditions, the old civic ideals could not be maintained; the conception of man as a political animal was replaced by the conception of man as an individual, living in as great independence of society as possible. - The good or wise man was to avoid participation in the political life of the state. - The philosophies of Plato and Aristotle were eclipsed by the rising Stoic school which emphasized the ideas of universal law, human equality, and world citizenship. ## What the Romans Accepted - The Romans accepted the Stoic doctrines of universal Law of Nature and world-citizenship from the Greeks and transmitted them to the Western world. - These ideas found concrete embodiment in the Roman world empire which included all the peoples living between Asia Minor and the Iberian Peninsula. ## The Essence of Early Christianity - It brought under one universal law and a common culture between the Mediterranean and the North Sea. - It brought human equality and human brotherhood to the texture of Roman jurisprudence. - It established peace in the world and gave a great impetus to trade and commerce in the Roman domain. - It preserved the technical, intellectual, and artistic heritage that she had received from Greece, Egypt, and Carthage. - However, there was also a negative side to Roman achievement. - In order to weld the diverse peoples she had subdued into a unity. Rome had to lay stress on law, order, and unity, and not on freedom and democracy. - They formed part of one culture when Christianity was born. - It failed to develop any idea of the inwardness of religious life for the Romans as for the Greeks. - Religion was merely a matter of external rituals and ceremonies and was an adjunct of the state. ## The Contribution of Christianity - Christianity distinguished between the temporal and spiritual interests of man and held that man has a two-fold nature. - The interests of the body are different from those of the soul; as body man seeks pleasures of the senses and worldly power and prosperity; as soul he aims at redemption from sin and salvation. - It separated the spiritual power from the temporal, thus recognizing the importance of the spiritual welfare of man over earthly interests. - It gave rise to the conception of an entirely new society facing the state and claiming to act independently of it. ## The Rise of Christianity- a Revolutionary Event - The rise of the Church is a revolutionary event in history because it created a new society within the existing society. - It offered a bitter criticism to the existing political order and exercised great influence on the course of history. - It is responsible for the fall of Rome and the birth of a new social order. - The Church arose in the ruins of the Roman world of Christendom and turned Roman ideas into new channels, after the downfall of the empire in the West. - It preserved civilization against the barbarians and extended its bounds by bringing them under civilization, during the Dark Ages. - It led to the collapse of the Roman Empire. ## The Most Significant Contribution of Christianity - The most significant contribution of Christianity was to separate the religion from the temporal, which was a marked characteristic of the Graeco-Roman culture. - It established a distinct institution entitled to govern the concerns of mankind in independence of the state. - It was the most revolutionary event in respect to political philosophy. ## Effects of the Triumph of Christianity - Christianity lost its primitive simplicity and purity and was transformed into a complex and dogmatic system. - It developed into a religio-political authority. - It led to the growth of the Papacy and a centralized Church. - It led to the rise of the Holy Roman Empire and the struggles of the German Emperors to establish their sway over Italy. - It become a fashionable creed. - The Church became a religio-political authority and its leading members, the bishops became recognized officials of the government and thus got mixed up with politics. - It caused the growth of a centralized organization. ## The Growth of Papacy - The transfer of the imperial capital from Rome to Constantinople, and the subsequent division of the Empire into two parts, one eastern with its capital at Constantinople and the other western with its headquarters at Rome, and the final disintegration were factors which resulted in the Roman Bishop becoming the Pope. - The removal of the court to Constantinople left the Roman Bishop the most important official in the city, in the absence of the Emperor, he could act in a more independent and consistent way. - He acquired greater reputation for orthodoxy. - The Roman Bishop had to concern himself with the political affairs of the city. - The disintegration of the Western Empire, the barbarian invasions, and the rise of new kingdoms resulted in the increase of the power of the Roman Bishop. - The separation between the eastern and the western Church led to the growth of Papacy. ## Christianity Developed Intolerance - The persecution of all non-Christian religions began. - It was regular, systematic and constant, and it was motivated by the conviction that Christianity was the only true religion established by God. - The state was responsible to suppress other faiths which led men away from God to salvation. - The Christian state was responsible for the persecution of non-Christians, and this attitude remained because knowledge could make little progress. - Christianity created a climate where only the Christian Church was allowed to thrive. ## Political Ideas of Early Christianity - The interests which bound Christians together were spiritual and not temporal or political. - They shared a common set of ideas with other groups and were most likely Stoic in character. - They believed that it was the duty of the individual to render obedience to duly constituted authority, in the equality of men in the eyes of God, and the divine government of world. - Stoic ideas were given a deeper meaning by being connected with the Christian conception of the Fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man. - The Stoic conception of universal law was given a deeper signification through the Christian conception of the Kingdom of Ends. ## Obedience to Civil Authority - Jesus Christ said, *"Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God things that are God's."* - St. Paul agreed, *"Let every soul be subject unto higher powers. For there is no power but of God; the powers that are be ordained of God. Whatsoever, therefore, resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God; and they that resist shall receive into themselves damnation."* - This obligation to obey the secular authority solidified the importance of civil obedience. ## Man's Two Fold Duty - There are certain things which belong to Caesar and certain things which belong to God. - The Christian doctrine asserts that man has a two-fold duty, one to the civil authorities and the other to God. - If the two clashed, the true Christian was to obey God rather than the secular authority. ## The Importance of the Christian Doctrine - The Christian doctrine emphasizes the importance of respecting the civil authority, but also emphasizes the need to uphold the spiritual interests of man. - Christianity gave a new meaning to the Stoic conception of human equality, and affirmed the value of individual human rights. - Both Christianity and Stoicism recognize love, hope, and charity as virtues. - Christianity adopted a compassionate and egalitarian outlook which became an integral part of Western culture. ## The Realization of the Spiritual Value of Life - Christianity recognized the spiritual value of life outside the scope of state activity. - This opposed the Graeco-Roman view that the state provides full scope for the attainment of all good life values. - It emphasized that spiritual life is separate from the temporal sphere and is important. ## The Kingdom of God - The Kingdom of God is found within a man, and not on a state level. - It requires a cleansing within the heart, removing selfish desires, cruelty, and lust. - It requires a constant striving for the Kingdom of God through a pure and noble life. ## The Separation of the Spiritual From the Temporal - The most significant contribution of Christianity was the separation of the spiritual from the temporal; a marked feature of the Graeco-Roman culture. - It established a distinct institution entitled to govern the concerns of mankind in independence of the state. - This was the most revolutionary event, in respect to political philosophy. ## Why the Rise of Christianity is Considered a Revolutionary Event - It established a new society within the existing society, with new rules and rituals. - It offered a bitter criticism of the existing political order, thus exercising great influence on the course of history. - It led to the fall of Rome, and the birth of a new social order in the ruins of the Roman empire. - It was the most important factor in changing the course of history. ## The Great Contributions of Christianity - It gave birth to a new social order in which Roman ideas were blended with Christian concepts, turning the world into a new channel. - It helped to preserve civilization against the barbarians and extended its bounds, during the Dark Ages. It saved Western civilization from the barbarian onslaught. ## The Influence of Christianity on Political Thought - The most significant contribution of Christianity to political philosophy is its theory of a distinct Church, independent of the state. - It gave rise to the theory of the two swords. ## The Theory of the Two Swords - It separates the spiritual realm from the secular. - The Church is autonomous in spiritual matters and the state is autonomous in secular matters, and should not interfere with each other as long as they act within their own spheres. - It was the basis of Church-State relationships for most of the Patristic age. ## The Distinction Between Secular and Spiritual Interests - Christianity led to the dual nature of man, with spiritual and temporal interests. - It separated these interests, which separated the political sphere from the spiritual concerns of mankind. ## The Importance of the Christian Doctrine - It states that a state is a Christian state if it is in conformity with the principle of the Christian Church, and it serves a community that is ministering to a life in which spiritual interests stand above all other interests. - It values a government that protects the rights of those who are not a part of a Christian community. - It is a radical departure from the classical conception of the "perfect state." ## The Importance of St. Augustine's Contribution - He defended the idea of the Church as a distinct institution, completely separated from the state. ## The Importance of St. Ambrose's Contribution - He defended the idea of the Church as a distinct institution, completely separated from the state. - He called for the Church to defend itself from state interference, though he recognized the need for mutual cooperation between the church and the state. ## The Importance of the Theory of Two Swords - It was an authoritative statement on the relationship between the church and state. - It stated that the Pope is in charge of spiritual matters and the emperor is in charge of secular matters. - The emperor should seek guidance from the church on spiritual matters, and the church should help the secular authority in dealing with secular issues. ## The Influence of St. Augustine - St. Augustine is one of the most important figures in the history of western Civilization. - He established a system of thought which permeated Christian thinking for centuries. - He is responsible for the transition from pagan thought to Christian thought. ## St. Augustine's Philosophy of History - The state acts as a necessary preparation for the establishment of the Christian commonwealth and the Church is on the side of the truth. - He viewed history as a struggle between the City of God and the City of Man. - He emphasized the importance of the City of God, with its love of God and contempt of self. - It is a spiritual realm ruled by faith and grace. ## The Importance of the Doctrine of Two Swords - It is the basis for the understanding of Church-State relations throughout the Middle Ages. - It laid the foundation for the Holy Roman Empire. - It served as a starting point for the development of later Christian political thinkers. ## St. Augustine's Doctrine of Justice - He recognizes that justice can only be achieved in the City of God, and that man's duty to obey God is more important than his duty to obey the state. ## The Importance of Justice for St. Augustine - It is the foundation of the state. - It helps to preserve peace and order in the state. - It is achieved in a Christian society and not in a Pagan society. ## St. Augustine's Doctrine of Peace - He argued that the pagan state cannot achieve true peace because it is based on self-love and the pursuit of power. - Achieving peace necessitates a universal order with a universal law, that all men are subject to. - It also means the teaching of love for all mankind. - The Kingdom of God is the only source of true peace in the world. ## The Importance of Love for St. Augustine - It is the basis of true peace. - It is a system of order and justice which are more powerful than law, or the absence of war. - It can only be achieved by those who love God. ## St. Augustine's View of State and Government - He recognized the state as a necessary remedy to human sin. - It is the basis of the pre-Christian world, but it is not perfect, and it needs to be transformed into a Christian state. - It has a moral obligation to act in conformity with the will of God. ## The Importance of St. Augustine's Philosophy - He introduced a radical notion to political thought that the purpose of the state is not simply to protect the well-being of its citizens, but to fulfill its moral obligation to God. - He believed that God rules over all things, and is both the source of secular authority and the superior force of spiritual authority. - He recognized the importance of grace in achieving the goal of state and of the human heart, and he recognized the superior importance of the Church. - He established a new concept of the "state" which is a Christian state and that the Church plays a role in the state. ## The Importance of the Doctrine of Two Swords for St. Augustine - He recognized the need for harmony between the Church and the state. - He advocated for the secular authority to recognize the role of church authorities in governing. - He stated that the emperor should be a Christian and should seek guidance from church authorities. ## The Importance of St. Augustine's Ideas - It was a landmark event in the history of political thought. - It offered a new theory of justice and peace as well as the role of the church. - It defended the theory of the two swords and established a new view of the state as a Christian entity. - It served as a foundation for later Christian political thinkers.